What could education and coffee have in common?
I thought about this question in preparation for my visit to S&D Coffee and Tea during last month’s STEM Industry Day. After speaking with participants last year, I knew that it was the visit I wanted to experience if given the opportunity this year. I love coffee and have driven past S&D headquarters for the past 20 years wondering what produced the unique scent.
The day began with an introduction to the company by Rob Hinson, who told us about the commitment and patience required to grow a coffee plant. Immediately I saw the application to my work this year at the new Charlotte Engineering Early College developing a student-centered culture and building a level of trust among our students.
During the visit, it became clear that every member of the S&D team sees themselves as an integral part of ensuring a high quality product. Every team member had a visible passion for coffee and tea, even if they do not consider themselves coffee-drinkers.
We worked with a team of “cuppers,” who are responsible for approving possible purchases. They work in teams of three to ensure a fair assessment of possible beans, because men and women taste specific compounds differently. Next we learned about globalization and commodity trading within the coffee market. As a science teacher, I started seeing many real world applications such as graphing 50-day moving averages, calculating commodity exchanges, and creating a design challenge to develop a standard packaging for all coffee.
Finally we were on our way to discover how the coffee smell was produced. We viewed the grinding room, the coffee storage area and the roasters. It was fascinating to view the amount of technology involved in producing one cup of coffee. Again, I saw many applications to the classroom: temperature calculations in chemistry, surface area problems based on different grinds, and career highlights on food science. After lunch, we participated in a triangle test, which allows the company to quantify their ability to match flavors or products. The test would make an interesting schoolwide project-based learning topic, because it would apply to every content.
My colleagues and I gained valuable classroom resources, but were more impressed and challenged by the team-based, innovation-driven culture at S&D. Every team member we encountered was passionate, engaged, and working towards improving the brand.
What if we took that mentality back to our schools and applied it to our work with students? All school team members working to ensure that all students graduate ready for college, career and life.
Hannah Brooks teaches science at Charlotte Engineering Early College, an NC New Schools network school that opened in 2014.
