In our August + September 2025 issue, we feature Julia Mayer from Dune Coffee Roasters in California! Also included: an in-depth look at Kratom and Kava, dress codes in the shop, ’One on One’ with Ben Bicknell, and much, much more!
BY SARAH ALLEN
BARISTA MAGAZINE
Welcome to the August + September 2025 issue of Barista Magazine! We’re excited to share with you another issue packed with fantastic features, informative articles, in-depth interviews, and much more. Our team of writers, designers, illustrators, and photographers contributed more terrific work in creating this issue. We couldn’t do it without them, and we wouldn’t do it without you, our readers. Thank you for reading and supporting Barista Magazine!
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Cover Feature: Julia Mayer
We are beyond excited to feature Julia Mayer on the cover of the August + September 2025 issue. With her husband, Todd Stewart, Julia owns Dune Coffee Roasters in Santa Barbara, Calif., which they founded 16 years ago in 2009. Julia has a heart as wide as the ocean. She loves surfing and plays in the waves with Todd and their two sons every chance she gets. Julia was born in and continues to live in Carpinteria, Calif., a tiny town that neighbors Santa Barbara. She has strong ties to her community: Her accomplishments include raising a total of $1.5 million for a skate park in the city, which opened in 2023, and she currently serves on the Carpinteria City Council. Julia is proud that Dune Coffee is part of the fabric of the region, and is committed along with Todd to paying fair wages to their 65+ employees, and the best prices they can to longtime producer partners like the esteemed Benjamin Paz of Honduras. Julia’s story is a special one. We invite you to learn more and be inspired by her by reading this cover feature. Photography by Sean R. Collier
‘The Best Place to Be’
Being willing to change up your operations to meet your customers’ demands can help keep your business thriving. In the feature article, “The Best Place to Be: Connect with Your Customers to Evolve and Stay Relevant,” coffee business advisor David Schwartz shares innovative techniques café owners can use to stand out in their market and reflect and serve their customers’ changing preferences. In addition to the feature, we present a case study about one coffee company owner’s efforts to do just this. Writer Melina Devoney will introduce you to the incredible Mo Maravilla, owner of Los Angeles-based Kindness & Mischief Coffee, which has gone through a recent rebirth to evolve and stay relevant. Illustration by NoNo Flores
‘The Green Ceiling’
After interviewing countless women in green-coffee sourcing who shared different versions of the same story of a gender double standard, writer Sarah Charles undertook the challenge of exploring why the coffee industry harbors a “green ceiling.” In this article, Sarah spoke with women from around the world—traders, roasters, green buyers, and more—about the environments they work in, the obstacles they face, and how they have succeeded despite setbacks. Photos courtesy of contributors
‘One on One: Ben Bicknell’
Ben Bicknell started his coffee career as a part-time barista in Perth, Australia, where specialty coffee had yet to gain a foothold. Ben’s work over the next decade-plus would change the coffee culture for Perth and build on the established café scene throughout the country. Currently working as an independent consultant, Ben is a sought-after Q Grader and educator, and the perspective he has on the broader industry is one that is both well-developed and well worth reading. He is the subject of this issue’s “One on One.” Photos courtesy of Ben Bicknell
And Much More Inside
Also in the August + September 2025 issue: “The Knockbox“ focuses on how to create a dress code that works for everyone by longtime coffee professional, former U.S. Barista Champion, and retailing expert Laila Ghambari; this issue’s “Tech Talk“ is about building a tech vocabulary and was written by Rebecca Jones; a “Field Report“ about the growing specialty coffee scene in La Paz, Mexico, by Jen Roberts and much, much more.
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