BY VASILEIA FANARIOTI
SENIOR ONLINE CORRSEPONDENT
Photos courtesy of Florida Coffee Culture
When I sat down with Jared Tucker, founder of Florida Coffee Culture, one thing became immediately clear: this wasn’t a project built around coffee alone. It was built around people.
Florida Coffee Culture, which began as a simple Instagram page in 2023, has quickly grown into a statewide movement connecting baristas, roasters, and coffee lovers. But at its core, the mission remains deeply personal, rooted in Jared’s own experience behind the bar and his desire to cultivate something often overlooked in the industry: belonging.
The idea for Florida Coffee Culture began quietly. Jared recalls lying in bed one night, talking with his wife about how much he missed being part of a coffee community after moving to Orlando. As a former barista, he missed the daily interactions—the conversations, the camaraderie, and the shared passion that exists behind the bar. “I wanted to find a way back into that world,” he says.
What started as a small Instagram page (then called Orlando Coffee Culture) was meant to highlight and humanize baristas. Jared wanted customers to see cafés as more than transactional spaces and instead recognize the people crafting their drinks.
That intention still defines the organization today: celebrating coffee professionals not just for their craft, but for their humanity.
A “slow burn” into something bigger
Rather than a single turning point, Florida Coffee Culture’s growth came through a series of moments.
One of the first came when a follower reached out and suggested turning the online platform into an in-person gathering space. That idea led to the group’s first community meetup: an informal Saturday morning event, where coffee professionals and enthusiasts simply showed up to connect.
Soon after, another conversation sparked the idea for monthly latte art throwdowns. The first event drew nearly 100 attendees and over 30 competitors, signaling a clear demand for community-driven spaces in Florida’s coffee scene. What followed was 20 consecutive months of events across the state.
The final shift came during a multi-day festival weekend in 2024. With dozens of companies and hundreds of attendees from across Florida, Jared realized the project had outgrown Orlando. Florida Coffee Culture was born.
More than events
While events have been central to its growth, Florida Coffee Culture has expanded far beyond gatherings.
The organization now hosts competitions, cuppings, café meetups, and the annual Florida Coffee Festival, which has drawn thousands of attendees and over 160 vendors. But just as important are its initiatives aimed at supporting coffee professionals directly.
One standout is the Barista Development Fund, which helps remove financial barriers within the industry. Through the fund, Florida Coffee Culture has covered competition entry fees, supported travel to industry events, and subsidized training opportunities like Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) certifications.
“There are so many talented people in coffee who just need access,” Jared says. “We’re trying to create pathways for that.”
Connecting both sides of the bar
A defining challenge for Florida Coffee Culture has been balancing the needs of professionals and consumers. Jared is intentional about designing events that serve both.
Throwdowns, for example, are built for baristas, but remain accessible to newcomers through features like home barista brackets, where non-professionals can learn basic skills and compete. Similarly, the festival blends industry elements with a broader cultural experience, incorporating food vendors, art, and music.
“The goal is to close the gap between the barista and the customer,” Jared explains. “When that gap shrinks, the entire industry becomes stronger.”
The power of in-person experiences
Despite its digital beginnings, Florida Coffee Culture’s impact is rooted in physical spaces. “In-person events are where real relationships form,” Jared says.
He points to moments that happen after events—conversations between café owners, first-time competitors finding confidence, collaborations sparked over shared tables—as the true measure of success.
For Jared, events are not the end goal, but the starting point. The hope is that attendees leave inspired to build community within their own cities, creating a ripple effect across the state.
A grassroots approach
Unlike traditional industry organizations, Florida Coffee Culture operates as a grassroots collective—something Jared believes is key to its success.
This approach allows for flexibility and responsiveness, but also requires intentional collaboration with local communities. As the organization expands, it works closely with baristas and café owners in each city to ensure events reflect the local culture.
“Grassroots collectives work best when they listen,” Jared says. “The community should shape what you’re building.”
Creating opportunity
Beyond fostering connection, Florida Coffee Culture has become a platform for opportunity. Through competitions, partnerships, and its growing network, the organization has helped baristas access jobs, training, and industry exposure.
At one festival, the winner of a latte art championship walked away with a fully equipped coffee cart setup, offering a tangible step toward entrepreneurship. “These events can do more than celebrate talent,” Jared says. “They can change someone’s trajectory.”
Looking ahead
As Florida Coffee Culture continues to grow, its focus is shifting toward long-term sustainability within the industry.
Future plans include expanding educational opportunities, strengthening mentorship pathways, and growing the Barista Development Fund. Jared also hopes to collaborate more with national and international coffee organizations while supporting other grassroots collectives across the country.
Still, the vision remains grounded in the same idea that started it all. “At the core, this has always been about creating spaces where people feel seen,” says Jared.
And those hoping to start their own coffee collective, he offers simple but practical advice: Be inclusive, build a team, ask for help—and just start.
He emphasizes the importance of reaching beyond “trendy” cafés and investing in the full spectrum of the coffee community, including those just entering the industry. “If you want to shape the future of coffee,” he says, “you have to invest in the people at the beginning of their journey.”
From a late-night idea to a statewide movement, Florida Coffee Culture is proof that meaningful change in coffee doesn’t always start with big infrastructure or funding. Sometimes, it begins with a conversation across the counter—and a willingness to build something bigger from it.
Vasileia Fanarioti (she/her) is a senior online correspondent for Barista Magazine and a freelance copywriter and editor with a primary focus on the coffee niche. She has also been a volunteer copywriter for the I’M NOT A BARISTA NPO, providing content to help educate people about baristas and their work.
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