BIPOC Stories - Gio Fillari
Inspired by this cultural moment and the Black Lives Matter movement, I started a series of Instagram posts to share the stories of Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour in coffee. You can find this post featuring Giovanni Fillari here, and these are Gio’s thoughts in full.
“My Name is Giovanni Fillari, or Gio. Originally from San Francisco, CA, I currently reside in Portland, OR. My work In coffee is more freelance, as well as a passion project. I document the Portland coffee scene through y IG account, @coffeefeedpdx. I’ve also been fortunate enough to contribute to @sprudge by writing articles for local coffee shops.
Since my role within the coffee world is through the consumer lens, most of the violations I’ve encountered are short-lived because they occur during my visit to a shop. Some visits to coffee shops begin with a barista who’s smug, or irritated, when greeting me. Their first words during those type of interactions are “let me know if you have questions.” As opposed to a “Good Morning”, or “What sounds good today?”, or even a simple hello. It sets the tone to the entire experience, and makes me feel like they have to accept me into their shop, instead of providing a warm welcome. There are also instances where some baristas feel the need to educate me on coffee prior to ordering, which is highly judgmental because they most likely aren’t used to seeing black folks come into their shop. Since I’ve been freelancing in coffee for awhile, it’s easy to validate myself by providing knowledge while ordering. However, it’s degrading to have to “prove” that I know about coffee when interacting with an employee of a coffee shop, all because they think that I don’t know much about coffee, based off of how I look.
I feel that BIPOC have been discussing race within the coffee industry for a very long time. Although some coffee companies/coffee shops discuss race within the industry, most of them avoid it because their company hasn’t “seen it”. There are a lot of businesses within the coffee industry that are owned by white men and women, who feel that being “non-racist” is good enough. Since they don’t see overt racism, don’t hear about it, or turn a blind eye to it, it mustn’t exist. However, quite a few of those companies are littered with individuals who don’t contain high moral fiber, and discriminate against individuals based off of their race, or gender. Those same companies have all-white leadership teams, which essentially drowns out any discrimination claims that would get rung up the ladder. It was heartbreaking to see some of my friends in the black coffee community unearth past grievances with former employers
involving race, all while those same employers were posting black squares on IG for solidarity and discussing which black-led organization to donate to. It’s not just hypocritical, it’s disgusting.
For the casual consumer, it would be a few things I’d suggest. First, tip your baristas, especially black baristas. During these times specifically, it is emotionally taxing to even be in public, so go above and beyond when you see them. Their Venmos and Cash apps work as well. Second, read and listen to the stories of black folx within the coffee industry. Understand that a lot of people are in pain as they serve you, so do some background on the coffee shop you’re going to visit, and read up on the coffee roaster you’re going to buy beans from. You can take action by being strategic with where you spend your money. Lastly, ask questions at your favorite speciality shops, like: What is the percentage of BIPOC employees within your shop? What organizations have you donated money to? What is your shop’s process of sourcing coffee? What is the demographic breakdown of your leadership team? These are questions that consumers can ask to get a feel for who they’re spending money with.
It would start with the complete removal of individuals who hold prejudice/racial mindsets in the coffee industry. These individuals make it very difficult for BIPOC to see longevity within the industry. Whether those individuals are: baristas, coffee shops owners, or senior-level managers, they need to go. Their mindsets affect every phase of the supply chain, from crop to cup. Second would be equity. For coffee to originate in Ethiopia, it sure doesn’t look like it when you enter a typical coffee shop, based on the demographic of the employees. Coffee companies need to provide options for BIPOC employees to learn more about the coffee industry through learning programs, scholarships, etc. Provide streamlines for individuals to learn skills and grow within the industry. Third point would be for white people to educate themselves about race. As opposed to just empathizing with black folks on issues of racism, white people need to be adamant about being anti-racist within their own ecosystem, as well as the industry. We will not see an “anti-racist” day if white people refuse to check other white people on covert racism, just so they can avoid an awkward interaction.”
