HG Coffee Learning Lab

Taste always has a story. Here’s one.

The story behind this trip is rooted in connections—truly what specialty coffee is all about. In February 2020, I volunteered with a USAID-funded venture called Farmer to Farmer, which recruited me as a coffee subject-matter expert to support in the process of opening their retail space. I traveled there where I met (and subsequently fell in love with) the entire Chica Bean team, including Dona Maritza mentioned above. A couple of years later, I returned with a colleague to help Chica Bean with improving some of their roastery and production systems, and now I have an incredible friendship with the people behind this amazing company. With organizational support from Nick of Good Impacts and Abbi of Chica Bean, I’m thrilled to present the coffee-loving public with an opportunity to dive deeper into the story of coffee, guided by folks who truly love what they do. It’s in perfect alignment with Higher Grounds’ tagline: Exceptional coffee from a world of good friends. 

—Jennifer

For more information, email [email protected].

The Dream Bean in Grand Marais has been an amazing, committed customer of for over 7 years. Starting out, serving espresso drinks out of her converted vintage VW bus, worked the festival circuit in Michigan before settling into a permanent spot in Grand Marais, a Lake Superior shoreline village that bustles with visitors all summer.

I trained Libby when she was just a baby barista and look at her now! Her business is killing it, serving up specialty coffee to the Great Lakes-loving masses. I’m so proud to call her and her team my friends!

In the tiny southeast Alaska town of Gustavus, there exists a vibrant little cafe and gallery called Fireweed. This past February, I got an email from the owner, Kelly, wondering if the Lab would be able to train her baristas and help step up the quality of coffee they were serving.

Fast forward to this week, when I flew (and flew and flew) to this amazing remote spot to work with the Fireweed team. It was a week of focused training and practice balanced by quiet spaces and the splendor of nature.

Can’t wait to return someday and check in with this incredible little team!

(And a random coincidence: the cafe in the Gustavus airport is called Higher Grounds!)

🌿 Sip & Sustain: Go Green for St. Patrick’s Day! ☕💧
📅 March 17 | 🕚 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
📍 Location: Higher Grounds Learning Lab, 414 E Eighth St #202, Traverse City, MI 49686

AquaAction and Higher Grounds are excited to launch Sip & Sustain, a recurring coffee chat series that fosters conversation around water innovation, stewardship, fair trade coffee, and local art, connecting people through sustainability, technology, and shared impact.

Our first event will be a St. Patrick’s Day edition, where we’ll explore how going green extends beyond the holiday and into sustainable water and coffee practices. ☘️

Program Highlights:
✅ Welcome & Networking – Grab a coffee, connect, and check out artist-designed mugs.
✅ Water Conservation & Innovation – AquaAction shares insights on water challenges and cutting-edge solutions like Wave Lumina, featuring Vernon LaLone, and Mark & Veronica Dragovich, Founders of Drago.
✅ Fair Trade Coffee Chat – Higher Grounds Coffee dives into the link between water and coffee, breaking down dry vs. wet processing.
✅ Interactive Q&A & Local Action – Share ideas, ask questions, and find ways to support water innovation locally.
✅ Artist Spotlight – Meet our featured artist, Clay Maas, and learn about their sustainable art processes.

Celebrate water, innovation, and community with us while sipping a great cup of coffee! ☕🌎

Ethiopia isn’t just another place where coffee is grown. Ethiopia is the cradle of civilization, and it’s also where Arabica coffee was originally discovered growing in the wild many hundreds of years ago. Coffee was a snack for wildlife here long before humans came close to figuring out what to do with it.

In Ethiopia, coffee isn’t just another crop for export. It is a culture, a way of life, an opportunity to slow down and socialize, to connect with your community. On this trip, we were honored to spend valuable time face to face with farmers who have been producing some of the best coffee in the world, painstakingly tending to their farms and meticulously attending to every step in the process. In a few of those fleeting moments I was moved nearly to tears, humbled by the labor they give day after day and by the awareness of how privileged I am to have the opportunity and means to step into their world and realities, even for such a short time.

Without coffee farmers, I would not only miss out on some amazing sensory experiences; I would not have this incredible job where I get to share tastes and stories with others who enjoy coffee and want to know more about it. I am honored and so so grateful.

Cheers to “dancha buna”: great coffee of Sidama and Yirgacheffe!

Pictured:
*Shemsa Abdila, Vice Chair of Bokasso coop, Sidama
*Jennifer Yeatts, Director of ; Melanie Gagne, owner of .cafebio, Quebec; & Felipe Gurdian, Sourcing Manager for
*coffee ceremony at Aregash Lodge, Yirgalem
*board members of Negele Gorbitu coop, Yirgacheffe
*Yonas Didamo, GM of Howolso coop, Sidama
*coffee ceremony at Negele Gorbitu
*Abule Hayiso & Geneti Ledamo, Howolso coop, Sidama
*Elias Worana, natural process manager at Telamo coop’s warehouse, Shebedino district, Sidama
*Melissa Raftery, co-owner of , Maine; Zachary Ray, owner of , Colorado; & Felipe Gurdian
*Miret Bua, member farmer of Fero coop, Wonsho district, Sidama
*Jennifer presenting Apex Series Yirgacheffe coffee to the farmers of Negele Gorbitu

Updated slate of classes for the rest of the year! Now that summer is winding down, it’s time to make those next-season plans. Come on up to the Lab; it’s gonna be fun. 🤩

New dates for one of our favorite classes! And a few spots open this Saturday too.

ABC: Always Be Cupping! The Lab has been a cupping zone the last two days as has participated in Sourcing and Quality Exchange, a hybrid virtual and in-person event based in Montreal. Together with fellow roasters and producers around the world, we’ve tasted several coffees and compared notes to ensure our value chain is calibrated on coffee quality.

We’re so proud to be part of an amazing network of humans doing business relationally. Events like this are the beating heart of transparent, sustainable trade.

Introducing the Learning Lab Summer Wine Series! First up, Friday, June 21 (6-7:30 PM): Intro to Alt Wines.

Alt wines are where tradition meets experimentation. In this class, you’ll learn about (and taste!) four wines well outside the box of traditional winemaking, including a pet nat, an orange wine, and a natural wine.

Whether you’re a seasoned wine enthusiast or a curious novice, this exploration of alternative wines will expand your palate, challenge your preconceptions, and spark your interest in unconventional wine.

Our guide will be sommelier Candace Jacobs. Candace is the assistant manager and wine buyer at Blue Goat Wine and Provisions. Her favorite wines to drink are high acid German rieslings, French sparklers and funky Pet Nats.