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