Some of my earliest memories were sitting around the breakfast table drinking coffee with my family. Each morning, I heard the percolator bubbling as my dad brewed it to go with our eggs, grits, bacon, and toast. Later, I started each day at the local coffee shop. There, I built lasting friendships with baristas and regulars and enjoyed conversations with strangers. We were brought together because we all enjoyed coffee. More than that, we appreciated the community that came from this routine.

However, we often complained that good coffee was hard to come by. My first taste of outstanding coffee was in Italy. I loved the chocolatey, nutty, rich taste of the coffees there. When I decided to become a coffee roaster, it was logical to return to that country and perfect my roasting technique. I chose to train in Florence, where I shadowed master roaster Marco Cremonese in 2019. Since then, I worked to perfect my roasts and learn the business.

Over my countless daily visits to the coffee shop, we shared stories about what mattered to us. Sometimes these were about everyday experiences. Other times, they were more personal. I was astounded by the number of people who shared experiences of trauma, including myself. Because of these conversations, I decided to make it a mission of Publica® to support and create initiatives that aid those who have experienced trauma.