For the first time since 2020, Oklahoma City-based Leap Coffee Roasters has an artist of the year for their Artist Series coffee. Ebony Iman Dallas, whose gallery is in the Paseo District and who recently created a stunning, vibrant wood mosaic for the commemoration of the Tulsa Race Massacre, is the new Artist of the Year. As part of that honor, Leap collaborated with her to produce a signature coffee blend called Mystic Moments that will be available in select Walmart stores in the United States.
“A few years ago, I took a photo my 6-year-old niece shot of me drinking coffee and painted it,” Dallas said. “It worked perfectly for the packaging for the coffee.”
In the three-way collaboration, all parties receive a portion of the proceeds, a welcome revenue stream for working artists.
“I need more passive income like this,” Dallas said with a laugh. “It’s been amazing to get the mail and find a check. I’m very grateful to (Leap owners) Kari and Eric (Starkey) for choosing me and making this possible.”
Dallas said the process of choosing a blend involved a great deal of “homework.”
“I’d go home with all these bags of coffee to try,” Dallas said. “I love coffee, so it was a lot of fun. I already knew I liked East African coffee — my father was from Somalia — so choosing Ethiopian and Kenyan was easy. We added Mexican coffee to punch it up a little. I’m very happy with the final blend.”
Dallas’s coffee, along with that of previous winners, is made available at more than 30 Walmart stores on a one-year trial basis. Leap also distributes to local retailers like Flora Bodega and DNA Galleries. Mystic Moments is also available on the Leap Roasters website.
