About Me
“Coffee Meagan” is a moniker that was given to me by my dear friend and legendary conservationist, Dr. Jane Goodall.
How I met and became friends with her is an interesting story — though, one I’ll save for later — because the most important thing about our relationship was that we collaborated on a sustainable coffee project that partners with farmers to regrow forest and mitigate climate change.
It’s a dream come true to have worked alongside my childhood hero, and I wake up every day fueled by great coffee and inspiration thanks to this amazing woman. Dr. Goodall dedicated her entire life to justice for animals, nature, and people — And to ensuring that the vital work she did on this planet would live on in every person she touched. Now it’s up to us to pick up her work and continue together.
More About Me
- I guess you could say I’m a coffee expert
But what does that really mean? The coffee industry is full of opinions — many of them conflicting — and it’s important to keep in mind that the vast majority are driven by the motivation to sell products. I have over a decade of experience working in coffee; Engaging in all parts of the supply chain, including growing, sourcing, roasting, cupping, “barista-ing”, retailing, training, and educating consumers. My passion for coffee developed naturally.
My “expertise” in coffee and is informed by my critical thinking training, having studied journalism in university and having had an interest in critical thinking all my life. My love for coffee lies — not just in perfecting my morning cups — but also in understanding the social, environmental, and economic issues related to coffee’s production and world trade. I seek to gain a better, more comprehensive understanding.
I definitely don’t know everything about coffee. And I’m also human, so I make a lot of errors. The idea of having constructive coffee discussions, evolving my understanding, and correcting my mistakes excites me. This makes life interesting and fulfilling. - I’m definitely a climate warrior
The motivation to impact nature in a positive way has always driven me, and I’ve found a way to connect this with coffee. I work with scientists, engineers, and coffee farmers on a sustainable coffee project, and aim to spread awareness about the fact that coffee is a leading cause of deforestation in producing regions, making it a significant contributor to climate change.
I’m also deeply aware that only if we work to improve the lives of coffee growers, can we ever hope to restore and protect the biodiversity in coffee regions and reverse coffee’s contribution to the warming of our planet.
Coffee & Deforestation
As a ripened coffee and nature-lover, I’m most concerned about the connection between our coffee habit and climate change. The way most coffee is currently produced has a big carbon footprint that contributes to climate change. And warmer, dryer weather in the tropics (due to a warming climate) is also bad for growing coffee.
After all I’ve seen, if I could make one consumer demand it would be this: I want coffee that doesn’t contribute to any more deforestation!
Every year, in Central America alone, more than 16,000 acres of forest is used to dry our coffee and consumers are largely unaware. Above, is a typical woodpile used for drying coffee that’s harvested from nearby tropical forests. And it’s not just woodpiles being used to process our coffee. Primary forests are being cleared, even in the high elevation mountains, to grow coffee out in the open where it’s exposed to pests and requires pesticides and chemical fertilizers, and these high elevation tropical forests are the some world’s most important remaining biodiversity hotspots.
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