The Caffeinated Gypsy

Lani Kingston, an Australian coffee book Author, is better known globally as a coffee entrepreneur than in her own birth country of Australia. She now lives in Portland, Oregon and is actively involved in many exciting consulting projects in the USA and Europe. Lani is a coffee business gypsy and has developed an impressive portfolio of skills via her global coffee and food travels.

I have had the pleasure of meeting Lani in the last two years and we have become great friends. It has been such a treat to hang out with her regularly at North American Coffee Fest events. Lani is currently the consulting director of education, bringing global coffee leaders together to host seminars and workshops at multiple national “Coffee Fests”.

Lani is probably known best in the coffee industry for her first book, “How To Make Coffee”, which has now sold over 250k copies in eight languages. Lani has now written four coffee books and has covered different aspects of the industry like café design and global café culture.

Food is still Lani’s passion, career and hobby. She is interested in the how and why we eat, food culture and history, through to agricultural science, seeds and sustainability. Lani is interested in small businesses, championing the authentic, handmade, diverse and unique. She is also interested in big businesses who are connecting with consumers on their level and making a difference.

Lani has been working for over a decade in senior management – as a Chef, Consultant, Brand Developer, Journalist, Marketer, Salesperson, Production Facility Manager. As maître d’ at a World’s 50 Best Restaurant in New York; as a barista and a pastry chef in London; as Director of Business Development for an F&B focused venture capital firm in Singapore. Lani has written best-selling books on coffee and has set-up bean-to-bar chocolate factories in two countries.

Lani has just released her new book “Designing Coffee: New Coffee Places and Branding”, and it is already looking to be another best-seller.

Lani, I have to say is a busy person! Now, in her spare time is teaching the Anthropology of Coffee at Portland State University, between her writing and consulting commitments.

I have this pleasure to introduce Lani Kingston to our coffee media audience and hope we don’t lose her forever to another nation. I am currently digesting her latest book and suggest she is a great person to follow if you want a fresh approach to your café/restaurant business.

Sean Edwards,
Director of Cafe Culture International

A sneak peak into "Designing Coffee:
New Coffee Places and Branding."

Designing Coffee explores what it takes to curate some of the most innovative and eclectic coffee shops today, from brand identity and packaging, through to interior design and architecture. Celebrating unique spaces, such as the minimalist, tea-house-like coffeeshops of Japan or communist-themed cafes in Vietnam, this book provides advice on how to create a unique space of your own.