255 : The Triumph of Black Brazilians in Coffee w/ Phyllis Johnson

When we talk about equity we often we are just scratching the surface of what is going on deep in the structure of the coffee industry. Today’s guest, Phyllis Johnson has dedicated much of her career to bringing to light the deeper generational inequities that hold people back. Her new book, “The Triumph: Black Brazilians in Coffee” profiles two families whose inspirational stories are rewriting the narrative for future generations of marginalized people in coffee farming.

Phyllis Johnson is the President and co-founder and CEO of BD Imports, and In addition to owning and operating a social enterprise over the past 16 years, has served as lead international consultant to the United Nations International Trade Centre, Women in Coffee Program. In addition Phyllis founded The Coffee Coalition for Racial Equity, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to build greater racial diversity and equity in the U.S. coffee industry.

In our conversation today we will be discussing her new book but also diving into the issues that were a catalyst for this book. As we enter into a new year after such a strained and tumultuous 2020, our sights, more than ever, should be on how we can use our positions in the industry to help others, like those featured in this book, rewrite the narrative and create more opportunity, visibility, and representation across the whole spectrum of our global coffee community.

Among many things, we discuss: