Fable Coffee Stories
Fable Coffee Stories celebrates and highlights the career progression of women and non-binary people in the coffee industry. Host Rosie Lowery talks with guests about the twists and turns of their coffee journeys and where they are now. Released every fortnight, each episode aims to advocate for and inspire a more diverse coffee industry. By sharing a wide range of experiences and perspectives, the show illustrates the breadth of what is possible in coffee.
Episodes
Siala Farani-Tomlin: Introversion in Coffee and Management vs Leadership
Siala Farani-Tomlin (she/her) is Head of Coffee and Roastery Operations at Elsewhere Coffee Roasters in London. In this episode, Siala shares her experiences in the coffee industry; from building confidence and people skills in her first coffee job in New Zealand to emceeing Coffee Masters at London Coffee Festival this year.In this conversation Siala shares invaluable insights on her learnings th
Sharon Ip: Becoming a Coffee Master and Starting Your Own Coffee Roastery
Sharon Ip (she/her) is the founder of Rish, a coffee roastery she started with her partner Riley back in January this year. No stranger to the coffee competition scene, Sharon also went on to win Coffee Masters in May this year. In this episode, we get into the realities of starting your own coffee roastery, the lead up to and winning of coffee masters and the impact of this on a new business, the
Sarah Kern: Who's Doing the HR in your Coffee Business?
An expert in people management, HR and employment law with an extensive background in the coffee industry - Sarah Kern (she/her) has a unique and perceptive crossover that brings together HR and coffee. In this conversation we address a topic seldom spoken about in the coffee industry; who is responsible for the HR? So often small coffee businesses have no dedicated HR person - so what are th
Jess Wright: Why Women Make Great Salespeople and The Importance of Growth in Coffee
Jess Wright (she/her) is Sales and Marketing Director at Caravan Coffee Roasters. Having transitioned into the coffee industry after a fruitful decade of varied commercial sales roles - Jess brought a unique perspective with her to the world of coffee.In this conversation, we explore some of the big questions relevant to Jess's story such as; are women more likely to make better salespeople? Is co
Aashifa Hussain: The Power of Education, Role Modelling and Love
Having started out in the coffee industry in 2016 after graduating with a degree in Education Studies, Aashifa Hussain’s (she/her) coffee journey circled all the way back around several years later when she started her job at Well Grounded, where she herself was trained many years before. Working her way up to Education and Quality Manager, she was also a key member of The Kore Directive – putting
Bee Southworth: Becoming Visible in Coffee and The Power of LinkedIn
Bee Southworth (she/her) is Coffee Partnerships and Training Manager for North Star Coffee Roasters in Leeds. With a coffee journey that spans 16 years, this conversation provides a real deep dive into the honest realities of working in the coffee industry - starting out as a barista and journeying to a variety of corners of the coffee industry. Hilarious, honest and deeply personal, Bee's story i
Season One Finale: Reflection with Rosie
To finish Season One, I thought it would be great to share my insights on what the last year of creating Fable Coffee Stories has meant to me. From the ways in which I've seen the industry starting to change, to the things that still need to be worked on, as well as my own struggles trying to work through self-doubt while creating this platform - this is a 45 minute bonus episode of the impact Fab
Em Herriott: Building a Coffee Business Out of Necessity and The Power of Safe Spaces
Em Herriott (they/them) is the founder of We Are Here in Margate - a queer, disabled owned coffee roastery that has making coffee more accessible and welcoming to everyone, in a multitude of different ways, at the core of what they do.We delve into how Em's journey took them from coffee to corporate and back to coffee again, openly discussing the experiences along the way that really shaped how th
Esther Hope-Gibbs: Human Rights in Coffee and ADHD as a superpower
Esther Hope-Gibbs (she/her) set up Hope Espresso 6 years ago out of utmost necessity when her career plans fell through when the pandemic hit in 2020. Now, with over 15 years experience in the coffee industry, Esther is an authorised SCA trainer, Q Arabica Grader, ESTA Tea Trainer and the director of her own coffee business specialising in sustainable sourcing, quality training and business develo
Zoe Williams: How To Get Started in Coffee Competition and Pushing Your Own Boundaries
Zoe Williams (she/her) wrote in her diary 5 years ago that she wanted to compete in the UK Barista Championships before she was 30. Not only did she hit that milestone, but she came second in the competition the first time she ever competed. At the time of recording, Zoe was working at Clifton Coffee Roasters, where she began her first behind the scenes coffee job packing bags at the roastery
Jessie Vandenberg-Molina: Knowing What Kind of Barista You Want To Be and The Art of Manifesting
Originally from Canada, Jessie Vandenberg-Molina (she/her) started her coffee journey in Glasgow at the legendary Space Coffee House, becoming founder Connie’s first ever employee and falling in love with coffee through the exploration of taste and curiosity. Most recently, Jessie started working at Oatly as Barista Market Developer almost three years ago, and has since moved into the role of Co-L
Emily Graves: Neurodivergence, Accessibility and Are There Entry Level Jobs in Coffee?
Emily Graves (they/them) works as Independents Channel Manager at Union Hand Roasted and is an undeniably passionate advocate for accessibility, diversity and inclusion in the coffee industry. In this conversation, we delve into Em’s experiences throughout their career from hospitality into specialty coffee, and cover a wide range of topics from barriers to entry and progression in the coffee indu
Gene Ke: Overcoming Underestimation and The Art of Pushing Yourself When You Feel Stuck
Gene Ke (she/her) is a certified CQI & CVA Arabica Q-Grader, having made her way into the coffee industry long after she got her degree in Mathematics and a masters in Education from Oxford University. The absolute definition of someone who throws herself into every opportunity - especially when she begins to feel stuck - Gene has been carving out a breathtaking career in coffee since 2020 aft
Joana Vieiralves Wood: Creating a Coffee Festival and The Importance of Asking for What You Want
Joana Vieiralves Wood (she/her) is the founder of Bristol Coffee Festival in addition to her full-time role as Logistics and Accounts coordinator at Volcafe UK & Ireland.After moving from Brazil to Bristol and working in coffee shops there, Joana felt that the city she had fallen in love with was missing out on something major – a coffee festival. What does a woman like Joana do when she sees
Natalie Hodgkinson: Coffee as a Vehicle for Change and Negating Barriers to Entry
Natalie Hodgkinson (she/her) is the founder of Boss and Brew - a barista training academy that does integral work in Cardiff, Wales, using specialty coffee as a vehicle to boost young people’s confidence and self-esteem, raise their aspirations and support them in expanding their networks to set them up with the skills they need to enter the world of work. Prior to entering the coffee industry, Na
Grace Talbot: Tackling Imposter Syndrome and Prioritising Accessibility at Coffee Events
Grace Talbot (she/her) has come a long way in her coffee career since her bookselling barista days at Cafe W (the coffee shop concept within Waterstones). From being offered a position she didn't apply for at the coffee roasters Girls Who Grind, to re-shaping how we think about coffee festivals at Cup North, Grace's career has gone from strength to strength, despite multiple hurdles that threatene
Estelle Bright: Unconscious Bias and Coffee Engineering
Estelle Bright has been in the coffee industry for more than 20 years. After spending almost a decade at La Marzocco UK, in recent years she made the move to La Marzocco USA to become Events and Brand Experience Manager - leaving her previous life of coffee engineering behind.Coffee competitions, unconscious bias and how exactly do you learn the skills you need to become a coffee technician? In th
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