[[[As this document has the potential for corrections and updates, I will post all updates at the bottom of the post. Please read through all the way to the end, or check the bottom after looking at the table below so as to have as accurate information as possible.]]]
My usual go-to introduction would be something along the lines of, “If you aren’t aware,” but the sad truth is that if you aren’t aware of what is going on then you are choosing to stay ignorant. The deaths of countless Black lives and the exploitation of Black culture and resources for the profit of others is unacceptable. In times like these, I have found that writers like me look for ways they can help with the skills we have. I’ve been reading and doing research among my personal mental health battles, but I began noticing a pattern while scrolling on my news feed.
Many, including myself, are trying to use our platform to call for justice and express support. As we all shout and share on the internet, others have stayed silent. I looked for support in the industry that I loved and saw amazing support but not enough.
And, as I looked for the posts I wanted to see, I also began thinking about true systemic changes and what that would look like in the long term for the coffee industry. One of those systemic changes would be coffee shops hiring more Black baristas and recognizing their place within this unfair system. With my background in social media, I know that part of that is that people must see themselves in an industry for them to believe they can truly belong.
Which is why, I decided to do a media study where I cataloged the people in the photos that select coffee companies used in their media and marketing materials. Here’s how I broke it down:
I looked up a couple of lists as well as shops that I have frequented that are popular and have a large following. Settling on 18 shops in no particular order, I then went through every page on their websites (except for blog entries for the sake of time) and counted every person in each photo that appeared to be connected with the business, meaning I counted employees, educators, and management but not customers.
Now, this is very important!
As with all studies, there is some amount of bias and room for error. The basis of this study was based on the images presented by the companies included. In various pictures like brewing guides or pictures taken from far away, a person’s ethnicity gets harder to pin down. Also, this is based on my own assumptions of race and I am flawed. I wouldn’t doubt that I mistook someone for an ethnicity when they were actually another, and though the person and I may never know of that mistake, I deeply apologize for those cases. Should I be alerted to such mistakes, I will edit the table below accordingly.
Another aspect of this study was that I did not count the people in photos that were coffee farmers, and my reason is this: It is very easy to paint a picture of “the humble coffee farmer” in a far away country. To use people from other countries in photos as a way to remind customers that the coffee is from somewhere else. Coffee comes from a farm with hard working individuals in many countries, but so often these photos become the coffee roaster/shop/company using them to further their own business rather than putting the money and value back into those people and farms. I’m not saying necessarily that any and all of these businesses that feature pictures of coffee farmers are doing this, but since I can’t be sure, I chose not to include them.
So, Brit, what then is the purpose of this if there is room for error and exclusions?
The purpose of this study is to highlight that the coffee industry is built on the work of Black and Brown bodies but the bulk of the people that work in it and are shown in marketing materials are white. Just like the world, the coffee industry is changing. The table below shows a huge gap in the amount of white people in marketing and website materials, versus the amount of Black and non-Black people of color featured in those materials. Many of the websites featured brewing guides that had white coffee educators doing the educating, and many large staff photos featured a predominantly white staff.
My hope is that coffee shops, roasters, and companies re-evaluate their staff and hiring policies, marketing materials, and their own part in the systemic white capitalist system we are in going forward.
| Company | White | Black | (Non-Black) POC | Total |
| Blue Bottle | 121 | 2 | 16 | 139 |
| Camber | 26 | 1 | 5 | 32 |
| Coava | 24 | 1 | 4 | 29 |
| Counter Culture | 117 | 10 | 8 | 135 |
| George Howell | 29 | 1 | 5 | 35 |
| Heart | 21 | 1 | 0 | 22 |
| Intelligentsia | 30 | 2 | 10 | 42 |
| La Colombe | 133 | 11 | 9 | 153 |
| Madcap | 17 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Dune | 21 | 0 | 6 | 27 |
| Sey Coffee | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Dayglow | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Stumptown | 99 | 6 | 15 | 120 |
| Good Coffee | 8 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| Ritual | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Equator | 100 | 8 | 19 | 127 |
| Verve | 146 | 4 | 17 | 167 |
| GoGetEmTiger | 6 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
I am not specifically targeting any of these companies, like I said I have frequented many of them. I chose them based on recognition and their presence within the specialty coffee scene. Some of these companies, like Blue Bottle for instance, have been making an effort to donate money and posting about their views and support when it comes to the current riots and protests going on.
I can only ask that those in the industry that benefit from white supremacy, and I include my own self and privilege in this, do the work to dismantle it where we can.
Update: Tohm at Dayglow informed me that much of the photos on the website feature non-black POC people. Since, I can’t be sure necessarily which ones, know that the row featuring Dayglow is is incorrect in its ratio of photos of white individuals and non-black people of color photos.
The Non-Binary Barista 