Lou and Dean Vastardis of BKON

The Story Of BLK & Bold Coffee With Co-Founder Rod Johnson

This month on the Seed To Cup [https://sprudge.com/seed-to-cup] podcast, Sprudge contributor Giovanni Fillari interviews BLK & Bold Specialty Beverages [https://blkandbold.com/] Co-Founder Rod Johnson. "We are a coffee roastery located in Des Moines, Iowa, that bridges the gap between specialty coffee and community impact," says Johnson. "We were looking to do something more meaningful, and we are checking that box by contributing a portion of our proceeds to organizations that support youth in need." BLK & Bold pledges 5% of its profits [https://sprudge.com/support-these-black-owned-coffee-companies-updating-164145.html] to initiatives aligned to sustaining youth programming, enhancing workforce development, and eradicating youth homelessness. They've enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity and sales [https://www.blackenterprise.com/blk-bold-expects-nearly-2m-in-revenue-in-2021-amid-nba-and-ben-jerrys-partnerships/] over the last few years, becoming one of America's best-recognized coffee brands along the way, with major placements [https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/30/how-the-first-black-owned-national-coffee-brand-hit-seven-figure-sales.html] via Target, Whole Foods, and other national retailers.  Johnson talks about their pivot from non-profit work to the coffee industry and the connections made along the way. Fillari asks about the company's collaborations with Ben & Jerry's [https://sprudge.com/change-is-brewing-ben-jerrys-teams-up-with-blk-bold-for-ice-cream-with-a-cause-181505.html] and the NBA, accomplishments Johnson is most proud of, and what he hopes to achieve in the comings months and years. This episode is sponsored by La Marzocco.

Angel Medina of Reforma Roasters, Republica, and La Perlita

Sprudge co-founder Jordan Michelman interviews Angel Medina, the polymath co-founder behind a growing group of Portland small businesses. These include the coffee company Reforma Roasters, the cafe La Perlita (with Axel Villa), and the extraordinary new restaurant Republica, a collaboration between Medina and an extraordinary team that includes chef Lauro Romero, baker Olivia Bartruff, cocktailer Adriana Alvarez, and tortilla maker Doña Chapis.

Lou and Dean Vastardis of BKON

Seed To Cup guest host Nathanael May (Customer Marketing Manager, Pacific Foods) interviews the brothers behind BKON [https://www.bkonbrew.com/]—Lou and Dean Vastardis. "[Lou and Dean Vastardis] have an incredible journey that they have taken in coffee," says May, "but then they also come from a family that has taken a long journey in coffee as well." 2021 marks the Vastardis family's one-hundredth year in the coffee business. This season of Seed To Cup is sponsored by La Marzocco [http://lamarzoccousa.com/] and Seattle Coffee Gear [https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/].

Margaret Nyamumbo of Kahawa 1893 Coffee

On the sixth episode of Seed To Cup, Sprudge Editor-At-Large and The Chocolate Barista [http://www.thechocolatebarista.com/] Founder Michelle Johnson interviews Kahawa 1893 Coffee [https://kahawa1893.com/] founder Margaret Nyamumbo. Nyamumbo is a third-generation Kenyan coffee farmer and uses blockchain for people to not only trace their coffees back to the farmers but tip them too. Johnson asks Nyamumbo about her ideas on innovation, the future of the industry, and making sure more money gets into the hands of farmers directly. This episode is sponsored by Seattle Coffee Gear and La Marzocco.

Anita Tam of Slow Pour Supply

Guest host Nathanael May interviews Anita Tam, founder of Slow Pour Supply [https://www.slowpoursupply.co]. This episode is sponsored by Seattle Coffee Gear [http://seattlecoffeegear.com] and La Marzocco [http://lamarzocco.com].