630: How to Break Into a Coffee-Related Social Enterprise With Ben Weiner, Gold Mountain Coffee Growers [Espresso Shots]

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Ben Weiner is the founder, president and CEO of Gold Mountain Coffee Growers, LLC, a direct trade social enterprise that connects coffee farmers in Nicaragua with roasters around the world. When he founded the company in 2007, Ben’s goal was to cut out the middleman thus increasing livelihoods for the coffee farmers. He has also worked as an Advocacy Counsel for Human Rights First, as a Foreign Policy Legislative Assistant for Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and a Legal Consultant for the MIRA. Finally, Ben graduated from Washington University in St. Louis’ in 2003, where he majored in political science. He later got his law degree in 2007 from Boston College Law School.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT IN THIS EPISODE:

• What entry level jobs to look out for in this industry (5:08)
• How a social enterprise can also fight poverty (11:18)
• Why your major in school doesn’t really matter (14:21)
• Why grad school helps but is not really necessary (18:37)
• Why speaking foreign languages can help your career development (23:15)
• What’s the best career advice Ben ever received (30:00)
• Why you should watch A Film About Coffee and Barista to better understand the coffee industry (32:00)
• What’s a surprising fact about the coffee supply chain (34:33)
• If you want to learn more about what Ben does as founder and CEO of Gold Mountain Coffee Growers please tune in to his main T4C episode #567.