Nominations are now open for this year’s class of The Sprudge Twenty, our annual initiative honoring and amplifying extraordinary individuals in the specialty coffee community. Now in its eighth cohort presented in partnership with Pacific Barista Series, the Sprudge Twenty is dedicated to mentors and leaders, game-changers and inspirations, baristas and farmers, traders and teachers, entrepreneurs, and original voices in the field of coffee.
Click here to nominate today.
Nominations are open through April 19th for the Sprudge Twenty class of 2026. This is an open call to our global network of readers and partners: nominate people in your business or community who exemplify excellence, leadership, and the future of coffee. Nominations can be submitted in any language, in the form of an original essay, audio nomination, or video recording, so that there is no barrier to submission—the entire process is open and free, in partnership with Pacific Barista Series.
Each season of the Sprudge Twenty is exciting, and we like to use these nomination moments to look back on some of our favorite past interviews. Here’s just a few of standouts from the incredible Sprudge Twenty class of 2025.
Reyna Callejo: The Sprudge Twenty Interview
What still surprises you today about coffee, or gives you joy?
“These days, I think coffee serves more as a conduit for relationship building. There’s always more to explore and always something new to learn, but what actively brings me joy when I’m serving coffee is the people I get to work with and the people I get to serve coffee to. I know it feels really cliche to say something like that, but it’s true: I value the people I meet through coffee more than the coffee we’re drinking together. Everyone that I love has come to me through coffee.”
Keely Thomas: The Sprudge Twenty Interview
Did you experience a life-changing moment of coffee revelation early in your career?
“I’ve honestly had so many life-changing moments in coffee. I grew up around it since both of my parents worked in the industry, so it has always been part of me. One of the biggest moments early on was when a regular at my cold brew stand asked if I wanted to turn it into a real shop. Saying yes to that is what led to my two brick-and-mortar locations and upcoming roastery. Another was getting the chance to supply coffee to the U.S. research bases in Antarctica, which felt absolutely surreal. And most recently, judging at the US Barista Championship really stood out because it connected me with so many passionate people and reminded me why I want to keep building a future in coffee!”
Demi Chacon of Now and Then: The Sprudge Twenty Interview
What facet of the coffee industry has changed the most during your career?
“So much has shifted since I first entered the scene, but one of the clearest arcs has been around labor and equity. When I started, those conversations were just whispers in back rooms. Something you’d only hear in hushed tones among baristas after a shift. Now they’re central: pay transparency, safer workplaces, and pathways for people who don’t fit the old “default” profile of who gets to be a barista. It’s far from perfect, but the fact that the dialogue is louder, public, and persistent. That’s progress.
That same shift is echoing across the supply chain. Producers are demanding recognition as equal partners, not just raw material suppliers. More roasters these days name producers on menus, co-create value-added products, and admit that equity doesn’t begin at the cafe, it begins at origin. When I talk about labor sustainability, I mean both sides of the chain: whether a barista can actually build a life in coffee, and whether a farmer can pass down their farm or a picker gets paid fairly for their skill. Sustainability only matters if it’s holistic.
The industry is also finally reckoning with burnout and the cost of devotion. When I was younger in coffee, the unspoken expectation was that you gave everything—your nights, weekends, even your sense of self—to the work. Producers, too, were asked to carry all the risk with little stability. Today there’s a growing awareness that sustainability isn’t just about carbon footprints or C-market prices; it’s about bodies and spirits, on bar and on farms.
And maybe most strikingly, the narrative has opened. Social media, grassroots projects, and community-led competitions cracked open doors that gatekeepers once kept shut. Now you see more women, queer folks, BIPOC leaders, and producers themselves shaping what coffee culture looks and feels like. That visibility changes the sense of possibility for everyone.
For me, the biggest change I’ve noticed isn’t just a single thing; it’s the collective turn toward equity, sustainability, and inclusion, from farm to cafe. Uneven, imperfect, often frustratingly slow, but real. Every time someone in this industry, whether farmer, roaster, or barista, speaks up and demands better, the ground under all of us shifts a little more.”
Nominate someone today through April 19th.
Presented in partnership with Pacific Barista Series.
