The WWCBeanletter is an occasional newsletter intended to spark conversations about coffee and the world. We hope you will read, pass along, and send us feedback!

Selma Miriam, founder of the iconic Bloodroot Vegetarian Restaurant & Bookstore, passed away on Feb. 6, 2025. She named the restaurant for the native plant that spreads “separate but connected”, through an underground root system, forming new colonies of flowers. “We don’t just want a piece of the pie, we want a whole new recipe.” Along with founding partner Noel Furie, the restaurant opened in 1977, and indeed, many recipes were launched and connections made. Bloodroot quickly became a special place for independent-minded women in the late 70’s and continues to this day. As Women’s Herstory Month comes to a close, we thank you, Selma, for being a Wild Woman and helping so many others along the way.

The Fields Medal, the highest honor in the field of mathematics--often considered the mathematical equivalent of the Nobel Prize-- is granted every four years and is given, in accordance with the prize’s statutes, to mathematicians under the age of 40 for outstanding research and for the potential for future accomplishments. "Mathematics is not about numbers, equations, computations, or algorithms. It is about understanding." In 2014, Maryam Mirzakhani became the first woman (and remains the only woman) to receive the Fields Medal for her extraordinary achievements in complex geometry and dynamical systems. At the time of her award Mirzakhani’s research was described as further investigating the symmetry of surface geometry... In general, her work can best be described as pure mathematics – research that investigates entirely abstract concepts of nature that might not have an immediately obvious application. (TheStanford Report 8/12/14 ) She was not only a brilliant mathematician, but a champion of gender equality in mathematics and education generally. "The beauty of mathematics only shows itself to more patient followers" Mirzakhani often worked on the floor, drawing formulas and diagrams on a canvas of oversized paper. The process caused her young daughter to mistakenly, or maybe correctly, call her mother an artist. Mirzakhani’s life was cut short by cancer--she died in 2017 at the age of 40. Still, the artist her daughter recognized lives on in the sweeping elegance of her ideas, and in every student who now sees themselves reflected in the field she helped transform. And her legacy endures not only in her groundbreaking mathematics, but in the doors she opened and the imaginations she expanded, proving that even the most abstract ideas can reshape the world. Oh, and the link to coffee? Well... in mathematics as in life: Coffee doesn’t solve the problem—it just convinces you that the problem is solvable.

As spring arrives and the days grow longer and warmer, our garden, indistinguishable from the backyard lawn while covered with a blanket of snow, is starting to show itself again.  Early flowers are blooming, later flowering plants are pushing their green stems through the earth. It occurs to me that gardens rewrite what power looks like—steady, undeniable growth that takes root, spreads, grows sometimes invisibly but always undeniably. A garden persists, coexists, influences. There is something quietly radical about a garden. And so I am reminded of a winter visit to the Voices of the Garden  monument in Richmond Virginia.  The monument has gathered women—leaders, builders, fighters, creators—from more than 400 years of Virginia’s past and placed them not on towering pedestals, but at eye level. You don’t look up at them. You walk among them. Voices from the Garden  draws visitors into an oval forum to interact with the twelve women who await them. At the center stands a bronze sundial on a granite pedestal. Tempered glass panels, a metaphor for the social filter that has long obscured women’s accomplishments from public view, provide space for the names of additional important women of history, with room to add the names of women of today and tomorrow. ( Virginia Women's Monument Commission ) As the monument’s glass panels illustrate, for a long time, women’s stories weren’t carved into stone —they were filtered out entirely. So this corner in Richmond’s Capital Square is not just a tribute to famous figures like Maggie Lena Walker or Martha Washington. It’s a chorus—educators, Indigenous leaders, entrepreneurs, formerly enslaved women who reshaped their futures. Women who didn’t wait for permission to matter. ( Virginia Assembly ) This isn’t a monument about perfection. It’s about presence. About claiming space in a story that once left you out. About standing—together—and saying: we were always here. Can’t you imagine the early morning whispering, the late night conversations and strategy sessions that led to revolutionary actions? Wouldn’t you love to have coffee in the garden with these 11 Wild Women? Anne Burras Laydon Early English settler; among the first women in Jamestown Cockacoeske Indigenous leader who united tribes and negotiated treaties Mary Draper Ingles Survivor of captivity who escaped and journeyed 500+ miles home Martha Washington Foundational political and social figure in early America Clementina Rind One of the first female newspaper printers in Virginia Elizabeth Keckley Formerly enslaved woman who became a successful entrepreneur and confidante to Mary Todd Lincoln Maggie Lena Walker First Black woman in the U.S. to charter a bank Sarah Garland Boyd Jones First woman licensed to practice medicine in Virginia Laura Lu Copenhaver Textile industry leader who created jobs for Appalachian women Virginia Estelle Randolph Influential Black educator with national impact Adèle Goodman Clark Leader in the fight for women’s voting rights Read more about the women and monument

Sunday morning paper brings another Wild Woman alert! A name we should recognize as easily as Steve Jobs’ or Mark Zuckerberg’s! Meet Steve Shirley (because her business letters signed as “Stephanie” went unanswered). “Ridiculously ahead or her time,”(Sue Black NYTimes 8/24/25) she founded a tech company that provided the programming for the Concorde’s flight data recorder, software protocols that were adopted by NATO, and pioneered scheduling software for buses and trains. Her company’s high stakes innovative work was done by a small army of women working from home via dial-up connections. By sharing ownership of her company with her mostly female employees in the 1970s (297 of her first 300 employees were women), she made at least 70 of them millionaires; her retirement years were devoted to philanthropy; her company eventually reached a value of $3 billion. Dame Steve, rescued from the Nazi’s via a Kindertransport train, then attending a boys school when the local girls school did not offer advanced mathematics, and starting her own company offering flexible work hours for women after bumping against the glass ceiling of the corporate world of the 1960s while designing an early computer. Yes, a Wild Woman indeed! https://stevenirosenfeld.substack.com/p/a-pioneer-in-technology-and-a-giant https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/20/business/stephanie-shirley-dead.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Welcome to the Wild Women Coffee Conversations Blog: Musings about coffee, travels in the coffee belt, and women who inspire us (and maybe even drink coffee ). Enjoy this collection of occasional essays that always circle back to coffee. We two authors inhabit a little corner of coffee space. We love to travel in coffee growing climates and experience the cultures of coffee growing people. We dabble in coffee roasting, and learn from observing master roasters. We watch barista competitions and play at steam milk designs and surface powder stencils in our kitchen. We share our knowledge of the mysteries of coffee through cuppings and presentations. We brew coffee in limitless iterations to share with friends and new acquaintances and try our best to learn about the world through the people who live in it with us. We laugh a lot, with each other, with our families, with our friends, and often with strangers. Our blog is a reflection of what we know, what we learn, what we admire. It is flavored by the ribbon of coffee running through it. Reading and writing both require coffee! Here are some of the coffee books that inspire us to write. A note about the WWC LogoGirls Our Logo is intended to be whimsical composites and a little unfinished. Sort of like us. The colors--a sort of orange, and a sort of purple, primary color blends--are representative of so many of us: a little of this and little of that and not fully defined in any one way. The LogoGirls represent us on our packages. They travel with us and love to get their pictures taken. Follow them on Instagram to see all their adventures Blog or newsletter or both? We publish an occasional newsletter but the blog format allows us to get our thoughts out more quickly. We'll re-publish some of our newsletter content here and post a link to full newsletter issues. We hope you enjoy reading our coffee musings-- We enjoy writing them. Leave comments, subscribe, and by all means, buy coffee!

Josephine Baker once said about her partner Jo Bouillon, “He was my cream, and I was his coffee. And when you poured us together, it was something,” Offerring a simple yet powerful metaphor that captured the essence of their relationship. But it is another quote, from her brief speech at the March on Washington in 1963 that provides insight into the internal fire that fueled her courageous work for the French Resistance during World War II and her rise to prominence in the “I have walked into the palaces of kings and queens and into the houses of presidents, and much more,” she told the crowd of some 250,000. “But I could not walk into a hotel in America and get a cup of coffee, and that made me mad. And when I get mad, you know that I open my big mouth.” Josephine Baker performing in Paris, 1930s Early Life and Rise to Stardom Born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1906, Josephine Baker grew up in poverty and faced racial segregation from an early age. Despite these challenges, she showed remarkable talent and determination. She moved to New York City as a teenager and began performing in vaudeville shows. Her breakthrough came when she moved to Paris in the 1920s, where she became a sensation in the vibrant nightlife scene. Baker’s performances were groundbreaking. She combined dance, music, and theatrical flair with a unique style that captivated audiences. Her famous banana skirt costume and energetic dances challenged conventional norms and made her an international star. Paris embraced her as a symbol of freedom and exotic beauty, but her success in Europe contrasted sharply with the discrimination she faced in the United States. The Coffee Denial Incident and Racial Discrimination Despite her fame, Josephine Baker was not immune to racism. One striking example occurred when she was denied a cup of coffee at a hotel in the United States. This incident highlighted the harsh reality of segregation laws and racial prejudice that persisted even for a world-renowned artist. Baker refused to accept such treatment quietly. She used her platform to speak out against racial injustice and segregation, and ended up paying a high price for calling out her experience at the Stork Club. Her experiences fueled her commitment to equality and human rights. Josephine Baker’s Role in the French Resistance Before the fight against segregation in America, Josephine Baker was one of an army of women who were part of the French Resistance. When World War II broke out, she was living in France and became involved in the fight against Nazi occupation. Using her celebrity status as a cover, she worked as a spy and courier for the French Resistance. Baker’s missions included carrying secret messages hidden in her sheet music and traveling to various locations to gather intelligence. Her performances allowed her to move freely between different social circles and countries without raising suspicion. She also used her connections to help smuggle refugees and provide aid to those persecuted by the Nazis. Her bravery earned her several honors, including the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honor from the French government. Baker’s work in the Resistance showed a different side of her — not just an entertainer but a committed fighter for freedom and justice. Legacy Beyond the Stage Josephine Baker’s impact goes far beyond her performances. She broke racial barriers in the entertainment industry and became a symbol of resistance against oppression. After the war, she continued to advocate for civil rights. She and Bouillon adopted 12 children from different ethnic backgrounds, calling the family at their French Château des Milandes her “Rainbow Tribe.” Her life story inspires many today, reminding us that courage and determination can overcome prejudice and adversity. Baker’s journey from being denied a simple cup of coffee to risking her life for freedom illustrates the power of resilience and the importance of standing up for what is right. Josephine Baker’s legacy is a powerful reminder that fame does not shield one from injustice, but it can be a tool to fight it. Her work with the French Resistance and her lifelong commitment to equality make her a a Wild Woman to be remembered and celebrated.

The Hammer Throw is a track and field event that requires strength, coordination and explosive power as athletes compete to throw a weight the farthest distance. The women's event debuted at the Olympics in 2000. A woman competitor holds the grip of a four foot long wire that has an almost nine pound steel ball attached to the other end. She typically swings the ball over her head then spins and spins and spins—and maybe spins one more time—to create the centrifugal force that will send the "hammer" flying! She must stay within the bounds of a 7-foot diameter circle until after the ball lands and then, no dizzy staggering allowed, the athlete finishes her throw by exiting the circle only through the back half. from TEAM USA News Jannee’ Kassanavoid is the first Native American woman to medal at the World Track And Field championships and the hammer throw is her event. She is poised to be an Olympic champion on TEAM USA this summer in Paris. Kassanavoid uses her platform as a professional track and field athlete to “fight for indigenous representation, equality and justice.” She has said “It is with great gratitude that I amplify my voice, walk forward as a leader, and embody the role of those who walked before me. I am proud to be Indigenous and pave the way for the future generations of young athletes, women and fellow natives to come.” (Team USA News) While she humbly makes history, she remains focused on her goal to “inspire and empower not only athletes, but also others chasing their dreams of being that shining light. I want to show them that in the end, hard work does pay off.” The coffee connection? Until 2004 the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), whose regulations the International Olympic Committee adhere to, included caffeine in their list of banned substances because of its performance enhancing properties. “While caffeine does not increase strength or stamina the way most banned ergonomic compounds do, it does increase energy by encouraging the migration of reserve fat to the bloodstream and leaving more reserve sugar available for the muscle to convert to energy.” Since 2004 coffee has moved to the WADA’s “safe foods” list and then, after more studies was put on the “watch” list in 2018 where it remains today. So this summer, Kassanavoid and the other elite athletes in Paris may compete penalty-free if micrograms of caffeine per milliliter of urine is under with 12. That means they can have 6 to 8 12 ounce cups of coffee in the hours preceding competition. Too bad Wild Women Coffee is not available in France! It would surely make winners of all the TEAM USA athletes! sources: World Athletics, New York Times Athletic, Team USA News,

The U.S. War Department considered coffee to be an essential element of the troops' diet--lifting morale, keeping them alert for night time combat and used as a therapeutic in the field by medics. The army requisitioned 10 times more coffee in 1942 than they had in the year before Pearl Harbor was attacked which meant that back at home, families were asked to stretch their coffee supplies by reusing brewed grounds. We can only assume that Maggie Higgins was getting the coffee she needed as she competed to "get the scoop" in the male dominated world of wartime journalism. The rule that barred women correspondents from reporting from the combat zone didn't keep her from jumping in a jeep headed behind enemy lines, putting her in position to be the reporter on site as Dachau was liberated. She went on to cover the war in Korea in a way that few other reporters did--from the center of combat. In her new biography, Fierce Ambition, Jennet Conant chronicles Higgins' achievements and explores her motivations. In an NPR interview Conant recently said that although the journalist opened doors for women, she never wanted to be distinguished for her gender. "She won the Pulitzer for her daring dispatches, and the Pulitzer committee noted that she won it under extraordinary, difficult circumstances because she was a woman. But she did not want that to be what she was known for. She wanted to be seen as a good newspaper man, not woman." Truly, Maggie Higgins belongs on the WWC Wild Women billboard!

One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn't pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself. ~Lucille Ball Lucille Ball brought the gift of laughter to generations with her hilarious antics and ingenious wit. While she earns "wild woman" status with her acting alone, she was a force to be reckoned with off screen as well. Ball started in film but found real success in broadcast television, first in front of the camera and later as the first woman to own and run a major television production studio. Her show I Love Lucy ran for 6 years (1951-57) and was the number one show in the country for 4 of them. She also acted in The Lucy Show and Here's Lucy and Desilu productions went on to produce Our Miss Brooks, Make Room for Daddy, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Untouchables, Star Trek , Mission: Impossible and other groundbreaking shows. Lucille Ball was the first woman to receive the International Radio and Television Society's Gold Medal (1971). She also won 4 Emmy awards and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. The combination of her genius and drive toward perfection made her a legend in the world of entertainment and her work paved the way for the countless women in comedy who followed her. In 1957 Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz filmed a Sanka commercial. We have to believe that it was bold, caffeinated coffee that fueled her long hours, but if you prefer decaf, this is one area where we would have to say, don't take Lucy's advice. Try one of our Wild Women Coffee decaf selections instead! (Getty Images)