The Coffeewoman Takes Berkeley By Storm

The Coffeewoman comes to Berkeley, where leaders from all corners of the industry joining together to discuss leadership, intersectionality, and the future of coffee.

BY ASHLEY RODRIGUEZ
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE

Cover photo by Ghostfotographics

Over 200 coffee professionals crowded the room at the Coffeewoman, which took place at Bay Area CoRoasters in Berkeley, Calif., on Friday, June 2. “Founded by Laila Ghambari and Tracy Ging, the Coffeewoman had its first event in February 2016 in Kansas City, Mo., as a grassroots gathering to discuss pertinent issues facing women, POC, gender nonconforming folks, and non-cis baristas, retailers, and other coffee professionals,” shares Sarah Allen, Barista Magazine editor and one of the organizers of the event. Along with support from Barista Magazine and CoRo, Pacific Foods also sponsored the night of drinks, mingling, and important—and sometimes uncomfortable—conversations and discourse. Attendance was free of charge but patrons were encouraged to donate $5 to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

Coffee professionals from all over the Bay Area gathered to drink, talk, and engage in debate and discussion. Photo by Ghostfotographics.

As attendees arrived, they were greeted with free tote bags, coffee from Burundi that was sourced through the IWCA, local wine and beer, and food catered by Bartavelle Café & Wine Bar. Helen Russell, co-founder of Equator Coffees and Teas, gave a keynote speech where she talked about her personal experiences creating a business out of her garage and building up her employees. Equator was recently recognized as the Small Business Administration’s 2016 Small Business of the Year and is the first LGBTQ company to be awarded this prestigious prize. Helen talked about the farm Equator co-owns, Finca Sophia, and the accomplishments of her staff, including Talya Strader, who placed third at the 2017 United States Barista Championship.

Helen Russell of Equator Coffees and Teas gave a keynote speech highlighting her journey into coffee and her commitment to providing safe spaces for employees. Photo by Lindsey Shea.

After Helen’s speech, Sarah Allen hosted a panel called ‘How Did I Get Here?’ asking female leaders to discuss their pathways and pitfalls to success. The panel included Kristen Nelson, owner and founder of Modern Coffee, Amanda Juris, green coffee buyer for Verve Coffee Roasters, Elizabeth Goldblatt, co-founder of Six Degrees Coffee, Sarah Richmond, director of operations at CoRo, and Siobhan Gottleib, quality control manager for Genuine Origin.

Kristin Nelson of Modern Coffee in Oakland, Calif., speaks about ignoring her fears and opening her own cafe. Photo by Ghostfotographics.

Sarah asked the panel to speak about their coffee histories, some of the qualities that have made them successful, and how they achieved their goals. “I always had a clear goal [move to Switzerland], and even though my goal wasn’t what I ended up doing, having a goal helped define my career path,” shared Amanda. Along with panelists providing insights from their personal experiences, the audience was encouraged to ask questions and engage in debate with the panelists.

Jasper Wilde, co-host of the Boss Barista podcast, asks tough questions of the panelists about equitable opportunities for all baristas. Photo by Ghostfotographics.

After the career panel, I was honored to host a panel called ‘Intersectionality in the Workplace,’ where panelists focused on how their varying identities affect their workspaces. The panel included RJ Joseph, roaster for Counter Culture Coffee and writer for Barista Magazine and the blog Queer Cup, Elise Hogan, COO of Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters, Maria Cleaveland, regional sales director for Urnex Brands, Rosi Quiñones, certification specialist for Royal Coffee, and a last-minute addition of Paba Mihindukulasuriya, roaster for Alchemy Collective. The panel dove deep and talked about the panelists’ personal definitions of intersectionality, how they have been marginalized in their workspaces, and their responsibility as leaders in their industry to reach out and provide support for baristas with less power and fewer options.

Paba Mihindukulasuriya of Alchemy Collective talks about being passed over or not relied on for coffee information in favor of men who are less qualified. Photo by Lindsey Shea.

“I’d like to get your contact information so you and I can talk about your experiences,” RJ said to a person in the audience who expressed feeling marginalized for having an accent. Members of the intersectionality panel brought up problems and barriers that many baristas face, and how systemic change is necessary for the success and growth of the coffee industry for all people.

The panels were both vibrant and different—the representatives on each panel discussed a variety of issues and took hard-hitting questions from the audience. Photo by Lindsay Shea.

The Coffeewoman has taken place in a number of cities, and this iteration of the event was livestreamed on the Bay Area Coffee Community’s Facebook page. Additionally, the audio from each panel plus Helen’s keynote speech will be available on the Boss Barista podcast in the coming weeks.

Floy Andrews, CoFounder of Bay Area CoRoasters, talks to us about her past life as a lawyer, what she knows about the sharing economy, and why people need to pay more for coffee. →

10 Minutes With Floy Andrews of Bay Area CoRoasters

BY ASHLEY RODRIGUEZ
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE

Floy Andrews is the co-founder of Bay Area CoRoasters, a communal co-roasting space based in Berkeley, Calif. But coffee is still a new endeavor for her. She shares with us how her background in law informs her perspectives, her goals for consumers, and how the co-roasting model has evolved over time. 

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Ashley Rodriguez: Could you talk a little bit about your career pre-coffee?
Floy Andrews: I was a lawyer before coffee. Actually, I still am a lawyer … but don’t do much of that now. I left that work in 2013 and headed to Manhattan. At 50 I went back to school at Columbia to study Bioethics, a fascinating subject. I’m still involved with that as a volunteer on the ethics committee at Summit Hospital in Oakland. I help make personal healthcare decisions for people who can’t and have no one else to help them. It’s fulfilling work.

I practiced law for 16 years, in Los Angeles, with an international law firm and then as a vice president at Irvine Company in Orange County. I left because—for the final act of my career—I want work that allows for deeper connections. I need to feel engaged in the world, that my time more directly impacts people living their lives. My favorite job until now was waiting tables.

When I arrived in Berkeley from New York, my first feet-on-the-ground work was helping the owner of Runway, a tech incubator in the city (lawyer work again). That work gave me a good look into the sharing economy. I had no idea at the time that the view into Runway would have such impact on my next professional incarnation. That’s how life is. Never assume you’re wasting time. It’s all about showing up and choosing to be present. The rest is the miracle.

Floy Andrews is the co-founder of Bay Area CoRoasters, a communal co-roasting space that has allowed numerous Bay Area coffee businesses to roast their own coffee. Photo by Marlee Benefield.

AR: How did you get into coffee?
FA: In 2015, coffee chose me. I did not know what to say, so I nodded ‘yes’ and got to work. Most of the best things so far have found me.

Shortly after wrapping up the work with Runway, my close friend Joan Blades, co-founder of MoveOn.org and Living Room Conversations, introduced me to her good friend, Tim Hansen, a part-owner of the roastery that is now CoRo. Tim was looking for someone to help him make good use of the amazing CoRo space. He mentioned the idea of renting out the space to other coffee roasters. I thought, ‘Right: Share the space!’ After a little research and a good meeting with CoRo’s chairman, we were underway. Since then, for me it’s been all coffee all the time—better than lawyering, that’s for sure. I even got my Q-Grader certification last summer with Gather Coffee Company.

AR: What were some of the challenges getting CoRo going? What were some surprises?
FA: It’s a new concept. Our first challenge was as basic as determining how to structure the memberships to strike the right balance that allowed a sustainable model for CoRo, while keeping costs at a level that worked for small-batch roasters. Gabe Boscana, now of Máquina Coffee Roasters, was our first member. Gabe has very deep roots in coffee and was a huge help. He walked us through the business concept and advised on what a roaster would need. He also introduced us to Dani Goot who was really excited about the co-roasting model; he was our first director of operations. He was the one who insisted that the Bay needed a neutral place for our large and growing coffee community to come together and share ideas. We listened. He quickly brought local and farther-flung coffee people through the door.

Floy (right), pictured here with Jodi Weiser, after receiving her Q-Grader certification. She transitioned into coffee after a career as a lawyer. Photo by Marlee Benefield.

Other challenges have included: determining when to buy new and expensive equipment, like our two new Loring roasters and our second weigh & fill packing machine, and getting permits to build the CoRo Coffee Room (a café attached to the roastery that will feature CoRo members’ coffees on a rotating basis). Buying the equipment was resolved by trusting in the vision and ordering the new equipment before it was certain we needed it. The second challenge is ongoing. There’s nothing really to do but be patient and persist.

AR: How have your skills in other industries influenced the way you approach coffee? What stands out as important to you?
FA: I’m pretty focused. Lawyers have to be focused. They are trained to keep their eye on the end game. In a world where so many distractions, many valuable, are constantly being served up in alluring packages like Instagram, Facebook, via email, and where so many lovely coffee people come and go throughout the day, the ability to focus on the goal is a gift of sorts. At the same time, it’s the connection I was seeking when I left the law.

A lot of coffee people who’ve come up in coffee don’t know what it’s like to really make a good living. They feel lucky just to be doing coffee. We are lucky to be doing coffee! And we all deserve to make a good living! For specialty coffee to be sustainable, we all need to make a good living. That means, in this Bay Area economy, the consumer needs to pay more for specialty coffee. I see that as one of my overarching goals here—to help consumers understand the value of great coffee and to convince them to pay more for that value. Then there’ll be plenty for everyone along the value chain. The CoRo Coffee Room, in addition to promoting our members’ coffees, will promote consumer education to help push these boundaries further.

AR: What were the goals of CoRo when you first opened? Have those goals evolved?
FA: Our initial goals were to share the roastery so others who wanted to roast coffee could get into the game without making a prohibitive and risky investment, and to cover our costs, pay ourselves, and deliver a little extra to the owners in the process.

I’ve personally been excited about two other specific objectives. First, educating consumers, as mentioned above. Second, finding ways to bring importers and producers and small-batch roasters like CoRo members together. Toward this end, we developed the CoRo Green Wall, where importers leave small samples of various current offerings for members and others to take, roast, and cup. It really fosters new connections between small roasters and importers.

CoRo, as the space is often referred to, simply began as a place to roast coffee for roasters that didn’t have a roaster. Now it’s a community hub and a connection point for green importers, roasters, and consumers.

AR: Where do you see coffee growing?
FA: Here’s a big generalization, but there’s truth in it. New coffee lovers live their values and care about life experience much more than stuff. They prefer to spend money with organizations that reflect their viewpoints and lifestyles, even if that means paying a little more. And they are willing to change it up and try something new. In fact, often they prefer that.

For craft specialty coffee people and everyone along that value chain, that spells opportunity. Everyday, a new coffee drinker becomes a coffee lover, and coffee lovers like trying new coffees—a new origin, a new brand of coffee, a new roast profile, a new brew method, a new coffee concoction, a new café, new kinds of milk, etc. Craft coffee is coming of age. As this transition happens across the country, new and creative coffee brands reflecting their local customers’ values and tastes will be born, new and innovative cafés will spring up, more consumers will travel to origin to see and taste the coffee in country, and coffee is just going to be so fun!

Ashley is the Online Editor for Barista Magazine. She's a barista based in the Bay Area. If you want to share a story or have a comment, you can reach her at ashley@baristamagazine.com.  

Roast Magazine Article: A Place to Grow

Thanks so much to Roast Magazine for featuring us in their current July/Aug edition in the article A Place to Grow.  We are very proud to be among the select few shared roasting facilities highlighted in this growing industry.  The ability to operate and work in a community space built around learning, experimenting and roasting great coffee is amazing.  We also thank our members and all the coffee professionals in the Bay Area who have attended our events or been a part of this community!

Check out this article and contact us if you have any questions about any of the services, classes or roasting equipment.

And sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of our home page for the most current CoRo news and events.

Bay Area CoRoasters Brings Roasting, Production, Education, to Local Community →

Check out this awesome blog article by Ashley Rodriguez posted in Barista Magazine June 11th.

We were happy to host Ashley, answer questions and get exposure for what CoRo can offer our local coffee community.  If you have any questions about what we do or what we offer be sure to contact us.  

CoRo Training sessions with Gabe Boscana

Gabriel Boscana just completed his first three-session training for new roasters this past week at Berkeley Co-Roasting. Gabe is also a member at BCR. 

The first session focused on green coffee buying and how basic coffee contracts work. The second session was all hands-on cupping and roasting. First we cupped numerous defective and tainted coffees to help us identify and explore how to pick out the good from the bad. Experiencing first-hand the taste of mold, age, ferment, and quakers, among other defects is essential. Every participant learned to use the Probat sample-roaster by roasting a sample of green coffee. We kept detailed notes of roast specifics, such as drop temperature, ultimate roast temperature, and roast duration.

The third day, was a real eye-opener. Each sample that was roasted the day before had its own unique character. Students roasted the same coffee on the same machine with very different outcomes and tasted the impact of the roast. After the cupping the participants experienced hands on production roasting on our Probat 5k and Loring 35K. 

The class was fantastic and everyone had the best time learning from our good friend Gabe.

West Berkeley Now Has a Coffee Roasting Incubator

By: Kate Williams

NOSH Weekly

Berkeley Co-Roasting provides everything necessary for small roasters to prepare their beans. Photo courtesy: Berkeley Co-Roasting

Uptown Kitchen. The Berkeley Kitchens. Port Kitchens. Kitchener. The East Bay has a growing legion of upstart shared kitchen spaces for small food businesses, but has had little in the way of shared coffee roasting space — until now.

Berkeley Co-Roasting (BCR) is a new shared coffee roasting facility at 2322 Fifth St. Operated by the four-person team of Paul Goldstone, Tim Hansen, Michael Pappas and Floy Andrews, the facility intends to “offer specialty coffee roasters and inviting light-filled and spacious hub for creating, roasting, and processing their artisanal coffee products,” according Andrews, BCR’s business manager. Roasters can lease space by the hour, half day or full day.

The facility’s address may be a familiar one to eagle-eyed Berkeleyside readers — until the beginning of September, it was the sole home of Supersonic Coffee Roasters. Goldstone, who owns the building, was an investor in the Supersonic brand, and had originally brought Supersonic co-founder John Laird into the facility. The two officially ended their business relationship at the beginning of this month, but Supersonic has stayed on to roast at BCR.

“This move has taken place to enable Supersonic to pursue their future objectives with complete creative and strategic independence,” said Supersonic co-founder Björg Brend Laird in a prepared statement. “It is essential for the success of any partnership to clearly align on the objectives and expectations of the brand, and in the absence of such an alignment, it is in the best interest for all parties involved to go their separate ways.”

Andrews told NOSH that Goldstone had a larger vision for the building. Supersonic had only been using the roasting equipment one or two days a week, and “we wanted to open the door to the new roasters budding in the area,” she said. “We wanted to make the best use of the facility and have the equipment running every day.”

Brend Laird says that the new arrangement will allow for a substantial decrease in overhead and “allows Supersonic to put more of [its] energy toward inspiring work with a focus on the future,” including a still-in-the-works retail shop.

Supersonic has been working with BCR to create a facility “where small and new start-up roasters can establish themselves,” said Brend Laird. Two other roasting companies, including Paramo Coffee, have joined up at BCR, and Andrews says that they are in conversation with a few other potential tenants. BCR could handle up to 10 different roasting companies, she said.

John Laird of Supersonic Coffee roasts beans at the Berkeley Co-Roasting facility. Photo: Supersonic Coffee

Inside BCR are two production coffee roasters, a Loring Kestrel 35 and a Probat P5, plus a quality control lab, cupping room for tastings, sample roasters, grinders and brewing equipment, including a La Marzocco GB5 espresso machine.

Andrews and the rest of the BCR team hope to open up the facility to hobby roasters in addition to professionals. The cupping room and sample roasters will be available for area coffee shops to provide barista training, and BCR also plans to hold roasting classes. “We’re thinking about it as a coffee academy plus a roasting facility,” she said.

In addition, BCR plans to provide logistical support for its member roasters. It will provide receiving and storage for green beans, will weigh and fill packaging equipment, and will supply shipping station completely with packaging supplies.

“You don’t often think about it,” said Andrews, “but it is very difficult to manage green beans. You’re getting deliveries of big pallets of a very heavy product and that’s hard to deal with. Offering the green bean storage and receiving is a big deal.”

BCR is considering the option to eventually include a retail shop, but has not so far set any official plans in motion. “If we do add a retail concept, it will be rooted in the products that are made here,” said Andrews. She added that BCR will continue to evaluate what is needed as more roasters join up.

In short, the facility should be a boon to upstart businesses. “Berkeley Co-Roasting really does provide all of the resources needed to run a roasting company for anybody who wants to get into it,” said Andrews.

She and the rest of the BCR team also hope that the facility will be a true incubator for small businesses. “We’re hoping folks will come and create community together,” she said. “We hope they learn from each other, bounce ideas off of one another, and make business deals together.”

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