This piece is inspired by Aviary’s ninth release in 2024 from Abelardo Medina. This blog is available for free and wholly subsidized by Aviary. To support this blog and the work I do—and to place the writings I publish here in context of the coffees that inspired them—please consider subscribing to the 2025 season or […]
Meeting with smallholders in Bensa, Sidama, Ethiopia in February 2019. Pictured, you’ll find many producers whose names you might now recognize: Nguisse Nare, Bekele Kechara, Bekele Belaychow and 2024 Cup of Excellence winner Basha Bekele. This piece is inspired by curiosities surrounding Aviary’s release 005: Bekele Belaychow as well as AVIARY#007: Mate Matiwos. To support […]
This piece is inspired by curiosities surrounding Aviary’s release 004: Lino Rodriguez as well as upcoming releases 005 and 006. AVIARY#004: Lino Rodriguez, featured in the April 2024 edition of Food & Wine Magazine, is available for pre-order through the Aviary website. To place this piece in context of the coffees that inspired it or […]
Leadership is a privilege to better the lives of others. It is not an opportunity to satisfy personal greed. Mwai Kibaki, third president of Kenya In the weeks since I published my post on the coffee industry in Kenya, I’ve had conversations with countless coffee producers, agents, and exporters in Kenya as well as roasters and […]
Corn can’t expect justice from a court composed of chickens. African proverb A comment on my recent post about technological fixes reminded me of something: In the fall of 2019, back before covid-19 or Trump’s first impeachment, Creative Mornings Cleveland invited me to speak on the topic of “Justice.” As a child, my family nickname […]