Cuppa Connections Episode 14: From Felon to Coffee Master

The years of navigating through the streets of South Central, LA has tested our guest, LaNisa Williams, but with a bit of divine intervention while in jail, hard work when she got out, and the commitment to her personal growth and being the best black coffee professional that she can be, has catapulted her life into being one for the movies.

Sit back, relax, and have a cup while LaNisa Williams, founder of Barista Life LA, takes you on an inspirational journey through the trials and tribulations of her life.

If you would like to see the video on YouTube, check her here, https://www.youtube.com/@cuppaconnections

We hope you enjoy.

Transcript

Portia: 0:00

Hey guys. Welcome to Cuppa Connections. I'm Portia, and we're here coming to you from our virtual cafe, Better with a Cup of Coffee. We are savoring relationships with coffee lovers around the world and sharing their experiences that have been better with a cup of coffee. This episode is the bomb right here. This episode is about what Cuppa Connections is all about. So, today I have LaNisa Williams, and coffee changed her life. She is a trailblazer. She's from LA, which I used to live in LA I'm so happy about that. And, she's a CEO and founder of Barista

LaNisa: 0:42

Life LA. Yeah.

Portia: 0:44

So, hello my friend. How you doing?

LaNisa: 0:46

I'm good. I'm feeling great this morning.

Portia: 0:49

Wait, wait, wait, wait. You got your caw caw? I call it caw caw. I already had like two cups of coffee this morning. I mean, I can go grab one real quick. I don't have a problem? No. This is, this type of podcast is not about us drinking coffee and talking about the world, and it is about you and about your coffee experiences. One question I have is, did you find coffee or did coffee find you? Um,

LaNisa: 1:19

I think we found each other. it really encompassed like everything that I like to do, and how I express myself. I kind of felt into the coffee industry. Growing up, I wasn't like, oh yeah, like, I'm gonna work in coffee. I just, I knew I wanted to own something. I didn't know exactly what, but I knew I wanted to do something big. Like as a kid, I do remember thinking like, I wanted to make sure that I leave an imprint on this world when I leave.

Portia: 1:51

So at what age was that?

LaNisa: 1:53

Um, it had to be like around like junior high. Yeah, junior high, high school when I was just kind of like coming out of my shell, I was still in there,

Portia: 2:02

mm-hmm.

LaNisa: 2:02

but just coming out of it, and just thinking there's more to life than what I see. Um, but I didn't know how to navigate through my surroundings. There was a lot of gangs and my parents like just all that kind of stuff, but I didn't know how to navigate through, how do I get out of this situation and better myself. So, It took me a minute to to find all that.

Portia: 2:31

The journey was long.

LaNisa: 2:34

It has been.

Portia: 2:35

Well, to let people know, you're from South Central.

LaNisa: 2:39

Yes.

Portia: 2:39

you've been really open as far as your, your parents were two felons, and you got into some trouble yourself, and then you found your way. But tell us, you know, talk us through it. Like what you, you, you had some rough times and then all of a sudden it was coffee, but what happened?

LaNisa: 2:55

Yeah. Um, I had moved to the East coast to, uh, get out of the situation that I was in here in LA, and my sister, my older sister got a job working for the government out there. But, my nephew wasn't old enough to go to school yet. So she was like, hey, come let's, you can start over. You can help me raise these kids I got and you know, she knew I wanted, I was trying to get out of the life I was living. So for the first, I think it was like first six to nine months, I babysat him all day every day. I mean, the weekends I had off, of course my sister was home, but it was like breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I was just a caretaker, and it taught me a lot of patience. I definitely wasn't expecting all that, but like I learned how to cook a few meals, to survive. But, it allowed me to, to build a bond with my niece and nephew. And, it was a great experience. But I, um, once he had his birthday, I ended up, going on Craigslist and I was looking for a job and I saw that Starbucks was hiring. And I mean, as you know, back then Starbucks was paying decent wages. They were taking care of their people. I mean, they still do, but like, even back then it was just like, oh, they paid this much. Like, oh, I'm up.

Portia: 4:10

So when was this, like, what year was this?

LaNisa: 4:12

2005.

Portia: 4:15

Ah.

LaNisa: 4:16

Yeah, back in the day.

Portia: 4:18

Yeah, right. Back in the day.

LaNisa: 4:23

But, um, yeah, and I applied at Starbucks, and I went in for the interview and, First thing I can say is like, I've ne I never had a black boss or like, I never saw so many black people in suits when I moved to the East coast. Like I lived in Maryland. Um, but I worked in DC and I had never seen that. So that right there, let me know that there's possibilities, like just by seeing that daily. So yeah, I started working at Starbucks and I came in as a shift lead and worked my way up, but I didn't think like, oh, this is what I'm gonna be doing. I fell in love with the aspect of like the customer service and the fact that people would stand in line for a cup of coffee, but wait for their coffee to be made and then just have full blown conversations with me about their kids, their wives, their husbands, their job, their aunt. Like they would just open up and it was all because of a espresso shot and some steamed milk. And I was like, man, There's something to this, like people really, this is like this kicks off their day and I just really enjoyed putting smiles on people's faces. Like you're taking this latte and this is gonna make your whole morning. And that's, I enjoyed that. I really just, yeah, I love serving. I really do.

Portia: 5:40

That's something special. The coffee community, man, that coffee scene is like Yeah. It's, it's to the core.

LaNisa: 5:46

Yeah. It's, it is, it's, it is. People really love their jobs and they really love what they do. And, I just tried to absorb as much information I could. Starbucks does not. Well, at the time they didn't do no extensive like coffee training or anything like that. Like they weren't doing any alternate brewing methods such as, uh, a V 60 or they, none of that stuff was in play besides a French press. That was the only other way I knew besides drip coffee to make coffee was with the French press. but yeah, I worked for Starbucks for about six years. I did two and a half years out on the East coast, and then I came back to LA cuz my sister had got promoted at her job. She moved to Georgia. I was stuck out there by myself and I was like, nah, this ain't going work for me by myself. nah. It was cool. I hung, I hung for a year and I made it work. But after that I was like, no, I need to come home. So I came back. I worked at a couple different Starbucks here in, um, in Los Angeles, and East LA. And then I got to a shop that was in Santa Clarita, and we just, you know, I got into it with a customer and that led me to no longer have my job.

Portia: 6:54

Really?

LaNisa: 6:56

Yeah. Um, well, girl, go on. Tell it what happened. I mean, like, it would, there was no support there. There was a customer that had came in. He would call me outside my name, or I don't want the black girl making a drink, or, and this was in, in Canyon country. So the majority of people who walked in were white. There weren't any black people really over there. And Yes. Um, and, you know, we take matters into our own hands after we've done, and I, you know, did what I had to do.

Portia: 7:24

I mean, seriously though, I mean, I, I don't even know why I'm surprised in this day and age, even this day and age, it's like, yeah, still still going on.

LaNisa: 7:35

Yeah, it man. So yeah, I got let go from there and then I started working at another company. I ended up catching a case for a theft robbery and embezzlement, and I went to jail. And I got felonies off that. Um, I only for that one I did, but I got six months, but I only did about two and a half, half weeks. I ended up getting sick. Um, cuz I just, yeah, first time like in jail jail. And you got to Yeah, I just, it just wasn't right for me. I ended up getting, they ended up. Like letting me out early, but they, I had to do, I still was on probation for three years and I had to do community service for three months straight, if I'm not mistaken. Um, it was like 90 days of community service. I couldn't miss any days or anything like that. I was able to, do my, you know, go back into the society, I guess, and go get a job.

Portia: 8:34

Wait, wait, wait, wait. Let me, let me, let me stop you for a second. Because you left California. Yeah. To escape all the riff raft in South Central. Do you go to the East coast? You're doing well. What, what have you, and you're like, okay, it's time to go. Let me go back home. Yeah. And then this is when it's really gonna, it's, it's popping. It's like, okay, now you got some in some to some trouble.

LaNisa: 8:57

Yeah, I mean, I was doing it to support my family. Mm-hmm. Um, and when I say that, um, I mean like I was helping out my mom. I had a partner at the time. She had a kid and they was just trying to make ends meet. And, you know, I'm not saying it was the right thing for me to do or anything like that, but I did what I had to do and I was still in the streets. I was still gang banging, I was still hanging out with the, the crowd that I definitely should have not been, and then I, I caught a case, went to jail. My mom was like, come back home. We'll try to fix, you know, my mom held me down. I ain't the entire time And, like, let's try to help. And you know, she's, she was trying to guide me and, you know, we think we know everything when, when we're young and we don't care. You know, we don't need our parents to tell us to what to do. So, uh,

Portia: 9:44

Don't I know it.

LaNisa: 9:45

I went back and I got a job. I worked in the Glendale Galleria. I work for the Lego Company. I managed a store that was, that's in there. And, yeah, I was on the, you know, I was somewhat on the right path, I'm gonna say. And then, um, but this is how I got reintroduced into coffee again. My friend worked at the Pete's Coffee that was downstairs right underneath my shop. And I would go down there, not to necessarily drink coffee, but they had a hibiscus lemonade tea that was amazing. So, I would, go over there, talk and she was just like, just come down here. You can work. I know, you know, you have coffee experience. I need you. And I was like, we need another black person. I'm just like, yeah, no.

Portia: 10:24

You need another black person.

LaNisa: 10:26

I was just like, nah, bro. Like, I was cool with like, I worked at the Lego store, like all I did was direct parents on which toys to buy their kids. And, I got the opportunity to build all those sets that are in the display. Like I worked my way from just, you know, unboxing in the back to being the, the manager. I'm not saying it was a cake walk, cuz of course there's paperwork, but it was like, One of the easiest jobs I've ever had, and it was really rewarding. I was again, in the service position. I was again, putting smiles on people's faces, and I enjoyed that.

Portia: 10:56

Right. Well, and, and let me say, you know, when I, when I brought up, you know, you went from LA da da da da and you came back and you No, I'm not judging cuz I want you to know that I'm just inspired. I'm in awe. Seriously, because that's heavy. Nobody knows what somebody is going through unless they are that person, but all I know is that's tough. It had to be,

LaNisa: 11:17

Yeah.

Portia: 11:18

But then look at you now. We'll get into what she's doing now. Trust me. We'll get into all of that. But you know, we gotta get the backstory and all. the coffee

LaNisa: 11:28

yeah.

Portia: 11:28

experiences. So, I wanna go back to something.

LaNisa: 11:33

Okay.

Portia: 11:34

I read when you said, you were seven years old about your mom and the coffee.

LaNisa: 11:38

Yeah.

Portia: 11:39

You said the coffee and the cream, and then the smell would permeate through your cramped apartment. How did that make you feel? Because you noticed your mom, she was happy when she was drinking her coffee.

LaNisa: 11:51

Yes.

Portia: 11:51

How did it make you feel?

LaNisa: 11:53

I enjoyed it. I that's the few times that I did see my mom like in the most joyous state. My mom worked three jobs. I have five sisters. Okay. Like, she did everything she could to take care of us. Uh, we didn't live in the best of conditions. We, you know, one bedroom, all of us in there, we've lived in the cars and all that. But that was her treat for herself. Like out of everything, you know, she's not buying herself sweets, candy. She's not doing anything extra, but making sure that we're taken care of, but that was her safe haven. That was her little thing. That was what put a smile on her face. And I, I would always ask my mom if I could have some of her coffee, and she'd be like, like, this is mine. Like, I can't have nothing to myself, you know. But she would save me some. And that was our, that that was our thing. And today it still is like, You know, I dropped a video not too long ago of my mom coming over for the holidays and she was like, let me whip you up some coffee. Like how I do it at my house.

Portia: 12:50

Wait minute, Cadillac coffee?

LaNisa: 12:52

Yes.

Portia: 12:54

You guys, if you go to her website, Barista Life LA,

LaNisa: 12:58

Yes.

Portia: 12:59

And you see her mom, she's up there brewing some coffee. She's like, lemme show you Cadillac style.

LaNisa: 13:04

Yeah, that's her. Like, I watched my mom more than any of my sisters growing up. How she moved, her mannerism, how she carried herself. I see that like when we hang out or when, like, such as that video, like that's the charismatic, that's where I get it from. Like that's why. It's great. I definitely enjoy that relationship. The coffee relationship that me and my mom have, and she just, you know, supports me. She's like, you really found your niche and this is it. And we, so I'm forever grateful for her.

Portia: 13:35

Girl. That's really, really touching and like,

LaNisa: 13:40

Yeah.

Portia: 13:41

Talking to you about where you are now, you started Barista Life LA. And then you also, within that you started, What's it Black and Brew?

LaNisa: 13:53

Yes.

Portia: 13:53

That's about African American

LaNisa: 13:57

Coffee professionals. Like, I know that we're baristas and that's the technical term for what we do in coffee, but at the end of the day, like I feel everyone who's in coffee, you're a professional. You're in that I tried to address as many people as possible. You know, they're black, I feel like you're a black coffee professional. You're not just a barista cuz there's more to just being someone who slings coffee behind the bar.

Portia: 14:19

Mm-hmm.

LaNisa: 14:19

Like you're bringing a experience to people.

Portia: 14:21

Mm-hmm.

LaNisa: 14:21

This is a professional industry and we're mastering it.

Portia: 14:25

Yes you are cuz you say you're a master. You was your coffee master.

LaNisa: 14:30

Uh, yeah, I did the whole Coffee Master. I mean, Starbucks offers that Pete's Coffee. After I, uh, I finally went back into coffee at Pete's. I became the district trainer for all of Los Angeles. So I had 13 stores underneath my belt that I was responsible for their training, any new drinks that came out.

Portia: 14:48

Oh my God. Where were you when I was there? For real.

LaNisa: 14:52

Yeah. I really, I just really do feel like this is my purpose. This is where I'm supposed to be. I love it. I guess I had like an epiphany, like the last time I went to jail was for a whole year, and in that time, it was me again running from a situation that I was in. it was just a, a toxic relationship. And I ended up doing some things that, I definitely shouldn't have done, but did. It was like a breath of fresh air when I went to jail, honestly, because of the situation that I was in. I was like, I would rather be sitting in prison than have to deal with this right here. Inside there I was able to have a counselor and someone who met with me once a week and talked to me, and it was just being able to really let go of certain things that happened to me as a kid and the situations that we were in and being in that relationship and all that. Being able to let that stuff go allowed me to really see like, this is where you're good at. This is where you excel. This is where you're the most impactful. So, let's go with this. And three days before I was being released, I called my old boss and I was like, yo, I'm about to be back in town. If I can get my job back, that'd be amazing. And they're like, yeah. I got out on, November 13th, uh, 2015. I was in the shop on Monday. On Wednesday I was working.

Portia: 16:14

Where was this Pete's? Pete's?

LaNisa: 16:15

Yeah. This was Pete's. Yeah. that was a sign for me, like. This is where you need to be LaNisa. You doing your thing. It's keeping you off the streets. Cuz if I didn't have that job to go back to, like, I honestly don't know what, what I would be doing right now, cuz the judge told me if I see you again, I'm giving you five to ten.

Portia: 16:34

Good God.

LaNisa: 16:35

And I don't have five. Yeah. I don't have five to 10. Just to, just to be kicking off. Like it's nothing like I'm not giving no free time away. Not about to. I couldn't. So

Portia: 16:46

You dedicated every day after that?

LaNisa: 16:49

Yeah.

Portia: 16:50

To all things coffee.

LaNisa: 16:52

I just wanted to better myself. I wanted more. I see my sisters excelling. They've been on TV shows, they've done, my sisters are, they're from where we come from. Um, it blows.

Portia: 17:05

Yeah. I get you girl. For real. I mean, I feel that. I, I'm curious, you said something. What is a coffee master? I mean, you know, I know we're just going from this emotional thing, but before I forget, cause I'm gonna tell you right now, people, you know, I know she's up, she we're all emotional. You know, this is, this is touching, but I'm gonna tell you right now, I'll forget in a minute. So I gotta go back. What is that?

LaNisa: 17:34

It's just someone who's mastered the skills of like being able to cup coffee properly and be able to identify coffee flavors, um, you know, how to brew coffee in, in multiple different ways. They give you a masterclass where you're able to train people, you're able to tell about a product. It encompass like a whole test on everything. But that's that was Pete's and, and that was Starbucks' coffee master program. Now, we have like the SCA, which is a Special Coffee Association that sets the standards of who and what is a, a coffee master or someone who is a professional coffee person. But I've taken all those, I've taken majority of all those classes. My next thing is to be a Q grader. There's not enough black women in, in this world that are Q graders, and I wanna be one of'em.

Portia: 18:20

Mm-hmm.

LaNisa: 18:21

I really do. I enjoy roasting. I enjoy cupping coffee. I enjoy everything about it. There's so much possibilities with a cup of coffee or with a cherry seed that blows my mind.

Portia: 18:35

I know.

LaNisa: 18:36

Yeah.

Portia: 18:36

It blows my mind the complexities of coffee. A lot of people don't realize how complex coffee is, and they look at wine, they look at especially wine, but then they look at beer and then they think, oh, wine, beer it's so complex with the chemical makeup of, of that, but,

LaNisa: 18:55

Right.

Portia: 18:55

coffee. Yeah, coffee blows them out the water, to be honest with you.

LaNisa: 19:00

It does.

Portia: 19:00

I have just, I just scratched the surface with a class with a gentleman who used to work for the SCA. Well, he,

LaNisa: 19:08

okay.

Portia: 19:09

Um, became a manager at a coffee shop in Raleigh and

LaNisa: 19:13

Nice.

Portia: 19:14

I think it was like a five hour class, and we got a chance to do cupping and we got a chance to just learn about where coffee really comes from, where it went. It's like this map that the SCA has, right?

LaNisa: 19:28

Yeah. Yeah.

Portia: 19:29

And it just shows you all these places of where it's traveled and so forth. But he was telling me the complexities of coffee and I was floored. Mm-hmm. floored.

LaNisa: 19:40

It is. It definitely is. it, and it's also subjective, like. What you taste, I may not taste. And that's what I like about it. Like there's no right or wrong answer because everyone experiences coffee differently. Like if I taste cherries and it takes me back to eating cherry pie when I was four years old, but you taste raspberries from when your mom baked you a raspberry cupcake, like, that's just how amazing it is. It takes you back to, I don't know. I always get taken back to when I was a kid and I was like, when I taste certain coffee, I was like, dang, this reminds me when I was, you know, six years old, like waiting for my mom to gimme a, a bite of her or Apple. Like things like that. Yeah.

Portia: 20:25

Where has coffee taken you now, I know this last trip, we'll get into this last trip, but before that, I remember you had said, um, on your Instagram pages, like you had, you had put it out there in the universe, and this was a couple of years ago or something, and you said,

LaNisa: 20:39

I did.

Portia: 20:40

From that point, you had met so many people in the industry, and you had learned a lot. Where'd you go and, and what cultures did you learn from and, and all of that.

LaNisa: 20:50

Then I wasn't thinking like, oh, I'm about to be like international or anything like that. I just wanted to get up out my city, and meet people who were, have the same passions that I do and during the pandemic and when I, when I launched Black and Brew, that allowed me to connect with people in Africa, Cape Cod, like just everywhere. Tennessee. Shout out to my guys, Bartholomew and Cxffee Black. I, I was connected with people with like-minded, and I felt seen, heard, and I felt in this space that this is where I belong. I mean, I've traveled. Quite a bit. Um, in the last few years I hit quite a bit, of the states, here, I got to go to Canada. I had applied for my passport before and they had denied me. And they're like, well, you know, you got four felonies and a strike on your joint, like you not going nowhere. They just, like, I couldn't go anywhere. And so then I ha, I mean, I had a meeting with the judge and I just told him like, look, I'm here to change my life. I have a business now and everything. And he was like, all right, I'll let you know in a couple weeks how I feel about it. And then he they sent me a letter saying that they dropped everything that's on my record.

Portia: 22:05

What?

LaNisa: 22:05

So yeah. Yeah. That's why I know this is, this is where I need to be cuz things like that don't happen. And I, now I have a passport. I've just came back from an amazing trip in Guatemala, but I was able to, even going to Canada and being a part of the Arrow Press world champion, like these are things that I only dreamt about. And I only wanted to be there, because I didn't never see anybody in these pictures that look like me. Yes. Like why is that, where, where is the disconnection? Or like, is the, is it, I just feel like for me to get it to where I am, I had to see somebody that looked like me. And once I saw somebody that did, I know there's endless possibilities. And then, then I just was. If, if it only takes for somebody to see one person, let me be that person that they see and give them the opportunities to be better than me.

Portia: 23:01

Mm.

LaNisa: 23:02

Because sometimes that's all you need. Just somebody just be like, you got this, and I wanna be the person. That I would've wanted to look up to when I was coming up. I just wanna be that example.

Portia: 23:17

Yeah. And you just spoke it. I was gonna ask what advice would you would give to our younger generation, The advice of choices, you know, of mm-hmm. given some, some younger generation advice on the choices that could help them to thrive, not just survive, but thrive in the future. What would you say, that, just what you said, or?

LaNisa: 23:44

Yeah. I mean, I don't wanna sound like cliche with all these like quotes, but like you won't know how successful you're gonna be unless you do anything. And if you don't see nobody doing it and you have it in your head that you, you wanna do it. Ideas don't just come just because. They come so they can get played out. So play out what you believe in, what you dream. Cuz that's literally everything that I, I'm doing is something I, I honestly just prayed and was like, I'm gonna do this some way. Somehow I'm gonna make it happen. And that's like my slogan. It is like, I'm gonna make it, I'm gonna make it happen. I don't have no other choice. I've came from the bottom. I'm not damn sure ain't going back.

Portia: 24:27

No. No. Damn it. Uhuh. No, I wish I would've met you before my wife and I took this, um, a road trip. We took a a, a 19 day road trip last summer.

LaNisa: 24:38

Nice.

Portia: 24:39

And I was trying to. A girl, I love to drive. I'll drive anywhere you ask anybody. My, my mom was praying. Girl, lemme tell you something. When I was over in California, cuz she knew I was crazy. She called me a wild woman, a long time ago. She would be in the bathroom. She is like, whenever we would talk, she said, I got to go. I got to go. Cause I gotta go pray for you. I go everywhere. So, we stopped at all of these places. I mean, so many states driving from North Carolina and California back to Colorado, blah, blah, blah. Yeah. But, We stopped in a lot of coffee shops and my point into bringing you up is that I wish I would've known the black baristas, the black coffee owners on that road trip. I guess I'm just gonna have to take another road trip.

LaNisa: 25:25

That sounds like a great plan.

Portia: 25:27

But I'm gonna have to talk to you about who I should go see because I know that there are tons.

LaNisa: 25:35

There are, and I'm, every time I scroll through my Instagram, I see my people's winning, like I really do. And I'm like, they're getting their flowers. People are recognizing this work that they're doing, and I'm filled with joy. Like I, I'm glad that's not just me out here. I'm glad that there's a lot of people. I'm glad that we out here trying to reclaim our, our heritage and reclaim where we from. Like it's. It's, it's encouraging. I tell all my friends like, y'all be inspiring me. Like, I see y'all putting in this work. I mean, like, I know I got a lot going on. I know I do, but I be like, it makes me wanna do more and get out there and, and just connect with people and let them know that they're seen and heard and do projects so I can uplift them.

Portia: 26:15

Speaking, uplift, uplifting. See what you are. You're a beacon. You're a beacon of light and love. That's what it is. I'm just gonna keep you real. I mean, you know it is. This is what it's. So, when you were offered the opportunity, To go fly all the way to Guatemala. Guatemala, let me say that, right by Chica Beans. Is that

LaNisa: 26:36

Chica Bean farm? Yeah.

Portia: 26:38

Chica Bean Farms. And girl, when I saw your Instagram, you were just the happiest thing. You were just like, you know, I prayed about it and

LaNisa: 26:46

I did.

Portia: 26:47

What? How did they reach? What they say? What they wanted you to come down and do what?

LaNisa: 26:52

So the owner Jose, um, he owns Chica Bean Coffee and Chica Bean Cafe, in Guatemala, but he had followed me on Instagram. This is what he told me is like, I was following you on Instagram and I enjoyed your content, and I saw what you were doing that says you offer classes and, um, that you're trying to just, you know, better and help out the coffee community. And I, had the opportunity last year for Coffee Fest LA to be the judge for the Latte Art throwdown and for the Cold brew competition. He just watched me, I guess. Not like stalking, but like, he just saw me. That's what he told me. He's like, I saw you, but every time I wanted to speak to you, you had a crowd of people you were talking. So I like, he like I circled around like a shark, And then, I don't know, I was walking somewhere and he found me and he was like, can I speak to you? And I was like, yeah. He brought me over to his booth and he just basically like broke it down on what he was doing, his coffee company, who they've partnered with and stuff like that. He gave me a hat, a t-shirt, and then basically at the end of the conversation he was like, would you be willing to come to Guatemala and, and train, you know, the, the community that we're in, I, I shoot, I instantly started crying, like,

Portia: 28:06

Oh wow.

LaNisa: 28:07

it's been one of my dreams, literally, like, since I've been on this specialty coffee for the last seven, eight years in specialty coffee. Like I see so many people going to Origins trips and I'm just like, dang. Like, how come I can't, I mean, like, I don't know if they paying for it themselves or how they're getting there, but I, I was just like, I wanna do that. if I'm over here preaching all this stuff about all what coffee is and yada yada ya, I just didn't feel, I mean, I knew I was doing my thing, but I wanted to have that experience of going to an Origins country. Picking some cherries depulping, putting it in the wet mill, putting it in the fermentation, watching it dry. I needed to be a part of all that because I also felt like that connected me back to my people's. Even though it wasn't in Africa, this is the same stuff that happened. This is where black brown people live. This magical bush. This tree grows. You know. And, I just wanted that connection and I, I wanted to see how hard it is to be a producer and understand like, these people ain't getting they money. Yes. This work that, that they doing, we're not paying them, right? I'm 1500 or thousand, feet above sea level hanging off of a cliff picking cherries. This is what they do eight hours a day. We take it for granted. Like we just turn on water in the fall, you know, water falls out.

Portia: 29:34

Yes, we do.

LaNisa: 29:35

The way they meticulously, you know, handpick the ones that shouldn't be out, be in there. The, the greens, the, It just an experience that I wanted, have always seen it. And when they said, when he asked me, I was like, well, when do I sign up? Cause I can go pack my bag right now, right now, go back

Portia: 29:56

right now.

LaNisa: 29:58

But it was just, it was also just another sign for me to continue to do what I'm doing and. That's what I feel like I get all the time days that I, I mean, I'm not saying every day I wake up and it's like boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Like some days I, I really don't, I really am like, you know, today ain't really the day for me to go dropping video. I don't wanna record nothing or like, I don't, I'm not in the mood, but I wake up, I say these affirmations to myself. I say, these people out here who watching your moves. You're setting an example. and I don't know, I just, I was blown away by the opportunity and, I get these confirmations like LaNisa, you're still, I tell myself this is a sign that you still, you doing what you're supposed to. Everybody don't see the work, hard work that you do. And I don't expect people to see what I do behind closed doors cuz I ain't never not working. I let people know that I am never not working. Mm. but the hard work that I'm putting in, these are the rewards that I'm getting from it, and all I wanna do is continue to do what I'm doing. All my friends are like, how did you make that happen to Guatemala? I said, I don't make nothing happen. You know, I'm here to do the Lord's work and if that means for me to be able to go and I'm in this coffee industry and I'm doing A, B, C, and d, let me set these foundations so that people can come behind me who have the exact same dreams or, you know, they have the desire to go to a Origins country. Because I went, I now have that connection that my friends who are here can, I can suggest like, y'all need you to go ahead and pick this person. I had my turn. Go ahead. Let go down to the next person, the next person after that. Because what I bring to the table is different from what this person, and they may have something better. And I'm not saying we better than the other, but they may have some better ideas than I do. Let them implement those. Why not? I, I can't be stingy. I got the fact that I'm still breathing, and I'm still on this Earth is the ultimate blessing for me. Mm-hmm. Cause I could be dead. I could be doing five to ten.

Portia: 31:56

Yes girl.

LaNisa: 31:57

Every day is an opportunity just for me to better myself, personally and professionally.

Portia: 32:04

When you're working, you're hustling, you're working. What are you talking about? Tell the people, because sometimes, and even myself, and not until recently, I'm realizing, hey, you have to do more than what you've done. You gotta keep working every day. Tell people, like when you are working behind the scenes, you making phone calls, you're making contacts. You just, you know, constantly honing your craft.

LaNisa: 32:28

Yeah. I probably have at least four meetings a day, and that's like six days out of the week. I truly try to keep Sunday to myself, but like, it doesn't always work that way.

Portia: 32:39

Mm-hmm.

LaNisa: 32:40

but I am booked every day I'm doing something. Um, I'm not saying I don't do self-care or anything like that, but. I know, like literally I got off the plane on Sunday, and I had two meetings back to back on Monday. I had two meetings back to back on Tuesday, four meetings yesterday. But these meetings are productive. They're all, somehow, I don't know where they fit into the, the whole puzzle, but I know I have these connections, so if I need to pull something outta my bag, I got you. I know who to go to for this. I know how I can do this. I can show up for you here. Like I enjoy that. Like I pride myself on being like the coffee plug. Look, I tell people this, like I sold A, B, and C and now sell stuff that's legal. I just switch my product. The hustle is still the same. Like I'm still out here. I just switch my product, And you can't take that away from me. It ain't, it ain't illegal. Well, yeah, I hold meetings all the time. I'm trying to get events. I'm trying to, um, I mean, I also have a nine to five. I work for for an oatmeal company that I gotta do work for that. So it, all my jobs allow me to be able to sit inside of the cafe every day, if I choose to, and take my meeting. And that's the life that I foresee for myself and that I'm building. It's like, I wanna be able to be in control in where I go, who I help, how I do this. They say, everybody wants to be a boss, but bosses are the ones who cut checks. I wanna be that boss that cuts checks for people to let, Hey, let me help you fund your passion. Let me help you make your dream come true. Like that's what I really wanna like. One of my friends always says like, you're the Oprah of coffee. Cuz I'm just like, you get an espresso machine, you get an espresso machine, you get a grinder. Right? Like, I don't wanna be able to do that.

Portia: 34:34

Girl. That's your tagline. Seriously, I, you know, I'm all about t-shirts. I, I create t-shirts and sayings and all that. That's your tagline. That trademark that. I trademark that. Well, since, since you're hustling, um, and you've been working this week, I saw that you got a lot going on this February.

LaNisa: 35:01

It is. It's Black History Month. Gotta turn it up at least ten notices.

Portia: 35:05

Tell us.

LaNisa: 35:06

Um, so this month we are off or Barista Life LA, Black and Brew is offering three different coffee cuppings, um, where we're just going to, we're gonna be cupping, only black owned coffee companies coffee. Um, some of my favorite professionals in the game. And we're also gonna do a black coffee crawl where we're just going to as many. Honestly, I still need to get the list to, I, I have the list, but the path of what we're taking is still in the works for that. But I'm trying to hit all the coffee all the black-owned coffee shops that I can. I feel like everybody, I mean, they know who I am and I respect everybody's game, and I just wanna uplift them cuz I think that they're making a tremendous impact in the city of LA, and in the world as well. Everyone offers something different and I, I, I love it.

Portia: 35:56

If people wanna get in touch with you and wanna take you around the world, bring you to some parties, you know?

LaNisa: 36:04

Yep.

Portia: 36:04

So you can show them how to do what you do. How do they get in touch with you?

LaNisa: 36:10

They can email me at baristalifela@gmail.com. That's where I pretty much take all my bookings or anything like that goes through there. They can DM me in on my Instagram. also on my website, which is baristalifela.com. There is a section in there to write me a note. So I'll receive those messages. But yeah, j ust hit me up. I have a Facebook, but like, I honestly, Facebook is like the least one that I, I look at. I also have LinkedIn. You can find me on LinkedIn under Lanisa Williams. That's how p everyone gets in contact with me.

Portia: 36:46

Yeah, that's the way I did it.

LaNisa: 36:47

Yeah.

Portia: 36:48

And she's responsive. Quick. She may be busy, but she's quick.

LaNisa: 36:54

Yeah. I do have, I have an assistant that, uh, that's freaking amazing. She came into my life like a year ago and, I can't say nothing, but she's a blessing.

Portia: 37:07

Gosh. That's wonderful to hear. Well, look, I can't say enough about you. When I am in LA I have so many, I still have friends in LA and Long Beach, and I have to hit you up along with all the other black coffee owners because.

LaNisa: 37:23

We out here.

Portia: 37:25

I'm so grateful. I really am.

LaNisa: 37:28

I appreciate it.

Portia: 37:29

Well, I know you're busy, my friend, and you just take care, do your thing, and keep being a beacon of light and love, please.

LaNisa: 37:37

Yes, I will. I definitely will. Thank you.

Portia: 37:40

Thank you. I'm Portia White, and I hope you've enjoyed today's conversation. I'd like to give a special thanks to our sponsors betterwithacupofcoffee.com and peeztees.com. If you want to be our guest on our show, email me at cuppaconnections@gmail.com. And if you like what you heard, please write and review our podcast. And, join us again soon on Cuppa Connections.