Magic Beans with Erika Koss

Do you drink coffee? Have you read the book Out of Africa, by Danish writer Karen Blixen (whose pen name was Isak Dinesen)? Did you know that it is women who live and work in the world’s “coffee belt” who make it possible for us to enjoy Fika? As a young girl in California, Erika Koss was a curious, voracious reader, who dreamed of traveling to the lands where her books were set. She longed especially to travel to Sweden, the place of her heritage, but never had the chance. Little did she know that reading about Karen Blixen’s years managing her family’s coffee farms in Kenya — in Out of Africa — would transform her own life, and lead her toward her own path of exploration about and through coffee. After Erika’s first visit to Kenya in 1994, she returned this summer, including a visit to Karen Blixen’s coffee lands. Now Erika is writing a book that shares stories about the women behind the global coffee trade and the complex process from bean to cup. Join us for this special preview of a chapter from Erika’s book-in-progress, where she will reveal what she’s learning from her travels to Africa and about why Out of Africa matters. Take a journey with Erika to discover the world inside your coffee cup will transform the way you drink these Magic Beans.