I've been a fan of Monocle since it launched over a year ago, so I was thrilled to contribute to the magazine's feature, in the Dec./Jan. issue, on People Who Deserve a Bigger Stage in 2009. (Page 33 for those of you who don't subscribe.)
I write about Stumptown Coffee's Duane Sorenson, one of the leaders of the U.S.'s resurgent specialty coffee movement. Sorenson sources and roasts some of the finest coffee beans in the world—but what I find most inspiring about him is how he works with the farmers, teaching them how to improve their growing practices and hence the quality (and taste) of their beans. (Crucially, paying them more than what they'd get paid under Fair Trade regs.) Bikes to Rwanda is just one example of how Sorenson and his team at Stumptown think outside the box.
Sorenson's current favorite coffee? Ethiopia Wondo (a washed coffee) and Guatemala Finca Injerto's Pacamara varietal. "It’s like Chanel No. 5," he says.
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