Unpacking Coffee with Kandace and Ray: George Howell, Part 2

A George Howell Coffee bag. Needmore Designs photo.

This week’s episode represents a first for Unpacking Coffee: a Part 2. But if you’ve been changing the game like specialty coffee trailblazer George Howell has since 1975, there’s a lot to unpack.

Part 1 of this George Howell miniseries dove into the current operations and ethos of the Boston-area roaster/retailer, George Howell Coffee, whereas in Part 2, K-Ray get to know more about George Howell the coffee man.

As someone who has helped pave the way for specialty coffee as we know it today, it’s particularly interesting to hear how Howell envisions coffee’s future.

“I would like to see, in the long run, farmers become independent of roasters,” Howell said. “I would like to ultimately see them as equal partners — equal powers — where there truly is a give and take.”

Unpacking Coffee is a show discovering new coffee roasters one episode at a time led by Kandace and Ray of the Portland-based studio Needmore Designs, which specializes in coffee, wine and lifestyle brands.