Partners with Pride: Interview with Arielle Rebekah of Trans & Caffeinated
It’s been a joy to collaborate with Arielle Rebekah (they/them) of Trans & Caffeinated Consulting in supporting our partners at Glitter Cat Barista and in planning coffee-community events. A tireless advocate for trans folks and other marginalized individuals, Arielle is a true leader and community builder within specialty coffee. Pride feels like the perfect season […]
AAPI Partners: Interview with Atlas Alum Al Liu
A highlight of AAPI celebrations at Atlas this May was interviewing the beloved, incomparable Al Liu, a former Atlasian and dear friend of the Atlas team. He answered questions about his time at Atlas and his experience as an Asian-American coffee professional. Chelsey Walker-Watson: Can you tell us about your time at Atlas? Did you […]
Interview with Iris Alvarado
In honor of the landing of the Hermanas Alvarado micro-lots (also known as “Café Yaunera”) from the community of Yaunera in San Pedro, Copan, Honduras, I met with Iris Alvarado and Atlas Trader Chris Davidson, who provided insight as the Trader for Honduras and served as our translator. This independently-owned, small-family business is one of […]
Natural processing, Washing Stations, and Drying Tables: An Interview with Muungano
Atlas has been buying coffee from Cooperative Agricole Muungano (“Muungano”) in eastern DR Congo since 2013. Even as Muungano has steadily grown in both membership and volume (e.g. they have gone from producing 3 MT—~50 x 60kg bags—of green coffee in 2009 to 177 MT—~2,950 x 60kg bags—in 2019), their quality has remained top-notch, their […]
An Interview with Yunnan Coffee Traders’ Joshua Jagelman about China’s Specialty Coffee Scene, Swing-Term Pricing, and the HuskeeCup
Atlas founder Craig Holt has traveled to China several times over the past decade, and this year we’re especially delighted to have partnered with exporter Yunnan Coffee Traders (YCT) to bring in our first container of microlots from Yunnan province in southwestern China. The microlots, both washed and natural process, just landed this month at […]
Rebuilding Hope on Idjwi Island, DR Congo: An Interview with Marcelline Budza
Marcelline Buzda is the founder of Rebuild Women’s Hope Cooperative (RWH), located in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Atlas was first introduced to Budza at the SCA Expo in Seattle in April 2018. We were immediately taken by her determination and positivity—not to mention tasty samples—and purchased our first container from the cooperative that […]
Burundi Spotlight Series Post 3: Interview with Angele Ciza of Kalico
Our third Burundi spotlight series post features an interview with Angele Ciza, co-founder of Kahawa Link Company (Kalico), one of our producer partners in Burundi. Our first two installments covered a brief history of Burundi and an interview about overland logistics in East Africa. Stay tuned for our final post, which will offer brewing and […]
Interview with ASOPEP Director Camilo Enciso Suarez
ASOPEP (Asociación de Productores Ecológicas de Planadas) is a flourishing cooperative of Fairtrade coffee and cocoa producers founded in the town of Planadas in the southern part of the department of Tolima. Situated in the heart of the Cordillera Central mountain range, Planadas is isolated and ruggedly beautiful with high-elevation farms that are found throughout the […]
Burundi Spotlight Series Post 2: Overland Logistics in East Africa
Our second Burundi spotlight series post features an interview with Kathleen Tournel, the founder of Spoondrift Co. Ltd, a supply-chain partner specializing in overland logistics for green coffees in East Africa. For the first post in our Burundi spotlight series, see here. Susan Heller Evenson: Kathleen, can you tell us a bit about yourself and […]
All Things Robusta: An Interview with Four Q Robusta Instructors
Many of us in the specialty coffee industry are familiar with “the Q”, or the Q Arabica Grader Exam: a 6-day series of calibration exercises and 20 individual tests that evaluate a person’s cupping, sensory skills, and general Arabica coffee knowledge. What’s more of a mystery in our neck of the woods is the Q […]