Help Keep The Chocolate Barista Alive

Hey everyone,

My name is Michelle R. Johnson and since 2016, I've been known to the specialty coffee world and beyond as The Chocolate Barista. The Chocolate Barista pioneered a movement of diversity, racial equity, and inclusion within specialty coffee, changing the course of the industry on a global level.

In June of 2016, I wrote Being Black In Specialty Coffee and that sparked a realization that in order to create a world where I can thrive in my career and better myself, I had to be radically honest about my experience so things could change. The impact my personal truth made on specialty coffee at large has been incredible. Since then, we've seen the US Black coffee community grow exponentially, diversity and inclusion become pillars in the foundation of coffee companies of all sizes, and doors open for all marginalized people in our industry, not to mention the creation of many brands too. This work has always been necessary and I've been more than happy to do it on my own for the longest time.

In September of 2020, The Chocolate Barista officially became a business and we grew into a team of three to expand the brand into becoming a go-to resource for Black coffee culture. To be completely honest, it hasn't been easy. We were bootstrapping using our own personal funds to pay our website contributors and other admin costs to keep The Chocolate Barista going, ad-free. As of the summer, we haven't been able to pay for anything to run things how we planned.

In order for The Chocolate Barista to continue running, we need your help and financial support. We've seen the industry become a better place and want to continue pushing it even further. Our ask of $100,000 will ensure The Chocolate Barista can continue to run without ads, go towards paying our team & creative contributors, cover business administrative costs, create more educational content (written and visual), and invest into our e-commerce store. This runway will be integral in keeping The Chocolate Barista afloat hopefully for years to come.

Thanks so much for your continued support for The Chocolate Barista over the years. It has been the ride of a lifetime and we wouldn't trade any of it for the world.

Sincerely,

Michelle, Ezra, and Eric