Amy Smith of Exo on Coffee, Seeds and Being Inspired by Community

In the 13 years since Amy Smith joined her husband and his business partner at Exo Roast Co. in Tucson, much has changed in her business as well as the local food system. For Smith, this evolution has led to a broader commitment to the desert Southwest’s foodways.

“We started with coffee,” Smith recalls, “and then brought an awareness of regionality to coffee, highlighting the characteristics of where it comes from.” Exo developed a menu of beverages that taste like Tucson, from the chiltepin iced coffee to the mole dulce latte.

That ethos soon expanded into an ambitious scratch kitchen, mezcal tastings and local partnerships. “We were traveling to source our own coffee directly from Colima and Oaxaca, trying to build a transparent, direct supply chain across the border.”

Yet, as global dynamics shifted — including the pandemic and political shifts in Mexico — Exo’s sourcing model had to shift as well. Now, tariffs are a looming threat. According to Smith, Exo is paying 50% more for coffee than a year and a half ago. More recently, tariffs and proposed tariffs have increased coffee another 10-20%.

Still, Exo remains committed to the hyper-regional: a core aspect of their program has been to always feature something seasonal and local in their food and drinks.

Seeds of Change: Connecting Through Food

These days, Smith’s passion for local food systems has found a new outlet as she has added an additional role as e-commerce manager at Native Seeds/SEARCH, the nonprofit Gary Paul Nabhan co-founded in Tucson to preserve arid-adapted heirloom seeds. Despite different objectives, Smith says the missions of Native Seeds/SEARCH and Exo align: “Finding food products that are not only quality, but where people are treated ethically and the culture is not commodified.”

Part of Smith’s work there is helping connect the dots between Native Seeds’ retail side and its mission of seed preservation, seed saving and knowledge sharing. “I feel like the retail arm of it can feel disconnected from the context… my goal is to find ways to contextualize those products.”

That attention to story and integrity carries over to the local producers Smith continues to champion at Exo, including Ramona Farms, whose tepary beans are featured in an Exo burrito. “I’m in awe of what they’ve done to resurrect the tepary bean despite the many challenges, ” she says.

Rooted in Community, Growing Toward Action

Amy Smith has also seen Tucson’s local food scene change over the years. “Ten years ago, the farm-to-table movement helped set the table, so to speak,” she laughs. “Now, it’s about what’s happening in people’s backyard gardens. Instead of just appreciating regional food, having an understanding that returning to a level of subsistence is an important thing for us to do.”

She sees this in the growth of community-supported agriculture (CSAs) and the rise of youth engagement in gardening and foraging. “I think it’s really important to draw awareness to all the farms that provide food, to understand really specifically where that food is coming from.” Moreover, Smith praises organizations like Flowers and Bullets and San Xavier Coop Farm with their commitment to the environment and community.

Lately, Smith has been finding hope in her own backyard, where she can experiment with seeds and local foods herself. “It’s a little remarkable and a little bit magical.”

Her curiosity reflects a broader truth she sees in Tucson’s food community: hope in small, grounded acts, and in local, community activism. “The way Tucson responded to Project Blue and Rio Nuevo… These uncertain times create a clarity of focus, and I think it’s inspiring that people are standing up for our rights… I hope that we can continue to make some gains in this community in prioritizing what’s important. I think we’re doing that more and more.”

Good Food in Tucson

On August 26, Amy Smith will be leading a panel at the Good Food Forum in Tucson, Turning Toward Local: Navigating Uncertainty Through Community Action, where she will explore the antidote to uncertainty and hopelessness: action, even when it is small, and especially when it is local.

The panelists include Anthony Aragon of Coldwater Coffeehouse and Bakery, a cooperative coffee shop and urban farm centered on building community; Scott Sossaman of Homestead Malting and Sossamand Farms, a 100 year-old family farm discovering the incredible taste and sustainability benefits of heritage grains; and Rose Wallis of Raw Sunshine Community Garden, who has opened her backyard farm and heart to help the children of a town that feeds the country but struggles to feed itself.

In a changing world, Amy Smith’s work reminds us of the central importance of local food — it’s a way to build resilience, connection and meaning from the ground up.