

- The SNiFF-i-TiTiON! a free, fun, international competition!
- DiGiTiTiON Seasons II, III, IV and beyond .... DiGiTiTiON All-stars anyone?!
- Glitter Cat Labs - opening in Los Angeles as a co-working, training, and competition venue
- Anti-Racism Hospitality Overhaul- yearlong pilot project to develop practical solutions for businesses to create equitable workplaces
- Financial stability- create a payroll for DiGiTiTiON operators and project managers
- Pivot ready! The world is changing rapidly and Glitter Cat is always ready to find new and exciting ways to reimagine the coffee industry.
Getting us a HUGE step towards financial stability and the ability to create more programs!
Marissa's Story: An Atlanta All-Star
watch Marissa's inspirational DiGiTiTiON presentation!
How did you hear about Glitter Cat?
The trainer at the company I am a part of told me about Glitter Cat in early 2019 and I was instantly enthralled. It gets tiring not seeing faces that look like you and feeling like authenticity is a buzzword thrown around for only the production side of coffee, but not the staff or management side. This year, I have realized my thirst for knowledge and desire for a better coffee future. I have realized a lot more of my love for coffee, community, and the colors that make up each of those things. Coffee is not only technical, but it is communal, creative, and an industry I aspire to be a part of for the long haul due to those intersections.Finding the people who love coffee enough to not let it stay the same is what keeps me going. Glitter Cat is a program that does just that.
What made you apply for the Roasters DiGiTiTiON?
I applied for roasting with no knowledge and was just thinking about how it has always been something I wanted to learn, but never had the chance to do so. When I looked at roasting, it always felt so inaccessible to people who work on the floor and how it feels like there are secrets held with the guise of roast curves and secrecy within the production side of coffee. I want better. I want a future that is filled with education and encouraging growth in baristas and coffee professionals in whatever stage they are in.
When I got the email I cried my eyes out. I was so overwhelmed. Over the course of being a part of this program, I have learned that I deserve the space that I have been given and I need to be loud and claim the space that I rightfully deserve because in these moments, I am in the position of the people I found so cool, and to influence the coffee community in the allotted role I have been given is empowering in every honest representation of that word.
What is your biggest takeaway from your time in the Glitter Cat program?
Glitter Cat is what the future of coffee will look like. It needs too. People who care about coffee, craft, intentionality, community, and betterment need to be at the center of the industry, not the sidelines.