We are using the past to inform our futures, just as we (I) have done in other highly socialized industries, such as craft beer. My years in craft beer involved promoting investments in microbreweries and brewpubs we built because consumers wanted to know more about the origins and diversity of their beer culture and identity. These same wonderful social dynamics are at play in the craft coffee industry.

For its first centuries to this day, the Ethiopian culture warmed the souls of millions of people, from very humble beginnings to the largest industry in the world. From the tableside coffee roasting tradition to the Arabian and Ottoman coffee houses where consumers started roasting their own brews using shish devices, the path forward is clear: It’s time for us to take it to the next level where consumers have easy-to-use, modern tabletop roasters so they can explore their own preferences and connect with the origins of one of their favorite pastimes.