Consumer Welfare, Marketplace Justice, and Specialty Coffee

Me sipping coffee outside of Reykjavik Roasters in Iceland, mug to mouth.
  • Information Imperialism and Coffee

    Information Imperialism and Coffee

    What does it mean to demand more information of coffee producers yet not expect to give anything of value

  • Coffee is a fruit

    Coffee is a fruit

    I got the opportunity to take my first ever trip to a coffee farm. But firsthand context left me with more questions than answers on unlocking equity.

  • Starting to tackle the research

    Starting to tackle the research

    It’s now been about three weeks since I landed here in Bogotá and I feel much more comfortable here than I did those first culture shock-ing couple of days. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, though my Spanish still is less than good, I’ve gotten the sense of some of the expressions…

  • Settling in to the Colombian coffee scene

    Settling in to the Colombian coffee scene

    Since arriving in Bogotá last week, I’ve gotten more comfortable in the city, visited specialty coffee shops, and discussed coffee research with colleagues.

  • Bogotá, ¡aquí estoy!

    Bogotá, ¡aquí estoy!

    A bit about my first few days in Bogotá, including some of the walks to familiarize myself with my neighborhood, some of the challenges of not speaking Spanish well, and early observations about coffee while in Colombia.

  • Wrapping up to Fulbright sabbatical

    Wrapping up to Fulbright sabbatical

    A lot has gone on for getting packed for my Fulbright trip to research coffee value systems in Colombia. At the same time, I’m learning new insights that are sparking additional questions for my research.

  • How losing my job paved the (long, indirect) way to Colombia

    How losing my job paved the (long, indirect) way to Colombia

    TLDR: I lost my job. But obviously, there’s more to that story than meets the eye…

  • Back to School!

    Back to School!

    Once upon a time, I had blog and sometimes, I would post once or twice a day. It would drive me nuts when folks would start blogs and update them twice before effectively “driving into the sunset.” Then Twitter came around and ruined me entirely for blogging. What was the point of journaling/extended posts when…

  • Why coffee, why me

    Why coffee, why me

    As a long-time coffee prosumer whose research has focused on issues of marketplace justice, I see room for a different academic perspective/critique on the coffee industry.

  • … And we’re back!

    … And we’re back!

    In light of making tenure and winning a Fulbright award, and in anticipation of my journey to/travels around Colombia to research coffee markets/ing, I felt it would be prudent to resurface my website and start writing again.