Things You Learn in Africa

I saw this photo on Stephen Vick’s Facebook page:

Stephen took this photo in Mombasa, Kenya.

If you don’t know Stephen, here’s the skinny: after working for some uber reputable coffee companies as a barista trainer, Stephen was hired by Sustainable Harvest to work on quality control at Sustainable’s Tanzania operation. So he went, got cerebral malaria, survived, and has worked on the ground in Kigoma, Tanzania, for stretches of time broken up by time back in Portland, Ore., where Sustainable is based. He just returned to Africa recently, and hit the East African Fine Coffee Association conference in Mombasa, Kenya, right off, and now is in Ethiopia.

Stephen with the Mubanga board members in Kanyovu.

I just got this email from him:

Greetings from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Tomorrow I am cupping in the first ever Direct Specialty Auction setup by the Ethiopia Commodities Exchange, and next week I will be out in the field cupping at washing stations in Yirgacheffe and Sidamo. My last few months back in Portland were great, and I had an increasing number of people interested in hearing more about my adventures here in East Africa. So, as suggested by many…I have started a blog. I will try hard to keep it updated so that you can follow along on my journey, if you are so inclined.

So I thought I’d blog about him and his blog, since his work and adventures in Africa are pretty durned interesting. Check it out

About Sarah 929 Articles
Sarah Allen (she/her) is co-founder and editor of Barista Magazine, the international trade magazine for coffee professionals. A passionate advocate for baristas, quality, and the coffee community, Sarah has traveled widely to research stories, interact with readers, and present on a variety of topics affecting specialty coffee. She also loves animals, swimming, ice cream, and living in Portland, Oregon.