INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Coffee is one of the most sought after and popular beverages in the world, and now there’s a Black renaissance happening in coffee in Los Angeles.
According to Admiral Markets, coffee is the second-most-traded commodity in the world, and the third most consumed beverage in the world.
It’s produced in countries such as Uganda, Tanzania and Brazil.
But Lanisa Williams, an LA-based coffee expert and educator, said Black and brown people make up a small portion of purveyors or see any big profits from the industry. William is hoping to change that.
“Coffee comes from where brown and Black people live, but yet we’re underrepresented in this space,” Williams said.
At Sip and Sonder in Inglewood, co-owner Amanda-Jane Thomas said coffee shops function as an essential component of a functioning neighborhood, which has been denied to many Black and brown communities in our city.
“Coffee shops are traditionally spaces that because people gather around an amazing product, which is something that we pride ourselves on — that gathering aspect is really the why. It really contributes to a community’s happiness, joy, wellbeing,” Thomas said. “The lack of it can really hurt a community.”