Boss Barista

Molly Flynn was fed up listening to the stories of harassment and assault her friends experienced in the coffee industry—so she organized. Molly is the founder of #coffeetoo, a grassroots organization dedicated to ending harassment in the coffee industry. We get real, we get personal, and we talk shit. CHECK OUT #COFFEETOO GOFUNDME www.gofundme.com/startdrama

Last week, Jeremy Tooker and Four Barrel settled the lawsuit brought against them by eight former employees. But there's still work to do. Jodi and Tal promised to divest—they haven't yet. Instead, they fired the majority of their production team. So we have a big ask of you: reach out to the cafes you know continuing to serve Four Barrel and ask them to DEMAND DIVESTMENT BY FEBRUARY 15TH. Demand...

ONGOING STORY/CONTENT WARNING: Sexual assault. . . . On January 5th, 2018, the SF Chronicle broke the story that eight former and current employees of Four Barrel Coffee in San Francisco, Calif., are coming forward, accusing owner Jeremy Tooker of sexual harassment and assault. The suit alleges that other owners of Four Barrel were well aware of these behaviors and propagated a culture that protec...

A few weeks ago, we got in a Twitter debate with Reggie, and we all came together to discuss cultural appropriation (spoiler alert: he's right we were wrong), the responsibility of leaders in the coffee industry, and what's so special about the D.C. coffee scene. Reggie is the Coffee Director at A Rake's Progress and The Cup We All Race 4, and he talks about Sweden, his beginnings at Murky Coffee,...

Lots of amazing folks competed at the Reno Coffeechamps earlier this month, and used their platform to call out the SCA and speak up for their community. In this mini-episode, Jasper talks about activism and airs a statement from Emily Orendorff of Boxcar Coffee Roasters in Denver. Thank you to Emily for letting us air her statement, and Lucas Haladki for noticing this and tagging us on Twitter!

During Cherry Roast, Jasper and Ashley came together to talk a little more about the SCA's Deferred Candidacy Policy. Join us in this mini-episode where we talk about the power of local events and the importance of transparency in decision making and global politics.

Hope you were paying attention in your high school French class -- we bring you an episode of Boss Barista entirely IN FRENCH! The great folks from Cafée let us hang and record a panel with women from all over the coffee scene in Paris, and we're thrilled to share the happenings of a coffee scene abroad. Remember, this episode is entirely IN FRENCH and we hope to bring you episodes in different la...

Jasper and Ashley head to Denver, Colo., for the third annual Cherry Roast, a coffee competition aimed at being inclusive and making coffee competitions accessible. We report live on the event and interview past winners, current competitors, and others in the Denver coffee who are making changes and pushing forward.

From the World Barista Championships in South Korea, Ashley responds.

We respond to the SCA's Deferred Candidacy Policy. Back in San Francisco, Jasper weighs in. #boycottSCA

Boss Barista was born out of a conversation between Jasper and Ashley. Today, we revisit that conversation and delve deeper. Jasper talks about her name change and her background, and Ashley discusses her identity and talks an upsetting amount about Tinder.

A leader isn't simply the person in charge—it's the person who takes responsibility for their staff and ensures their success. In this episode, Jasper and Ashley talk about leaders in the cafe and why people seem to ignore their responsibility to their baristas. LEADERSHIP IS A PRACTICED SKILL YOU CAN DO IT BETTER. Photo featuring Jen Apodaca showing folks how to roast at a #shestheroaster event.

Gentrification is ugly and real. In this episode, we talk about Boyle Heights, how gentrification hurts neighborhoods, and the language behind gentrification—ever heard someone say, 'There was nothing here a few years ago?' Yes there was, it just didn't cater to your white, middle-class sensibilities. Honor neighborhoods, learn history, respect residents.

Dani Goot doesn't care what you call her—as long as its uncomfortable for you. Dani is the Head of Coffee Strategy and Business Development for Bellwether Coffee in Berkeley, Calif., and talks to us about staying true to himself and how to grow in coffee. Confused by the use of him/her pronouns? Good—Dani wants you to challenge your perceptions of gender identity and asks you to open your mind and...

This week has been wild. Jasper talks about the incident at Roasters Retreat and the firing of a trans employee at Function Coffee Labs. We want to hear your thoughts on this, so please send emails and respond.

Ok, so. You have some privilege. What do you do with it? What does it mean? And what happens when someone calls you out? Jasper and Ashley talk defensiveness, how to listen to others, and why are folks in coffee ready to play devil's advocate? This was a hard episode for us to record.

You know when there's two characters on a TV show and you watch in anticipation, endlessly wondering will they or won't they? What does that have to do with tipping? In this episode we theorize about tipping and why certain people tip more, why certain people get tipped more, and we ask: should we get rid of tips?

RJ Joseph is a roaster at Counter Culture Coffee and a writer who contributes to Barista Magazine and manages a blog called Queer Cup. In this episode, we discuss roasting, the fire that call-out culture has come under on #coffeetwitter, and how to make awesome memes. 

Kami McCallie is a quality control specialist for Palace Coffee in Amarillo, Texas. She shares with us her experiences with sexism in a small, conservative town, how customers have crossed the line, and how she keeps her head above water.

You sent us a few questions, and we take this episode to answer! 

In this episode, we reflect on some recent Twitter drama and talk about how to SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO PEOPLE. We recognize the efforts of some GDAMN heroes and try to ask the question, 'Why do people get so upset when they listen to another person share their experiences?' We introduce the cold brew theory: when you take an issue of gender/race/marginalization and replace the issue with the word co...

Barista Competition. It happened. And we talk with Becky Reeves of BARISTA and WINCC about the things we saw--coaching, expensive coffees, and a lack of diversity AGAIN. We ask questions about what our champions should do and what we hope to see from the competitions committee in the future.

Alright sweaties, we know we've been behind. BUT WE'RE IN SEATTLE! We'll be at USBC and SCA Global Expo rocking pins and stickers, microphones on and ready to roll. In this mini episode, we update you on some projects and ask you: how do you deal with non-sensical arguments? ie: "not all men," or "we have to appease our allies," etc...SEND US EMAILS OR TWEETS! @boss_barista or bossbaristapodcast@g...

Couldn't get enough of Tymika? US EITHER! So here's part two of her amazing interview with us! SEND US YOUR COMMENTS!

Part 1