The Future of Coffee: Film Screening, Panel Discussion, and Coffee Tasting

Thursday, October 29, 2026 5-6:30 p.m.

Location:
Weinstein Auditorium
For:
Open to the Public

This short documentary film, the pilot episode in a 7-part series, investigates coffee as a locus of intersecting concerns about labor, global trade and environmentalism. Following the film, director Kevin Anderson, Department of Communication, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, will facilitate a discussion with guests from local coffee companies. Panelists include Barth Anderson, co-owner of Barrington Coffee Roasting Company, Lee, MA; Brian Heck, Roaster, Educator, and Lead Coffee Technician, Barrington Coffee Roasting Company; Ted Dobek, co-owner, Circuit Coffee; and Rianna Jakson, Film Editor, The Future of Coffee. We'll round out the evening with a coffee tasting featuring locally roasted beans.

Sponsored by the Center for the Environment, Ecological Design, and Sustainability (CEEDS), the Kahn Liberal Arts Institute, and the Environmental Science and Policy Program.

The event is free and open to the public. For disability access information or accommodation requests, email kahninstitute@smith.edu. To request a sign language interpreter, email arc@smith.edu at least two weeks before the event.

About the Panelists

Barth Anderson

Barth Anderson began his coffee career in 1984 as a barista at the Coffee Kingdom in Worcester, MA. In 1993 he and his best friend founded Barrington Coffee Roasting Company in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. They have been sourcing extraordinary coffees and roasting them to order for their customers ever since.

Kevin Taylor Anderson

Kevin Taylor Anderson is a visual anthropologist and award-winning documentary filmmaker with experience shooting films in Nigeria, Ethiopia, Japan, Italy, India, Costa Rica, Mexico, Ireland, and Alaska.

Ted Dobek

Ted Dobek founded Westfield’s Circuit Coffee in 2017 to fill a real need: great coffee and a proper third place where people can slow down and connect. Seven years later he brought the coffee program full circle when he began roasting, the obvious next step. His fluid bed roaster uses hot air instead of a drum, giving each coffee the clarity to speak for itself. He curates a menu centered on local ingredients to showcase New England in its proper season.

Brian Heck

Brian Heck is a specialty coffee roaster with over 20 years of experience in the coffee industry. He is the head roaster at Barrington Coffee Roasting Company where he also leads sensory evaluation and coffee preparation technique classes. Brian has travelled all over the world exploring his interest in organic and biodynamic farming practices, surfing, and cuisine. He is passionate about food and beverage that reflects a love of people and place.

Rianna Jakson

Rianna Jakson is a filmmaker based in Boston specializing in dance and fashion. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a B.A. in film studies and a B.A. in communication with a certificate in media literacy.