PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: Iaisha from Variety

PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: Iaisha from Variety
We <3 our community! We owe our success to the people in the industry who share in our values for quality products, thoughtful ingredients, and transparency regarding supply cycle and business practices. We want to highlight our partners that make DONA's growth possible. 
Where do you work?
Variety Coffee Roasters
What's your current position + how has it changed since Covid 19 took over?
I'm currently Store Manager at the Wyckoff location in Bushwick. I started this job late June after being furloughed from my previous job.
What is the biggest challenge you've faced in your employment due to Covid 19 + do you see it remaining constant in the future?
The challenge of not know if the service industry will survive. Ive watched many of my friends who are also in the service industry with jobs, unable to pay rent and I'm scared for them. I was fortunate enough to transition so quickly from being laid off to a new job in a week.
We've started sourcing single-origin spices; the spice trade is historically opaque with transparency and we're trying to change that. Given your experience in coffee, do you see any similarities in the way your coffee provider approaches coffee buying?
I feel like Variety has put fourth a great example by working with Mexico, smaller lots and showing that great quality coffee can come from unexpected origins.
What DONA products do you use in your shop + have you created any off book drink recipes with it?
We have the Dona chai concentrate, turmeric concentrate, Dona sodas and tisanes. Not as yet but im cooking some up.
Free space: fun fact, shoutout, vent, joke, favorite song, etc.
I also make my own chai concentrate. It started at my old job where I was for 3 years. We had full state of the art kitchens and so many spices I approached the director about making our own from scratch instead of buying. After about 5 months I solidified my recipe and launched Chai Day Friday's @ our LinkedIn office cafe. People would beg for it everyday but because it was something I made every Thursday for Friday it made it that much special. Im currently looking at local breweries to visit to see what type of facility I'd need when I officially start my chai business. So look out!