155 : A Conversation w/ T. Ben Fischer of Glitter Cat Barista

Less Bitter, More Glitter. That is one of the mottos for Glitter Cat Barista, a new barista competition training program designed to give  marginalized and underrepresented communities the resources to shine on the competition stage and address the problem of representation in the USBC.  In it's first year Glitter Cat has made substantial impact on the diversity seen in barista competitions with four of the ten participants advance from qualifiers to nationals where two first time competitors made it to semifinals and one third-year competitor made it to finals.  All of this is the brainchild of today's guest, T. Ben Fischer. T. Ben is a 6 year coffee industry veteran and has placed 2nd and 3rd in the USBC (2018, 2019) He is currently based in New York City as a Coffee and Retail Trainer for Blue Bottle Coffee. He joins us today to talk all about Glitter Cat's founding, the journey he has been on, and the lessons learned along the way. In this episode you will learn: T.Ben's professional history and the catalyst for Glitter Cat What Glitter Cat does, and how it addresses the problem of representation in competitions, what it has accomplished in the 1st year.  What support and resource can do Lessons for how to organize and take action on what is important to you Being prepared for the ups, downs, and nitty gritty tasks  What owners can do to open their doors to and support underrepresented people. Plans for year 2 at Glitter Cat I am so glad we got to have T. Ben on the show. He is a great example of what one person with a vision and the willingness to act can do to make a difference.  Enjoy! LINKS: WWW.GLITTERCATBARISTA.COM Instagram   www.keystotheshop.com/glitter [email protected]