Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Taylor.
Hi Jessica, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My name is Jessica Taylor and I am the founder and CEO of Ezra Coffee, a specialty coffee company connecting coffee, culture, and history with every allergen-free blend.
As a strategic thinker, former educator, and policy advocate, I am an emerging voice on the national scene, engaging audiences on the topics of diversity, educational equity, and corporate responsibility.
As a diversity and inclusion strategist, I developed diversity programming, oversaw its implementation, and consulted clients on multicultural and external engagement strategies. Steering a $4 million global HBCU strategy, I partnered with the UNCF, Thurgood Marshall Foundation, Rainbow PUSH Coalition, and others to help students secure financial support and full-time employment opportunities. To date, I have assisted students gain acceptance to over 45 colleges in 22 states with over $3 million in need-based and merit-based funding.
As an entrepreneur, I am the founder & owner of Ezra Coffee Company, a specialty and ethically sourced coffee line that celebrates our collective American history through flavored and infused blends.
Implementing my expertise in education and my desire to positively impact my community, I created Ezra Coffee to be a source of fuel for energy, empowerment, history, & identity. Incorporating my passion for storytelling and Black culture into Ezra’s packaging, each blend name highlights significant events and individuals in our collective American history. My commitment to education extends beyond the bag with a portion of proceeds donated to students pursuing 4-year degrees.
I have been saluted among leaders as a 2021 Leader in Diversity by the Dallas Business Journal and my work has been featured in Essence, Rollingout Magazine, Bounce TV, and countless online and print editorials.
I am a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Junior League, and 100 Black Women. I hold degrees from Belmont Abbey College and Indiana University.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
While the road has not been without uncertainty, I am enjoying the journey. One of the biggest struggles has been sourcing and hiring good talent, specifically in the marketing and social media space. If there is one part of running a business that will stretch you it’s hiring, onboarding, and training new team members. I have a newfound love for those in the human resource space.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Ezra Coffee Company?
Ezra Coffee Company prides itself on being a homegrown specialty coffee brand that connects coffee, culture, and history with every blend. We offer mixed-origin, naturally flavored blends bold in flavor without any of the pesky allergens. Our blend names and stories highlight significant events and individuals within our collective American history, giving you a boost of energy and empowerment in every cup.
Ezra is Hebrew for “he who helps” and is the core essence of Ezra Coffee Co. I created Ezra Coffee Co. out of a side passion, a commitment to higher education, a desire for storytelling, and a yearning to help. Growing up, my sister and I would drink coffee with our grandfather every morning in the summer while he read the daily newspaper. This familial tradition of combining coffee, culture, and community became a staple in my life. However, a few years ago my sister developed food allergies that triggered her asthma and eczema. She was later diagnosed with lactose intolerance and could no longer consume many of the flavored, milk-based creamers and specialty coffee drinks. So, I began experimenting with different ways to flavor the beans so my sister could still enjoy the flavored coffee of our childhood. Perfecting my process for flavoring beans and creating an allergen-free blend, I saw an additional opportunity to propel Ezra into a new coffee stratosphere. Thus, Ezra’s packaging was created with the mission of connecting coffee, community, culture, and collective history. As WFAA’s Cleo Greene dubbed it, Ezra is “coffee with a cause.”
As a former educator, I incorporate a dose of knowledge in every blend. My goal with Ezra is to not only create rich, allergen-free coffee but to create a space for African American culture and history to enrich our everyday life. I believe that there’s always an opportunity to learn something new and grow from that knowledge, even during your morning caffeine fix. That’s why behind every Ezra blend name is a story that highlights significant events, individuals, experiences, and untold stories of African-Americans and the larger diaspora (Afro-Latina, Afro-Mexican, etc.) that have greatly contributed to our collective American history.
Ezra Coffee Company brings that collective history to a new level by sharing cultural and unique experiences to BIPOC communities. Ezra’s integration of black & BIPOC histories allows it to not only function as a phenomenal coffee brand, but as a sociocultural vehicle elevating the voices of unsung heroes within our community.
And we don’t just tell the stories of the BIPOC community, we help create future stories, future leaders, future activists, entrepreneurs, engineers, educators, artists, etc. We don’t just elevate the voices of the unsung heroes, we scream for, cheer for, and support the voices of the soon-to-be sung heroes! Ezra’s commitment to community is built into our business model, donating a portion of our proceeds to support underrepresented students pursuing four-year degrees through bi-annual scholarships.
That’s what Ezra Coffee Company strives to do: tell a story in every cup. We tell a tale of history, a collection of our collective American history. We don’t just tell a story, though. We help you tell your story.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Ezra was created to ensure that everyone could enjoy rich, delicious, and flavored coffee regardless of allergies:
-Ezra offers 3 mixed-origin and 3 flavored coffee varieties, all allergen-free.
-Our 3 mixed-origin blends are: Our three mixed origin blends are: Lorde Baldwin (full-bodied espresso with expressive notes of dark chocolate, cherry, and aromatic herbs); King Malcolm (our signature house blend is a medium roast infusing notes of grapefruit, citrus, and caramel); 64th & Tulsa (medium-dark roast infuses Ethiopian and Sumatran roasts)
-Our three flavored blends: Le Grand Duc 1928 (decadent, cognac-infused blend); Candied Yams (light roast infuses the sweet taste of the classic southern dish); Toasted Southern Pecan (rich light roast with a buttery, nut taste, and a forestry aroma)
The impact of Ezra’s specialty blends goes beyond the cup:
-Ezra’s packaging and blend names highlight significant events, individuals, experiences, and untold stories of African-Americans and the larger diaspora (Afro-Latina, Afro-Mexican, etc.) that have greatly contributed to our collective American history.
-Ezra is a black, female-owned company.
-Ezra shares cultural and unique experiences to BIPOC communities.
-Ezra offers flavors that are central to BIPOC communities.
Pricing:
- Lorde Baldwin/King Malcolm/64th & Tulsa (grinds: french press, whole beans, ground, espresso)- $19
- Le Grand Duc 1928 (grinds: ground, french press)- $22
- Candied Yams (grinds: french press, ground)- $19
- Toasted Southern Pecan (grinds: whole beans, ground, french press) -$19
Contact Info:
- Email: info@ezracoffeeco.com
- Website: ezracoffeeco.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ezracoffeeco/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ezracoffeeco/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/EzraCoffeeco/
Image Credits
Rachel Bell
