Friends and roasters Kimberly and Sara noticed women were everywhere in coffee except at the top. They founded Sightseer in 2021 to change that, sourcing 100% from women producers. With every bag, they work toward a more equitable supply chain and a brighter future for the whole industry.

Ready to explore Sightseer's coffee? Jump in here.

At Trade, we’re all about origin stories. How did Sightseer begin?

Kimberly and I met while roasting for another local coffee company and really connected on the issue of gender equity in the coffee industry. Namely; when you visit a coffee farm, you'll see a ton of women doing the manual labor, but when you go to talk to whoever is in charge, it's always a man. Research bears that out; approximately 70% of the coffee labor worldwide is done by women, but women are severely underrepresented when it comes to management and ownership. It was something we'd both noticed firsthand, and something we saw as not just a huge bummer but an impediment to sustainability as well. There's a Kofi Annan quote that we have on our website that says:

“Study after study has confirmed that there is no development strategy more beneficial to society as a whole - women and men alike - than one which involves women as central players. No other policy is as likely to raise economic productivity, lower infant and maternal mortality or improve nutrition and promote health. When women are fully involved, the benefits can be seen immediately: families are healthier; they are better fed; their income, savings and reinvestment go up. And what is true of families is true of communities and, eventually, whole countries.”

Reading that was a big “aha moment” for us. What's a great way to prioritize social, environmental, and economic sustainability within coffee? Empower the women of coffee. 

We decided to form our own roasting company that sources exclusively, transparently, and fairly from women producers. Sightseer was born!

Your visual identity really stands out. What inspired the branding and design behind Sightseer?

One of the things we wanted from the very beginning was for the brand to feel colorful, fun, and a bit weird. It relates to how we think about ourselves, and how we think about coffee. The specialty coffee world can take itself very seriously, and we wanted Sightseer to feel more like an invitation. Come explore, taste something new, have fun with it.

What’s your philosophy when it comes to sourcing and roasting coffee?

When it comes to sourcing, we think about quality in two ways: tasty coffee and impactful coffee.

First, the coffee has to taste great. We’re looking for clean, sweet, well-produced coffees. We’re pretty open-minded about flavor profiles, especially with our microlots. We don’t chase cup scores. When we evaluate samples, we’re primarily just looking for cups that have that “yum” factor. 

The second piece is impact. We want to pay good money to good people doing good work so they can keep doing it. We opt to work with producers that are investing in their land and people. And to be honest, most women producers are doing exactly that. 

When it comes to roasting, our approach depends on the coffee. For some of our year-round offerings, like Dad Bod, we’re roasting with approachability and consistency in mind. With our lighter roasts and microlots, we go into “coffee whisperer mode” and try to let the coffee speak for itself. Our goal is to highlight the coffee’s natural sweetness, acidity, and structure rather than force anything onto it. 

In the spirit of Women’s Month, we’d love to hear how centering women producers influences not just who you source from, but how you operate and grow as a company.

Centering women producers really highlights how much hope there is for, well, everything. It’s easy to feel pretty defeated about global realities these days. But organizations and stories within our industry, like Marcelline Budza’s Rebuild Women’s Hope cooperative in the Democratic Republic of Congo, makes us feel really hopeful and excited. On an island in the middle of Lake Kivu, a group of women have been able to tackle issues like social equity, financial independence, and maternal healthcare by using coffee as a catalyst. Stories like this really highlight how much good work is happening in the world, and how working towards equity helps to bend the arc of the universe towards justice. 

This perspective shapes how we run Sightseer day to day. It reminds us that coffee isn’t just a product; it’s a network of people doing really hard work to share the (literal) fruits of their labor with us. The steps we take as a roasting business need to be intentional, and success has to be defined by mutual benefit. 

Looking ahead, what’s exciting you most this year—new coffees, projects, collaborations, or goals?

This year we’re looking forward to getting out of the roasting warehouse a bit more and spending time interacting with, you know, other humans. We’re planning a revamp of our coffee bar in Austin that should allow for better bar flow and a bit more customer hang-out space. And we’ve started teaching a new, beginner-friendly sensory class at our sister company, Rising Tide Roast Collaborative. (It’s a fun class, you should sign up!)

Founders Team Q&A

First, tell us a little about yourself—whatever you’d like to share.

Sara: I’ve been to the summit of Kilimanjaro, I still have all my wisdom teeth, and I once posed nude for a famous photographer while holding a bowl of couscous. 

Kimberly: When I’m not nerding out on coffee, I love some good trashy reality television, blowing through long form investigative journalism podcasts, and chilling with my dog, Goose. 

What are three things you love most about running a roasting business?

Sara: I love walking people through tasting sessions. Having someone taste a washed Colombia next to a natural Ethiopia can be a real “oh wow” experience for them. Seeing their reaction really connects me back to the joy of it all. 

Kimberly:

1. Seeing people’s reactions when they enjoy our coffees - something we spent time, energy and focus on bringing to life. 

2. Leaning into the weird and fun - having a true expression of ourselves in everything we do. Coffee names, packaging, messaging, it’s all an extension of us. 

3. Getting to nerd out on what I’m truly passionate about all the time. 

We have to ask: how do you make coffee at home?

Sara: My daily driver is black drip coffee, but on the weekends a pour-over with an Origami or a Chemex.

Kimberly: Most mornings I start my day with drip from a Moccamaster and graduate to a cold brew at the roastery. 

For someone discovering Sightseer for the first time, which coffee would you recommend—and why?

For traditional coffee fans: Season of the Witch. It’s a rich chocolatey Colombian coffee with some subtle dried fruit notes. It’s a can’t-go-wrong crowdpleaser! 

For adventurous coffee drinkers: Space Cowboy. It’s a complex, berry-forward Ethiopian balanced out with pretty florals and a creamy lactic quality that makes it really special.