Coffee People: Vasileia Fanarioti

Coffee people.
The Better Coffee Standard defines it precisely: everyone whose life and work are bound to coffee, at every stage of the coffee circle — including those working under coercion, economic dependency, or without pay. Their families. Those who keep them standing.

The industry never stops talking about coffee. It rarely stops to talk about the people behind it. Red Ink Coffee exists, in part, to change that.

Coffee People is a series of portraits. Four questions — their voices.

Who are you and what do you do in coffee?

I started as a barista, which is where my love for this industry began. From there I moved into coffee journalism, writing for publications that let me explore the people, culture, and stories behind the cup. Today I work as a project manager and community engagement lead at The Barista League, a global barista competition and festival, where I get to build events that bring coffee communities together across the world. I still write for coffee publications on the side.

Tell us about a moment in your work with coffee that you're genuinely proud of.

Every time I watch a barista step onto our stage, I feel it. We work incredibly hard to build an event that gives people a real platform, one where they can show their passion, their craft, and their personality without the barriers that so many competitions put up. Seeing someone light up on that stage, knowing we helped create the conditions for that moment — that never gets old. It's why I do this.

What's one problem you see in your part of the coffee world — and why does it matter to you personally?

The way service people are treated, both by employers and by customers, still bothers me deeply. It bothered me when I was behind the bar and it bothers me now watching the people I care about in this industry navigate it. Baristas are skilled professionals. The wages don't always reflect that, and neither does the culture around them. Until we change how we think about the people making our coffee, everything else is cosmetic.

What would you change if you could — and what would better look like for you?

More solidarity across the entire value chain. Not just within one country or one community — I mean across the whole chain, from the farmers to the roasters to the baristas. We're living through volatile times and the instinct can be to protect your own corner. But I genuinely believe that collaboration and showing up for each other is what gets us through. Better looks like people choosing to stick together instead of pulling apart.

You are coffee people. Tell us.

Four questions. Any language. Any format.

1. Who are you and what do you do in coffee?
2. A moment you're genuinely proud of.
3. One problem in your part of the coffee world — and why it matters to you.
4. What would you change — and what would better look like?

Include a short bio and a photo from your work environment. Send your answers to redinkcoffee@thebettercoffee.org