Crimson Cup Sustainability Director Brandon Bir to Take Part in Coffee Equity Conversation Presented Online by Vanderbilt University's Coffee Equity Lab

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Brandon Bir, director of sustainability for Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea, will speak on a panel about "Information and Education Access as a Consumer-Side Change Agent" on October 21, 2021 at 12 p.m. CDT.

Other panelists include Cheyenne Xochitl Love, Founder of Queer Wave Coffee; Lori Jones, Owner of Blackology Coffee; and Darrell Baskin, Retail Educator at Groundwork Coffee.

The panel is the second in a four-part Equity in Coffee conversation series presented by the Coffee Equity Lab, an experiential learning and research lab at The Wond'ry, Vanderbilt University's innovation center. Register at this link for the free online series.

"I'm honored to be given a platform to talk about my experience within the industry," Bir said. "Bringing attention and equity to all involved in the value chain has always been my underlying goal as a coffee professional."

The series addresses how race, gender, socioeconomic class, geographic location, native language, and other factors affect coffee professionals' access to information, education, and professional development experiences.

Moderators and speakers will share their unique perspectives and offer insights to create a more equitable coffee sector for all.

"My hope is that bringing attention to this subject will spark more conversations and more movement towards a better tomorrow for ALL people involved in coffee, especially for the people least represented," Bir said.

"These types of events are important for the sustainability of our industry, as more and more people who are treated unfairly are leaving coffee altogether. What a loss!"

With over 14 years of specialty coffee experience, Bir serves as East Regional Coordinator for the Specialty Coffee Association USA Chapter Committee. He joined Crimson Cup in April 2010.

As Director of Sustainability, he travels over 100,000 miles in an average year to grow relationships with coffee farmers and processors.

Through its Friend2Farmer initiatives, Crimson Cup works hand-in-hand to connect farmers and cooperatives to resources that allow them to increase the quality of coffee and life for their communities.

Bir's team makes several trips a year to source exceptional coffees, strengthen relationships and help fund community-enriching projects like schools, homes and water filtration.

The roaster maintains over 50 mutually rewarding relationships with smallholder coffee farmers in Central and South America, Africa and Asia.

The initiatives contribute to The Ripple Effect: a focus on good that ripples outward to affect the lives of Crimson Cup's team, partners and community for years and generations to come.

Bir also teaches classes and judges at coffee industry events, including the Golden Bean North America and Australia/New Zealand coffee roasting awards.

Among other coffee industry qualifications, he is an Assistant Q Instructor for the Coffee Quality Institute, SCA Lab/Campus Inspector, Authorized SCA Trainer (AST), SCA Specialized Instructor and SCA Lead Instructor.

He also serves on the board of the Ohio Culinary Science Advisory Board and volunteers as an SCA Sensory Skills Course Contributor.

He earned a Master of Business Administration in International Business and Sustainability from The University of Wisconsin.

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 Bear Champion for Small Franchise/Chain Roaster and Roast magazine's 2016 Macro Roaster of the Year.

Through its 7 Steps to Success coffee shop startup 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]

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SOURCE Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea