ATLANTA - TelAve -- Atlanta, GA – The Coffee Coalition for Racial Equity (CCRE) has launched the Brewing for Equity Fellowship, a 10-month leadership program equipping Black and Brown professionals with the skills, networks, and visibility to shape the future of the global coffee industry.

The launch of the Fellowship comes as CCRE celebrates its 5th Anniversary, marking five years of advancing equity and opportunity across the coffee industry.

The Fellowship began with a virtual kickoff this summer and continued in September with the Grounded in Self workshop in Atlanta. Fellows engaged in leadership sessions including:

• Phyllis Johnson (Founder, CCRE & BD Imports) – The Inner Work of Adaptive Leadership
• Matt Daks (CCRE Director) – Build and Sustain a Long-term Career in Coffee
• Muna Mohammed (Founder, Eight50 Coffee & Director, CCRE) – The Future of Coffee Through Innovation
• Dr. Tiffany Johnson James (Associate Professor & Fellow) – Grind Culture

The 2025–2026 cohort includes: Alberto Maturino (BIG-DAWG CoffeeWorks), Emary Greene (Junebug Coffee), Martell Mason (Sepia Coffee), Shanita Nicholas (Sip & Sonder & Sonder Impact), and Dr. Tiffany Johnson James (Associate Professor & Coffee Researcher).

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Designed for lasting impact, the Fellowship combines virtual seminars, a capstone project, and a one-week internship, with opportunities to connect at The First Sip networking event, engage globally at World of Coffee 2026 in Copenhagen, and participate in an optional immersion at the 2026 AFCA Conference in Ethiopia. The program concludes with graduation in May 2026, when Fellows will present their capstone projects and form the inaugural alumni network.

As Phyllis Johnson, Founder of CCRE, explained:
"This Fellowship is about doing the hard work of leadership in an industry that hasn't always seen us. Our Fellows are doing that work and building a community that will last."

Additional media related to the Brewing for Equity Fellowship is available here: https://bit.ly/BFEFellowshipLaunch

For more information about the Fellowship and CCRE's mission, visit https://coffeeforequity.org