BEANS. BREWS. BRAINS.
On Women in Coffee: is that my face on the logo?
Women work endlessly in coffee farms to bring you the flavorful coffee you drink every single morning. As a roaster who happens to be a woman, it never occurred to me that roasting coffee was considered a “man’s job” until I got into the business. Although the woman on our logo is not me, she represents HER: all women in coffee. The African woman as a representation of coffee.
I am often asked if the woman on the logo is me (Deborah, the founder)! And it really has me questioning: does she really look like me?
Every week, at the farmers market or at local events, customers either ask if it is me on the logo or they simply assume that it is in fact me on the logo.
“It's so cool that you put yourself on the logo!" They say.
Well, well, well…it honestly never occurred to me.
The woman on the logo is most definitely not me. However, she represents the African woman (working in coffee):
The African woman working in coffee farms, cultivating coffee.
The African woman exporting green coffee.
The African woman roasting coffee.
The African woman owning a coffee shop or roastery.
For decades, women were (and still are) the minority in leadership roles in the coffee industry. I posted about this years ago on Instagram when I first launched KANFUELA.
“It takes diversity in people to hire diversity. It takes women in management positions to hire other women.”
Take a look at the following:
Credit: Homegrounds
The graph here shows that women do most of the fieldwork/sorting of coffee, but when it comes to “owning” farms/cafes/roasteries, the numbers are sadly very low!
This is part of the reason KANFUELA exists!! ☕️🤎
Credit: Homegrounds
Women work endlessly in coffee farms to bring you the flavorful coffee you drink every single morning, and to think that certain hiring managers believe that women were “too small” to handle roasting tasks is a mockery. As a roaster who happens to be a woman, it never occurred to me that roasting coffee was considered a “man’s job” until I got into the business. It is, without a doubt, physical labor, but nothing a woman in good shape cannot handle.
So, in conclusion, although the woman on our logo is not me, she represents HER: all women in coffee. The African woman as a representation of coffee.
Come back and visit us here at Kanfuela anytime for more resources on anything and everything coffee. We’re also on YouTube and Instagram! Also, visit our online store for Organic African Coffee!
What is the difference between coffee roasters and coffee shops?
Most customers assume that being a coffee roaster also translates to having a coffee shop, when in fact that is not always the case.
Most people assume that being a coffee roaster also translates to having a coffee shop, when in fact that is not always the case.
The major difference between coffee roasters and coffee shops (who are not roasters), is that roasters focus more on roasting! They typically sell roasted coffee bags directly to consumers either via e-commerce or in a retail brick-and-mortar model, through wholesale accounts via b2b (business to business), or to major retailers, such as your local grocery store.
Although some may also have a coffee bar or coffee shop, roasting coffee beans takes priority. A lot goes into this process: sourcing green coffee, learning profiles of new coffee, creating new profiles/roasts, cuppings, maintaining quality, etc.
Coffee shops or cafés fall under “restaurants” and focus more on brewing espresso-based drinks and food, From barista skills to creating food/drink menus. They typically get their coffee beans wholesale from a local coffee roaster.
When I first thought of going into coffee, my goal was to open up a coffee shop. But I fell in love with roasting, which has completely won me over.
Déborah
What does specialty coffee even mean?
Specialty Coffee is coffee that has almost no defects and has gone through a rigorous and peculiar quality check. In order for coffee to be labeled as Specialty Coffee, it needs to have a specific score—of 80 or more.
Specialty Coffee is coffee that has almost no defects and has gone through a rigorous and peculiar quality check. In order for coffee to be labeled as Specialty Coffee, it needs to have a specific score—of 80 or more.
Q-graders
Think of wine, for example. There are certified sommeliers to ensure the quality of wines is of a certain standard. There is a similar process in coffee. We have what we call Q-graders. Q-graders are trained and certified professionals, here to evaluate the quality of coffee. Similarly to wine, coffee has to go through a certain process of quality checking and tasting (cupping) in order to be qualified as specialty coffee. Q-graders are the sommeliers in coffee. They utilize cupping, a score sheet, and a flavor wheel to come to that conclusion. It all comes down to how the coffee was cultivated: region, climate, elevation, process, and more.
Grades
The coffees we produce here at Kanfuela Kaffé are all scored 84 and above and are Grade 1.
Coffee is graded like this:
GRADE 1: SPECIALITY-GRADE COFFEE BEANS. (What is usually found at locally-owned specialty shops/roasters- like us)
GRADE 2: PREMIUM GRADE COFFEE BEANS (also found at coffee shops/restaurants)
GRADE 3: EXCHANGE GRADE COFFEE BEANS (usually found at supermarkets/hotels)
GRADE 4: STANDARD GRADE COFFEE BEANS (That tasteless coffee from those gas stations and motels.)
GRADE 5: OFF GRADE COFFEE BEANS (Stay away from these!)
Now you know the difference between what makes a cup of coffee so special when you go to a local coffee shop vs one that is tasteless from a hotel/gas station/hospital?
But make no mistake, there is more to it. It takes a whole team to deliver top notch specialty-grade coffee to customers.
All the players:
The Farmer
The Green Coffee Buyer/Exporter
The Roaster (like us)
The Barista
The Consumer (you)
Read more about it here on the Specialty Coffee Association site.
To learn more about the difference between specialty coffee and regular coffee, read here!
Hope this helps!