Giving Freedom and Hope Through Coffee
March 6, 2018
Hosted by Aniko Somogyi, of Anikona Farm 100% Kona Coffee
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Guest Information
Episode Description
Over 65 million people around the world have been forced to leave their homes. One coffee company in the United States is helping refugees settle their new country by equipping them to become successful baristas. Please join us as we share coffee stories with the team at 1951 Coffee Company in Berkeley, CA founded in 2015 by Doug Hewitt and Rachel Taber. As of October 2017, 1951 Coffee Company has graduated over 65 baristas from their 1951 training program with 32 graduates being employed as baristas and 70% of the graduates finding employment. At least 17 countries are represented among the trainees. We'll talk about how the name 1951 Coffee Company comes from the 1951 Geneva convention.
My Favorite Coffee Story
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The My Favorite Coffee Story Show is about the “stories” that define people’s lives and value system, often shared over a cup of coffee. If you have a treasured memory from your past, if you are a mom or daughter, friend, casual acquaintance or just like a moment alone in a beautiful setting where they share over a cup of anything, usually coffee, then our show is just for you! We will cover special one on one moments, coffee history, coffee health benefits, recipes, great coffee houses of the world, coffee movie moments and stories of how the coffee phenomena permeates all of our lives in some way.
Aniko Somogyi, of Anikona Farm 100% Kona Coffee
I have spent most of my career in high tech and working at Microsoft, mainly in Seattle and Silicon Valley. We’ve enjoyed investing in various startups and have founded several startups on our own. I think fondly of those days working on the new versions of PowerPoint, growing the PowerPoint team, and even creating international versions.
I always had the dream to have a coffee farm and that has become our latest venture. My Hungarian grandfather visited us in the 1960’s, introducing us to delicious espresso coffee that he would hand grind himself and brew on the stove. Even though I was a little girl, I still remember those moments with wonderful coffee aromas in the home. My grandfather, a Colonel in the Hungarian army, reminded us to work hard and remember to savor special times with family and friends over a good cup of coffee.
We celebrate my grandfather as we now grow, produce and sell 100 percent Kona coffee from our farm in Holualoa on the Big Island of Hawaii. We have spent the last two years learning about coffee, becoming part of the Kona coffee terroir, tending to the coffee trees, developing the Anikona brand, creating our website and managing production. We have brought our experience with high tech companies and investments to how we manage operations at the farm. Our aim is to create the champagne of coffee at Anikona Farm and along the way, share interesting, fun coffee stories on the “My Favorite Coffee Story” radio show.
