This August, Stumptown Coffee Roasters will release "Wax & Gold" – a 26-minute short film produced in partnership with Farm League. The film documents their travels to Ethiopia to learn more about its rich history, which serves as the underpinnings for a contemporary cultural tapestry that interweaves the very old and the very new.
Directed by Britton Caillouette of Farm League, "Wax & Gold" is a visual poem evoking a nuanced narrative portrait of this incredible place. Putting form to the tension between history and contemporary life, the film relies on strong, timeless imagery, layered sound design and driving music to create an immersive experience. Britton and his crew shot for twelve days on location, traveling with each individual to capture their daily lives, families and histories interspersed with fast-paced scenes of Ethiopian celebration and ritual.
Click HERE to view the trailer.
To coincide with the premiere of Wax & Gold, Stumptown is releasing both a whole bean and cold brew offering in a collaboration between Stumptown, Farm League, and Haile Gebre of Ethiopia’s Mordecofe. Haile Gebre is a legend in specialty coffee. He began growing coffee in the fifties and grew his business into a global powerhouse, recognized in many circles as some of the cleanest, sweetest coffee on the planet.
Proceeds from this coffee will support the legendary Mulatu Astatke’s Jazz School in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which works to uphold and evolve the traditions of Ethio-jazz through traditional Ethiopian instrumentation.
Stumptown will be hosting public, ticketed screenings of the film in Los Angeles (August 24.) For more information about the screenings and to view the trailer for Wax & Gold, please visit https://www.stumptowncoffee.com/blog/wax-and-gold