Some of the best artists I know are baristas. Take Joey Bareither, a Spokane-based graphic artist and barista responsible for the gorgeous art upon the bags of Indaba Coffee. Bareither now runs JMB Design & Illustration, and has worked with a number of local coffee companies. For Indaba, Bareither went with a block print aesthetic and we totally dig it.
We spoke to Bareither over email, who explained that he “wanted to be intentional about where each bean we use is from, using that region to inform and influence the style that I work in [and] the textiles, landscapes, etc. that are depicted in the labels.”
We first featured Indaba in our Spokane coffee guide in 2013, and again in 2015 on their second location. We spoke digitally with founder, owner, barista, roaster, trainer, speaker, and consultant Bobby Enslow to catch up.
As told to Sprudge by Bobby Enslow.
Tell us a bit about your company.
Indaba Coffee first opened in 2009 with the goal to create a positive change in a tough neighborhood. We’ve evolved over the years from a single roaster cafe, to a multi-roaster cafe, into a roastery cafe, and finally in 2017 we are set to build out a larger roasting and wholesale operation. As a social benefit company we strive to train at risk youth in our neighborhood, provide supportive employment to the marginalized, and provide a meal for every bag of coffee we sell. We are also the founders of Spokane Barista Academy, which is a not for profit job readiness coffee training program.
When did the coffee package design debut?
In the Fall of 2016 we had the pleasure of employing a talented barista and friend, Joey Bareither. After returning from mission work in Thailand, he wanted to start his own design company. He picks up barista shifts when not designing.
Who designed the package?
Joey Bareither Design. Checkout his work @jmb.designs on instagram or http://www.joeymb.com/ He’s also the man behind the labels @honeybeecoffeeco
What coffee information do you share on the package?
The front label is pretty general with just a country, farm, or mill name along with some basic flavor notes. The back has more detail into the specific story of the sourcing of the coffee. It also speaks to how we provide a meal for every bag of coffee sold. We want to communicate not just global, but local impact.
What’s the motivation behind that?
We want the front label to be focused more on the art and simple approach to origin information. We found with our customers that having too many specifics on the front caused confusion and clutter. We also want to tell as much of the story of the coffee as we can on the back so that people can feel more connected to the hard work of the farmers.
Where is the bag manufactured?
We source our bags from Pacific Bag Inc out of Woodinville, WA.
Where is it currently available?
Our retail coffee is currently available on our website at indabacoffee.com, in our two cafes, and with our wholesale partners like @vergecoffeeco, @ephatacafe, @thewellatlibertylake, @thekitchenengine, @caffedolcemissoula, @roostcoffeepullman, and some other rotating cafes and restaurants. With the construction of our larger roastery cafe this summer, we plan to expand our wholesale operations to more outlets.
Coffee Design is a feature series by Zachary Carlsen on Sprudge. Read more Coffee Design here.
