In 2022 Black as a brick he announced Barista Exchange Programa two-part initiative that would send black American coffee professionals to Africa and also bring in African baristas to expand their knowledge of the trade in America. It was an ambitious plan, to say the least, and like all ambitious plans in the specialty coffee industry, it was in danger of fizzling out before it reached its conclusion. The enormous amount of time and money it would take to pull something like this off already put the Memphis-based coffee company at a disadvantage.
But if you’ve followed the trajectory of Cxffeeblack and his co-founders Bartholomew Jones and Renata Henderson, you’d know it’s unwise to bet against the coffee shop owner/roaster/documentarian/clothing designer. And now, two years later, the Barista Exchange Program is in its final phase, bringing five African-American baristas to America to tour and learn in coffee shops across the American South.
Getting the Barista Exchange program off the ground wasn’t basic. Jones, Henderson, and the rest of the Cxffeeblack team crowdfunded, collaborated on sneaker production to raise money, traveled the country to film a documentary, and secured academic and financial support from Vanderbilt University and MiiR to make the program a reality (while also running a roastery and opening a cafe). It’s been a two-year uphill climb, but it culminated today, September 19, when five of the fellows landed in the United States.
Barista Exchange Scholarship recipients are:
Beamlak Melesse Bekele (Ethiopia), Runner-up of the Ethiopian Barista Championship
Elise Dushimimana (Rwanda), Senior Barista and Quality Assurance Specialist at Kivu Noir Coffee Shop
Lukonge Karol (Uganda), Head Barista at La Pâtisserie Express, Runner-up of the Uganda Barista Championships
Smayah the Comforter (Rwanda), Founder of Elevate Through Coffee, Leadership Equity and Diversity (LEAD) Fellow, and Q-grading Program Participant
Mario Alberto (Afro-Colombian), Chief Farmer and Co-Founder of Solo Cafe
Over the next two and a half weeks, the five will participate in an “educational and cultural exchange,” according to a press release, visiting Black-owned coffee shops across the South, with stops in Memphis, Nashville, Atlanta and Raleigh-Durham. In each city, the fellows will meet with industry leaders and “collaborate on culturally contextual business models and receive intensive training.” As part of the tour, Cxffeeblack will host public events — some, but not all, focused on coffee — that provide “opportunities for fellows and participants to engage in cultural exchange.” A full list of Barista Exchange Family Reunion Tour events and dates can be found at Here.
“More than anything, I believe this trip will be an opportunity to give voice to my coffee community, their story, and my hopes for the future of the coffee industry,” says Beamlak Melesse Bekele, a Barista Exchange Fellow. “It will be a great space to learn and share the experiences of the African coffee community, to teach my people and their love of coffee.”
Following and reporting on Cxffeeblack and the Barista Exchange Program, it’s impossible not to be impressed not only by the vision and execution of the initiative, but also by its impact. We’ve seen Program Fellows take part in NKG Pace programs and in coffee shops as far away as Singapore, and see the impact Cxffeeblack has made. It’s more than just nine participants filling out passports. Jones and Henderson have given physical shape to what it means to be Black in the specialty coffee industry. Through Cxffeeblack, Blackness in coffee is celebrated and given historical context, it’s communal and uplifting. And if the success of the Barista Exchange Program is any indication, it’s not only needed, it’s highly coveted.
