On credentials, credibility, and why the specialty coffee world's gatekeeping problem is a revenue problem disguised as a culture war.
Read at Eater →
Work
The Portfolio
Writing, speaking, and brand work — a decade of making the argument that belonging is a business strategy.
Written Work
The numbers on who owns cafés, who competes at origin, and who gets featured in coffee media — and what the industry loses by staying this narrow.
Read at Food & Wine →A look at tipping culture, wage structure, and the racialized economics of who benefits when hospitality workers are kept underpaid.
Read at Civil Eats →Third-place theory was supposed to explain what coffee shops could be for communities. The theory held up better than the execution.
Read at Bon Appétit →A first-person account of becoming the first Black woman to compete at the national level — and what it cost to get there.
Read at Sprudge →On founding an oat milk company as a solo Black woman founder, and why the hardest part had nothing to do with oat milk.
Read at Essence →
Talks & Speeches
Keynotes, panels, and conference talks on the business of belonging, coffee culture, and the economics of inclusion in hospitality.
The Business Case for Belonging
Inclusivity Is a Revenue Strategy
Rose Nicaud Award Remarks
Brand Partnerships
Selected collaborations with brands that share a commitment to quality, equity, and honest storytelling in coffee and hospitality.
Intelligentsia
Content · Editorial
Intelligentsia Coffee — Origin Stories Campaign
A four-part editorial series exploring the Black baristas and roasters who shaped Intelligentsia's sourcing relationships — and what direct trade actually means for the people growing the coffee.
View project →
Fellow
Product · Video
Fellow — The Home Barista Series
A three-part video series produced for Fellow's YouTube channel and social platforms, featuring home brewing setups and honest gear reviews for serious home baristas.
View project →
Oatly
Campaign · Speaking
Oatly — The Barista Edition Launch
Campaign ambassador and keynote speaker for the Oatly Barista Edition relaunch, including a live event at Chicago's Intelligentsia Millennium Park café and a companion editorial piece.
View project →