On the inaugural “First Sip” awards rite at Chicago’s Bronzeville Vineyard. Press photograph by way of James Washington, courtesy of the CCRE.
The Espresso Coalition for Racial Fairness (CCRE) held its inaugural “First Sip” awards rite closing week in Chicago, honoring trailblazers in espresso who’ve contributed to fairness, inclusion and variety.
The nonprofit, which was once based by way of Phyllis Johnson of Atlanta-based espresso importer BD Imports in 2020, offered 3 new awards thru this system: The Rose Nicaud Award; the Innovators Award; and the Native Heroes Award.
This system was once held along side the 2024 Distinctiveness Espresso Expo, which drew greater than 17,000 espresso pros to the town. (See DCN’s whole 2024 Expo protection right here.)
Named after a lady born into slavery who sooner or later opened the primary espresso stand in New Orleans’ French Marketplace, the Rose Nicaud Award was once given to Ghost The town Oats Co-Founder Michelle R Johnson.
“From co-founding her personal Oat Milk emblem, Ghost The town Oats, to penning an open letter addressing the systemic demanding situations Black baristas face, her efforts have sparked significant discussion and resulted in sure adjustments within the espresso trade,” the CCRE wrote in a press release of the awards.
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The Innovators Award was once offered to Memphis-based espresso and tune corporate Cxffeeblack, whose founders Bartholomew Jones and Renata Henderson are these days elevating price range for a brand new roastery and headquarters. The award particularly venerated the emblem’s barista change program.
The Native Heroes Award was once given to longtime espresso roaster and entrepreneur Greg Stivers of Chicago’s personal Stivers Espresso.
“As a real pioneer within the trade, he has constantly driven limitations and set new requirements,” the CCRE stated. “He has earned his friends’ admiration and recognize and fostered a vital industry dating with Chicago French Press, a Black woman-owned espresso corporate.”
Whilst honoring the paintings of the espresso pros named above, the development additionally served as a fundraiser for the CCRE, a bunch that has equipped scholarships and internships for present and aspiring Black espresso pros. The gang says it’s also launching a podcast, “Brewing in Fairness,” designed to “deepen the discussion round racial fairness within the espresso trade.”
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