Andy Piper
Director of Sustainability
Green Coffee Buyer
Sustainability Researcher and Advocate
MISSION: I feel purpose driven to create the bridges needed to achieve effective and impactful transparency for consumers to access and trust.
GOAL: to connect coffee producing communities and producer-led initiatives with the funding and resources needed to sustainably develop and succeed in the coffee industry using consumer and professional education projects as a vehicle to redistribute equity in the coffee value chain.
MISSION: to use journalism and storytelling content to share the complicated systemic inequalities and struggles faced by real people in the coffee industry.
About Me:
I have been fortunate to build a career that has trained me to understand the issues surrounding post-Colonial subtropical agriculture and the many difficulties this industry and its people face. My work with coffee has given me firsthand experience in commodity trading from these regions including formal training and professional certifications in a variety of areas like importing & exporting, market dynamics in agriculture, customs and foreign government dynamics, and domestic sales for coffee as a retail and wholesale product.
I have been fortunate to build a career that has trained me to understand the issues surrounding post-Colonial subtropical agriculture and the many difficulties this industry and its people face.
My work with coffee has given me firsthand experience in commodity trading from these regions including formal training and professional certifications in a variety of areas like importing & exporting, market dynamics in agriculture, customs and foreign government dynamics, and domestic sales for coffee as a retail and wholesale product.
Cafequity Productions:
ORIGIN: Question – Why aren’t we making progress with sustainability in coffee?
COMMUNICATION CHALLENGE: Share the complicated layers of sustainability in coffee/tropical agriculture through film, photo, audio, and written storytelling.
Connect professionals more deeply to the value chain and demonstrate the need for investment in sustainability projects through immersive coffee tourism.
Direct funding to producer-led initiatives (Collaboration is paramount)
ULTIMATE GOAL: Redistribute equity across the value chain to support our least advantaged members/colleagues (mainly producers and producer communities).
Capturing the video, audio and written stories of coffee producers and other value chain partners as we work to create a more equitable, sustainable coffee industry.
Connecting tropical agriculture to consumers in the Global North to better understand how we contribute to and are impacted by the challenges of the global coffee industry.
Contributing the growing body of research in the coffee industry to affect systemic change and improve the livelihoods of all who work in our industry.
Cafequity Project Regions:
Regional Experience:
MEXICO: VERA CRUZ REGION
PERU: JUNÍN (CENTRAL JUNGLE), AMAZONAS, CAJAMARCA
COSTA RICA: TARRAZÚ
GUATEMALA: HUEHUETENANGO, ANTIGUA
COLOMBIA: MANIZALES, CALDAS
HONDURAS: COPAN REGION
EL SALVADOR
Education:
PHILOSOPHY & CULTURAL STUDIES
Columbia College Chicago
PHILOSOPHY &
CULTURAL STUDIES
Columbia College Chicago
CULINARY ARTS & BAKING
Bradford Culinary Institute
CULINARY ARTS
& BAKING
Bradford Culinary Institute
Licenses & Certifications:
Coffee Sustainability –
Foundations, Intermediate, Professional
Specialty Coffee Association
Issued 2022-2024
FSPCQI – Food Safety Qualified Individual
Ohio Department of Agriculture
Issued Jan 2019
Coffee Buyer & Roaster Cert. Level 1
Specialty Coffee Association of America
Issued Jan 2016 & 2018
Inventory Controls Mgmt. for Green Coffee Certification
Royal Coffee, Inc.
Issued Jan 2017
ServSafe Licensed Food Handler
recognized by the Ohio Health Dept.
Issued May 2010
Certified Barista – Italian Espresso Artistry Training
Caffe Umbria
Issued Jan 2008
Honors & Awards:
Voyage Ohio
Feb 2023 – Featured Article
Selected as featured person for their “Hidden Gems: Local Businesses and Creatives you Should Know” section.
Westerville Magazine
Jan 2020 – Featured Article
Selected as a local noteworthy person for the success of his cafe and his work sourcing coffee internationally.
614 Magazine
Apr 2016 – Featured Article
Highlighting Andy’s nitro cold brew products – new to the Central Ohio coffee scene at the time – developed from the ground up in consultation with a professional beer brewing expert.
Skills:
Culinary & Roasting Science | Barista Craft
Product Development | Food Safety Management
HACCP Plan Design & Management
Brew/Roast Equipment Maintenance & Repair
Retail & Mfg. Facility Construction/Maintenance
Inventory/Ordering/Vendor Management
Production-Fulfillment System Design
Green Coffee Trading
Green Coffee Inventory Management
Coffee Agriculture & Processing
Import/Export Logistics
Purchase Contracts
Sensory Analysis
Employee Management | Human Resources
Employee Training Program Design
System Analysis & Design
Professional Leadership Education
Marketing & Communication Roles
Legal & Governance Compliance Supervision
Sustainability Research & Initiative Development
Leading Coffee Education Projects
Professional Development Campaigns
Consumer Awareness Campaigns
Social Enterprise Entrepreneurship
Sustainable Business Finance & Bookkeeping
Community Enrichment Projects
Wholesale & Retail Operations Management
Culinary & Roasting Science
Barista Craft | Food Safety
Product Development Management
HACCP Plan Design & Management
Brew/Roast Equipment Maintenance & Repair
Retail & Mfg. Facility Construction/Maintenance
Inventory/Ordering/Vendor Management
Production-Fulfillment System Design
Green Coffee Trading
Green Coffee Inventory Management
Coffee Agriculture & Processing
Import/Export Logistics
Purchase Contracts
Sensory Analysis
Business Ownership | Business Consulting
Employee Management | Human Resources
Employee Training Program Design
System Analysis & Design
Professional Leadership Education
Marketing & Communication Roles
Legal & Governance Compliance Supervision
Sustainability Research & Initiative Development
Leading Coffee Education Projects
Professional Development Campaigns
Consumer Awareness Campaigns
Social Enterprise Entrepreneurship
Sustainable Business Finance & Bookkeeping
Community Enrichment Projects
Wholesale & Retail Operations Management
Culinary & Roasting Science
Barista Craft | Food Safety
Product Development Management
HACCP Plan Design & Management
Brew/Roast Equipment Maintenance & Repair
Retail & Mfg. Facility Construction/Maintenance
Inventory/Ordering/Vendor Management
Production-Fulfillment System Design
Green Coffee Trading
Green Coffee Inventory Management
Coffee Agriculture & Processing
Import/Export Logistics
Purchase Contracts
Sensory Analysis
Business Ownership | Business Consulting
Employee Management | Human Resources
Employee Training Program Design
System Analysis & Design
Professional Leadership Education
Marketing & Communication Roles
Legal & Governance Compliance Supervision
Sustainability Research & Initiative Development
Leading Coffee Education Projects
Professional Development Campaigns
Consumer Awareness Campaigns
Social Enterprise Entrepreneurship
Sustainable Business Finance & Bookkeeping
Community Enrichment Projects
Business Organizations:
Shawadi, LLC (DBA Java Central)
Chief Operating Officer
Oct 2022 – Present
Co-Owner / Green Coffee Buyer / Sustainability Educator
Aug 2010 – Present
Uptown Coffee Exchange
Founder / Director
Oct 2017 – Present
Specialty coffee educational organization to connect coffee consumers with other coffee supply chain professionals with the goals of raising consumer awareness of global coffee production and adding value into the supply chain.
Specialty Coffee Association (SCA)
Member
Jan 2015 – Present
Barista Guild of America
(Affiliate of the SCA)
Member
Jan 2013 – Present