Tulsas Emerging 100 Fireside Chat with Chip Gaberino

36 E Cameron St,Tulsa OK 74103

19 August, 2021

Description

Come out and meet fellow Tulsas Emerging 100 while we chat with Chip Gaberino Come out and meet fellow Tulsas Emerging 100 participants while we chat with John (Chip) Gaberino, About Chip Gaberino Chip Gaberino is the owner and manager of Topeca Coffee that was established in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2001, but it was quite an adventure to get there. The journey to start Topeca coffee started in 1850 when Santiago Diaz-Caceras moved to El Salvador with his knowledge of coffee. He then decided to start a family of coffee growers on the slopes of the Santa Ana volcano that would last 6 generations later. In 2001 the global coffee market began to crash. Margarita Lucia Diaz knew it was important to save her family’s coffee business, so she asked for help from her son Emilio Lopez and her son in law John Gaberino. They decided that in order for coffee to become a more sustainable business, they'd have to cut out all the "middlemen" and bring the product directly to the customer. The idea was simple: Emilio would mill and roast the coffee himself in El Salvador, then ship it to John, who would sell it to local businesses in Tulsa. Cutting out the middlemen would allow them to keep their prices low and their profits high enough to pay everyone on the farm; it would also give them total control over their coffee, from the plants they grew to the roast they chose. Heck, maybe they could even start their own coffee shop one day and be able to control exactly how their product was brewed. It was an entirely different way of selling coffee. The family called it “seed to cup.” Over the course of the next several years they would: Establish their own wet and dry mills, so they could process and export their own coffeePurchase a second farm, Finca el Manzano, where our state-of-the-art mill sits today, and where we grow award winning coffeesOpen 2 roasting operations, one on the farm and one in Tulsa, OKOpen their first retail cafe, making Topeca one of the first "Farm-to-Cafe" coffee companies in the worldToday we continue that vision of creating a sustainable supply chain for coffee, where everyone involved at every level can thrive. About Topeca Coffee Topeca Coffee Roasters takes Direct Trade a step further, we own our Farms. Our Family started growing coffee in El Salvador in 1850, and 6 generations later, we are continuing the tradition. We employ everyone from the planting, harvesting, processing, roasting, and brewing so that, when you buy a latte or a bag of coffee, your money goes directly back to farms that made that cup of coffee possible. Established in 2001. We are a family-owned roasting company with over 150 years of experience growing specialty, El Salvadoran coffee on the slopes of the Santa Ana volcano. Since 2001, we've focused our efforts on perfecting every step of the "Seed-to-Cup" process: from growing the right varietals to developing roast profiles that showcase them. Learn more: topecacoffee.com About Tulsas Emerging 100 Tulsas Emerging 100 is made possible in partnership with Skysthelimit.org, TEDC Creative Capital and Atento Capital. Through our local flavor, Tulsas Emerging 100, we will be working with 100 entrepreneurs in 2021 to help develop your business idea to launch or grow your business. If you’ve got the heart and entrepreneurial spirit, we’ll back you up with business mentorship, small business resources and funding opportunities. Visit the website: www.tulsasemerging100.org