What Can NKG PACE Prepare You For? “Literally Anything.”

There was a moment, during the Nov. 10 Coffee Coalition for Racial Equity (CCRE) webinar with the NKG PACE Partners, that distilled all our hopes and intentions for the NKG PACE program.

CCRE board member David Dávila asked the group, “What do you see yourself better able to achieve, after all you’ve learned, that before you couldn’t even fathom?”

Porttia Portis, the NKG PACE Partner at the Atlas office in Seattle, couched her response by saying it was both a bit and made her emotional, and then answered, “Just: Anything. Literally anything.”

She continued, “I never thought that my little minimum-wage barista job would lead to a career. … I never thought that this could lead to such a fulfilling life path for me. But being here in this program for the past six months has literally opened my eyes to: I can do anything with this. There are so many different ways to approach coffee. … [This program] opened so many doors and has opened my eyes in ways that I couldn’t have imagined.”

Ready for a “Fulfilling Life Path” in Coffee?

We hope you’ll watch the complete one-hour video and enjoy all that Porttia, Jayy Terrell and Charles Umeano have to share. They’re wise and funny and engaging, and certainly while sharing with them all we know, we’ve learned so much in return.

We also encourage you — if you’re someone who enjoys coffee but doesn’t yet see your path forward toward a fulfilling career in coffee — to please apply to participate, if you think NKG PACE could be a fit for you.

The application for the April 2023–April 2024 program year is open now until Dec. 1 at 5 p.m. ET. Three applicants will be selected and will begin their year of education — with a salary, complete health benefits and paid time off — April 26, 2023.

The application includes a Letter of Recommendation (you’ll need to ask someone to write it!) so please don’t delay in getting started. We’re so excited to meet you! •