The June + July 2021 issue of Barista Magazine features Olga Melik-Karakozova of Moscow, Russia, on the cover.
Also included: Articles about packaging, living wages, and COVID-19 in producing countries, plus equipment advice, an interview with Intelligentsia’s Michael Sheridan, and much more!
BY KENNETH R. OLSON
BARISTA MAGAZINE
The June + July 2021 issue of Barista Magazine digital edition goes live today as hard copies move through the mail stream. And while, undoubtedly this won’t be the last time we write about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, hopefully we can drop the modifier “ongoing” soon. As the virus continues to course through the world’s population, vaccination rates are climbing and transmission rates are falling. That means globally we are turning a corner, and more and more signs of normality are returning. To take one example, we have recently started receiving event support requests.
We love supporting community coffee events (and if you’re hosting one or planning one, drop us a line and let us know what we can do to lend a helping hand, and send cool swag for prizes and giveaways). In years past, we’ve supported hundreds of events all over the world, but in 2020, they, like so much else, came to a quick and full stop. But lately, the requests have started up once more as our community can gather safely once again. There’s even the return of in-person trade shows this month with Coffee Fest San Antonio. In some parts of the world, trade shows and events never stopped, but organizers modified them to match pandemic protocols. Here in America, though, pretty much all in-person events halted in the last year, so to see them back truly means better days ahead.
‘Field Reports’: Costa Rica and Colombia
Our June + July 2021 issue continues our coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic with a look at how it has affected coffee producers with ‘Field Reports’ from Costa Rica and Colombia. Both countries rely on migrant labor for the coffee harvest, and they have taken different approaches to managing the international flow of workers. Additionally, strikes and protests have slowed coffee exports from Colombia as the country’s federal government has faced backlash over some of its pandemic policies and policing.
Cover Feature: Olga Melik-Karakozova
Olga Melik-Karakozova has been working in specialty coffee for the better part of two decades. She’s made a name for herself internationally by winning the Russian Barista Championship multiple times. She even learned English just so she could perform better at the World Barista Championship. She launched a coffee business, Smart Coffee, in Moscow that also houses a bike repair shop. She kept her business running throughout the pandemic because she knows how to keep working in challenging environments. And everyday life can be a challenge for her as a gay woman, because her identity is illegal in the eyes of the state. Find out more about Olga and what makes her committed to coffee and her community in the June + July 2021 issue.
‘A Living Income’: For Producers
In the June + July 2021 issue, we start a three-part series on living incomes. Writer Sunghee Tark interviews coffee producers in the first installment to find out what a living income means to them. Additional installments in future issues will address the same topic from the viewpoints of coffee pickers and baristas.
‘In the Bag’
Just like the cup you serve coffee in, your whole-bean bag tells customers a lot about your business. But more than that, it can affect the coffee too. Barista Magazine Online Editor Katrina Yentch investigates what to look for in a bag or packaging. She writes about what options exist for recycling, composting, branding, and more. It’s all “In the Bag” in the June + July 2021 issue.
‘One on One’: Michael Sheridan
Today, Michael Sheridan works at Intelligentsia Coffee, but his background in coffee started when he volunteered in Nicaragua. He was just out of college at the time, and as he tells it, his life work in international development was launched by “a basketball player, a colonel, and a priest.” Find out more about Michael and his hands-on work in coffee communities in “One on One” by Chris Ryan in the latest issue.
These are just some of the stories you’ll find in the June + July 2021 issue of Barista Magazine. You have your choice to read Barista Magazine in paper or digital format. You can order a hard copy through our online store here or start a subscription. For a limited time, you’ll get a copy of the 2nd Crack comic book for free with any new subscription!
Read the June + July 2021 issue for free with our digital edition. Visit our digital edition archives here.
