The Sun: Crop to Cup Phyllis Johnson on Coffee's Colonial Roots By Finn Cohen
The Sun writer, Finn Cohen sits down with Phyllis Johnson BD Imports founder in Atlanta Georgia over a cup of coffee for more than three hours to discuss coffee. They laughed about having similar childhood behaviors to how Phyllis found herself as a coffee importer working closely with coffee farmers around the world.
The Coffee Coalition for Racial Equity Launches its Leadership Development Program
The Coffee Coalition for Racial Equity launched its leadership development program entitled, Brewing for Equity Fellowship in August 2025. The five Fellows attended their first in-person workshop in Atlanta Georgia in September 2025. Monthly learnings and educational gatherings are set to take place over a 10-month period. The Fellows will attend the 22nd annual African Fine Coffees Association conference in Addis Ababa Ethiopia in early 2026. The program includes a capstone project and an opportunity for Fellows to participate in a short term internships with companies to expand their knowledge. Stay tuned for more information concerning the Brewing for Equity Fellowship.
Members of the first fellowship include:
- Alberto Maturino — owner of BIG-DAWG CoffeeWorks (Instagram)
- Emary Greene — owner of Junebug Coffee and production roaster and barista training manager at Sightseer Coffee in Austin, Texas
- Martell Mason — CEO and head roaster at Sepia Coffee Project in Detroit
- Shanita Nicholas — Founder of Quantum Seeds and co-founder of Sip & Sonder and Sonder Impact in Inglewood, California
- Dr. Tiffany Johnson James — associate professor and coffee researcher in Atlanta
