Kahawa 1863: Margaret Nyamumbo and Women in Coffee
The specialty coffee industry in recent years has made great strides to improve the lives of coffee farmers in the developing world. Margaret Nyamumbo of Kahawa 1893 is at the forefront of this movement.
Born into a family of coffee farmers in Kenya, Ms. Nyamumbo moved to the United States for college and founded a farmer-first and women-focused coffee company.
Ms. Nyamumbo’s family has owned their coffee farm since colonial times. Today, she is making great strides to make coffee farmers the priority in the coffee importation business. Kahawa 1893 was established with a woman-first mindset. In Kenya, the coffee labor force is 80% female; however, women do not have access to the banking system. Kahawa 1893 has created a women-fund, that allows women to benefit directly from their labor.
Table banking is common in developing countries where women do not have access to the banking system. In this model, women sit around a table and help each member with their needs. The funds are viewed as loans that the women will eventually pay back.
Kahawa 1893 has prioritized the women’s fund as an alternative to the conventional coffee market supply chain. Conventionally, the New York Stock Exchange sets the price for coffee. In Kenya, the cost of production is greater than $2, but under the current pricing structure, they only receive $0.20. This vast cost discrepancy led to the creation of the specialty coffee industry, but fair trade prices still do not pay farmers a livable wage.
“In the Kenyan coffee farming industry, women own only 1% of the land, but compose 90% of the workforce.”
“Today, most farmers are paid only 10% of the costs of producing coffee”
Ms. Nyamumbo aims to bring awareness of the costs of coffee farming to the specialty coffee industry. Too often, coffee farmers are exploited with suppressive pricing structures controlled by wealthy countries. Kahawa 1893’s model seeks to remedy this wealth gap.
Kahawa 1893 currently offers five coffees ranging from espresso blends to single origins. Roasted in New York and California, Kahawa 1893 provides distinctive East African coffee. To Magaret Nyamumbo and Kahawa 1893, coffee is more than something you drink, it is a medium used to connect people from across the world. Even amidst a pandemic.
Honduras El Jaguar COHORSIL
Altitude: 1220 to 1524 masl
Varietals: Catuai, Catimor, Pacas, Typica
Milling Process: Fully washed
Harvest: December – May
Flavor notes: Almond, Dark Chocolate, Orange
This washed coffee is grown at altitudes between 1,220 to 1,524 meters above sea level in the Comayagua region of Honduras. COHORSIL or La Cooperativa de Horticultores Siguatepeque Limitada is a cooperative that was formed in 1980 by 12 vegetable farmers. They formed this cooperative in order to improve the quality of their produce by working transparently to help encourage other farmers to adopt their practices. Before COHORSIL was incorporated, the farmers in this area primarily grew vegetables, this changed in the 80’s when they decided to diversify their crops and take advantage of their altitude by planting coffee. Starting in 1989, members of the cooperative switched to growing coffee as their main crop. It is a constant goal of theirs to improve practices in order to elevate the quality of their coffee. A cup of this coffee will bring flavor notes of almond, dark chocolate, and orange.
Peru, Cusco; Manuel Patilla Carrasco; Valle Inca Cooperative; Red Fox Coffee Merchants
Department: Cusco
Province: Calca
District: Yanatile
Community & Farm: Chaquimayo
Producer: Manuel Patilla Carrasco
Cooperative: Valle Inca
Altitude: 2100 masl
Variety: Typica & Caturra
Process: Washed
Flavor Notes: Toasted almond, Cocoa, Orange
Manuel Patilla Carrasco has been producing coffee for 18 years, over half of his lifetime, on his family’s farm called Chaquimayo. He produces this particular washed coffee that is of the typica & caturra varieties at an elevation of 2,100 meters. Manuel is a part of the newly formalized Valle Inca Cooperative that is located in the Yanatile Valley. This cooperative currently has 101 members and is quickly growing.
Valle Inca is led by Prudencio Vargas Saenz, a former agricultural loan officer. The knowledge he has from his previous work has greatly impacted how he operates Valle Inca. This cooperative was an informal group for many years, until this year when it was incorporated in order to gain organic certification, FairTrade certification, and the ability to export on its own. Valle Inca and Prudencio are well respected in the Calca province, due to Prudencio’s trustworthiness, dedication, and drive to invest in his community. He pays higher prices to his farmers to promote their stability, improving the health of the overall community and in doing so the coffee produced in these areas are almost always of a high quality. Due to the leadership of Prudencio, the value of this relationship he has with the producers shines through in each cup. Valle Inca produces consistently exceptional coffees that can satisfy the taste buds of a specialty coffee professional while still being approachable enough for the everyday coffee drinker.
Burundi Coffee from JNP; Aligning our Hearts and Minds
For a nation which culturally prefers tea, Burundi has made a name for itself in the specialty coffee world.
Located in Central Africa, Burundi is a small landlocked country, and one of the poorest in the world. According to the World Bank, the average GDP per capita in Africa was $14,923, in Burundi, it is $293. 80% of the population lives in poverty, one of the highest rates in the world.
Coffee was brought to Burundi from the Belgian colonists in the 1930s; in the last few years, it has grown to be the nation’s largest export. Over 90% of the population is employed by the agriculture industry. Located on the equator in the northern part of the tiny country, the Ngozi Province’s mountainous region is conducive to dynamic and bright coffee. Grown at heights of 1,200 to 1,950 meters above sea-level, Burundi beans create a phenomenal cup of coffee.
Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian, the founder of JNP Coffee, is working to change that reality. Originally from Burundi, Jeanine operates JNP coffee from Massachusetts, but makes regular trips to Burundi. Her mother’s family owned a coffee farm in Burundi, allowing her mother to go to school. Through such a strong personal connection to coffee and the opportunities the export can create for Burundians, Jeanine named the coffee product “Bavyeyi.” In the native Kirundi language, “bavyeyi” means “family.” In reference to her own family history, Jeanine works to ensure that the women who grow and cultivate the coffee receive equitable payment.
The success of Jeanine’s initiatives for the women in Burundi is a dream come true for her and her partners.. When Jeanine visits women growers, they always take time to dance together in celebration.
Jeanine and women growers sort through and select the ripest beans for drying
A country with a long history of political instability, violence, and poverty, Burundi continues to be a place where women are fighting for rights to own land.
Sorting through the cherries after they have been naturally sun-dried before they will be depulped and sold as green beans to roasters.
Jeanine has also partnered with numerous organizations and founded initiatives aimed at educating women and overcoming societal stigmas against female education. In Burundi, women cannot own property. In the current coffee market structure, women cannot directly receive payment for their work.
JNP Coffee sources the majority of her coffee from women who are members of the Burundi Chapter of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA). The IWCA aims to support and empower women in the coffee industry. Formed in 2003, there are currently 25 operational chapter countries. From Mexico to Vietnam, the IWCA seeks to provide women the opportunity to lead prosperous and sustainable lives.
Through sourcing its coffee through the IWCA, JNP Coffee provides payment and premiums directly to the women farmers. In the Burundi chapter, there are over 600 women growers who benefit from a direct premium payment system. On average, women reinvest 90% of their income back into their families and community. While the laws surrounding female ownership of land are in the reformation process in Burundi, the partnership with the IWCA ensures that women receive the payment they deserve, today.
We met Jeanine a few summers ago, when she and her family came into the Brewster cafe while on vacation here on Cape Cod. After just a few minutes of chatting, we realized this was someone who knew more about coffee than we did; we were immediately impressed by her women empowerment initiatives at source. She left us samples, and the rest is history. Nowadays, Jeanine is a very well-known name, and has elevated Burundi to coveted status of excellence in the world of specialty coffee. Big roaster names, such as Blue Bottle and Intelligentsia, would scoop up all of her green beans if she let them. She doesn’t; she cares about the small companies like ours and reserves enough beans Snowy Owl Coffee to share with our supportive customers. For that we are more than grateful.
Through the partnership with JNP Coffee, all Burundi coffee at Snowy Owl is grown on small production lots without genetic modification. Washed in fresh mineral-rich spring water and prepared and processed in the same day, the Bavyeyi bean is natural, fresh, and organic.
Welcome to the Mighty Peace Trade
How Your Coffee Upholds Peace, Environmental Sustainability, and Human Rights.
Women-owned. Sustainable. Irresistible. Mighty Peace Coffee has set out to provide the Snowy Owl Coffee community, and the specialty coffee world at large, an opportunity to purchase delicious coffee while helping to break the cycle of poverty in one of the most war-torn, neglected areas of the world, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Too often known for prolonged political corruption and violence, the DRC is emerging as a pillar of the African coffee industry, producing coffee that is absolutely stunning.
As climate change continues to ravage coffee trees in African coffee magnates like Kenya and Ethiopia, the mountainous region of the Congo has been largely sheltered from these effects, providing an element of predictability and stability in a place that lives with constant uncertainty. The coffee we have purchased and roasted from Might Peace Coffee is from the Umoja Cooperative and is grown at 1,480-2,000 meters above sea level in the Kivu region. Aware of the effects of climate change, new trees are continuously planted, with an estimated life of over 100 years.
Operated by an all-female executive team, the 11,600 coffee farmers that make up the Umoja Cooperative are located on Lake Kivu; they share in the financial stability of the coffee trade. For many, coffee is their only source of income. And, thanks to technical training that they have received from partner Peace Cooperatives, these growers are excelling in the art of producing specialty, high grade beans for roasters in developed markets.
Imbedded in our core values here at Snowy Owl Coffee is the idea that our business can support livelihoods not only in our immediate community but along every step of the supply chain down to the growers in origin communities. The shared values of transparency and equitable commerce means that this is just the beginning of what we know will be a long and sustained partnership with Mighty Peace Coffee , who ensure that the Congolese farmer responsible for your coffee receives fair and equitable payments. Members of the community receive compensation well-above fair-trade requirements and the Snowy Owl community - including our customers - all share in paying premium prices to ensure everyone throughout the supply chain is adequately compensated with each purchase.
The DRC is emerging from decades of civil war, and the Kivu regions were ridden with and conflict. Many women in the Umoja cooperative are survivors of sexual assault. Through the coffee trade and partnership with Mighty Peace and roasters like Snowy Owl Coffee these victims are able to establish independent and secure livelihoods. Many farmers are able to build permanent housing and send their children to school through the Congolese ownership model.
“I use my earnings to pay my children’s school fees; four of them have finished high school and one is in the third year of nursing college” – Mr. Sengi Ndambusa
Mighty Peace calls their work the “Peace Trade.” Through providing direct means for financial stability and independence, the fair coffee trade is infusing stability into the previously turbulent state. Five years ago, the Congo experienced the first peaceful democratic transfer of political leadership. Today, the Congo has gained support from the United Nations, African business owner associations and the United States.
A Farmer’s Story
“Meet Victorina Kanane, one of the farmers who grows Peace Trade coffee for Mighty Peace Coffee. Victorina built a house, purchases clothes for her famiy, andn feels secure now that she doesn’t need to travel to find a client. Travel places her at a risk of attack. Victorina is now able to pay for her children’s school fees. She enjoys being able to work in shared field sand begin to buy her own fields” – Mighty Peace Coffee
In Swahili, the national language of the Congo, “umoja” means solidarity. At Snowy Owl, our love for our community extends beyond our Cape Cod family and especially to those most vulnerable in the supply chain; the growers. Reading about the devastation suffered in the DRC is enough to humble us, even as we face this COVID19 crisis. And, as the providers of a truly global product, we consider the coffee community at large to be our community. In solidarity with the 11,600 Congolese, Snowy Owl invites you to taste the richness of Congolese coffee.
Through your support of the Congolese cooperative, Umoja coffee is more than a great cup of coffee, it is a step towards global human rights and peace. We at Snowy Owl look forward to many more years of collaboration, partnership, and solidarity with the Umoja cooperative and welcome your support with your coffee purchase.
SWP Natural Ethiopian Decaf
Region: Sidamo
Producer: Smallholder Farmers
Farm: Smallholder Farms
Altitude: 1,800 meters above sea level
Varietal: Kurume, Dega, Wolisho
Process: Natural, Swiss Water Decaf
Harvest: November-March
Tasting Notes: Berry, Honey, Chocolate
This naturally processed Swiss Water decaf coffee comes from the Sidamo region of Southern Ethiopia. Smallholder farmers produce and harvest this coffee at an elevation of 1,800 masl, selecting only the ripe cherries individually by hand. They often rotate among trees every week or so, only choosing cherries that are at their peak ripeness. This coffee is made up of local varietals such as; Kurume, Dega and Wolisho. Coffees from this region are known for their sweet, fruity profile and this decaf coffee is no different as a cup of this coffee yields berry, honey, and chocolate flavor notes.
Sidamo, also known as Sidama, is not only a region but a tribal group. It is also a vast coffee producing agricultural area that contains the smaller but well-known subregions Yirgacheffe and Guji. Most coffees that come from this area come from one of the large co-ops in the Sidama Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union in the northwest of the Yirgacheffe subregion. This union is made up of 51 highly respected individual co-ops that each represent thousands of farmers.
Staff Spotlight: Caitlin Ross
What is your favorite menu item?
My favorite item is a citrus matcha
How are you coping during this time?
I’ve been trying to go on walks on trails or the beach and learning tarot card readings
What is your favorite coffee at Snowy Owl?
My favorite coffee is the new Colombia
What have you been doing with your time?
I’ve been watching a lot of Netflix and working on theater on ice programs off ice in sneakers
Tell us a couple of interesting things/fun facts about you?
I’m a figure skater second in the world and first in the nation with my theater team in Boston, I like to draw and longboard and surf.
Staff Spotlight: Derek Jamieson
What is your favorite menu item?
Coffee wise: Nitro
Non coffee: iced oat milk sweet matcha
How are you coping during this time?
I’m coping well. I’m still working two jobs so I’m busy at least. Amazing to see so much compassion, so sad to see so much greed and selfishness
What is your favorite coffee we roast at Snowy Owl? Currently El Obraje
What have you been doing with your time?
Working and gardening with the family. We’re rebuilding our patio and cleaning up from the tornado in Chatham still.... prepping this years compost and garden beds etc.
Tell us a couple of interesting things/fun facts about you:
I clean my shoes everyday 🤷🏻♂️ and I can ride a unicycle
How to Make Our Cup of Sunshine at Home
The cup of sunshine is one of our most beloved non-coffee drinks that we serve at our Brewster Cafe. It is not only refreshing on a hot summer day (as well as year round) but also has some great immune boosting benefits! This drink is typically served cold but you can also enjoy it warm by adding hot water instead of ice cubes. If you’re in the cafe and want to order a hot cup of sunshine, just ask for a citrus elixir! You can purchase your own bag of turmeric latte mix here.
Cup of Sunshine Recipe
What you will need:
juice of 3 oranges
juice of 1 lemon
1 heaping 1/2 tsp Turmeric Latte Mix
or, make your own! combine ~1/8tsp each of turmeric powder, ginger powder & cinnamon, and a dash of cayenne, nutmeg & black pepper to taste
agave, or sweetener of choice
ice
how to make it:
Pour lemon and orange juice over ice
Add turmeric Latte Mix (or homemade mix) and sweetener of choice to a small amount of warm water, stir well
Pour Turmeric into your juice mixture, stir, and enjoy!
Staff Spotlight: Annie Quiñones
What is your favorite menu item and what is your favorite coffee at Snowy Owl?
A small cup is what I usually go for so that I don’t lose track of my coffee before it gets cold. Cortados are my favorite treat to have first thing in the morning with a croissant or in the middle of the day. A small pour over or a shared chemex will always be my go to. My current favorite coffees we have are our Honduras, Jaws and our Colombian coffee from El Obraje farm. I love being able to try our coffees we source from all over the world.
What customers do you miss seeing the most?
As I have not been in the cafe as much as I used to be, missing our customers is nothing new to me. I miss the warmth of our community and the kind faces that always greet me when I enter the cafe. I miss having chats with our customers about everything and nothing at the same time. Our customers come from all different backgrounds and walks of life so you can always find an interesting conversation. I look forward to seeing everyone again as soon as we're able to reopen our doors and hope that everyone is staying safe. Our customers have become a part of our Snowy Owl family.
Customer Profile: Carl
Name of Customer: Carl
Drink of Choice: Large Matcha Latte or Tea latte
Something interesting he’d like to share about himself:“I am a painter. My wife and I are both artists. We both do artwork as far as what we see on the Cape. I’m more of a painter with watercolors and oils. I paint birds, boats, old buildings, old architecture and things like that.
I have a pretty big garden. I was just talking to Brian about beekeeping. My neighbors have bees so they help pollinate all the plants in my garden. Brian lost his so he is going to start over again. Bees are harder to keep alive on Cape Cod because we have such mild and irregular winters. There are also some diseases that get them. I’m going to try to get some of my plants in this week I’m all prepped for them.”
Why Carl keeps coming back to Snowy Owl:
“I come to Snowy Owl because the atmosphere is laid back, the owners are great. The guys and girls that work here are generally interesting. I have an interest in agriculture and coffee growing. I’ve always had an interest in anything that has to do with agriculture so I can pick the staff’s brains! The other thing is that everyone here travels a lot, so when I come back they always have interesting stories.”
Anything they’d like to say about our community (Brewster area/Snowy Owl):
“Brewster has always been a really open and interesting place. It’s grown too much for my taste but there is a lot going on in Brewster, and on Cape Cod. I would just say between the museums, the Museum of Natural History, the fishing opportunities, salt water shell fishing, hunting and everything else, Brewster is still an ideal place to be.”
What Snowy Owl staff has to say about Carl
On a typical day as the lead barista at Snowy Owl, you are in contact with most of the people who come in daily. Being on bar gives you time to get to know each customer through their drink order or speaking to them when they pick up their drink. Most weeks, Carl quietly walks into Snowy Owl and is greeted by smiles from all of us behind the counter. As he approaches, he will ask the baristas what menu item we think he’d like. These kinds of customer’s are the best! They give us a chance to showcase our knowledge of the menu. Carl is the only customer who sits at the end of the bar next to the lead barista to ensure he catches up with whomever is on bar that day. He always brings his dirty dishes back to the dish room because he doesn’t want to add more to our workload. Carl isn’t only a regular customer, or community member of the Snowy Owl, he is the example of how connections are made here. Carl was speaking about how he is interested in beekeeping because he learned about it from Brian. Snowy Owl is not only a cafe, or a meeting place for Brewster. It is place where life-long connections are made, whether it be between staff and customers, or customer to customer. I honestly can’t think of another place where I have had similar experiences on Cape Cod. We are grateful to have a kind man like Carl as a part of our community!
- Kristie Handrinos
“I come to Snowy Owl because the atmosphere is laid back, the owners are great. The guys and girls that work here are generally interesting. I have an interest in agriculture and coffee growing. I’ve always had an interest in anything that has to do with agriculture so I can pick the staff’s brains!”
Recipes for Our 3 Matcha Based Drinks
Matcha is a tea drink with origins that date back to the 12th century in Japan. Nowadays, it can be found in cafes and teahouses all over the world. There are many ways to enjoy matcha: hot, cold, with milk, with juice, or just with water. We’d like to share recipes of our favorite ways to brew matcha so that you can enjoy these refreshing and comforting drinks from home. We now sell matcha products on our online store! All of our tea products including these are from MEM Tea based out of Boston, MA.
Basic Matcha Latte
What you will need:
1 tsp of matcha powder (you can add more or less depending on your taste).
Enough milk of your choice to fill your cup.
Sweetener of choice (optional).
A matcha whisk or regular whisk
How to make it:
At the bottom of your cup whisk 1 heaping tsp of Matcha powder in a little bit of warm water (about 175F).
Add sweetener of your choice (if you’d like), and mix well.
Heat your milk until warm (just before a simmer).
Pour and incorporate into Matcha.
Enjoy!
This drink can also be enjoyed cold! Just skip the heating of your milk and serve over ice!
You can buy both the matcha and matcha whisk here on our website
Snowy Owl Coffee Signature Matcha Drinks
Before you make any of the next recipes you will have to make a Jasmine Tea Concentrate. This is a very simple process:
Brew an extra strength cup of jasmine tea (2 tea bags/ or 4 tbs of tea per 12-16oz of hot, but not boiling water ~185F), remove tea bags after 4 mins. This can be made in the same ratio, in any amount. If you'd like, pre-make this and use it throughout the week! Just store it in the refrigerator, and use it anytime you'd like to make a Jasmine Matcha or Citrus Matcha!
You can also cold brew this concentrate: Just put two tea bags in 16oz of cold water and let sit overnight at room temp. In the morning, remove the tea bags and store the concentrate in the refrigerator. Concentrate should last up to a week in the fridge.
Jasmine Matcha Latte
What you will need:
1 tsp of matcha powder (you can add more or less depending on your taste), Sweetener of choice (optional), 2/3 milk of your choice and 1/3 jasmine tea concentrate to fill your cup, A matcha whisk or regular whisk
How to make it:
At the bottom of your cup whisk 1 heaping tsp of Matcha powder in a little bit of warm water (about 175F).
Add sweetener of your choice, and mix well.
Heat your milk and Jasmine tea concentrate until warm (just before a simmer).
Pour and incorporate into Matcha.
Enjoy!
This drink can also be enjoyed cold! Just skip heating of your milk and jasmine tea and serve over ice!
You can buy matcha, jasmine tea packets, and matcha whisks on here on our website.
Citrus Matcha
What you will need:
1 tsp of matcha powder (you can add more or less depending on your taste),
1/3 of your cup Jasmine tea concentrate (loose leaf or bags)
Juice of 2-3 oranges, or 5oz-8oz of orange juice
Juice of 1 lemon
Sweetener of choice, to taste
Ice
A matcha whisk or regular whisk
How to make it:
Pour lemon juice, orange juice, and jasmine tea concentrate into a cup, over ice.
Whisk Matcha powder in with a small amount of warm water in a small cup or bowl.
Add sweetener to matcha mixture and whisk well.
Pour Matcha into your juice mixture, stir and enjoy!
You can buy matcha, jasmine tea packets, and matcha whisks on here on our website.
Customer Profile: Randy
Name of Customer: Randy
Drink of Choice: Large full-bodied pour over, quad cortados on weekends!
Something interesting they’d like to share about themselves:
Well, in my younger years I was an avid windsurfer and I used to race all the time. My most exciting adventure I had was windsurfing to Nantucket from Chatham and back, in one day, over the course of about 8 hours. It’s something I planned to do for years. One day, I was going across on the ferry, and I sort of plotted out the course, looking to see what you could see. It was interesting. I had almost given up getting to Nantucket then I saw one more buoy. I said, I’d go to that buoy, then from there I could actually see Nantucket. I couldn’t see it for part of the way, so I wasn’t sure of where I was going for a while. I had a general idea but wasn’t sure. It was about 8 hours; it was a long day. I was pretty pumped afterwards because I had been planning it for years. Now, I am a drone flyer, a gardener, and a clam digger.
Why Randy keeps coming back to Snowy Owl:
The coffee is great. Its interesting my first gourmet cup of coffee I had was in Stamford. It was the first time I had really good coffee. I kept seeking it out but I could never find it anywhere until I came to Snowy Owl. These pour overs are what I’ve been looking for. Love the coffee and the atmosphere here is just perfect; I admit, I’m more of an afternoon person, than a morning person, but love mornings at Snowy. They are kind of a special treat for me.
Anything they’d like to say about our community (Brewster area/Snowy Owl):
“I like Brewster because it’s rural, but it has enough activity going on so if you wanted to do something, you could find something to do. Everyone thinks of beaches, but there are also lots of hidden gems. The crowd does make Snowy Owl interesting and the surroundings are beautiful! I love going out and walking around the herb garden trails to see things change over the seasons. The location is great too! I can walk here from my house in like an hour and a half if I want to. It’s right off the bike trail and easy to get to! It’s very handy to be so close.
What Snowy Owl’s Kristie Handrinos has to say about Randy:
Randy is often sharing his incredible drone videos he’s shot around Drummer boy Park, the flats, beaches and marches around the Brewster area. One time he showed me this beautiful view from marshlands all the way to the Atlantic Ocean where he regularly “catches really cool colors and flow patterns where the creeks empty into the Bay.” His landscape videos were so intriguing and he felt so familial to me that I actually asked him to tag along while he flew his drone! We met at Drummer Boy Park after my shift at Snowy Owl-- we arrived, unloaded all of the drone equipment, then began the drone flying lesson. First, he showed me which each button did one by one. Next, he actually handed over his drone control over to me (someone who had never flown one)! I flew all around that area in the park! I flew over trees, far up in the sky, and down low near the ground. I was even able to land the drone somewhat near the target! It was such a blast and something I will never forget. Randy is super friendly, he is always asking the baristas what going on in our lives. If he is not sharing drone footage, he is sharing the fruits of his garden, or sharing some other fun facts with us. He is a part of our community that we see weekly at the cafe. Randy along with the other regulars contribute to the cozy, homelike atmosphere that makes Snowy Owl the community meeting spot for Brewster.
Staff Spotlight: Abby Cote
What is your favorite menu item?
Such a hard question! It really depends on the weather haha.. Most recently it has been the Cup of Sunshine or Citrus Elixir for their awesome immune boosting power. When I need some caffeine I would go for a Gelana Abaya or El Obraje pour over— the fruity, lighter bodied single origin coffees are my favorite :)
What customers do you miss seeing the most?
I miss seeing our loyal regulars. I can’t name just one person because there are so many wonderful people I miss seeing on a daily basis. I think they know who they are, and if any of them are reading this I truly hope they are staying well, taking care of themselves, keeping busy, looking on the bright side, and looking forward to coming back to check in when it’s safe to do so. Sending so much love and strength to everyone at this difficult time <3
How are you coping during this time?
Partly keeping up to date with the latest developments, so I have an understanding of how critical it is to be taking things seriously, but also balancing that with unplugging from the news to do yoga, play with my kitten Mochi, and video chat with friends and family for a good laugh! I have been focusing on taking a lot of preventative measures for my own health, and spreading that knowledge to family: drinking lots of ginger turmeric tea, eating cloves of raw garlic daily (for real), and taking some herbal immune boosting tinctures from our friends at the herb shop!
What is your favorite coffee we roast at Snowy Owl?
Currently I would have to say the El Obraje, from Colombia, and of course our CAFESCOR, Honduras!!
What have you been doing with your time?
Sleeping in, taking my cat on walks in the woods, reading, doing yoga, and getting my garden started! I would love to find a way to donate my time to help health care workers right now, so if anyone has any suggestions, send them my way! My email is ALCOTE17@gmail.com
Tell me a couple of interesting things about you/fun facts/bio etc
I have a background studying anthropology, and I am inspired by the ways in which traditional cultures live in connection with nature. I believe our health and wellness as a global community depends on us reconnecting to that origin— growing our own food, seed saving, giving back to the environment rather than taxing it, and taking good care of our community!
Any random thoughts?
Hi Mom!! :D
Staff Spotlight: Kristie Handrinos
What is your favorite menu item?
My favorite menu item is a pour over au lait and cold brew with oat milk
What customers do you miss seeing the most?
I miss seeing all of our regulars. They truly make each day at the Snowy Owl special. I have a soft spot for the early morning crew that comes in day in and day out. I miss hearing about what they are up to. I hope that all of the customers are healthy and hanging in there during this unprecedented time. I can’t wait to get back to Snowy Owl and see everyone!
If you want some actual names….
Ann, Michaela, Selena, Brian, Karl, Greg & Emma, Josh, Steve & Nancy, John, Tom, Eric, all of the Jens
How are you coping during this time?
I have been keeping as busy as I possibly can within the restrictions that are in place. I’ve been diligently working out, playing videogames, hanging with family, playing with our two pups. My partner and I have been spending a lot of quality time together which has been so nice. We have two kayaks that we are working on cleaning out so we can get down to the pond behind my apartment! I’ve been keeping an eye on information about Covid19 to know what precautions to take to keep my family, partner, and myself healthy.
How are you making coffee at home?
At home, I switch off between a moka pot, pour over, and French press
What is your favorite coffee at Snowy Owl?
What have you been doing with your time?
I have been exercising, sleeping later than usual, hanging out with pups, reading, writing, trying to research some more about coffee so I don’t forget anything!
Tell me a couple of interesting things/you/fun facts?
I was flown to Colorado to taking barista classes through to SCA to become a Certified Level 1 Barista in 2018. I LOVE all dogs. So much.
I am also in recovery <3
Staff Spotlight: Ellen O'Donnell
What is your favorite menu item?
My fav drink is an oatmilk cappuccino. Love it early in the morning when the cafe dark and quiet and I’m prepping for opening. I also love sharing a Chemex using the Honduras beans
What customers do you miss seeing the most?
I miss our customers and reciprocity of bringing smiles to each other’s faces. I for sure miss one of my favs whose amazing personality and genuineness always brings me happiness- Michaela! happy birthday - thanks for being you!!
What have you been doing with your time?
I’ve been in Peru for 3 weeks. I spent time in Lima with gorgeous ocean views , beaches and sunsets. Then on to Cusco and the small villages of Urubamba and then by train onto Aqua Calientes at the base of Machu Picchu. Breathtaking hikes and scenery!!
To curb the virus, the government shut its borders and we have been awaiting a joint governmental flight back home!! Did not get to see as much of Peru as I had hoped but looking forward to returning again for sure!
Staff Spotlight: Mara Plato
Mara Plato, a lead barista at Snowy Owl Coffee Roasters, shares how she is spending her time during our closure and offers help to our community
What is your favorite menu item?
I love pour over coffees! The world of coffee is still so new to me and it is such a fun way to taste all the unique flavors that are out there! I make pour over coffees at home each morning. (However, some days I am less of a purist and I’ll treat myself by adding a dash of cardamom, nutmeg, and cinnamon, as well as a little splash of maple syrup and milk to my coffee!)
What customers do you miss seeing the most?
I miss everyone’s smiling faces equally! But the hen from the herb shop that I miss the most is the white one that wanders all around the building - I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for fluffy, dimwitted animals.
How are you coping during this time?
I’m doing my best to keep the faith! The ebbs and flows of life make each day different. If you fall, you just have to get up and keep trying again and again. Always hold onto hope and faith as best as you can.
What is your favorite coffee at Snowy Owl?
I love any of the coffees that are more full-bodied, nutty, and chocolatey!
What have you been doing with your time?
I have been spending a lot of time with my friend’s cute, fluffy dog! Sadie’s been getting pampered with loads of belly rubs!
I have also been volunteering some time with local conservation efforts. For those who don’t know, I worked in wildlife conservation for multiple years. I strongly support protecting the beautiful beaches around us and all of the biodiversity around us. So often people see rainforests or other far away places as important wildlife habitats but they do not see our local beach ecosystems as equally important or threatened. So I dedicate some of my time to protecting our local wildlife.
I have also been training for the Lake Tahoe half-marathon coming up in October!
What are a few fun facts about you?
I really, really love foxes. Especially the ones with really, really fluffy tails! One of my dreams is to rescue a fox from the fur trade and to give it a lovely home! I also really love border collies and hope to adopt one someday! I think it’d be sweet to raise a border collie puppy with a baby lamb and bring them up to be best friends together! One animal that I am also enamored with and hope to see someday is the manatee! I love plump, happy animals!
Some of my hobbies include birdwatching, paddleboarding, rescuing upside-down horseshoe crabs, catching sunrises & sunsets, stargazing, collecting wampum, and petting dogs.
For those who don’t know, I have been lucky enough to call D.C., the Outer Banks, Nantucket, San Diego, and Cape Cod home.
My dream is to someday have a farm and to steward my little piece of land in a way that promotes wildlife conservation and engages in regenerative agriculture.
Customer Profile: Brian
Brewster has finally created a community center. Snowy Owl is a fantastic place especially with the events, and stuff during the day. It’s turned into the center of town. I’ve been here [in Brewster] for 30 years waiting for something like it to come.
“Brewster has finally created a community center. Snowy Owl is a fantastic place especially with the events, and stuff during the day. It’s turned into the center of town. I’ve been here [in Brewster] for 30 years waiting for something like it to come.”
Name of Customer: Brian
Drink of Choice: Large drip for here in the morning/Large half Captain Crosby half Decaf Columbia pour over
Something interesting they’d like to share about themselves:
“I keep bees…I guess that would be one thing. I’m also a gardener. I was a teacher, a school administrator. Love kids! That’s one of the reasons why I like coming here. All the little kids are so adorable. “
Why Brian keeps coming back to Snowy Owl:
“Number one is the people, number two is the coffee!”
Anything they’d like to say about our community (Brewster area/Snowy Owl):
“It’s the first time in 30 years this town has had a place where people can go and meet. Brewster has finally created a community center. Snowy Owl is a fantastic place especially with the events, and stuff during the day. It’s turned into the center of town. I’ve been here [in Brewster] for 30 years waiting for something like it to come. I have been coming to Snowy Owl since the first year when Annie was working there all by herself, and there was no heat. There was just the wood stove. I sit over in the corner because it was so cold coming in here then. I wanted to get as far from the door as I could. It gets better every day. It’s much warmer now! The night events are great. There are just so many different things Manuel and Shayna put together. They really do a great job!”
What Snowy Owl Staff has to say about Brian
Brian comes in with newspaper in hand every morning, glances over his horoscope, and proceeds to place it on the pick-up counter for others to enjoy. When I first met Brian, he ordered his usual~ a warmed up blueberry scone with a large drip coffee poured into his own cup. I quickly came to realize just how big of a role he played in the Snowy Owl community. Brian worked with kids his whole career and it shows! The children at the cafe gravitate to the corner nook where he entertains them by reading a book, or coloring, giving folks some respite from the terrible twos, threes... sevens. In the summer, he shares fruits and veggies from his garden with the staff, and we look forward to seeing Brian twice a day, every day. He is the kind of customer who is patient, respects, and appreciates us, and we’re happy he has become part of the Snowy Owl family.
Customer Profile: Ann
“The people that work here aren’t just workers they become part of people’s lives or at least my life in particular. It’s the kindness and the warmth I feel here that makes me come back.”
Drink of Choice: Large drip / large pour over (Prefers Brewster) for here
Something interesting she’d like to share about herself
“You know what’s kind of interesting is I’ve been able to do the same profession for over 30 years, and I still really love it! I’ve been able work in settings with different ages of children and love the career. I’m able to work in areas around Boston and the Cape.
I only work right now with children up to 3 year olds in an Early Interventions at Kennedy Donovan Centers. I am a speech pathologist so, I work with primarily families and young children so that I can kind of help parents develop communication skills. I don’t just work with helping the kids to learn to talk or listen but I also work with the family practicing parenting skills like bed times, sleep times, and how to feed. I started Early Intervention right after grad school at BU. It’s changed how we work with families and I really think it changes in a way to make families feel like they are the most important teachers versus the expert that comes in.”
Why Ann keeps coming back to Snowy Owl:
“I’ve said this to Shayna, Manuel and a lot of you barista friends that there was something about Snowy Owl the first time I came in here. Shayna sometimes jokes that I was their first customer. It was a soft open but I walked in, being new to Brewster, and it was something about the feeling of the place that I can’t describe. I think people know it when they see it, and I think it’s the community that you now build. The people that work here aren’t just workers they become part of people’s lives or at least my life in particular. It’s the kindness and the warmth I feel here that makes me come back. When I go off Cape I kind of miss it. I miss the coffee because the coffee is awesome, but it’s the community feel and the connectedness. I think that’s kind of a universal thought for regulars that come here. We all say it a different way but that keeps us coming back, even in the summer!
Anything you’d like to say about our community (Brewster area/Snowy Owl):
More specifically to me about the community of Snowy Owl is that I find that Snowy Owl and the people that work here embrace lots of differences like: age, income, ethnic, racial, religious, and, political. I’ve been here long enough to see that even though people can be from different walks or are going through different paths there is a common community feel that Snowy Owl is an okay place. We can more than tolerate differences, we can respect them. We can embrace people and make them comfortable because we are all trying to be accepted and I think people can feel that at Snowy Owl!”
What Snowy Owl Staff has to say about Ann:
When I first met Ann, she approached me with a picture of the fluffiest pup and a smile on her face. That was when I found out she was the woman responsible for decorating our workspace with the adorable, vertically challenged corgis. Turns out she had a calendar of corgis at home and would rip the corgi of the day’s page off to hand to us every morning when she came in. Ann is just one of those regulars that cares about how we are doing and what’s going on in our lives. Every morning she joins other ‘veterans’ around the big red couch to check in about current events, horoscopes, and life. She is a staple in the Snowy Owl community that has shaped our culture. ~Kristie Handrinos
My Tour Through the Kenyan Coffee Industry
These coffees represent all of the different grades found in Kenyan coffee. The screens on the far end of the table are used to sort the coffee by size.
This past June, the opportunity arose for me to travel to Nairobi, Kenya for the second time. This time I tried my luck and through local connections was able to find Willson, a coffee dealer, to give me a brief tour through different aspects of the coffee industry in Kenya. Although Kenya is renowned for its coffee, it has long been a primarily tea consuming country due to its history of occupation by British colonizers. In Kenya, there is an increasing market and desire for coffee, particularly specialty coffee among the younger crowd in Nairobi. I was able to briefly meet Hilary, who after only a year of training became the 2019 Kenya National Barista Champion, and also placed 2nd at the African Barista Championships the same year. He gave me some milk steaming tips and shared about the growing specialty coffee culture in Nairobi.
The auction room where dealer’s bid on coffee.
On the day of the tour, we left the Lavington area to pick up Willson in the center of Nairobi’s business and government district. Our first stop was the National Coffee Auction; this is where dealers test and bid on coffees. All of the coffee from the entire country is put up for auction in this building. As a dealer, Willson, explained to us what he goes through when buying coffee for businesses overseas: his clients tell him what kind of coffee they are looking for, he cups samples of coffees, and then bids on the coffees that fit that profile at the next auction. Dealers work with marketing agencies internationally as well as domestically. At the time of our visit, they were on June recess, so the sample room that is usually full of coffee was bare and we were able to spend time in the auction room. When it is in session, auctions are held every week on Tuesdays. All auctioning is done electronically through an automated system connected from dealers’ seats to the main system. In the sample room, we were able to look at all the different grades of Kenyan coffee: Elephant, AA, AB, peaberry, C, TT, T, these grades are based on bean size. Just outside of the auction is an old building that used to process a good portion of the coffee grown in Kenya, although now this mill is no longer in use as most milling is done closer to the source.
From here we drove out of the traffic of the city about 60km outside into the countryside to visit a coffee mill. The mill we visited is a cooperative and serves smallholder farmers from the surrounding area. This mill processes coffee through the washed method, meaning that the beans are pulped, washed and then dried inside their parchment on large beds in the sun. On these beds, they are sorted through and coffee that is not suitable for sale is discarded. On the property they have coffee trees of different varietals planted to show farmers how these trees should look if properly grown as well as how to graft different coffee trees together to help fight diseases. Along with the coffee trees they also had a handful of macadamia trees. This particular co-op has over 1,000 members, several hundred of which are currently active. All water used during processing is filtered and used again in future cycles; they also save all pulp and sell it to farmers to be used as nutrient rich fertilizer.
On our drive back to the city we made a quick stop at the National Coffee Research Center in Kiambu. Here we met with a professor and visited the coffee museum. This museum was an entire collection of all known coffee varietals found throughout the world, both arabica and robusta. There are 4 main varietals of coffee that grow in Kenya: K7 – low altitude, SL28 – medium altitude, SL34 – high altitude with good rainfall, and Ruiru 11 – grows well in all areas and is disease resistant. Seeing all the varietals and species of coffees in one place showed me just how different these varietals are even when they are grown in the same place under the same conditions.
Our last stop was a marketing agency in Nairobi. After traveling in and out of the city from the early morning to the late afternoon, we were grateful to be handed a cup of coffee. Here we walked through their sampling room where they sample roast and cup all the coffees before purchasing them at auction. This particular agency worked mostly with importers from Europe and the US, including Olam, who was the importer of a Kenyan Peaberry coffee we served last Spring.
continued in next blog post…