Coffee People Zine is headed back to the presses. After a yearlong hiatus, specialty coffee’s premier indie zine is returning for Issue 26 and is celebrating with a pizza party in Minneapolis.
The Sprudgie Award winning Coffee People was started in 2018 by Kat Melheim, at the time a roaster for Logan House Coffee and barista at Amethyst (RIP) in Denver. Since then, Melheim has moved cross country to roast for Black & White before resettling in Minneapolis.
Each issue focuses on a theme, left open-ended and up to the interpretation of the contributors. Prior themes have included things like Bloom, Dark, Complex, Place, etc. This issue’s theme is Enough and will feature the works of over 80 different contributors, including commissioned articles from coffee and food writers Paolo Bicchieri and Elizabeth L. T. Moore, both of whom have previously written for Sprudge.
Issue 26 will also be the first to use Coffee People’s redesigned new logo.
“We need art now, more than ever. We need spaces to share and be heard now, more than ever. We need to connect around and beyond coffee now, more than ever. And we need offline, analog media now, more than ever,” Melheim states. “Coming back renewed has given me new energy and enthusiasm for creating the spaces we need to support each other, reexamine what we value, and build a better coffee industry overall.”
To celebrate the release of Issue 26, Coffee People will be hosting a pizza party. Taking place Sunday, September 20th at FRGMNT Coffee’s Mill District location inside Open Book Publishers in Minneapolis, the release party will feature bites from Pizza Lucé, a playlist of music created by coffee professionals, and an art throwdown, which they describe as “a latte art throwdown, but without the espresso and milk—with prizes for competitors.” The event is a collaboration with Raise The Bar and will serve as the closing party for the Level Up barista camp.
Coffee People Zine Issue 26 is currently available for pre-order via the Coffee People website for $18, or with two back issues for $26. It will be released September 20th. For more information or to order a copy, visit Coffee People Zine’s 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.
