What even is Glitter Cat?

Glitter Cat was founded as a coffee competition training program for members of marginalized communities (BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, marginalized gender, neurodivergent, disabled). It has since expanded to encompass projects that are intended to have an impact on the specialty coffee industry by promoting the hiring and career advancement of members of marginalized communities.

How much do you have to pay for Glitter Cat training or competitions?

Nothing! Glitter Cat bootcamps are all-expenses-paid programs and our competitions are totally free as well. We fly you out, we put you up in a safe rental where you have your own room with a locked door, feed you three meals a day and snacks, and get you in a room with national and world champions and world-class coaches and judges to learn hands-on from them and network in order to build your career beyond competition.

WOW. I want to be a Glitter Cat! How do I go about that?

Woohoo! The more cats, the better! In a traditional competition season, we have an application period of one month where coffee professionals can apply for bootcamps corresponding to the USCC competition(s) of their choice. This year, we will hold a digital competition (The DigiCat Digitition), which will use a similar format and application period.

A Digitition sounds amazing! Where can I sign up?

Applications for the digital competition open October 25, 2021.

Is Glitter Cat a non-profit?

Yes! As of July 19, 2019, Glitter Cat is a 501(c)(3), which means we cannot profit from the money we raise and you are able to get a tax deduction for donating to us.

The competitions are too biased. Why not make your own competition?

From the beginning, we have had friendly low-stress competitions attached to community events and because of the effective cancelation of the 2021 USCC season, we are making our own larger scale competition. We are also an organization that is dedicated to making changes within existing structures because if we don’t do it, those competitions will continue to exist with limited representation and the same types of people will benefit from the career advancement that comes with doing well in those competitions.

When will the Coffee Competition Bootcamps come back?

The United States Coffee Championships are still on hold as of September 2021. Also, with ongoing safety and travel concerns during the pandemic, we will not hold bootcamps until it is safe. You can sign up for our newsletter to stay up-to-date with all things Glitter Cat!

I’m a cisgender heterosexual white man. Why should I not get the free training that comes with being a Glitter Cat?

Cishet white men make up well over 50% of all five US Coffee Championships competitors at the qualifier stage. In bootcamps, what we hear most often from trainees is that they have rarely if ever been taken seriously in their coffee careers. They have been shut out from promotions, advancement, and education and been told that they need to wait their turn; a turn that never comes. We don’t doubt that some cishet white men have had difficulty in their own circumstances but those are not the systemic issues resulting from racism, sexism, queerphobia, and ableism that Glitter Cat is dedicated to combatting.

“Marginalized identities” covers a lot of people. How can you possibly help so many people with specific needs?

As we expand, this is probably our biggest focus. A one-size-fits-all approach is rarely successful and does not encourage enough folx to try to get a seat at the table. Right now, we are focusing primarily on how we benefit Black Glitter Cats and coffee professionals with specific commitments and our Business Accountability Project. From there, we aim to make specific commitments and form projects that will benefit Indigenous and disabled coffee professionals individually. This is longterm work and we are open to any help from our community.

I’m concerned with something you’ve written here or on social media but I’m nervous to say something??

Please don’t be nervous! We can only be effective if we are open to all criticism, especially from those who represent the communities we are trying to help. You can contact us at any time here. We also won’t have hurt feelings if you start a conversation or respond openly to us on social media. We’re trying to do our best, but our defenses are always down as we strive to do better.