The specialty coffee landscape of the Pacific Northwest reached a new milestone on May 15, 2026, as Portland-based Keia & Martyn’s Coffee was officially named a winner at the prestigious Good Food Awards. The roastery, led by owners Keia Booker and Martyn Leaper, earned the distinction for their Ethiopia Guji Shakiso Natural coffee, a selection that stood out among more than 1,100 entries nationwide. This accolade, often described as the "James Beard Award" of the packaged food and beverage industry, recognizes not only excellence in flavor but also a rigorous commitment to social responsibility and environmental stewardship. The award ceremony is scheduled to take place on June 28 at the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City, where Booker and Leaper will be formally presented with the honor on an international stage.

The recognition comes at a pivotal moment for the company, which operates two distinct retail footprints: a flagship location in the Lloyd Center Mall and a downtown boutique cafe known as tiny little cuppa (TLC). For Keia & Martyn’s, the win represents the culmination of 30 years of collective experience in the beverage industry and a focused seven-year journey as independent business owners. As they prepare to accept their award in Manhattan, the duo is also navigating a significant transition in their physical operations, coinciding with the broader redevelopment of Portland’s retail corridors.

The Good Food Awards: A Rigorous Standard for Excellence

The Good Food Foundation, the organizing body behind the awards, utilizes a multi-tiered judging process designed to strip away branding and marketing, focusing instead on the intrinsic quality of the product and the ethics of its production. The 2026 competition saw a surge in participation, reflecting a growing national interest in artisanal and sustainable food systems.

The judging process begins with a blind tasting conducted by a panel of industry experts, including renowned chefs, professional coffee cuppers, specialty buyers, and food critics. During this phase, judges are provided with no information regarding the producer’s identity, the farm of origin, or the brand’s market presence. This ensures that the evaluation is based purely on the sensory profile—aroma, acidity, body, and balance. Products that score in the top percentile of this blind tasting then move to the second phase: a comprehensive sustainability and equity audit.

In this secondary vetting stage, the Good Food Foundation evaluates the business practices behind the product. For coffee roasters, this includes an analysis of transparency in the supply chain, the premiums paid to farmers above Fair Trade standards, and the environmental impact of the roasting facility. Keia & Martyn’s Coffee successfully navigated this rigorous vetting, proving that their Ethiopia Guji Shakiso Natural met the highest benchmarks for both taste and corporate citizenship. By rising to the top of the 1,100-entry field, the roastery has solidified its position as a leader in the movement toward a more ethical coffee industry.

Technical Profile of the Ethiopia Guji Shakiso Natural

The award-winning coffee originates from the Shakiso district in the Guji Zone of Ethiopia, a region celebrated for its high altitude and nutrient-rich volcanic soil. The Guji region has gained independent recognition in recent years, moving out of the shadow of the neighboring Sidamo and Yirgacheffe regions due to its distinct floral and fruity profiles.

The "Natural" designation refers to the processing method used after harvest. In natural processing, the coffee cherries are dried whole with the fruit still attached to the bean. This method requires meticulous care to prevent over-fermentation or mold, but when executed correctly—as evidenced by Keia & Martyn’s winning entry—it results in a cup with heavy body, intense sweetness, and complex berry-like acidity. The Shakiso Natural specifically is known for its notes of dried strawberry, jasmine, and dark chocolate, a profile that likely captivated the Good Food Awards judges.

Keia Booker, who serves as the primary roaster, utilizes an "analog" approach to her craft. In an era where many large-scale roasteries rely on automated, software-driven profiles, Booker’s methods emphasize sensory feedback—watching the color change, listening for the "crack" of the beans, and adjusting heat and airflow based on intuition and experience. This hands-on technique allows for a nuanced development of the Guji beans, highlighting the terroir of the Shakiso highland forests.

Pioneering Leadership in the Pacific Northwest

The victory for Keia & Martyn’s is also a significant cultural milestone for the Portland coffee scene. Keia Booker is recognized as one of the first and only Black woman roasters in the Pacific Northwest, a region that serves as a global hub for coffee innovation but has historically struggled with diversity in the ownership and production sectors.

Booker’s trajectory in the industry has been rapid and impactful. Having learned the technical aspects of roasting from her husband, Martyn Leaper, she spent five years mastering four different types of roasting machines. Her approach blends traditional techniques with a creative, modern sensibility that she describes as "quality over pretense." This philosophy has allowed the brand to remain accessible to everyday consumers while still meeting the exacting standards of international award committees.

The partnership between Booker and Leaper is built on what they describe as an "origin story" rooted in coffee and community. With three decades of experience in the culinary and beverage sectors of Portland, they have witnessed the evolution of the city’s palate. Their business model emphasizes "sweat equity," involving themselves in every aspect of the brand, from the physical build-out of their cafes to the direct sourcing of their teas and coffees.

Strategic Relocation and the Future of Lloyd Center

The announcement of the Good Food Award coincides with a major operational shift for the company. Keia & Martyn’s current production facility and cafe located within the Lloyd Center Mall are slated to move as the historic shopping center prepares for its official closure on August 8, 2026. The mall, once the largest in the world upon its opening in 1960, has been the subject of intensive redevelopment discussions as Portland seeks to transition the massive site into a mixed-use residential and commercial neighborhood.

Rather than viewing the mall’s closure as a setback, Booker and Leaper are utilizing the momentum from their award win to launch a new chapter. The upcoming relocation will involve moving into a new facility that will serve as both a production hub and a community-centric retail space. This "new digs" project is designed to be more than just a coffee shop; it is envisioned as an incubator for other local brands.

The owners have expressed a commitment to using their platform to support other BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), women, and queer-owned businesses. By stocking products from diverse local purveyors and farmers, the new space aims to create a circular economy that mirrors the equity standards they apply to their coffee sourcing.

Product Diversification and Market Reach

While coffee remains the cornerstone of their success, Keia & Martyn’s is aggressively expanding their product portfolio. The roastery has seen significant growth in its "Street Chai" line and "Magic Dust" instant coffees, the latter of which targets the growing market for high-quality, convenient specialty coffee. Their expansion plans also include:

• Signature Tea Blends: Leveraging their status as tea purveyors to offer curated botanical and caffeinated blends.
• Accessible Beverages: Developing ready-to-drink options that maintain specialty standards at a lower price point.
• In-House Food Line: The new production facility will allow the team to craft a proprietary food menu, further integrating their culinary expertise into the brand.

Currently, Keia & Martyn’s products are available through a variety of channels, reflecting a "meet the customer where they are" strategy. In addition to their 5th Avenue downtown location (TLC) and the Lloyd Center shop, their beans are stocked at Peoples’ Coop and Market of Choice. They also maintain a consistent presence at regional markets and street fairs, maintaining a grassroots connection to the Portland community.

Industry Implications and Economic Context

The success of Keia & Martyn’s Coffee provides a case study for the resilience of small-scale, value-centered businesses in a competitive market. The specialty coffee industry in the United States is estimated to be worth over $48 billion, with a significant portion of that growth driven by consumers who prioritize transparency and quality.

By winning a Good Food Award, Keia & Martyn’s has moved into a tier of "socially conscious luxury," where the product’s value is derived as much from its ethical footprint as its flavor. This positioning is particularly effective in the Portland market, where consumers are historically supportive of local, independent businesses that align with progressive social values.

Furthermore, the transition out of Lloyd Center reflects a broader trend in urban retail. As traditional malls decline, artisanal producers are moving into "third spaces" that emphasize experience and community over sheer foot traffic. The move to a new, independent facility allows Booker and Leaper to control the entire environment of their brand, from the scent of the roaster to the curation of the shelves.

Official Reactions and the Philosophy of "Goodness"

In response to the award, Keia Booker emphasized that the company’s mission has always been about accessibility. “Everybody deserves goodness, and we create products and spaces that are thoughtfully curated for any and everyone that values quality over pretense to enjoy,” Booker stated. This sentiment highlights a shift in the specialty coffee world away from the "gatekeeping" attitudes that sometimes characterize high-end roasteries.

Industry observers note that the win for the Ethiopia Guji Shakiso Natural is a win for the "Rose City" as a whole. As Portland continues to navigate post-pandemic economic recovery, the international recognition of its local artisans serves as a reminder of the city’s enduring status as a culinary capital.

The Good Food Foundation’s recognition of Keia & Martyn’s Coffee is a testament to the idea that sustainability and profit are not mutually exclusive. As the team prepares for their trip to the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City this June, they do so with the "wind at their back," ready to represent the Pacific Northwest on a global stage while remaining deeply rooted in the local community that fostered their growth.

Support for this local, Black-owned business continues to grow through their subscription club and digital presence. As the August 8th deadline for their Lloyd Center location approaches, the Portland community is expected to rally around the roastery, ensuring that the "goodness" they have put into every cup continues to find a home in the city’s evolving landscape.