Columbus Monthly Magazine Names Brandon Bir of Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea to its 2021 Tastemakers Class of the City's Rising Culinary Stars
Crimson Cup Director of Sustainability Brandon Bir has been named a 2021 Tastemaker by Columbus Monthly. The magazine featured Bir among 10 rising culinary stars in Columbus, Ohio.
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Dec. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Brandon Bir, Director of Sustainability for award-winning coffee roaster Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea, was named a 2021 Tastemaker in the December issue of Columbus Monthly magazine.
The Tastemakers feature highlighted 10 rising culinary stars in the Columbus food scene.
"I feel honored to be part of such an exceptional group," Bir said. "The food scene in Columbus continues to grow, and I'm just humbled to be recognized with such an innovative collection of the city's culinary successes."
The magazine published an overview of each tastemaker's contributions to the Columbus culinary scene. In Bir's profile, writer Beth Stallings highlighted his work in farmer relationships, coffee education, and coffee equity.
"His work means new and unique coffee beans are finding their way into Columbus cups," she wrote.
Sourcing coffee requires building connections in far-off places. As Crimson Cup's Director of Sustainability, Bir travels over 100,000 miles in an average year to discover exceptional coffees and grow relationships with coffee farmers.
"We secure terrific coffee and invest in getting more of that coffee," he said. "As a result, the farmer can sell more, and for a higher price."
The roaster's Friend2Farmer initiatives focus on sustainability, working hand-in-hand with smallholder coffee farmers and cooperatives to improve the quality of coffee and life for their communities.
Bir's team makes several trips a year to strengthen relationships and help fund community-enriching projects like schools, homes, roads, coffee drying racks and water filtration.
The initiatives contribute to The Ripple Effect: a focus on good that ripples outward to affect the lives of the company's team, partners and community for years and generations to come.
Bir has devoted over 14 years to honing coffee industry knowledge and connections. Among other qualifications, he is Q Grader and Assistant Q Instructor for the Coffee Quality Institute, SCA Lab/Campus Inspector, Authorized SCA Trainer (AST), SCA Specialized Instructor and SCA Lead Instructor. He earned a Master of Business Administration in International Business and Sustainability from The University of Wisconsin.
He serves as East Regional Coordinator for the Specialty Coffee Association USA Chapter Committee. He also teaches classes and judges at coffee industry events, including the Golden Bean North America and Australia/New Zealand coffee roasting awards.
A passionate advocate for equity in the coffee industry, Bir says he hopes to spark more conversations and more movement towards a better tomorrow for all people involved in coffee.
"We created our flagship store, Crimson, to help bridge the communication and knowledge gap between consumers and producers," he said.
"Only when consumers comprehend the hard work that goes into each cup of coffee – and when farmers understand the qualities that make coffee more desirable to consumers – can we hope to achieve a more sustainable coffee future."
Bir recently took part in an online panel discussion, "Information and Education Access as a Consumer-Side Change Agent," presented by the Coffee Equity Lab at The Wond'ry, Vanderbilt University's innovation center.
"I'm honored to be given a platform to talk about my experience within the industry," he said. "Bringing attention and equity to all involved in the value chain is my overarching goal as a coffee professional."
About Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea
Columbus, Ohio coffee roaster Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea is celebrating 30 years of Coffee + Community. Since May 1991, Crimson Cup has roasted sustainably sourced craft coffee for consumers and wholesale coffee customers. It is a 2020 Good Food Award winner, 2019 Golden Bean Champion for Small Franchise/Chain Roaster and Roast magazine's 2016 Macro Roaster of the Year.
Through its 7 Steps to Success coffee franchise alternative program, the company teaches entrepreneurs to run independent coffee houses in their local communities. By developing a coffee shop business plan, entrepreneurs gain insight into how much it costs to open a coffee shop.
Crimson Cup also supports life-enriching projects through its Friend2Farmer® initiatives, promoting the education, health, sustainability and economic growth of small-plot coffee farmers and their communities.
Crimson Cup coffee is available through over 350 independent coffee houses, grocers, college and universities, restaurants and food service operations across 30 states, Guam and Bangladesh. The company also operates several Crimson Cup Coffee Houses and a new Crimson retail flagship store. To learn more, visit crimsoncup.com, or follow the company on Facebook and Instagram.
Media Contact
Cheryl Claypoole, Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea, 614-361-5023, [email protected]
SOURCE Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea
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