The world of specialty coffee, while vast and global, is also incredibly small. It is full of people, some a world away whom you may never have met in person, that you feel a kinship with, an esteem for, all because of a shared love of this humble beverage. And sometimes, those folks need help. Two of those individuals are Veronica Pearl and Julien Langevin. Both prominent voices in the fight for inclusivity in the specialty coffee industry, Pearl and Langevin have each suffered a mental health crisis that has posed a significant financial burden for them.
That is why Glitter Cat Barista Bootcamp and Go Fund Bean have teamed up with Atlas Coffee Importers, Umeshiso, and Trans & Caffeinated for Hot Medicated Summer, a raffle featuring a handful of one-of-a-kind coffee items, with the proceeds going to aid Veronica Pearl and Julien Langevin.
If you have been following specialty coffee for the past few years, you no doubt know both of these names. Pearl is a former high-level US Barista Championship competitor and creator of Glitter Cat, a program helping under-represented individuals train to compete in the US Coffee Championships. Langevin is the 2022 US Cup Tasters Champion, who opened up about their mental health on the most recent episode of A Better Table podcast. More about their current mental health struggles can be learned about here.
To help them with medical debt they have and continue to accrue, Glitter Cat and Go Fund Bean have rallied the support of some of the biggest names in the specialty coffee industry to donate items to be raffled off. Participating companies include Breville, Mahlkönig, Baratza, Brewista, Moccamaster, Acaia, Fellow, MiiR, Slow Pour Supply, Trans & Caffeinated, Urnex, Boon Boona Coffee, Caffe Vita, Chobani, Coava Coffee Roasters, Coffee Business, Favor Coffee, Junior’s Roasted Coffee, Onyx Coffee Lab, Smith Tea, and Three Keys Coffee.
Between July 10th and 15th, new bundles will be added to the Hot Medicated Summer raffle platform that individuals can purchase tickets for. Then on July 17th, Glitter Cat will announce the final auction, a one-of-a-kind item from Fellow that “is a truly unique and impressive item that will not be mass produced or sold to the public.”
All raffles will close on July 22nd. Tickets range between $7 and $15 depending on the item, with a max number of tickets set at 1,000 for each raffle. With the raffle, Glitter Cat and Go Fund Bean hope to raise $50,000.
Additionally, individuals can make direct donations in any amount. Another way folks can help is by purchasing a coffee from Shuv Coffee’s Trans Mental Health Fund line, with all profits going directly to Pearl and Langevin.
For more information or to purchase a raffle ticket, visit the Hot Medicated Summer official website.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
