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C Srory & Photo / Kat Melheim

Community

through

Coffee People Zine

T he café was buzzing even though it was 9:00pm. Baristas,

roasters, and other coffee people were packed inside
the small coffee shop, excitedly talking about the eve-
ning’s event. Most coffee parties revolve around the
espresso machine, where baristas compete to pour the best latte art.
But this was different. Instead of huddling around the espresso ma-
chine, people had their noses buried in the pages of a brand new
publication. It wasn’t latte art they were ogling over, but drawings,
poems, photographs, and other creations on freshly printed pages.
The artists themselves were in the room, proudly pointing out the
work they had submitted. Friends, coworkers, and other community
members were there too. This was in March of 2018, the first release
of Coffee People Zine - a publication that celebrates the creativity of
the coffee community.
Since that first event, Coffee People Zine has grown in size and
scope. That first issue published work by local artists, and has since
grown to include art by coffee people around the world. It has ex-
panded from 44 pages to over 100 pages each issue. That first release
was over 5 years ago, and Issue 22 just came out. Coffee People Zine
has published work by thousands of coffee people artists; opened
spaces for the coffee community to connect through in-person events;
and showcased the passions and talents of baristas, roasters, and
coffee professionals outside their cafés and roasteries.
Coffee People Zine is a small publication - my passion project in
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every sense of the phrase - yet this platform has had a profound impact
on me as the curator, the individual artists involved, and as it contrib-
utes to the coffee community at large. Let me tell you about it.

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