How Glitter Cat Is Creating Positive Change in the Coffee Industry
How one coffee expert has created positive change in the coffee industry in the midst of a pandemic.
Photo by Roosevelt Nguyen/Glitter Cat
When the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) announced in July that it would be canceling its 2021 U.S. Coffee Championships season due to coronavirus-related health and safety concerns, Glitter Cat founder T. Ben Grimm saw an opportunity.
With the industry at large feeling the effects of lockdowns, job losses, and a shift away from cafe culture, he recognized that it was as important as ever to foster positive connections and progress in the industry, particularly for marginalized coffee professionals. That was, after all, the basis on which he founded Glitter Cat, a nonprofit training and mentorship bootcamp for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other marginalized professionals in specialty coffee, on the heels of his national Barista Championship win in 2018.
He’s regularly been asked since founding Glitter Cat if