A list of Native-owned coffee roasters you can support today.
BY MARK VAN STREEFKERK
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE
Do you know whose land you’re on? Acknowledging the Indigenous people of the lands we live on is an important first step in raising awareness around the devastating (and ongoing) history of colonialism. It’s also an opportunity to learn more about the tribal communities in your area. You can support by buying from Indigenous-owned businesses when you can (check out this list at the Intentionalist), and when it’s time to buy your next bag, buy coffee from the nearest Native-run coffee roaster. The following list is based on a thread about Native coffee roasters in the U.S. and Canada that I first spotted on Twitter, but the original post by Diana Lee is on Reddit here. This is not meant to be a conclusive list, but a place to start.
Find out whose land you’re on at Native Land, a website and mobile app run by a Canadian nonprofit, that shows the Indigenous lands in North and South America, Australia, and parts of Europe and Asia.
Buying coffee from Native roasters like Ekowah Coffee and O-Gah-Pah Coffee supports the companies and their tribal communities as well. I recently chatted via email with Joshua Smith, a member of the Osage Nation who founded Ekowa last year with his wife, Anna, as well as with O-Gah-Pah’s Ben Parker and Lauren Cousatte, members of the Quapaw Nation.
Ekowah means “friend” in the Osage language, and their values of respect, equity, and the goodwill of friendship are extended at every level of business. Joshua says their Tinker Camp roast is an ode to his family’s time together on the Osage Reservation. “Every summer the Osage have a ceremonial dance called In’lonshka, or also just ‘the dances.’ It is the highlight of the year for our family and the tribe as a whole,” Joshua says. They would gather together at the family’s home in Pawhuska, Okla., called “Tinker Camp” after his grandfather George Tinker. Cousins, uncles, and aunties would dance, have campfires, eat amazing food, and drink lots of coffee.
Ekowah donates 10% of all profits to Native American nonprofits that fund the arts; currently that includes the Wahzhazhe Ballet and Dance Maker Academy. “Wahzhazhe Ballet is a nonprofit ballet that tells the story of the Osage people, from our creation legends to the present day,” Joshua says. “The Osage community has a longstanding tradition of dance, from our very own In’lonshka dances to famed prima ballerina sisters Maria and Marjorie Tallchief.”
O-Gah-Pah Coffee was reinvigorated in 2016, when Ben and Lauren say that the “Quapaw Nation and the Business Committee wanted to improve the quality of coffee offered in the casinos and restaurants. This led to a complete overhaul of the program, establishing an in-house roastery within a dedicated 2,500-square-foot warehouse about a mile from Downstream Casino in Quapaw, Oklahoma.”
This year O-Gah-Pah’s commitment to sourcing fair trade and organic coffees led them to work with the Montero family in Costa Rica. The overhaul of their coffee program is part of an expanded agriculture program. “Indigenous Sovereignty is strengthened through our food,” say Ben and Lauren. “We started by returning Bison to our homeland … we have greenhouses that produce vegetables and herbs and have started a seed bank.”
Here’s an (incomplete) list of other Native-owned coffee roasters in the U.S.:
Beaver Tales Coffee (Wash.)
Queer Wave Coffee (Calif.)
Spirit Mountain Roasting Co. (Calif.)
Native Blend Coffee (Calif.)
Takelma Roasting Co. (Ore.)
Star Village Coffee (Nev.)
Yeego Coffee (Ariz.)
Ekowa Coffee (Okla.)
O-Gah-Pah Coffee (Mo.)
Arcadia Valley Roasting Company (Mo.)
Spotted Horse Coffees (Minn.)
Expedition Joe Coffee Company (Ga.)
Native Coffee Traders (N.Y.)
Thunder Island Coffee Roasters (N.Y.)
Tribal Grounds Coffee (N.C.)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mark Van Streefkerk is Barista Magazine’s social media content developer and a frequent contributor. He is also a freelance writer, social media manager, and novelist based out of Seattle. If Mark isn’t writing, he’s probably biking to his favorite vegan restaurant. Find out more on his website.