The month of March signifies the beginning of Women’s history Month. In honor of this occasion, we will be featuring an outstanding woman from history, highlighting the amazing accomplishments of women in our nation’s storied past
Our next installment features Dr. Rosalind Franklin, a scientist whose work led to the foundational knowledge of DNA.
Dr. Franklin was born in 1920 in London to a politically-connected family, including a great uncle who served as the first Jewish Cabinet member in English history. Dr. Franklin excelled academically from an early age and attended Newnham College in Cambridge, where she attained many academic honors.
She received a fellowship to work in a physical chemistry lab at the University of Cambridge under Noble Prize winning scientist, Ronald Norrish. Unfortunately, she found extreme difficulty working with Dr. Norrish and resigned after a year.
Dr Franklin's PhD thesis was on porosity of coal using helium to determine its density. This work allowed her to predict different type of coals performance for fuel purposes and eventually led to the creation of gas masks. Her work allowed her to obtain her doctorate from Cambridge in 1945.
Dr. Franklin went on to study the practice of applying x-ray diffraction to amorphous substances. She took her knowledge of this work to the new research field of DNA at King's College in London.
It was here that Dr. Franklin discovered the density of DNA and established that the molecule existed in a helical formation. Her work making clearer x-ray patterns of DNA led to the eventual conclusion by James Watson and Frances Crick that the structure of DNA was a double helix polymer in 1953.
Dr. Franklin continued working at the Crystallography Laboratory at Birkbeck College from 1953 until her death in 1958. Her research formed the basis for our understanding of DNA structure, as well as better understanding on the uses of coal.
The month of March signifies the beginning of Women’s history Month. In honor of this occasion, we will be featuring an outstanding woman from history, highlighting the amazing accomplishments of women in our nation’s storied past
Our next installment features Octavia E. Butler, science-fiction author and winner of the MacArthur "Genius" Grant.
Octavia E. Butler was born in Pasadena, California in 1947 and raised by her widowed mother. An extremely shy child with dyslexia, she was bullied and also experienced discrimination in a racially segregated community. Butler turned to reading and writing as an escape. She soon received accolades for her writing in college, while also becoming involved in the Black Power movement, which would go on to shape the themes of her stories.
After graduated college and attending numerous science fiction writing workshops, Butler began writing and selling enough of her stories and novels to support herself fulltime. In 1984, she received prominence from winning the prestigious Hugo Award for her short story, Speech Sounds.
Beginning in 1993, Butler began publishing the Parable series, which further increased her fame as a writer, culminating in her receiving the MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Grant in 1995.
Her work incorporated themes on climate change, corporate greed and the experiences of African-Americans as it related to societal hierarchies. Butler's work has been considered by many to be an example of Afrofuturism, a genre that addresses African-American concerns in the context of 20th century technology and culture.
Octavia E. Butler passed at the age of 58 in Washington, but her works can still be enjoyed in the research collection of the Huntington Library in Southern California. Her works continue to be a tremendous influence in the science-fiction community, particularly for African-Americans and women, two groups historically marginalized in the community.
|
|
|
|
If you’re reading this blog, you are most likely a fan of coffee. Our own love of coffee led us to starting Empower Coffee Roasters. But it’s important to understand that the coffee we drink is produced on the backs of exploited farm workers across the globe. Many of the 26 million laborers in coffee production are migrants who have no official documentation, which leaves them without a recourse to dispute wage underpayment, overtime pay or unsafe working conditions.
While we were researching starting our roastery, we learned quickly that women were more acutely vulnerable to such exploitation. According to the International Coffee Organization, 70% of the labor in coffee production are women, yet only 20-30% of farms are women operated. The IPO also states that women-owned farms have less access to land, capital, and knowledge than male-owned farms. As such, there remains gaps in productivity, crop yields and revenue between male and female-owned farms. For example, coffee yields are up to 25% less for women-owned farms.
Women are more susceptible to labor trafficking, poor working conditions and even debt bondage, which is where laborers are forced to work off the cost of their housing and food. Often, they are not even paid enough to afford transportation off the coffee plantation. According to the organization Verité, women are often forced to perform lower skilled tasks, work more overall hours than men, be paid less, and experience higher rates of sexual assault. Because many countries do not offer the same educational opportunities to girls, they are destined for a life of exploitative labor on coffee farms with little hope out of poverty.
After learning about the rampant abuse of women in coffee production, we made sure to only support farms and coffee importers that combated this exploitation. The easiest and best way to accomplish this was sourcing coffee only from women-owned farms with proven record of paying fair wages and using fair labor practices. Our partners at Café Feminino run a program that not only pays premium rates to women-run farms and co-ops, but also runs programs to give women more autonomy and equality within their own families and communities.
We urge our customers to learn more about the exploitation of women and labor in coffee production by researching the work done by the IPO and organizations like Verité.
]]>
Brazil is the country that produces the most coffee in the world. Because the coffee is grown at lower altitudes, the flavor profiles tend to be more nutty and earthy. You likely will not find wild, fruity coffees in low altitude regions like Brazil. The earthy, balanced profile is also prevalent in Brazil because most of the coffee is naturally processed. Brazilian coffees often work best as a solid base for a blend.
The coffees of the Central American countries tend to not differentiate substantially from one country to the next. The key word to describe them would be "balanced." You know you are going to get a flavorful, solid cup of coffee. It won't be overly sweet or acidic and should be pleasing enough for everyone to enjoy. But you may not get those "crazy" flavors from other regions. Guatemalans do tend to stand out for their complexity. Additionally, Mexican coffees which are grown at the Southern end of the country, have many similarities with other Central American coffees.
A personal favorite of many coffee aficionados and the birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia's high elevations make for some incredibly fruity and vibrant coffees. These coffees often have clear, distinct notes of blueberry or strawberry. The mouthfeel is often described as tea-like, which is not everyone's "cup of tea," but to those who appreciate it, nothing beats Ethiopian coffee. If one wants to be able to clearly taste the notes described on the bag, Ethiopian coffee gives you the best chance for that clarity.
Kenyan coffees are best known for their acidity and citric fruit notes, but surprisingly they also can be more balanced and savory like some South American coffees. You never quite know what you are going to get with them, which is what makes Kenyans so fun and exciting! Some coffee drinkers love fruity coffee but want a fuller body, and Kenyans are best positioned to satisfy these drinkers.
Sumatran coffees are great for coffee drinkers who prefer bold, rich coffees with a heavy mouthfeel and a spiciness. They are complex and earthy, with typical notes of dark chocolate and tobacco (just like our own Kokowagayo). Sumatrans are a bit polarizing; either you love them or hate them. For us, we can't hate any coffees and have found delicious Sumatrans. They often work best as part of a blend, but that doesn't preclude enjoying single origins.
Great coffee is not limited to the countries and regions above. India has been producing some interesting coffees for some time now. One of the best coffees we've ever tasted was from Nepal. Vietnam produced the second-most coffee in the world, though most of it is Robusta coffee. While the best coffee tends to originate from certain parts of the world, great coffee can be grown almost anywhere, provided it is farmed with careful attention, solid science and respect for the earth and surrounding environment and community.
The month of March signifies the beginning of Women’s history Month. In honor of this occasion, we will be featuring an outstanding woman from history, highlighting the amazing accomplishments of women in our nation’s storied past
Our next installment features Sylvia Rivera, an activist and pioneer of transgender rights in America.
Sylvia Rivera was born in 1951 in New York City and assigned male at birth. She had an incredibly difficult childhood, with an absentee father and a mother who died by suicide when she was 3. As she began embracing her true self, Sylvia was frequently attacked and abused for her identity expression. She eventually ran away from home at the age of 11 and became a victim of sexual exploitation in New York.
Everything changed for Sylvia when she met Marsha Johnson, a self-identified drag queen and activist who was fighting for transgender inclusion in the larger Gay Rights movement. Under the mentorship of Marsha, Sylvia developed her own streak of activism and pride in who she was.
Both Sylvia and Marsha were instrumentally engaged in the Stonewall Inn uprising on June 28th,1969, when patrons of the Greenwich Village gay bar rebuffed a police raid and lit the fire of a new movement for equality. As Sylvia would later say in an interview, while she did not throw the first Molotov cocktail of the uprising, she did throw the second.
Unfortunately, Sylvia felt the Gay Rights movement was not open to the inclusion of transgender issues and it would take two decades before transgender rights was more fully integrated into the overall movement. Sylvia Rivera also helped found several safe spaces for trans youth to live and be amongst friends, including STAR House and later Transy House. Sylvia also led the fight against the exclusion of transgender people in the 2002 Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act in New York.
Sylvia Rivera died in 2002, but her legacy lives on through the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, which continues her fight to guarantee “all people are free to self-determine their gender identity and expression, regardless of income or race, and without facing harassment, discrimination, or violence.”
]]>The month of March signifies the beginning of Women’s history Month. In honor of this occasion, we will be featuring an outstanding woman from history, highlighting the amazing accomplishments of women in our nation’s storied past
Our next installment features Senator Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran and the first Thai woman to serve in the US Senate.
Tammy Duckworth was born in Bangkok, Thailand in 1968 and moved to Honolulu when she was 16. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Hawaii and masters from George Washington University.
Following in the footsteps of her father, Tammy Duckworth enlisted in the military in 1990 and was a commissioned officer by 1992, serving as a helicopter pilot. She chose this role because it was one of the few combat jobs a woman could hold in the military.
Tammy was working on her PhD when she was deployed to Iraq in 2004. She lost both of her legs when her helicopter was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.
After her discharge from the military, Tammy turned her focus to another form of public service, elected office. After losing her first Congressional race, she was appointed director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs. She was credited with starting a program for veterans with PTSD while at the position.
In 2012, Tammy won election to the House of Representatives, serving for 4 years before then winning election to the US Senate in 2016. She became the first Thai woman to hold a Senate seat.
Her tenure as Senator has been incredibly productive. One such highlight was playing a large role in saving the Americans With Disabilities Act.
In 2018, Senator Duckworth achieved another first; she became the first Senator to give birth while in office. Throughout this, she maintained one of the most effective lawmakers and continues to serve as an inspiration to all to this day
]]>The month of March signifies the beginning of Women’s history Month. In honor of this occasion, we will be featuring an outstanding woman from history, highlighting the amazing accomplishments of women in our nation’s storied past
Our next installment features Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman to go to space and the first Hispanic Director of the Johnson Space Center.
Ellen Ochoa was born in 1958 in California. Her grandparents immigrated from Mexico to California. Ellen went to San Diego State University and received her bachelor’s degree in physics. She went on to receive her masters and doctorate in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University in 1981 and 1985.
After her schooling, Dr. Ochoa worked for NASA and the Sandia National Laboratory on optical systems, and her work would be used for automated space exploration. She even patented an optical system to detect defects in a repeating pattern. As Dr. Ochoa put it, she wanted to help computers “see.”
In 1985, Dr. Ochoa applied to NASA to be an astronaut. She was ultimately rejected but stuck with it, obtaining her pilots license to make her a better candidate. Her perseverance paid off and she was selected for the program in 1991. Her experience allowed her to serve the role as crew representative for flight software, computer hardware and robotics.
In 1993, Dr. Ochoa made history as the first Hispanic woman to go to space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. The purpose of the mission was to study Earth’s ozone layer.
After retiring from spacecraft operations, Dr. Ochoa served as Deputy Director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, and in 2013, she became the second woman and first Hispanic Director of the Johnson Space Center. Her story of perseverance and dedication to scientific discovery make Dr. Ellen Ochoa a trailblazer for women and Hispanics in space exploration.
]]>The month of March signifies the beginning of Women’s history Month. In honor of this occasion, we will be featuring an outstanding woman from history, highlighting the amazing accomplishments of women in our nation’s storied past
Our next installment features Dorothy I Height, a champion for racial justice and gender rights..
Dorothy Heights was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1912. As early as high school, Dorothy developed a passion for social justice and participated in anti-lynching campaigns. She was a talented speaker and earned acclaim for her oratory skills. She earned a bachelor's degree in Education and master's is psychology at NYU.
After college, Dorothy worked as a caseworker for the NYC Welfare Department, where she met Mary McLeod Bethune, head of the National Council for Negro Women. Mary served as Dorothy's mentor, and eventually Dorothy rose to head the NCNW in 1957.
During the height of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, Dorothy's leadership of the NCNW took her activism to new heights. She helped organize the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in August 1963 and worked in close partnership with Dr. Martin Luther King, Ella Baker and other prominent leaders. Notably, Dorothy was not given the opportunity to speak at the March, despite her oratory skills. As she put it, her male counterparts were "happy to include women in the human family, but there was no question as to who headed the household."
Dorothy Height would be active in many other organizations. In 1971, she helped found the National Women's Political Caucus with Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, and Congresswoman Shirley Chisolm. In 1994, President Clinton awarded Dorothy with the highest civilian honor in our country, the Presidential Medal of Freeom.
Truly, Dorothy Height was an inspiration to us all and a tremendous advocate for social justice.
]]>The month of March signifies the beginning of Women’s history Month. In honor of this occasion, we will be featuring an outstanding woman from history, highlighting the amazing accomplishments of women in our nation’s storied past
Our first installment of 2023 features Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first women to receive a medical degree. Ms. Blackwell championed the participation of women in the medical field and ultimately opened her own medical college for women.
Elizabeth Blackwell was born in England and emigrated to America as a child in 1832. After her father died and left the family broke, Elizabeth and her mother worked as teachers to make due. She was inspired to pursue medicine after a dying friend told her that her ordeal would have been better if her doctor was a woman.
While teaching, Elizabeth lived with two physicians who served as mentors for her. She resolved to become a physician but could not gain admittance to any medical school, as none would take a woman.
Eventually, a small rural school called Geneva College admitted her as a practical joke, but Elizabeth Blackwell persisted nevertheless. She endured discrimination on a daily basis: professors would separate her from the other students and excluded her from labs; even local townspeople protested her inclusion in the college as an affront to traditional gender roles.
Despite such obstacles, Dr. Blackwell eventually earned the respect of her professors and peers and even worked in hospitals in London and Paris (though often relegated to the role of nurse or midwife).
]]>Several days before Christmas, our gas-powered, 10 burner roaster ran into some problems; specifically, 5 of our 10 burners stopped working, which meant we couldn't get enough heat to properly roast coffee. We thought it was an issue with the burners, so we went through the painstaking process of taking apart the burners and checking each one, eventually replacing all 10 just to be safe. But the problem persisted. We realized it was likely an airflow issue and disassembled as much of the roaster we could, cleaning out every pathway to allow better airflow. This improved things a bit but not enough to start roasting. We replaced several parts, thinking perhaps that was the issue, but nothing worked. At this point we needed to alert our customers about the issue and start calling any technician who could help us solve the problem. Unfortunately, we could not get anyone to come to our shop! Either they did not work on roasters or did not work on our specific roaster.
If this wasn't enough stress, our lease on our retail space was up for renewal. We had no idea if we should sign the lease because we didn't know if our roaster was ever going to work again. There were serious discussions about ending the business due to the uncertainty and poor timing. But we love our business and love our customers and partner organizations. One way or another, we were going to fix the roaster and not let it defeat us. We signed the lease and hoped for the best.
Two days later, our HVAC technician came to service our unit. We figured since they were already on the roof, they might be able to look into our exhaust ducting and see if they noticed anything. Sure enough, they investigated and found we had a clog halfway up our ducting. This clog was a mixture of coffee chaff and typical smoke buildup. After clearing the obstruction, our roaster started working like new! Hallelujah!.
We excitedly announced we were back up and running, and then two days later the power went out to the roaster. We thought we were cursed. Knowing nothing about electrical, all we could think to do was turn off all power at our shop, unplug a few wires, and then replug everything back in and flip the power back on. To our immense relief, everything worked! We were officially out of the woods.
There were two lessons we took away from this experience. First, don't forget to clean your ducting every so often! Second, success in business and life sometimes comes down to luck and timing, with a healthy dose of stubbornness Things will go wrong at some point, and often at the absolute worst time. How many businesses failed because of things completely out of their control, or just bad luck and bad timing. We were fortunate that we had a ton of support to rely on in case things truly became overwhelming, but so many others do not. They do not have the safety nets or resources to sustain a business, a career, or even their health through bad luck and bad timing.
That's why amazing organizations like Live and Learn exist, because everyone will experience hardships but not everyone will have the support to overcome them. We are so proud to continue operating our business because we can then support these amazing organizations
We want to thank everyone for the support they showed during this time and for sticking with us. We truly would not have continued without your support.
With love and hoping for a problem-free 2023,
Denise & Zach
]]>Don't worry! Because we've experienced this, as well, we know the best way to help you navigate the complicated world of coffee drinks. Below is a helpful breakdown of the different coffee drinks you are most likely to encounter. We hope that with this information, you can feel comfortable exploring the delicious world of coffee!
If you are trying to impress someone with your coffee knowledge, ordering any of the drinks below will do the job. Interestingly, most of these drinks are quite common in Europe and probably wouldn't be considered all that special. But stateside, these drinks are generally found in third-wave shops. All are espresso-based.
The term macchiato means "stained" or "spotted" in Italian, and its a good visualization of what a macchiato drink is. Simply put, it's a shot of espresso with a small amount of steamed milk on top, which looks like a stain on top of the coffee.
The macchiato has the highest ratio of espresso to milk, and the milk is meant to complement, not overwhelm the espresso. The amount of milk needed varies, but typically a macchiato calls for 1 tablespoon of milk to a single shot of espresso.
The flat white is very similar to a latte. They both use espresso and microfoam milk (steamed milk with tiny bubbles to give it a velvety look and texture), but the flat white simply uses less milk. There is a slightly higher ratio of espresso to milk.
Additionally, the layer of microfoam is smaller than in a latte or cappuccino, which allows the crema from the espresso to mix nicely with the layer, creating a light brown top to the drink. The small layer of microfoam is why the drink is called a "flat" white.
The Americano is fairly simple to make. Take a shot of espresso and add hot water. It is meant to be a substitute to drip coffee, with the hot water diluting the strong flavor of the espresso. There is no specific ratio of water to espresso, and most prepare to reflect their personal preference. The flavor is not meant to mimic traditional drip coffee; instead its purpose is to more closely mirror the strength of drip coffee.
An unconfirmed belief is that the Americano was created during World War 2 when American GIs added water to their coffee when stationed in Italy.
The Cortado is a Spanish drink consisting of equal parts espresso and warm milk. The main difference with a cortado compared to lattes and cappuccinos is that the milk is only steamed, not frothed.
The purpose of the cortado is specifically to reduce the acidity of espresso, which makes it a good choice for those who like using light roasted beans for their espresso but have trouble with the acidity.
We hope you found this guide informative. Be sure to keep in touch as we will be posting more great drink recipes for you to enjoy!
]]>
Don't worry! Because we've experienced this, as well, we know the best way to help you navigate the complicated world of coffee drinks. Below is a helpful breakdown of the different coffee drinks you are most likely to encounter. We hope that with this information, you can feel comfortable exploring the delicious world of coffee!
No matter if you walk into a trendy third-wave shop or the cozy cafe and bookshop that's been in your neighborhood for decades, these coffee drinks should be on the menu.
Contrary to popular belief, espresso is not a type of coffee bean, but rather a method of extracting coffee. It is made by forcing pressurized hot water through finely-ground coffee using an espresso machine to produce a highly-concentrated, thick liquid topped with a layer of "crema," which is a layer of brown foam of air bubbles mixing with the soluble oils of finely ground coffee.
Espresso shots can be made using different ratios of water to coffee. For example, a typical shot of espresso is 1 ounce, with a double being 2 ounces and so on. Most American coffee shops pour a double shot for their milk-based drinks.
The amount of coffee grounds in a proper shot of espresso is a matter of debate. Italian espresso culture calls for less coffee per shot than American espresso culture (around 7-10 grams versus 15-20).
Known primarily for the beautiful milk art that coats the top of the drink, the latte is simply a combination of espresso and steamed milk. It is the most popular drink in the UK and third-most popular in American coffee shops, where it was introduced to Americans in Seattle.
The drink itself is typically larger than a cappuccino at around 10 to 12 ounces. The milk is steamed long enough to create "microfoam" and then poured on top of the espresso shot. This creates a drink with the espresso mixed in with a layer of steamed milk and an even smaller layer of foam, which is where the amazing-looking latte art happens. The latte itself is rich and creamy.
The cappuccino is similar to a latte, but is about half the volume (6 ounces). It also evenly layers the espresso, steamed milk, and foam, whereas the latte has more steamed milk than foam or espresso. There is also a difference in taste, with a cappuccino having a more distinct espresso flavor since it is using less milk. It also has a luxurious, velvety texture.
Surprisingly, drip coffee is not very common in Europe but is a staple of most American coffee shops. Whereas a latte, cappuccino and most other coffee drinks are espresso-based, drip or filtered coffee is simply the process of pouring water on top of ground coffee and allowing it to drip through a filter. The resulting flavor is less concentrated than a shot of espresso and more subtle in flavor.
Check back soon for Part 2 where we delve into some of the more unique coffee drinks!
]]>
The month of March signifies the beginning of Women’s history Month. In honor of this occasion, we will be featuring an outstanding woman from history, highlighting the amazing accomplishments of women in our nation’s storied past.
Our final installment features Dr. Jane Cooke Wright, a pioneer in cancer research and the first woman elected president of the New York Cancer Society.
Dr. Cooke Wright was the daughter of Dr. Louis Thompson Wright, one the first African-American graduates of Harvard Medical School. She followed in her father's footsteps, graduating from NY Medical College in 1945. She completed her medical residency at Harlem Hospital in 1948, during which time she also had her first child.
Around 1949, Dr. Cooke Wright and her father began significant research into chemotherapy, which was still an experimental treatment at the time. They found that the new chemical treatment was effective on treating leukemia and cancers of the lymphatic system. After her father's death in 1952, Dr. Cooke Wright was appointed head of the Cancer Research Foundation at the age of 33.
She would go on to achieve further accolades and esteemed positions at hospitals, including serving as director of cancer research therapy at NYU Medical Center, head of the New York Medical College Cancer Chemotherapy Department, and being appointed by President Lydon B. Johnson to the Commission on Heart Disease, Cancer and Stroke. By the late 1960's, Dr. Cooke Wright was the highest ranking African-American woman at a medical facility in the country.
Dr. Cooke Wright's research and work revolutionized the way we research and treat heart disease, cancer and stroke. She helped establish national networks of treatment centers, an innovation that likely saved millions of lives. She was a tremendous pioneer in the medical field and her impact is still felt today.
]]>The month of March signifies the beginning of Women’s history Month. In honor of this occasion, we will be featuring an outstanding woman from history, highlighting the amazing accomplishments of women in our nation’s storied past.
Our fourth installment features Lyda Conley, the first female Native American plaintiff to argue a case before the US Supreme Court.
Eliza “Lyda” Conley was born in 1869 to Elizabeth Burton Zane, a member of the Wyandot Nation, and Andrew Conley, a man of English descent, and raised on a 64-acre farm in Ohio. The land was given to Elizabeth when the Wyandot tribal land was allocated in severalty. Lyda was encouraged to pursue education and graduated from the Kansas City School of Law in 1902. She became the first woman admitted to the Kansas bar.
In 1906, the Wyandot Nation sold sacred Kansas burial ground to the federal government, which upset Lyda. Along with her sisters, she launched a campaign to protect the Huron Cemetery in Kansas City. They took turns guarding the cemetery with muskets and erecting a sign saying “Trespassers, Beware!” Lyda fought to protect the burial lands for years and filed a petition with the US Circuit Court of Kansas to stop the sale to the government. She lost in court and appealed to the US Supreme Court, where she was allowed to argue in front of the justices. She became the first female Native American lawyer to do so.
Unfortunately, she lost the case, but the fight did not end. Her cause gained national attention and eventually Congress enacted legislation protecting the cemetery in 1916. Years after her death, others continued her fight. In 2016, the cemetery was designated as a National Historic Landmark.
Lyda’s legal fight showed that with determination, there is no barrier to how high woman can climb in America. The Supreme Court now includes three (soon to be four) justices, and they can trace their path directly to the barriers broken by Lyda Conley.
The month of March signifies the beginning of Women’s history Month. In honor of this occasion, we will be featuring an outstanding woman from history, highlighting the amazing accomplishments of women in our nation’s storied past.
Our third installment features Grace Lee Boggs, an American author and philosopher who is considered the eldest human rights activist of our time. She was a major advocate for civil rights and a more just economic system.
Grace Lee Boggs was born to Chinese immigrants in Rhode Island and eventually graduated from Barnard College (which so happens to be Denise’s alma mater). From there, she obtained her Ph.D in philosophy from Bryn Mawr College. She married the prominent activist James Boggs, and together they would become trailblazers in social activism. They would eventually found the National Organization for an American Revolution, which promoted social justice causes and published activist literature.
Denied a career in academia due to racial and gender biases, Ms. Lee Boggs turned her focus to writing and additional activist pursuits. She became active in the Black Power movement and also joined the Johnson-Forest Tendency, which focused on marginalized groups such as woman, people of color and youth.
Grace Lee Boggs was a prolific writer, and some of her most notable works include The Invading Socialist Society, Revolution and Evolution in the Twentieth Century, and her autobiography, Living for Change.
Upon moving to Detroit, Grace Lee Boggs became incredibly engaged in youth education and activism. She founded Detroit Summer, a multicultural youth program in 1992. Around this time, the Boggs Center to Nurture Community Leadership was also founded as a place for grassroots organizing and local social activism.
Towards the end of her life, she opened the James and Grace Lee Boggs School in Detroit, and education proved throughout her life to be of the utmost importance to her. She passed in October 2015, leaving behind a legacy of social and economic justice and activism. Grace Lee Boggs was proof that no matter your background, anyone can be a change for good in the world.
]]>The month of March signifies the beginning of Women’s history Month. In honor of this occasion, we will be featuring an outstanding woman from history, highlighting the amazing accomplishments of women in our nation’s storied past.
Our second installment features Rachel Carson, an environmental scientist whose writings on brought significant attention to environmental issues, most notably the dangers of pesticides in her work, Silent Spring.
Ms. Carson was born in rural Pennsylvania and developed a love of nature from her mother. Carson graduated from the Pennsylvania College for Women in 1929, studied at the Woods Hole Marine Biology Lab, and received her MA in zoology from Johns Hopkins University in 1932.
She began her work in environmental sciences by writing for the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries during the Great Depression, which began a fifteen-year career as a scientist in the federal government. During this time, she began to write pamphlets on conservation, but her writing style enabled her to find a larger audience, initially as an article in the Atlantic Monthly called Undersea.
Ms. Carson’s The Sea Around Us, a biography of the ocean, earned her fame as a leading naturalist and science writer for the public, which led to her leaving government to write full-time in 1952. Her writings would enable the public to better understand and appreciate the environment and humans’ roles in preserving its beauty.
The pinnacle of her career came when she published Silent Spring in 1962. Ms. Carson was growing increasingly disturbed by the proliferation of synthetic chemical pesticides and focused her attention on warning the public about their long-term effects. Silent Spring challenged the common practices of agricultural scientists and governments in their use of pesticides and was a wake-up call for the way humanity viewed the environment.
The chemical industry attacked Ms. Carson, calling her an alarmist and her ideas unfounded. But she remained undaunted in her fight, testifying before Congress about the dangers of pesticides and continuing to educate the public until her death from breast cancer in 1964.
Ms. Carson’s legacy remains strong to this day as she inspired generations of environmentalists and women in STEM. She is truly an inspiration.
]]>
The month of March signifies the beginning of Women’s history Month. In honor of this occasion, we will be featuring an outstanding woman from history, highlighting the amazing accomplishments of women in our nation’s storied past.
Our first installment features Shirley Chisholm, the first African American women to serve in Congress and the first African American woman to run for president. Representative Chisholm was born in Brooklyn in 1924 to immigrant parents, eventually graduating cum laude from Brooklyn College in 1946. She earned her master’s degree in early childhood education from Columbia University after working as a nursery schoolteacher.
Rep. Chisholm was always an activist, volunteering with the NAACP, the League of Women Voters and the Democratic Party in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Eventually, she became only the second African American woman to serve in the NY State Legislature, and soon after was elected to Congress as the first African American woman to hold a seat in our nation’s history.
Known as “Fighting Shirley, Rep. Chisholm was a champion for racial and gender equality, founding the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971 and becoming the first African-American woman to serve on the powerful House Rules Committee in 1977.
In 1972, Rep. Chisholm became the first African American woman to seek their party’s nomination for president (she was also the first woman to seek the Democratic party’s nomination). She faced significant discrimination during her campaign, which she attributed largely to being a woman. Despite all odds, she garnered 10% of the delegates at the Democratic Convention.
Shirley Chisholm was a trailblazer for African American women in politics for years to come. Today, women hold positions of power throughout our government institutions, including an African American woman serving as vice-president. We are proud to feature Rep. Chisholm as part of Women’s History month and encourage everyone to read more about her story and other trailblazing women.
]]>
The coffee industry has been particularly hard-hit by climate change, impacting the entire supply chain from farm to cup. Every year, land once considered ideal for farming and harvesting becomes lost to future generations of coffee growers. As the effects of global warming continue to ravage the coffee industry, many farmers, roasters, and researchers are coming together to stem the tide and emerge more sustainable and prosperous than ever.
A study in the journal PLOS One found that by 2050, there will be up to 50% decline in available regions for coffee farming. This is because as the climate warms, regions dependent on specific temperatures to grow specialty coffee will become inhospitable for coffee farming. Furthermore, the best coffee is grown in high altitudes where the temperature is cooler (but not too cool). As these regions warm, the fantastic coffee from these areas will disappear. If farmers continue to grow in these regions, the coffee will begin to taste notably worse.
Climate change will not just impact the consumer’s ability to drink a good cup of coffee; it also impacts the ability of farmers to earn a decent wage. As land becomes scarcer, coffee farmers will be forced to produce less crop and cut labor costs even further. They will either be forced to charge more for less coffee beans or simply stop farming. But even if they raise prices, the increased costs throughout the supply chain may ultimately make coffee farming, coffee roasting, and even coffee consumption economically unsustainable.
So what can be done to stave off this calamity?
Fortunately, coffee farmers and researchers are already working on ways to become more sustainable and adaptive to our changing planet.
Many coffee farms are focusing more on reducing their carbon footprint. They are investing in a concept called circular economy, where the waste and byproducts of farming are reused to improve environmental sustainability and save costs. Most commonly, this involves farmers reusing coffee husks and wastewater in other parts of their farming. Coffee husks, for example, can be reused as biofuel. Water used to wash and sort coffee cherries contains high levels of potassium, which can damage the environment if not properly disposed. However, the high potassium levels are great for fertilizer, and many farmers are reusing the wastewater for this purpose.
But addressing the issues of climate change should not fall solely on the coffee farmer. Coffee importers are also developing more streamlined methods of delivering harvested green coffee to coffee roasters such as ourselves. The use of blockchain technology also allows for more accountability in the supply chain, as we are able to track a coffee from farm to cup and ensure it is being harvested, shipped and roasted in a sustainable and ethical manner.
At Empower Coffee Roasters, we do our part by working with our coffee importers and farms to ensure not only are the farms paying living wages, but also engaging in environmentally sustainable practices. This is becoming the industry standard for coffee roasters, but it does come with a price which we are happy to pay.
As a consumer, we do have the option of cheap coffee. But we also must understand the hidden costs of that cheap coffee in terms of the exploitation of workers and the poor environmental practices used to farm that cheap cup of coffee. We all have a responsibility to ensure the future of coffee and the people who grow our favorite roasts. That often means paying a premium. But in our view, the premium we pay now is simply an investment in the future of quality coffee around the world.
]]>
At this very moment, most of us have a list of things to do that feels like it stretches to the moon. There is always a task to accomplish, a goal to achieve, a responsibility to meet. And if we fail to check that task off the list as soon as possible, we feel like failures. As a result, we speed up our lives, jumping from one thing to the next, our anxiety building with every new item on the “to do” list.
We never slow down, possibly because we feel we haven’t earned that right with so much still on the list. And then we get more stressed and anxious, the tasks feel more daunting, we quicken up the pace even more, and we get more anxious. The cycle just keeps repeating and repeating. We need things in our lives that force us to slow down and take a breath. It’s simply unsustainable to constantly being jumping from one thing to the next. For us, that thing is often our ritual of making coffee.
Brewing that morning coffee forces us to slow down and focus on the calming experience of just pouring water onto coffee grounds. We ignore the rest of the world, the emails we need to respond to, the errands that we need to run, and just pour the water. When the water is all poured, we just sit back and wait. It’s not a long process; brewing a couple cups of coffee with our Chemex takes about six or seven minutes. But it forces us to slow down and breath.
We live in a world of convenience. The things we buy are to make our lives easier and allow us to tackle even more. It’s ironic how these tools of convenience make us more frazzled. We fail to realize that things that take a bit of time can often cause us to slow down, as well. And that’s not always a bad thing. When it comes to making coffee, we’d argue its quite the positive! Yes, an automatic coffee maker is a great tool of convenience. It allows you to do other things while your coffee brews. But maybe we need things that force us to live in the moment of what we are experiencing, rather than allowing us to multitask and add yet another thing to the list.
Coffee is made to be enjoyed, and the ritual of brewing the perfect cup is an enjoyable experience that allows us to slow down. Let’s take the time to grab a cup of coffee and a book, make ourselves comfortable on a cozy couch and just be in the moment and enjoy our lives.
]]>One of the most common questions we get is which type of coffee contains the most caffeine: light roast or dark roast? Some believe that roasting darker burns off caffeine. Others feel that because dark roasted coffee tastes a bit stronger, it means it has more caffeine.
So what is the answer to the million dollar caffeine question?
A study conducted by roaster and scientist Juliet Han (found here) determined that dark roasted coffee does tend to have more caffeine than light roasted coffee, but not for the reasons one might think. Using awesome scientific equipment like a high pressure liquid chromatography machine, Han found that the level of the roast does not change caffeine levels for an individual bean. If you were to roast a single green coffee bean, the caffeine level in that bean would not change the longer you roasted it.
So why is darker roasted coffee more caffeinated? The answer comes down to weight and density.
As coffee is roasted, moisture iin the bean is released. That’s why a pound of green coffee will yield around 15-20% less roasted coffee when it’s done. The dark roasted coffee is less dense than the light roasted coffee. Whether you are weighing out an exact 25 grams of coffee or simply using a scooper to eyeball it, because the dark roasted bean is less dense, this means you are using more beans in a dark roast versus a light roast. And since the caffeine levels of the bean do not change whether its light or dark, the caffeine level is determined by the number of beans you are using, which will be higher for dark roasted coffee. Interestingly, Han found that when you weigh your coffee versus using a scooper, the dark roasted coffee winds up containing 32% more caffeine than the light roasted coffee, compared to a 9% increase when using a scooper.
While dark roasted coffee contains more caffeine than a light roasted coffee, the ultimate amount of caffeine in the cup is not solely determined by roast level. The way you brew your coffee still matters, as does how you store it and where the coffee comes from. But all other aspects being equal, darker roasted coffee does tend to have more caffeine than lighter roasted coffee.
Once again, we can thank science (and a woman scientist) for solving one of life’s great mysteries!
]]>
But unlike most other farmed products, there is significant contention over whether “organic” coffee is any better for the consumer and the farmer. As a coffee drinker, how important is it to buy “organic?”
]]>Organic food products are everywhere as consumers and environmental advocates alike are realizing the need for healthier, safer and more sustainable foods. As a crop, growing organic coffee has also become something coffee drinkers are pushing for, and coffee roasters are beginning to advertise their coffee as “certified organic.”
But unlike most other farmed products, there is significant contention over whether “organic” coffee is any better for the consumer and the farmer. As a coffee drinker, how important is it to buy “organic?”
To answer that question, we need to first take a step back and discuss the difference between the varieties of coffee beans, Arabica and Robusta. Robusta beans tend to be inferior in taste to Arabica but are significantly cheaper because they are easier to grow at low elevations, are grown primarily in the sun, and produce coffee fruit more quickly and abundantly. Robusta beans tend to be the conventional bean you will find in grocery stores and major coffee companies that sell ground and instant coffee. They don’t taste great but are cheap and get the job done. Robusta farms are typically developed by clearing large fields of forest so that more plants can be exposed to the sunlight. By destroying the environment around them to create these large coffee fields, farmers are removing ecosystems of natural pest-deterrents like bats, birds and lizards which eat the pests that ruin coffee crops. As such, conventional coffee requires heavy use of chemicals and pesticides.
Arabica coffee beans tend to be grown naturally. The best coffee is grown at high elevations with a lot of shade. This is more difficult to farm, hence the higher prices for Arabica specialty coffee like the type we serve at Empower Coffee Roasters. But growing naturally allows for the ecosystem to flourish around the coffee farm, and natural deterrents keep the crop from being destroyed by pests.
You might be asking yourself what this has to do with “organic coffee.” Well, the problem with slapping the label of “organic” on your coffee is that it doesn’t necessarily tell you anything about the quality of the coffee. You can have organic Robusta coffee that will still be inferior to an Arabica coffee, which might not have the certified organic label but is just as clean and sustainable as any other coffee, but also higher quality. But if Arabica coffee is farmed naturally, why don’t farms become certified organic automatically?
The reason why many small farmers do not label their natural coffee as “organic” comes down to cost. In order to obtain the “organic” label, farms must formally certified. To do so, they often incur significant costs. This may even include paying for travel, room and board for third-party certified agents. Small farms, like the ones we use, cannot afford this and thus are at a financial disadvantage from larger competitors who can get certified, despite the small farmers’ coffee being just as safe, if not more so! And a high percentage of Arabica is grown by small-lot farmers, indigenous people who carefully cultivate the land and respect the ecosystems around them. These farmers are essentially getting punished for producing high-quality coffee while protecting the ecosystem.
Having said that, many of our coffees are indeed “certified organic.” Yet we do not label them as such on our bags. The reason is because in order for us to certified by the USDA as an organic shop, we can only roast “certified organic” coffee in our roaster. The only workarounds are to buy another roaster just for organic coffee, which is not logistically or financially feasible, or source only from farms that have the “organic” label, which many of our partners cannot afford. Since “organic” does not mean safer, better or more sustainable, and because it imposes a significant financial burden on small farms, we will not go in that direction.
What you as the customer can be assured of is that our coffee is sustainably sourced, naturally grown and of the highest quality. Hopefully, more small farmers can get access to affordable certification. But until then, we will continue support farmers who appreciate and protect the land they work.
With love,
Denise and Zach
]]>If you’ve been around specialty coffee enough, you undoubtedly have heard the term “direct trade.” It’s a buzzy term that is thrown around the industry along with “fair trade” and “certified organic” with the implication of higher-quality, more ethical coffee. But is that true? What exactly is “direct trade” coffee, and does it matter?
Direct trade in the most basic terms simply means when a coffee roaster buys their green coffee directly from the farm of origin, rather than going through middlemen like coffee importers. One particular benefit of direct trade is being able to form a personal relationship with the farmers, theoretically allowing for more transparency, collaboration and quality. A direct relationship between the roaster and the farmer ensures that both are investing in and committing to each other. If there are issues, the direct communication allows for them to be resolved quickly and efficiently. Roasters can also work with their farms to innovate and improve the coffee. Additionally, the roaster can more easily trace their coffee, know exactly how its being grown and processed.
If direct trade is so amazing, why don’t we at Empower Coffee engage in such a relationship?
There are numerous reasons why we currently do not offer “direct trade” coffee, but the largest factor for us is cost. There are significant financial and labor costs involved in flying to these farms, consistently sampling coffee, and then handling logistics to import it to our shop. We need to personally figure out shipping, customs and tariff issues and anything else that could go wrong. Furthermore, when you have a direct trade relationship, you are generally locking yourself to that farmer. If they have a bad crop that you are committed to purchasing, this can sink your roastery. At our stage as a business, we cannot take on such a risk.
More importantly, there is no evidence direct trade coffee is inherently better for the customer. Our coffee importers do an amazing job of sourcing tremendous coffees from around the world. They have teams of experts who constantly cup coffees to ensure only the best lots are making it to their warehouse and eventually our roastery for cupping. Going through an importer has no negative impact on the quality of the coffee we sell; in fact, it ensures that quality remains consistently high because we do not lock ourselves into one farm that could have a poor crop yield. It’s not that direct trade means worse coffee; rather the term does not automatically mean better.
Direct trade also does not always mean “ethical trade.” There are countless stories of farms getting taken advantage of by roasters, farms with direct relationships exploiting their workers and even farms that do not handle the process on their own, but instead have other companies involved to pick or process the coffee. Thus, roasters are not actually directly engaged in every step of the process.
These problems are present with coffee importers, as well, which is why we diligently research who we work with to ensure they are behaving ethically towards the farms. We work closely with coffee importers who are committed to paying premium prices to the farms for their coffee. We believe strongly in a coffee supply chain that is fair from farm to cup. Empower also partners with coffee importers who specifically promote women-owned farms and co-ops.
With all that said, at some point in the future we absolutely plan on engaging directly with some of our farms. They are doing amazing work in their communities, and we are committed to supporting them and building long-lasting relationships. But until that time, we are confident that the coffee we are providing is of the highest quality, sustainable, and ethically grown.
]]>
Arielle Mosso is a certified yoga teacher and Life Skills Coach with Lunch Break, a non-profit organization servicing the Jersey Shore area.
Lunch Break provides life’s basic necessities of food, clothing, life skills and fellowship to the financially insecure individuals and families in Monmouth County and beyond. Through yoga, Arielle found that being of service to people is what makes her truly happy what continues to drive her forward.
We should all be more like Arielle. ❤️☕
Julia Abbott is a committed environmentalist and advocate for sustainability. She is the host of the awesome podcast, The Ethical Consumer, which we were thrilled to be a guest on.
Growing up in the Midwest, Julia was interested in sustainability and wellness, and was open to different types of food and beverages before these things really caught on. She has found the best way to inspire others is to lead by example, but hosting a podcast certainly broadcasts the message a little farther!
She encourages others to share their story, lead by example, and inspire others! She says, "If you’re sitting on an idea, a solution to a problem, or just not sure if your voice matters, IT DOES!"
Go follow her at @the.ethical.consumer on social media and check out the Ethical Consumer Podcast!
Parshe (Shay) Johnson is a Phoenix native who turned her love for baking into a family business. Sugar Star, a nickname given to her as a baby by her father, is fitting for the delicious treats she has perfected. Shay has spent countless hours perfecting her recipe for the perfect chocolate chip cookie, using high-quality ingredients and love to deliver a delectable taste in each and every bite.
Eventually, Shay founded Sugar Star Sweet Treats. Her cookies remind us of the homemade treats you would find in your grandma's kitchen, pairing perfect with a cup of coffee! Shay's cookies are classic and unique at the same time and have become a staple throughout the Phoenix area.
We're proud to partner with Shay and support another small woman-owned business in the community! Go give her a follow @sugarstarsweettreats and visit her online store at https://www.sugarstarsweettreats.com/
Demetra Presley is the founder and Executive Director of Go With The Flow, a nonprofit organization that provides free period products to students and community members. She is a period enthusiast and menstrual equity advocate dedicated to spreading education, awareness, and change about the impact of period poverty in Arizona.
Demetra graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science and Master of Art's in Justice Studies. She worked in social services for over 10 years as a domestic violence advocate, homeless youth case manager, and domestic violence, sex crime, and trafficking crime victim advocate, before transitioning into federal law enforcement. She has been a life long supporter for women's rights and reproductive healthcare.
We are proud to have partnered with and continue to support Demetra and her amazing organization. Go to @gowiththeflowaz and and https://gowiththeflowaz.org/ to follow along their journey!
Women are more in need of support on their journeys to self-sufficiency than ever before. The pandemic and economic recession have worsened matters for many, throwing what feels like impenetrable barriers in the way of women trying to lift themselves and families out of poverty. Nearly 40% of the 12.2 million jobs lost during the pandemic that were held by women are likely not to return (National Women’s Law Center). Mothers in particular, who represent 86% of the population Fresh Start serves, saw a 12% drop of employment in the United States in 2020 (Arizona Foundation for Women).
Founded in 1992, Fresh Start Women’s Foundation empowers women to transform their lives through engagement and education. Fresh Start is on a mission to help women become self-sufficient, and we know that in order to get there, a woman must become gainfully employed. Not only does employment require the requisite skills, education and training, it also requires the life skills that prepare her for education and employment opportunities.
Their organization helps women ages 18 and up focus on key areas of their lives, with a wide range of services, classes and workshops designed to teach self-confidence, life skills and career development.
]]>But as we developed the business, I quickly realized that it was not enough for me to be passively supportive of my wife’s mission. If Empower Coffee Roasters’ core mission included women, then I needed to rise to her level of commitment. I soon developed relationships with our outstanding non-profit organizations, working with them on ways to bring attention and donations to them. In developing these relationships and looking into other organizations to support, I began learning more about the specific challenges faced by woman and girls in the Phoenix area.
Working with Demetra from Go with the Flow educated me on the significant issue many girls encounter when obtaining basic hygiene products and how that impacts other areas of their lives including school and work. Meeting Kristen, Erin, and Iris from Live and Learn Arizona opened my eyes to how difficult it can be for women and girls to escape from generational poverty.
Learning about how blind we all tend to be towards issues that do not impact us personally made me change my mindset. We are so consumed with our insular worlds, that we recognize other problems in the world beyond what directly affects us. But when it comes to the issue of men being strong supporters and champions for causes that impact women, the problem is larger than that.
Four decades ago, the idea of a company having a female executive was not considered, because the men held positions of power in the professional world, which excluded women from higher positions within an organization. As our society progressed, women started breaking glass ceilings and now exceed men in terms of college admissions and graduation rates. An increasing number of women serve as CEOs and board members. But obstacles still exist for full equality of opportunity. Women overall are still underrepresented in STEM education and corporate America, especially African American and Latina women. In 1990, women held no executive positions in Fortune 100 companies. By 2001, that number rose to 11% of all positions, but has since fallen to 7%. Women of color represent only 4.7% of executive and senior level roles at S & P 500 companies. Men still hold roughly 70% of elected offices across state legislatures. Clearly, more needs to be done. And I wonder if us men have simply graduated from being obstacles to now standing aside as women push the proverbial boulder up the mountain.
I have realized that being an ally to women’s empowerment means not simply standing aside while women continue the fight. We must stand alongside women and push that boulder up the mountain together. The struggles for equality and empowerment is not just one gender’s burden. Being an effective ally means actively supporting women’s equality by donating time and resources to women’s organizations, advocating for advancements for women in education, particularly STEM education, and supporting policies in government that promote equality and empowerment.
As our business continues to grow, we continue to partner with amazing women organizations. I will keep asking myself that question and listening to women on how I can best be of support. I will try to do better every day in ensuring Empower Coffee Roasters lives its values in empowering women and girls.
With love,
Zach
]]>