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C Story / Keith Pech Illustration / Jun Guan Wake up and smell the coffee.
Boquete Mountains, Chiriqui, Panamá

Importance

of Relationships

and Time Spent After the Show

T he coffee industry is dynamic and ever changing.

Every market and region has a different history
and cultural meaning behind how the drink is
consumed. The connection between roasters, con-
sumers, traders, and producers has always been a topic that has
intrigued me due to its complexity and constant ever-changing
nature. I really didn’t have a grasp on it until I began to travel
and experience it firsthand as both an observer and a participant.
My family had always emphasized the importance of relation-
ships, that the specialty coffee industry is in fact a tight nit
group of individuals more than it is of companies. People make
this industry move in one direction versus another. I didn’t
really understand this until I started attending the specialty
coffee shows. These are a few stories that were memorable to
me and demonstrate the dynamic between producers, roasters,
and traders and why time spent getting to know people is the
most important.

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