“It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”
-Bilbo Baggins
I spoke with a friend last month who works in a certain industry (let's avoid specifics). I began expressing my excitement for the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) Expo that was coming up. She contorted her face, looked at me incredulously, and laughed at the idea that I was excited to go to a trade expo. At that moment, I realized there's something special about the industry I work in. I'm sure there are other industries like this, but in coffee, people love what they do. Personally, I am excited to attend our expo every year, where I can see old friends, spend time together, network, and, most importantly, drink copious amounts of unbelievable coffee.
At my first SCA Expo in 2014, I remember walking in alone and feeling lost in this huge and strange new world. I was intimidated and unsure of whether I would ever find my place. It's surreal now to walk into this expo year after year with an overwhelming sense of welcome, belonging, and family.
I first came as an exporter in 2014. The next year as an importer. The next few, I came as a roaster. 2023 was special. I came to the SCA Expo for the first time as a farmer.
This year, we were incredibly blessed to have the wonderful and talented Manta Coffey from Presta and Yudi Guo from Fellow compete with one of our Al-Khanshali Estate lots in the US Barista Competition and US Brewers Cup, respectively. They both did an amazing job of displaying and telling the stories of these coffees, and I couldn't have been more grateful or proud.
We were also privileged to witness Elise Tanyag from Blanchards Coffee compete with a lot from the National Yemen Coffee Auction. This is a project my non-profit, The Mokha Institute, sponsored and managed with many organizations and groups to put together Yemen's first public coffee auction. Elise took it upon herself to advocate for why public auctions were important, bringing this message to other coffee professionals here in America.
Last, we were honored to have partnered with some of the world's greatest coffee equipment designers/manufacturers, who served our coffees in their booths. The incredible grinder powerhouse; Weber, the inimitable and endlessly classy brew gear designer; Fellow, the GOAT espresso machine constructor; Slayer, and the dialed-in scale geniuses; Acaia. Each one served our coffee with elegance and class.
There's something peculiar and special about this phase in my coffee journey. I've worked with farmers for so long and watched the fruits of their labor cross borders and political strife to make it to your cup. I still do that with our partner estates, but there's something extra special when the coffee comes from your own hands. When it reaches someone's lips and you see their eyes light up. I think of those little cherries glistening with evening dew in the morning sun and think of the farm hands as they pick and place them in baskets. From wide terraces and rows of drying beds to burlap sacks, trucks, and cargo ships, I've talked about this to death, but the journey really is the destination.
All in all, the SCA Expo for me is a yearly pulse. A time for me to catch up, rekindle friendships I've made all over the world in this wild industry, look to the future/what is coming down the pike, and a great time to take stock of my life, my career, and my passion that I've given so much to.
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