{"id":2152,"date":"2024-02-13T11:08:31","date_gmt":"2024-02-13T17:08:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/u3coffee.com\/?p=2152"},"modified":"2024-09-10T19:25:43","modified_gmt":"2024-09-11T00:25:43","slug":"jen-apodaca","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/u3coffee.com\/interviews\/jen-apodaca\/","title":{"rendered":"Jen Apodaca"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-1 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1248px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-0 fusion_builder_column_3_5 3_5 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-position:center top;--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:60%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:3.2%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:3.2%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\" data-scroll-devices=\"small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-video fusion-youtube\" style=\"--awb-max-width:1000px;--awb-max-height:563px;\"><div class=\"video-shortcode\"><div class=\"fluid-width-video-wrapper\" style=\"padding-top:56.3%;\" ><iframe title=\"YouTube video player 1\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/r_fkS7FcRf8?wmode=transparent&autoplay=0\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture;\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-title title fusion-title-1 fusion-sep-none fusion-title-text fusion-title-size-one h3 uppercase\" style=\"--awb-margin-top:0px;\"><h1 class=\"fusion-title-heading title-heading-left\" style=\"margin:0;\">Jen Apodaca<\/h1><\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-1 h6\"><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Founder, Owner, and Head Coffee Roaster, Mother Tongue Coffee<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-1 fusion_builder_column_2_5 2_5 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:40%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:4.8%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:4.8%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:1;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:1;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-title title fusion-title-2 fusion-sep-none fusion-title-text fusion-title-size-three h6 font-supreme\"><h3 class=\"fusion-title-heading title-heading-left\" style=\"margin:0;\"><strong>Takeaways<\/strong><\/h3><\/div><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-builder-row-inner fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"width:104% !important;max-width:104% !important;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column_inner fusion-builder-nested-column-0 fusion-flex-column fusion-flex-align-self-stretch\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:auto;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:2%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:2%;--awb-width-medium:auto;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:2%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:2%;--awb-width-small:auto;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:2%;--awb-spacing-left-small:2%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-center fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-2 number-circle\"><p>1<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column_inner fusion-builder-nested-column-1 fusion_builder_column_inner_3_4 3_4 fusion-flex-column fusion-flex-align-self-stretch\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:75%;--awb-flex-grow:1;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:2.56%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:2.56%;--awb-width-medium:75%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:2.56%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:2.56%;--awb-width-small:50%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-flex-grow-small:1;--awb-spacing-right-small:3.84%;--awb-spacing-left-small:3.84%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-center fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-3 mobile-h7 no-margin-bottom\"><p>After fourteen years working for some of the biggest names in coffee, including Intelligentsia and Blue Bottle, Jen Apodaca founded her roasting company, Mother Tongue Coffee, in 2019.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-builder-row-inner fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"width:104% !important;max-width:104% !important;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column_inner fusion-builder-nested-column-2 fusion-flex-column fusion-flex-align-self-stretch\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:auto;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:2%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:2%;--awb-width-medium:auto;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:2%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:2%;--awb-width-small:auto;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:2%;--awb-spacing-left-small:2%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-center fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-4 number-circle\"><p>2<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column_inner fusion-builder-nested-column-3 fusion_builder_column_inner_3_4 3_4 fusion-flex-column fusion-flex-align-self-stretch\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:75%;--awb-flex-grow:1;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:2.56%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:2.56%;--awb-width-medium:75%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:2.56%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:2.56%;--awb-width-small:50%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-flex-grow-small:1;--awb-spacing-right-small:3.84%;--awb-spacing-left-small:3.84%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-center fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-5 mobile-h7 no-margin-bottom\"><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jen\u2019s mission is to create a company where every person, across the entire value chain, is paid fairly for their work and for their products.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-builder-row-inner fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"width:104% !important;max-width:104% !important;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column_inner fusion-builder-nested-column-4 fusion-flex-column fusion-flex-align-self-stretch\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:auto;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:2%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:2%;--awb-width-medium:auto;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:2%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:2%;--awb-width-small:auto;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:2%;--awb-spacing-left-small:2%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-center fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-6 number-circle\"><p>3<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column_inner fusion-builder-nested-column-5 fusion_builder_column_inner_3_4 3_4 fusion-flex-column fusion-flex-align-self-stretch\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:75%;--awb-flex-grow:1;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:2.56%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:2.56%;--awb-width-medium:75%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:2.56%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:2.56%;--awb-width-small:50%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-flex-grow-small:1;--awb-spacing-right-small:3.84%;--awb-spacing-left-small:3.84%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-center fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-7 mobile-h7 no-margin-bottom\"><p>When Jen realized how few women roasters were being spotlighted, she started the #ShestheRoaster campaign to help celebrate and empower women to pursue coffee roasting.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-2 fusion_builder_column_3_5 3_5 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:60%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:3.2%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:3.2%;--awb-width-medium:60%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:3.2%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:3.2%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-8\"><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Expertise:<\/strong> roasting, Q-grader, caf\u00e9 owner, entrepreneurship, social accountability<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Coffee insight: <\/strong>Contrary to internet lore, <a href=\"https:\/\/u3coffee.com\/blog\/difference-between-light-medium-and-dark-roast\/\">dark roast coffee<\/a> does not have less caffeine than light roasts. Water, not head, releases caffeine from coffee, so the caffeine content in your final cup is determined by your brewing method, not your roast.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Coffee<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> <strong>Fun fact<\/strong><em>: <\/em>Jen\u2019s life motto is \u201cFueled by Spite\u201d\u2014check out the video for her tattoo commemorating it! She explains, \u201cPeople tell me I can\u2019t do something, it just makes me want to do it more.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-3 fusion_builder_column_2_5 2_5 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:40%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:4.8%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:4.8%;--awb-width-medium:40%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:4.8%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:4.8%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-image-element \" style=\"--awb-caption-title-font-family:var(--h2_typography-font-family);--awb-caption-title-font-weight:var(--h2_typography-font-weight);--awb-caption-title-font-style:var(--h2_typography-font-style);--awb-caption-title-size:var(--h2_typography-font-size);--awb-caption-title-transform:var(--h2_typography-text-transform);--awb-caption-title-line-height:var(--h2_typography-line-height);--awb-caption-title-letter-spacing:var(--h2_typography-letter-spacing);\"><span class=\" fusion-imageframe imageframe-none imageframe-1 hover-type-none\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"279\" title=\"U3 Top 3_Jen Apodaca\" src=\"https:\/\/u3coffee.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/U3-Top-3_Jen-Apodaca.png\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/u3coffee.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/U3-Top-3_Jen-Apodaca.png\" alt class=\"lazyload img-responsive wp-image-2154\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27900%27%20height%3D%27279%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20900%20279%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27900%27%20height%3D%27279%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/u3coffee.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/U3-Top-3_Jen-Apodaca-200x62.png 200w, https:\/\/u3coffee.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/U3-Top-3_Jen-Apodaca-400x124.png 400w, https:\/\/u3coffee.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/U3-Top-3_Jen-Apodaca-600x186.png 600w, https:\/\/u3coffee.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/U3-Top-3_Jen-Apodaca-800x248.png 800w, https:\/\/u3coffee.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/U3-Top-3_Jen-Apodaca.png 900w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-2 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1248px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-4 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-title title fusion-title-3 fusion-sep-none fusion-title-text fusion-title-size-two h4\"><h2 class=\"fusion-title-heading title-heading-left\" style=\"margin:0;\">Jen\u2019s Coffee Origin Story<\/h2><\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-9\"><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jen moved from the Bay Area to Portland in 2004 with the goal of starting her own roasting company, but she ran up against numerous barriers\u2014the secrecy around roasting recipes and tips, the difficulty of finding a roaster to rent, and the costs of starting a roasting business.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So she applied for a job with McMenamins\u2014an internal posting for a roaster assistant. And to her surprise, she landed the gig. She says the entire interview may have come down to one question. When the head of the roasting department asked Jen to name her favorite coffee, she said a Nicaraguan Peabody. Jen says that was what sealed the deal: \u201cI guess everyone else \u2026 said \u2018mocha\u2019 or \u2018I don\u2019t drink coffee.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-5 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-title title fusion-title-4 fusion-sep-none fusion-title-text fusion-title-size-two h4\"><h2 class=\"fusion-title-heading title-heading-left\" style=\"margin:0;\">Jen\u2019s Current Role<\/h2><\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-10\"><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fourteen years after Jen first set out to start her own roasting business, she founded Mother Tongue Coffee, back where she started in the Bay Area. Today she\u2019s the owner and head roaster for Mother Tongue, and just last year she added \u201ccaf\u00e9 owner\u201d to her resume when she opened her <a href=\"https:\/\/mothertongue.coffee\/pages\/cafe-bar\">Mother Tongue Caf\u00e9 &amp; Bar<\/a> in North Oakland. Jen was the <a href=\"https:\/\/uscoffeechampionships.org\/latest-news\/announcing-the-2019-us-coffee-champions\">2019 US Tasters Cup Champion<\/a>, and in 2022, she won <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycoffeenews.com\/2022\/04\/11\/the-winners-of-the-2022-united-states-coffee-championships\/\">second place in the Roasters Championship<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-6 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-title title fusion-title-5 fusion-sep-none fusion-title-text fusion-title-size-two h4\"><h2 class=\"fusion-title-heading title-heading-left\" style=\"margin:0;\">What Fuels Jen\u2019s Work<\/h2><\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-11\"><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jen believes the strength of her company and her brand comes from the trust she\u2019s engendered\u2014with her suppliers, her employees, and her customers. One of her highest priorities is ensuring that people are paid fairly for their work and their products across the entire value chain. \u201cThis company is a giant experiment,\u201d she explains. \u201cCan a coffee company exist without profiting off someone else\u2019s back?\u201d Jen\u2019s goal is to grow her business while making sure that everyone from her suppliers to her baristas are supported and compensated fairly.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In fact, her commitment to being a business owner others can trust is at the heart of the name she chose for her company\u2014Mother Tongue. \u201cA mother should be someone who stewards you, who takes care of you, who guides you to the correct things,\u201d Jen says. \u201c[The] tongue is how we taste everything, how we enjoy food, drinks, everything. I think [the name] signifies trust that we will always give you delicious things.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-7 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-title title fusion-title-6 fusion-sep-none fusion-title-text fusion-title-size-two h4\"><h2 class=\"fusion-title-heading title-heading-left\" style=\"margin:0;\">What Jen Wants Coffee Drinkers to Know<\/h2><\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-12\"><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jen says that the beauty of our increasingly global culture is that more people in the coffee world\u2014including consumers\u2014can now connect directly with producers. That means producers have a greater platform to share what they do and what they need to sustain their businesses. And Jen points out that \u201call of them will tell you that they need $3 a pound minimum to just break even.\u201d For Jen, understanding the economic realities of the coffee industry can help coffee drinkers better understand the price of their coffee beans.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jen says when she\u2019s working with producers and exporters, she\u2019s not interested in groups that focus on charitable projects; she wants to know that they\u2019re paying workers fairly, rather than gatekeeping funds to fuel initiatives that may not even be what workers need. \u201cJust give them the money,\u201d Jen says.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-8 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-title title fusion-title-7 fusion-sep-none fusion-title-text fusion-title-size-two h4\"><h2 class=\"fusion-title-heading title-heading-left\" style=\"margin:0;\">How Jen Cultivates Community through Coffee<\/h2><\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-13\"><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jen is the original organizer behind <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/shestheroaster\/\">#ShestheRoaster<\/a>, which promotes, supports, and inspires women roasters. Jens says the idea for the hashtag campaign came six years ago when she was part of the competitions committee for the Roasters Guild. \u201cThey called all the contestants on the stage, so there\u2019s 40 roasters up there, not a single woman, not one,\u201d Jen recalls.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She realized that many of the incredibly talented women roasters she knew felt they didn\u2019t have the expertise to enter competitions, in spite of their years of experience and deep knowledge. \u201cSo I wanted to do a hashtag campaign that highlighted the fact that not only do women roast coffee, they\u2019re already roasting your coffee and probably some of your favorite roasting companies,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She knew that many women would feel uncomfortable promoting themselves, so instead, she focused on having women roasters champion one another. \u201cWe did the first hashtag [as] us doing pictures of some of our friends that were roasters and then writing a little story about them, about how badass they are and who they work for and how amazing they are,\u201d she says. Over time, as the movement grew, they started to <a href=\"https:\/\/u3coffee.com\/give-back\/\">offer scholarships<\/a>, supporting more women having access to the industry.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/u3coffee.com\/interviews\/baylee-engberg\/\">Learn more about how Jen\u2019s #ShestheRoaster movement continues to thrive and support women with scholarships and mentorship from the current managing director, Baylee Engberg.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-9 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-title title fusion-title-8 fusion-sep-none fusion-title-text fusion-title-size-two h5\"><h2 class=\"fusion-title-heading title-heading-left\" style=\"margin:0;\">Where You Can Find Jen<\/h2><\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-14\"><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Website: <a href=\"https:\/\/mothertongue.coffee\/\">https:\/\/mothertongue.coffee\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mother Tongue Coffee Instagram: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/mother.tongue.coffee\/\">@mother.tongue.coffee<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mother Tongue Caf\u00e9 &amp; Bar:<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/mothertongue.cafebar\/\">@mothertongue.cafebar<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":2153,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[216,70,237,217],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entrepreneur","category-interviews","category-q-grader","category-roaster"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Jen Apodaca | Mother Tongue Coffee | U3 Coffee Interview<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover Jen Apodaca&#039;s journey from unlikely roasting assistant to founder of Mother Tongue Coffee. 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