Fable Coffee Stories

To finish Season One, I thought it would be great to share my insights on what the last year of creating Fable Coffee Stories has meant to me. From the ways in which I've seen the industry starting to change, to the things that still need to be worked on, as well as my own struggles trying to work through self-doubt while creating this platform - this is a 45 minute bonus episode of the impact Fab...

Em Herriott (they/them) is the founder of We Are Here in Margate - a queer, disabled owned coffee roastery that has making coffee more accessible and welcoming to everyone, in a multitude of different ways, at the core of what they do. We delve into how Em's journey took them from coffee to corporate and back to coffee again, openly discussing the experiences along the way that really shaped how t...

Esther Hope-Gibbs (she/her) set up Hope Espresso 6 years ago out of utmost necessity when her career plans fell through when the pandemic hit in 2020. Now, with over 15 years experience in the coffee industry, Esther is an authorised SCA trainer, Q Arabica Grader, ESTA Tea Trainer and the director of her own coffee business specialising in sustainable sourcing, quality training and business develo...

Zoe Williams (she/her) wrote in her diary 5 years ago that she wanted to compete in the UK Barista Championships before she was 30. Not only did she hit that milestone, but she came second in the competition the first time she ever competed.  At the time of recording, Zoe was working at Clifton Coffee Roasters, where she began her first behind the scenes coffee job packing bags at the roaster...

Originally from Canada, Jessie Vandenberg-Molina (she/her) started her coffee journey in Glasgow at the legendary Space Coffee House , becoming founder Connie’s first ever employee and falling in love with coffee through the exploration of taste and curiosity. Most recently, Jessie started working at Oatly as Barista Market Developer almost three years ago, and has since moved into the role of Co-...

Emily Graves (they/them) works as Independents Channel Manager at Union Hand Roasted and is an undeniably passionate advocate for accessibility, diversity and inclusion in the coffee industry. In this conversation, we delve into Em’s experiences throughout their career from hospitality into specialty coffee, and cover a wide range of topics from barriers to entry and progression in the coffee indu...

Gene Ke (she/her) is a certified CQI & CVA Arabica Q-Grader, having made her way into the coffee industry long after she got her degree in Mathematics and a masters in Education from Oxford University. The absolute definition of someone who throws herself into every opportunity - especially when she begins to feel stuck - Gene has been carving out a breathtaking career in coffee since 2020 aft...

Joana Vieiralves Wood (she/her) is the founder of Bristol Coffee Festival in addition to her full-time role as Logistics and Accounts coordinator at Volcafe UK & Ireland. After moving from Brazil to Bristol and working in coffee shops there, Joana felt that the city she had fallen in love with was missing out on something major – a coffee festival. What does a woman like Joana do when she sees...

Natalie Hodgkinson (she/her) is the founder of Boss and Brew - a barista training academy that does integral work in Cardiff, Wales, using specialty coffee as a vehicle to boost young people’s confidence and self-esteem, raise their aspirations and support them in expanding their networks to set them up with the skills they need to enter the world of work. Prior to entering the coffee industry, Na...

Grace Talbot (she/her) has come a long way in her coffee career since her bookselling barista days at Cafe W ( the coffee shop concept within Waterstones ). From being offered a position she didn't apply for at the coffee roasters Girls Who Grind , to re-shaping how we think about coffee festivals at Cup North , Grace's career has gone from strength to strength, despite multiple hurdles that threa...

Estelle Bright has been in the coffee industry for more than 20 years. After spending almost a decade at La Marzocco UK, in recent years she made the move to La Marzocco USA to become Events and Brand Experience Manager - leaving her previous life of coffee engineering behind. Coffee competitions, unconscious bias and how exactly do you learn the skills you need to become a coffee technician? In t...