Quills Coffee, host of the ‘Kentuckiana’ CoffeeChamps preliminary event, talks about building and encouraging diversity within the barista competitor community, and the responsibility companies have to think critically about their competitors.
BY QUILLS COFFEE
SPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE
We at Quills Coffee are very grateful to have hosted the Kentuckiana CoffeeChamps preliminary in Louisville, Ky., on September 28-30. It was exciting to be part of this motion for more accessible growth for coffee professionals. The lower financial burden of the event made it possible for many new judges and competitors to travel from 10 states and make this event a great success. All of the performances were well-prepared and sharp, and we (along with our sponsors) enjoyed being able to provide the tools and coffee necessary for competitors to show us their best. However, as we reflect on our experience as a host, we are disappointed by the same glaring issue plaguing representation in the industry as a whole: lack of diversity.
We want to make it clear that our criticism is not directed at individual competitors, as we had only genuine and respectful interactions throughout the weekend. This issue manifests well before anyone takes the stage; it is in a company’s selection process, and beyond that, the company’s attentiveness to the marginalization of its employees. We feel that if we do not speak on this now, we will see the same results for the rest of the season.
Drawing from a large swath of the country as one of eight events, we opened up registration to 24 competitors each for the barista and Brewers Cup competitions, and were surprised that neither of those rosters filled. We had 21 unclaimed opportunities that, in the spirit of preliminary events, could have offered low-cost professional growth for baristas who are often overlooked. However, as was the case for most of the preliminary rosters across the country, our cast was roughly 75 percent white male competitors. While we don’t know the financial situation of the companies that sent competitors, the space for excuses here is slim; the easiest step a company can take toward a more diverse industry is being intentional about who is considered for competition, and how those invitations are extended to its employees.
Across many coffee companies, it seems that only one type of barista is championed. How many of us, when gearing up for competition season, approach each barista individually to encourage and gauge interest in competing or judging? How much do we invest in ensuring our cafés are safe and welcoming spaces to our employees who are LGBTQ+, people of color, or women? Are our competitors/judges usually salaried employees, and how does that internal composition affect representation? Do we thank our baristas for covering the bar while competitors are gone, continuing to encourage their participation in the future? Do we cheer for a barista who keeps their bar clean as much as we do for talented latte artists? Do we seek out our quiet star baristas and ask them if they want to represent us?
The overwhelming majority of people who have been showcased by the competition circuit are white, cisgendered men, and we have rolled with that uncritically, creating an image that devalues people of color, women, and LGBTQ+ coffee professionals. The message quickly becomes, “This is what a competitor looks like, and that doesn’t look like you”—a discouraging message to qualified candidates who don’t fit that description. If we only offer the spotlight to people who ask for it, we aren’t lifting anyone.
Quills is based in Louisville, a firmly liberal haven in a conservative area of the country, but a city not especially known for its progressive coffee scene (but we’re tryin’!). It’s easy to become complacent in a region that sometimes drops this bar to the ground. As a company, we have struggled (and still sometimes do) with a lack of diversity within our own leadership team, cafés, and customer base. These are areas we continue to focus on and consistently improve. We were critical about our own competitors and our judging panels, and had high expectations for preliminaries as a whole.
While putting on something like this was a much greater commitment of time and resources than we initially assumed, it was worthwhile to see the passion of the volunteers, judges, and competitors who offered their time and energy. The mission of these events is to bring accessibility to competition, and that definitely showed in the high percentage of new competitors and judges. However, this opportunity for development, learning, and networking was an invaluable advantage that was not evenly distributed.
We feel that the heart of preliminaries was in the right place, and by having these non-disqualifying events, we are given insight and another opportunity. Addressing these systemic patterns before this winter’s Qualifying Competitions is both possible and imperative. Is the absence of representation a consciously malicious decision made by these companies? Likely not, but that doesn’t erase the damage. We’re all learning, we all have work to do, and holding each other accountable makes us all better. There isn’t one “type” of competitor, and a winner doesn’t have to look a certain way, but we won’t see an increase in diversity at the awards ceremony for the national competitions if companies are not actively seeking out those potential competitors right now.
We loved hosting the Kentuckiana preliminary. It was warm and enthusiastic, and we want to congratulate all of the competitors—we are grateful for and impressed by your hard work! We are simply calling for companies to reflect on how to better ensure that they are investing in all of their employees. Self-education has never been easier; if you haven’t looked into the Coffee Equity Toolkit built by RJ Joseph and Jenn Chen, it is an extremely beneficial hub of literature on this and other workplace equity issues.
We look forward to shaping a more holistic and dynamic industry with you.
