A Look Inside I’M NOT A BARISTA’s Book,101 Coffee Stories

Last updated Nov 28, 2022

The book takes you on a journey through the lives of coffee people around the world.

BY VASILEIA FANARIOTI
SPECIAL ONLINE CORRESPONDENT

Photos courtesy of I’M NOT A BARISTA

The I’M NOT A BARISTA team is back with yet another exciting project: publishing a book, 101 Coffee Stories. This book comprises one hundred and one stories from every corner of the coffee industry and was launched on Kickstarter on October 11th. All of the profits from this book will go to the I’M NOT A BARISTA interns, volunteers, designers, and coffee people in need. Today at Barista Magazine Online, we’re taking a look inside this fascinating book and what it means for the coffee industry.

Empowering Coffee People

Since its founding in 2019, I’M NOT A BARISTA’s goal has been to empower the people behind the cup. In 2020, they started collecting coffee stories from all over the world and sharing them on their website and social media. The new book, 101 Coffee Stories, is meant to reach a bigger audience and bring greater awareness to both the good and bad sides of the coffee industry.

Quotes from coffee people in the book. "I am pursuing a career in data science and hope to use the skills I obtain and refine for good in the coffee sector someday." "Let's make coffee more of a community and less of a commodity." "For me, coffee is a matter of respect. It connects people. The coffee community inspires me every day." "I started researching and meeting a lot of people and getting more information from women in the industry. I realized that from the year 1993 up to now, very few of us women even attend competitions." — The book features stories of 101 people in the coffee industry.

Over the years the team has collected, featured, and published more than 170 coffee stories from multiple countries across the globe. With this book, they hope to underscore the injustices in the coffee industry. They want to show consumers that coffee is not coffee without the millions of people behind every cup.

A Look Inside 101 Coffee Stories

The book is comprised of one hundred and one stories from different parts of the coffee industry. It features coffee farmers in South America and Africa, roasters in Europe, baristas in the United States, global coffee consumers, and home brewers. These stories are grouped together based on common themes, with each having a minimum of two pages.

A person sits in bed with a coffee mug, reading a copy of the book. The sheets are off-white. The reader wears a brown sweater. The photo is from above so we don't see the reader's face. — The book contains over 300 pages filled with rich content and no ads.

Images and illustrations are included throughout 101 Coffee Stories to create a visually stunning experience. Each story comes with a QR code that can be scanned to listen to an audio version of the story. What’s more, the book is sectioned based on the hashtag algorithm, where content is organized by similar keywords.

A stack of 101 Coffee Stories books. They have a yellow cover, and the number 101 is spelled out in coffee beans and cherries. — Proceeds from the book will go to coffee people in need and the interns, designers, and volunteers
at I’M NOT A BARISTA.

The I’M NOT A BARISTA team is widely known for posting coffee stories on their Instagram account. Using the hashtag algorithm to section the content is an innovative idea that brings social media and traditional print together.

Kickstarter project backers can also choose an add-on option that includes a special edition of the Coffee Wristbands™ by the coffee community, an I’M NOT A BARISTA Enamel Pin or bookmarks designed by coffee artists. The team hopes to eventually have this book on the shelves of local coffee shops so coffee lovers can learn more about the industry and the people behind it. If you wish to back this meaningful project, head to the Kickstarter page here.

The front cover of 101 Coffee Stories. — *101 Coffee Stories* is currently seeking backers on Kickstarter.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vasileia Fanarioti (she/her) is a senior online correspondent for Barista Magazine, and a freelance copywriter and editor with a primary focus on the coffee niche. She has also been a volunteer copywriter for the I’M NOT A BARISTA NPO, providing content to help educate people about baristas and their work. You can follow her adventures at thewanderingbean.net.

Source: Barista Magazine