Fresh Cup Magazine, providing specialty coffee and tea professionals with unique insight into the trends, ideas, products and people that shape their world.
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CONTRIBUTORS Born and raised in Kona, Hawaii, KIRSTINA BOLTON ("Hawaiian Bunch," p. 36) has always been surrounded by grassroots coffee culture. At a young age, she helped plant and package the first batches of beans produced by her fam- ily's business, Kona Coffee and Tea Company. She has since earned a journalism degree and moved to Tempe, Ariz., but remains connected to the people and processes shaping the future of quality coffee on the islands. SHAWN STEIMAN, who holds a doctorate in tropical plant and soil sciences, is a coffee scientist and consultant based in Honolulu. He's also the author of "The Hawaii Coffee Book," published in 2008. Those credentials made him the obvious choice to put together "Taste the Rainbow State" (p. 30), a comprehensive look at how the Hawaiian coffee industry has developed beyond middle-of-the- road Kona blends. Steiman says his first loves are working with farmers on production and helping consumers understand specialty coffee—though challenging the status quo ranks pretty high too. When JENÉE AND ROB OVITT opened Izzy's Coffee Den in Asheville, N.C., in 2004, the couple knew nothing about cof- fee. However, they got involved in the SCAA, attended events and competitions, and made brew after brew. They now own Once Over Coffee Bar in Austin, Texas, and they drew on their shop-owning knowledge to pen this month's "Nine Bars" column (p. 52), which takes a look at a vital-but-oft-overlooked topic: how a shop should handle a visit from the health inspector. In "Go, Go Gadget" (p. 48), Chicago- based writer DANIEL P. SMITH talks with retail staff across the country to learn about newer behind-the-bar products that make life in the café easier, more efficient and more enjoyable. "Oftentimes, the best knowledge comes from those on the frontlines—the baristas and operators committed to their craft and consistently seeking ways to make top-notch drinks," Smith says. "They know the quest as well as the tools." When JENNIFER WARD BARBER isn't roasting, brewing, sipping or writing about coffee, her editorial position at LAVA Magazine takes her into the equally obses- sive triathlon world. In October of last year she discovered inde- pendent café Kona de Pele ("Café Crossroads," p. 22) while in Hawaii for the Ford Ironman World Championship. She says it's a good thing she stumbled onto the shop: "Otherwise, I would have suffered through a week of flavor- lessness, not to mention dangerously low caffeine levels." LUKE WILLIAMS, a recent grad- uate of Colorado State University, this year became director of mar- keting at Denver-based Boyer's Coffee. In "Roasters Realm" (p. 54), he details the multitude of ways the 45-year-old roasting business has become more eco-friendly— and profitable—during the last two years. The keys to that prog- ress: reassessing the intricacies of the company's manufacturing process and working with wholesale accounts to develop a greener delivery system. CORRECTION In the November 2011 issue of 14 , the "Roasters Realm" column referred to the Uniform Code Council; that is the former name of the organization GS1 US. Fresh Cup Magazine freshcup.com regrets the error. F r esh Cup F r esh Cup