Before the block wakes up and before the horns start their grind, Ro flips the sign to Open at Origin & Grind - a coffee shop rooted deep in North Memphis, Tennessee. He turns to his daughter Zora and says, "Today we listen to the beans and their mind."

Origin & Grind is a lyrical, spoken-word picture book that follows nine-year-old Zora Robinson as her father, Malik "Ro" Robinson, teaches her the art and history behind their family's coffee roasting craft. Through poetic, rhythmic language and vivid graphic-novel-style illustrations, Ro guides Zora from the roaster's first crack all the way back to the Ethiopian highlands - where a shepherd named Kaldi first noticed his goats dancing wild from a cherry-red find.

"This ain't just beans in heat," Ro tells her. "This is heartbeat work, rhythm and repeat. Sample roast small - that's how we listen. How we hear what the soil been missin'. We don't just roast - we remember. Every crack, every scent, got a story to render."

Side by side with Ro, Zora learns that coffee didn't start in a chain café. It came from African soil, from Ethiopian hills, and from hands that tended the earth long before the world gave it a French name or a price tag of regret. She learns that to roast with intention is to reclaim something true - to put history back in the flame.

Back at Origin & Grind, the whole block gathers. Miss Laverne comes for peace, not the clocks. Dee from down the street sketches beats at the bar. Every sip, every sound - that's who they are. Together, Ro and Zora grind slow, honor fast, and lift the past so the flavor lasts.

Rich with Afrocentric motifs, kente-inspired borders, and warm espresso tones, Origin & Grind is part love letter to Black entrepreneurship, part celebration of African coffee heritage, and part community portrait of a neighborhood where craft, culture, and memory live in every cup.

Perfect for: readers ages 6-12, classroom cultural education, Black History Month, family read-alouds, school and public libraries, and community programs celebrating Black-owned small business.

"Every bean has a story. Every block has a culture."

"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Rarewaves.com USA

London, London, United Kingdom

5-star seller

AbeBooks seller since June 11, 2025

Shipping rates from United Kingdom to U.S.A.

Item	9 to 14 business days	9 to 14 business days
First item	£ 0.00	£ 0.00

Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.

Payment methods

Seller's business information

RAREWAVES.COM LIMITED

Elsley Court, 20-22 Great Titchfield Street
London, United Kingdom W1W 8BE

Contact sellerView this seller's itemsView seller's storefront

Right of withdrawal

If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.

Information regarding the right of withdrawal

Statutory right to withdraw

You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.

The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.

To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.

To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.

Effects of withdrawal

If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).

We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.

We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.

We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.

We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.

You shall send back the goods or hand them over to Rarewaves.com USA, Unit 144 The Lightbox, 111 Power Road, W4 5PY, London, London, United Kingdom, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.

Exceptions to the right of withdrawal

The right of withdrawal does not apply to:

The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.

Shipping terms

Please note that we do not offer Priority shipping to any country.

We currently do not ship to the below countries:

Russia
Belarus
Ukraine

Please do not attempt to place orders with any of these countries as a ship to address - they will be cancelled.

Origin and Grind

Bibliographic details