THE GLOBAL COFFE INDUSTRY IS COMING TOGETHER, FIND OUT WHY!

In the past few weeks, you might’ve noticed the #brewathome hashtag in various social media platforms being posted by many baristas & coffee-related people and companies.

But what is it really? And who’s behind it?

Read on to learn more:
• Who is I’M NOT A BARISTA?
• What exactly is the #brewathome movement?
• How can you get involved?
• How are we supporting the campaign?

WHO IS “I’M NOT A BARISTA”?

I’M NOT A BARISTA is a Non-profit Organization that aims to help baristas and create social impact by helping baristas in need to get the funds to be able to participate in different coffee competitions around the world.

They receive their funding by selling their gear and from donations, check them out here.

Their mission statement illustrates perfectly what they do:

“Humanity runs on coffee, we help baristas in need.”

I’M NOT A BARISTA was founded by Micky Wang, that used to work in the coffee industry as a marketing director and who often received requests to sponsor baristas but who unfortunately, often had to decline because of budget restrictions.

This awareness that many baristas needed help to pursue their dreams was what ultimately inspired him to establish this NPO.

Photo credit: I’m not a barista

In his own words, Micky describes what he’s aiming to achieve with I’M NOT A BARISTA:
“I want to connect all the dots and help baristas in need by spreading awareness of the barista profession worldwide and supporting baristas in their dreams to participate in coffee competitions.”
–Micky Wang

I’M NOT A BARISTA is intended an icebreaker because many times, baristas are either really busy or don’t know how to approach their customers. It is a friendly way to convey an important mission and create a deep connection,  ideally it will push customers to take the first step by curiously asking “so.. are you not a barista”?

WHAT EXACTLY IS THE #BREWATHOME MOVEMENT?

The #brewathome movement is a global social campaign that aims to support the coffee community during the current global pandemic by connecting coffee companies and baristas with consumers through social media.

The goal is to transmit culture and raise the level of knowledge by encouraging coffee lovers to brew at home as a way to pass time and stay safe, as well as to promote the online purchases from local coffee roasters & equipment merchants.

All this is done through the sharing of tutorials, tips, online events & conferences, and giveaways.

As the campaing slogan points out:

“Alone, we are strong; together, we are stronger”

Between roasters, importers, coffee gear manufacturers & coffee shops More than 100 coffee-related companies have already joined the movement, and it is just getting bigger & stronger.

The #brewathome campaign is a great example of how challenging times can bring the best out of us, in specific, the coffee industry.

HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED?

If you are a roaster, barista or a coffee lover, you can always pitch in and help this movement grow stronger and there are lots of ways:

• Register as a partner company here.
• Register as a volunteer here.
• Share pictures or videos of your brewing sessions with the hashtag #brewathome.
• Support your local roasters. Check the roaster’s map

For more info, visit I’M NOT A BARISTA’S website.

HOW ARE WE AT ESSENSE SUPPORTING THE CAMPAIGN?

We are very proud to be an official partner of the #brewathome campaign and we thank @specialty_pal for letting us know about it!

Being an official partner of the #brewathome movement and are offering free shipping and a 15% discount on all orders, so if you need coffee or brewing gear use the BREWATHOME coupon in our e-shop.

Furthermore, we are improving our website with video tutorials and other interesting content, but our main channel is certainly our Instagram account @essense.coffee together with our other social profiles. There you can find brewing tips, details on coffee and the entire supply chain, and many other curiosities, both ours and other actors of this fantastic movement. We also love to share and give visibility to third party contributions because after all we are all one big family: the big #brewathome family!