Meet Keith Hawkins

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Keith Hawkins. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Keith, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?

This question of learning to be effective/successful in a room where I was the only one in the room that looked like me is a very good question and if I am being very transparent and honest, it took years to identify and personally deal with those experiences.
I have been in the coffee industry for 28 years and for a large majority of my career, I have always been one of the only ones in the room that looked like me and for a long time, I received that to mean that I had arrived or I was truly unique. But as I gained more insight about systematic racism and specifically the details that related to economic and growth gaps for me compared to my peers, it had became painfully obvious that while I was accepted into those rooms, I wasn’t respected in the areas of both pay and opportunity standards. The system was designed for me to be in the room but it wasn’t designed for me to advance beyond that and especially not to have more individuals who looked like me in that same room.
For example, I remember the moment clearly like it was yesterday that I was asked to interview, hire and train a white man who would eventually be asked to replace me once he gained some of the knowledge that I had; although, I was the one who trained him and provided him with the information and resources to be successful. I remember saying at the time that I was doing for him what no one in the industry had ever done for me and that is literally provide me with the necessary information and resources to be successful. I learned it all on my own because I wanted to be successful in an industry that I absolutely loved and wanted to be the best at what I did. That feeling of betrayal and abandonment was immensely difficult as I tried to navigate the next few years of my career in specialty coffee. It shaped who I have become today and helped to form the ground work for the vision for my organization, The Color of Coffee Collective.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I am not sure if there is enough time to share my excitement about The Color of Coffee Collective (CoCC) and what we do! I am the proud Founder and CEO of CoCC, a nonprofit organization whose primary focus is to break down barriers to access, representation, and resources within the coffee industry, ensuring that underrepresented groups have equitable opportunities for growth and success. Our mission statement is simple but very important, Love Coffee, in All its Colors.
We have conducted a number of events including a couple of Specialty Coffee Trade Shows that emphasized highlighting coffee professionals of color in addition to hosting multiple free coffee education events called Coffee for All in multiple cities and small coffee shops/roasters.
But what I am most passionate about that we are doing is providing free introduction to specialty coffee education to youth from underserved communities and allowing them the opportunity to learn and grow in multiple job training skills that can be used in any field of work. We take interested students into our Coffee Camps class which is done either in the summer course or in an established after school program and we teach them everything from Intro to Coffee, How to brew concepts, understanding financial planning, P&L’s, and all through Customer Service Skills and How to prepare for and Interview for a job and more. While coffee is the vehicle we use in these trainings, it really is about speaking to the whole student and preparing them for life with confidence and how to be an incredibly productive member of our society and our community.
Our students are young men and women that come from underserved communities who don’t necessarily have a local coffee shop in their communities so being exposed to how to order coffee from a coffee shop like we do when we take them on field trips is normally a first time experience for a majority of them and it’s truly amazing to witness and to see their level of excitement. I am convinced that my life mission is to make an impact on this world and our local community using my experiences in specialty coffee to bring about life changing education and experiences for those who are coming up behind me.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

The three most important qualities, skills or areas of knowledge in my journey that were most impactful are belief in self, adaptability and humility. If I can begin with the idea that I had to develop and or regain my confidence in my ability to represent myself in rooms when I was made to feel like I didn’t belong. It was the most difficult part of this journey for me because for so many years along the way, I was given every reason to believe that I was not performing to the same standards as my peers but only to find out that I was and even much better, was alarming and disheartening and killed my confidence over time. But once I recognized that it wasn’t about me or my ability but it was a system designed to make me feel like I didn’t belong, I was able to build my confidence again and to this day I refuse to let people make me second guess myself! I belong and if you are uncomfortable then maybe you’re in the wrong room because I like me and I believe in ME!
Another important skill that I had to learn was being able to adapt to the ever changing world of coffee and people in coffee. I graduated from high school and I went straight into the military and was a Drill Sergeant. I learned discipline and work ethics before ever getting into coffee so my mindset was one track and it was let’s get it done by whatever means we need too. But I slowly had to learn that the military approach to achieving success was causing some emotional and psychological casualties that I surely didn’t want on my conscience so I had to adapt.
Lastly, I carry with me everyday the scars of my past failures and mistakes and I am reminded of them often when I look at them which helps me to remain humble and learn to accept people where they are and love them to where they want to be professionally and personally.
I would advise anyone early in their journey to develop or improve is to always be patient and remain humble. The same people you see on your way up the ladder of success could be the same people you see on your way down.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

Great question! Yes, we are absolutely looking for folks to partner with and for organizations that are looking to sponsor our camps! We have an amazing team who are working daily to figure out resources that will keep our Coffee Camps going in multiple locations and impact multiple students and communities but we need the financial support and resources to make that happen. We are looking for after school programs, recreation centers, youth groups as well as young professionals in specialty coffee who want to learn more but don’t have a place to get continuing education.
If you are a local small business who want support our works, we welcome you to reach out. If you are an individual and want to contribute, we welcome you also. And of course if you are a part of a larger corporation who could use a great non-profit organization to support and help keep youth from underserved communities off the streets, we welcome you!
If you are interested in volunteering with us, please reach out as we would love to have you after completing a successful background check.
Let me just say in closing, whatever you can do to support The Color of Coffee Collective, please know that we don’t take any of it for granted and we are more than happy and honored that you took the time to read about us and we hope that you will find our work respectable and worth supporting. Remember as you consume your next cup of coffee, Love Coffee, in All its Colors!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.colorofcoffeecollective.com
• Instagram: colorofcoffeecollective
• Linkedin: colorofcoffeecollective
• Youtube: colorofcoffeecollective
• Other: Podcast called, What’s on Drip

Image Credits

Dee Rosa Photographer