Barista Guild's video: Sustainability Asks First And Solves Second - Kim Elena Ionescu

The role of the barista has evolved significantly over the past decade, and there arelikely more professional, educated, dedicated baristas now than ever before. Despite the progress, major questions remain tobe answered about not only what baristas need, but also what we want from this role, what we value in a working environment, and what would strengthen our commitment to the profession. Kim Elena Ionescu, the Director of Sustainability for the SCAA, has spent much of the past year working to raise awareness of issues surrounding coffee farm workers – for example, labor shortage – and hearing from workers themselves what they struggle with and value. In her lecture at CoLab, Kim will share findings from interviews and research on coffee farm workers, and in an accompanying workshop, baristas will begin a process of asking and answering questions on similar themes at the opposite end of the value chain.