We were lucky to catch up with CJ Porter Born recently and have shared our conversation below.

CJ, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I have always been captivated by the world of coffee. From the very first time I set foot in a coffee shop at age 12, something drew me in and made me want to come back again and again. There’s a certain energy in the coffee shop that’s hard to explain until you experience it, especially for a young kid trying to find his way in the world.

My neighborhood coffee shop at that time was the JS Bean Factory in Saint Paul. We moved to Saint Paul from Minneapolis when I was pretty young, so Saint Paul has always been home to me. Growing up bi racial, it was difficult to find my place. Social circles, physical spaces, school groups. I never felt like I belonged anywhere, and that was pretty taxing emotionally.

Fast forward a few years later and I start hanging out on this coffee shop patio. Daily. I became friends with the owner and the staff, I made new friends who were other regulars, and I got a front row seat to some great people watching. More than anything though, I found a place that made me feel welcome, a place I felt I belonged. That was huge, and that feeling is what got me interested in the world of coffee. I eventually started working there cleaning floors at night a few days a week, and shortly after that was trained in as a barista. Years later I learned how to roast coffee, and once I did that, I knew that was the field I wanted to be in. Over a decade later, I’m still doing just that, but I knew this was where I was meant to be way back when I was just a kid on a coffee shop patio taking it all in.

CJ, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have had a love and passion for coffee pretty much my whole life. At family gatherings it was always the post meal event, dessert and a cup of coffee as the night would wind down. I have been frequenting coffee shops and drinking coffee from age 12/13 on, and it was absolutely what got me through high school!

My neighborhood coffee shop, the JS Bean Factory, has been my home away from home for as long as I can remember. There is something really special about being a part of a coffee shop community, especially when you’re an introvert like myself. I never really did parties, concerts, big events, large venues. I have a social battery that drains very quickly, and takes a long time to recharge. The coffee shop patio was my place to do that. I could sit on the patio with my headphones in and listen to music, write, enjoy coffee and a muffin, catch up with other regulars and go back home feeling refreshed. That mental safe space is important to have, and it was crucial in my development not only as a coffee professional, but as a young man trying to figure out who I am and what I want to do with my life.

I am currently 30 years old and I am the Director of Coffee here at The Get Down Coffee Co. I have been in the coffee industry my whole adult life, and have been roasting for about 10 years now. This industry has quite literally allowed me to be the best version of myself, for so many reasons. The communities I am a part of and those that I am fortunate enough to serve are incredible. The network I’ve built crossing states and countries is something I value more than I could properly describe with words alone. International travel to coffee farms has opened my eyes to so many things and brought my appreciation for this product and the hands responsible for it to a whole new level. And being able to take all that love and hard work from the farmers and turn it into a roasted product to be shared with thousands of people is an absolute honor. This community, this industry, these people have all allowed me to be my best self, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Relationships are important to me. I will always try to build relationships with as many farmers as I can in order to have direct relationship coffees. When you are able to show customers the faces behind the coffees, it adds a new level of personal touch to a product you may otherwise see as just a product. I love being able to share stories and photos from my time in those mountains in Honduras, and talking about some of the most delicious coffee I have ever had from groups in Oaxaca, and the very first time I set foot in another country and was greeted by some of the most wonderful hospitality in Peru. All of these experiences add to my personal mission to bring as much of a direct relationship as I can to my coffees, and be able to share that experience and share that love with my customers.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

As a person of color, the Minnesota specialty coffee scene was not very welcoming. That presented a lot of challenges, and a lot of disheartening moments early on in my career. I always believed that in order to be the best at something, you needed to learn from others who are at the top of their field. And as soon as I began my journey as a roaster, I sent out tons of messages and emails to several cafes, roasters and groups in order to network. I offered to buy lunch and pick their brain for an hour, help bag beans for a week for free, all kinds of things just to get a little more experience and learn from some of these people to be the best roaster I can possibly be. Most didn’t respond, some straight up said absolutely not. But not one person was willing to talk to me, help me or even let me work for them for free. Having that much excitement and having the door slammed on my face hurt, and I was pretty discouraged.

But I decided to use that as motivation. I’ve always been a “challenge accepted” kind of person, and this was right in line with that. I did my own research, read books, watched videos on Youtube, taught myself how to cup and evaluate coffees, learned how to change the flavor profile in a roast by adjusting different variables and just kept moving forward. Eventually I got some great opportunities that allowed me to really refine those skills, but it took a lot of stumbling around on my own and believing in myself to get there. Fortunately, I’m still here today doing the thing I love.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

The biggest goal I have is providing access to education and resources to anyone who wants to learn more about coffee. I offer cupping classes as one example of that. Cupping (tasting, sampling and evaluating) coffee has always been one of my favorite parts of the job and it was the most difficult for me to be good at. That was simply due to nobody wanting to teach me or help me, and having to teach myself a lot of that stuff. I made a lot of mistakes early on which lead to other mistakes being built off of the earlier ones, and it was frustrating. But now that I’m in a position to give a little back, I aim to create those networks and opportunities whenever I can, and offer them to anyone who’s interested.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.getdowncoffee.com
• Instagram: @CaffeinatedCJ
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-porter-born-3274b5126?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_contact_details%3BvxrgQjZ0SU2HPvLtKz2FvQ%3D%3D
• Twitter: @CaffeinatedCJ

Image Credits
Jacob Elster, David Chall