Entrepreneurship and ownership have always been key values ​​in the history of the Bartholomew Jones family. 

As the family legend says, Jones' great-grandfather Alexander Henderson avoided working as a tenant farmer by accumulating wealth and land until he was driven out of Arkansas and moved his family to Memphis. 

Jones, who was born and raised in Whitehaven, said: "My grandfather owned a cleaning company and really wanted to maintain ownership of it." "Growing up, my father taught me the same thing about ownership." 

Now Jones—his name is Alexander Henderson, named after his great-grandfather—continues on the theme of entrepreneurship and ownership of his company Cxffeeblack.

Founded in 2018, Cxffeeblack is more than just a lifestyle brand. This is an entrepreneurial adventure to recapture the black history of coffee and preserve its black future. In addition to coffee, music, clothing, events and consulting are also part of this concept. The funds generated by the brand are used to provide black people with opportunities to create and produce inspiring jobs. 

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When the 33-year-old Jones' wife and Cxffeeblack roaster Renata Henderson (Renata Henderson) gave him a Nespresso coffee machine as a gift, Jones' curiosity about coffee began to brew. After serving as a middle school teacher for ten years, Henderson and Jones decided to rely on their passion for coffee. 

"When I started drinking coffee, I thought it was cool, but I felt that I was experiencing some other people's culture, just as I thought we were experiencing Italian or French culture," said 30-year-old Jones.

After doing some research on the Ethiopian origin of coffee, "I thought,'Oh, this is ours.'" 

Coffee beans originated in the Guji region of Oromia, Ethiopia, and were stolen by merchants from European countries in 1616. Today, coffee is a multi-billion dollar industry, and its origins are hardly representative. 

Jones said: "It makes me feel that God allows us to help black people regain their deprived destiny, coffee and growth potential."

In 2019, Jones opened an anti-gentrification coffee club at 761 National Avenue. Although Jones and his team of small baristas make coffee, it is not a coffee shop. According to a 2018 Harvard Business School study, new coffee shops in the community have gained a reputation as a sign of community gentrification. However, the anti-gentrification coffee club rejected this idea and instead used its establishment to explore how the profit, aesthetics, job opportunities, empowerment and environment of the "coffee shop" can be tools to strengthen relationships with people in the community rather than replace them. . them. 

The antique space of Anti Gentrification Coffee Club displays the brand's posters (the design says "Love black people as you love Blxck Cxffee" and "Make Cxffee Black Again"). This is a cozy space with sofas, where anyone can pick up a book or hip-hop record from the shelf to explore and discuss.

Jones is also a rapper. He said that hip-hop is an essential element of his career and perspective. There are many similarities between hip-hop and his coffee work. He said that he reintegrated historical elements into modern times, just like sampling in hip-hop.

In the Anti Gentrification Coffee Club, Jones often entertains codes when drinking coffee, inviting local musicians and artists to create and share their works. Similarly, in the hip-hop tradition, the code is dance and music freestyle. 

Jones said that Ethiopia’s coffee culture is centered on black women because they assist, roast, prepare and serve coffee during coffee ceremonies and special occasions. 

Henderson said that as a practice passed down from generation to generation, baking enabled her to appreciate and respect her ancestry as a black woman.

"My first barbecue was very spiritual, and I was very excited after it was finished, because I felt that I had a close connection with things that I had never touched or existed before," she said. "But you have to know that as a black woman, I feel the value when doing some seemingly simple things, but historically, it has such an important significance." 

Jones said that history is why his wife became a coffee roaster.

"This shows how much the colonization of coffee has had an impact on coffee culture, because currently, my wife's black woman has become the city's first black female roaster," he said.

Jones said he learned that "coffee is a way to connect with your tradition, God, and everything."

"So this view is really transformative for me," he said. "What do we think of coffee?" 

In the past five years, there have been more and more coffee shops owned by blacks. Jones believes this is a collective reimagining of coffee culture. 

"I just think that people living abroad are rejuvenating. This is a mirror image of what my great-grandfather is going through. Black people are struggling to regain what we lost," he said. "Not everyone knows the history of coffee. But I think there is a spiritual connection in this matter.

"At its core, you will see a lot of things we like: you will see the intersection of creativity, entrepreneurship, mind and community, handicrafts, food and agriculture, all of which happen in coffee."

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In October, Jones went to Ethiopia to explore his new all-black supply chain for Cxffeeblack's coffee bean series Guji Mane. Guji mane beans are grown and exported by black farmers and community leaders in Ethiopia. He plans to make a documentary about his experience.

On Friday, Jones will host a password and coffee tasting session, in which images will be installed at the Anti Gentrification Coffee Club to showcase his experience in Ethiopia. There will also be a dialogue with representatives of Equatorial Coffee Consultants to discuss the process and importance of forming the Black Supply Chain. 

Tickets can be purchased here. GoFundMe donors can participate in Jones' travels and documentaries for free. The ticket for virtual participation is US$10, and the ticket for in-person participation is US$15.

Ultimately, Jones’ mission is not only to decolonize coffee, but also to continue to educate others about the history and culture that they have lost. 

The barista KeDarius "KD" Davis of the Anti-gentrification Coffee Club said that since working in the club, he has a new appreciation and respect for coffee.

"Bart taught me the coffee industry," he said. "I participated in Cxffeeblack because it is fun... I didn't even know that African Americans are so obsessed with coffee, I don't know that. And it's really cool to be able to teach others."

With the documentary he made with his colleagues in Ethiopia, Jones hopes not only to distribute it on a streaming platform, but also to create and build a multimedia course that can teach anyone from ignorance of coffee to learning everything they need to know Start your own coffee brand.

"Through everything we do, my wife and I are both teachers. So we want to create something where people can get rid of it through this thing called coffee and have the ability to regain their own destiny."

Astrid Kayembe is responsible for South Memphis, Whitehaven and Westwood. You can contact her at astrid.kayembe@commercialappeal.com, (901) 304-7929 or Twitter @astridkayembe_.

Time: Friday from 7 am to 5 pm 

Online: cxffeeblack.com. Follow @antigentrificationcoffeeclub and @cxffeeblack on Instagram and Twitter