Art by Ricky Rodriguez
Ábner Roldán and Karla Ly Quiñones have spent nearly a decade serving coffee in Santurce, Puerto Rico, living under the Jones Act and the federal rules that decide what their business can buy, sell, and import. An unexpected connection with Bad Bunny gave them something they rarely feel at home: the freedom to carry their coffee — and their story — to the world.
This episode of American Colony was produced by Juan Diego Ramírez and Julio Ricardo Varela.
Santurce, Puerto Rico, bajo la Ley Jones y las normas federales que determinan qué puede comprar, vender e importar su negocio. Una conexión inesperada con Bad Bunny les dio algo que rara vez sienten en casa: la libertad de llevar su café — y su historia — al mundo entero.
Este episodio de American Colony fue producido por Juan Diego Ramírez y Julio Ricardo Varela.
About the Producer
Juan Diego Ramírez is a multimedia bilingual journalist. His reporting expands from investigating Mexican corruption at the highest levels to reporting on U.S. policies that affect undocumented immigrants and formerly incarcerated U.S. citizens.
His works include the 2023 Webbie Award-winning podcast Idolo: The Ballad of Chalino Sanchez, USA v. Garcia Luna, and the NAACP Award-nominated podcast The Sum of Us. He also produced and co-hosted Racist Sandwich, a James Beard Foundation-nominated podcast on food, class, race, and gender. In 2022, he received the Arnold Picker Excellence Award in Journalism from Baruch College.
Credits
American Colony is a production of The Latino Newsletter and Shake It Easy Media
Original Concept by Julio Ricardo Varela
Senior Editor: Nuria Net
Senior Producer: Joaquín Cotler
Hosts: Julio Ricardo Varela and Nuria Net
Producer: Carlos Berríos Polanco
Consulting Producer: Susanne Ramírez de Arellano
Episode Producers: T.J. Raphael; Alana Schreiber; Raquel Reichard with Diosa Femme and Mala Muñoz from Locatora Radio; Juan Diego Ramírez; Camille Padilla Dalmau, Frances Medina, and 9 millones; Joaquín Cotler; and Amalia Núñez-Pires
Managing Editor: Christina Hernández
Video Producer: Amalia I. Núñez-Pires
Social Media Videos: Anthony Modesto Milián and Aliana M. Bigio
Illustrator: Ricky Rodriguez
Composer: Alain Emile
Additional music courtesy of Soundstripe
Executive Producers: Julio Ricardo Varela, Nuria Net, and Joaquín Cotler
Support for this program comes from the Mellon Foundation, the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities. More at Mellon.org.
American Colony was also made possible by individual donations. To support the nonprofit work of The Latino Newsletter, click on the Donate tab at The Latino Newsletter.
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