Description: Find your most powerful direction and commit to shared goals.

Strategic planning isn't just a good practice; it's a necessity for staying competitive, expanding market share, and ensuring long-term sustainability. We’ll give you the tools you need to implement strategy sessions long into the future. Through practical insights, proven business tools, case studies, and interactive discussions, you'll learn how to make informed decisions, optimize resources, and adapt to evolving industry dynamics.

Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to dive into these exercises yourself so when it’s time for you to bring this to your team, you’ll know firsthand how it should go.

Join us if you’re ready to gain clarity on the direction of your business and want your team working together to achieve something great.

Date: Sunday, April 14, 2024
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Room Number: S504BCD
Category: Business

Instructor

Kevin Wencel
Consultant, The Coffee MBA

 Kevin Wencel, a consultant at The Coffee MBA Collective, has over 25 years in food and beverage leadership. His diverse experience ranges from business development in distribution to steering a multi-brand coffee market with full fiscal oversight. Kevin's culinary journey began in Minneapolis/St. Paul, evolving from an executive chef to a key player in launching Restaurant Alma with a James Beard Award-winning chef.

At US Foods, Kevin excelled in distribution and sales, partnering with prestigious universities and national hospitality chains. Recently, he led Spyhouse Coffee through a merger into FairWave Coffee Collective, managing its CPG and retail sectors as Market President.

Beyond his professional achievements, Kevin enjoys cooking, playing the piano, and cherishing family time in St. Paul, MN, with his wife, two sons, and dog, Sherman.

Lecture Description

This presentation will provide an update on the evolution of human rights and labor due diligence requirements in major coffee importing countries. The presentation will educate attendees on what HRDD means for coffee farming and how companies and farmers can implement different levels of HRDD, with a focus on labor, at farms and coffee regions.

We will share specific tools, created, and tested in coffee farms in different countries, that can be used as part of a comprehensive HRDD system to identify, prevent and mitigate labor risks and adverse impacts on the rights of people.

We will discuss lessons learned from the implementation of these tools and from the implementation of social compliance systems and HRDD systems in coffee and agriculture.

Date: Sunday, April 14, 2024
Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Room Number: S403AB

Instructors

Miguel Zamora (he/him)
Managing Director, Rural Voices / Verite

Miguel has been involved in agriculture for 25 years.  His work focuses on fostering regenerative agriculture, strengthening sustainable supply chains and creating opportunities for sustainable trade between farming communities and the food industry.  

With Rural Voices CIC, Miguel focuses on amplifying the voice of farming communities, so the perspective of farmers and farmworkers is included in the discussions and decisions of the sustainability initiatives led by food companies, governments, and civil society organizations. 

Miguel supports Verité’s efforts to define good practice and create open-source resources to help companies, suppliers, and other stakeholders eliminate labor abuses from global agricultural supply chains. 

Quinn Sandor Kepes (he/him)
Senior Director, Verité

Quinn Sandor Kepes is a Senior Director at Verité, where he has worked for over 15 years on labor issues in the coffee sector and a number of other sectors across the globe. He has directed a number of company, foundation, and government-funded projects to identify, address, and prevent labor violations in the coffee sector and currently oversees the U.S. Department of Labor-funded Cooperation On Fair, Free, Equitable Employment (COFFEE) Project. Mr. Kepes has conducted and directed field research on labor issues on coffee farms in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Brazil, and Uganda. He leads Verité’s Applied Research for Evidence and Action (AREA) and Worker Agency, Voice and Empowerment (WAVE) practice groups.

Lecture Description

Over the past few years an innovative, quality focused generation of robusta producers and roasters has emerged around the world. Challenging the limits placed on robusta for decades, they are charting a new course and finding success in a variety of ways. In this session we will engage in conversation with a selection of these innovators, delving into their approaches to quality, the role of varietals and processing, and the marketing of specialty/fine robusta. There will also be the opportunity to taste their coffees.

Date: Sunday, April 14, 2024
Time: 11:30am - 12:30am
Room Number: S401ABC

Panelists

Sahra Nguyen (she/her)
Founder & CEO, Nguyen Coffee Supply

Sahra Nguyen is the founder & CEO of Nguyen Coffee Supply, America’s first specialty Vietnamese coffee company and proud champion of the resilient robusta bean. Importing direct trade and roasting in Brooklyn, NY, her company brought 100% robusta beans to Whole Foods Market in 2022. In 2023, they launched a 100% robusta cold brew nationwide with Whole Foods Market, followed by every Sprouts Farmers Market in 2024. In 2021, Nguyen graced the July cover of Food & Wine as one of 25 Game Changers and in 2023, she graced the cover of INC Magazine as one of their Most Dynamic Women Entrepreneurs.

Shaun Puklavetz (he/him)
Coffee Sourcing & Relationship Manager, Blue Bottle Coffee

Coffee Sourcing and Relationship Manager of a leading specialty brand that has creatively and boldly promoted robusta as part of its offerings.

Nafeesa Esmail
Coffee Producer; Coffee Estate Owner, Asisi Estate Coffee, Uganda

Nafeesa has spent years visiting her family’s unique rustic shade grown coffee estate, seeing how nature and agriculture can coexist. More recently, Nafeesa’s conservation career has allowed her to fine tune this balance; the benefits of which shine through every step of producing some of Uganda’s finest speciality robusta coffee while conserving indigenous wildlife and their forest habitats. She is an interdisciplinary conservation scientist working at the forefront of research, community-based conservation, global policy, and transformative women’s leadership across Africa. Nafeesa believes nature does all the hard work to create Asisi Coffee’s complex yet grounded, full-bodied flavour profile, her passion just facilitates it.

Luis Carlos Sotillo Lindo (he/him)
Kiva Coffee, Panama

Luis Sotillo is part of Kiva Estate, a small coffee farm producing Fine Robusta in Cocle, Panamá.

In Kiva he is in charge of Quality Control and besides handling the processing of the coffea canephora, he also is Head of the innovation and experimental process department.

Lucas Venturim (he/him)
Coffee Grower, Fazenda Venturim

Lucas Venturim is part of the 5th generation of his family’s growing coffee in Espirito Santo, Brazil. Since 2007, he's fully dedicated to hi-quality canephoras, working to adapt all the family’s expertise to produce fine robustas.
To better understand the roasters needs, in 2016 he also became a cupper and then a roaster, at their own micro-roastery, Café Fazenda Venturim.
Since 2020, he also works for CQI in many projects, such as the development of the Post-harvest Quality Program for Robusta - becoming one of the first Q-Processing Robusta Professional Instructor - and other jobs as the Philipines Coffee Guide review, and some exclusive classes.

Amaris Gutierrez-Ray (she/her)
Senior Director of Coffee & Roasting, Joe Coffee Company / Women in Coffee Project

Amaris Gutierrez-Ray is the Senior Director of Coffee & Roasting for Joe Coffee Company in New York City. She is also the founder of the Northeast Roaster Forum (RIP) and the Women in Coffee Project. A lover of stories and the people that tell them, she has always been interested in the culture and communities of the world in coffee. Both inside and outside the workplace, she's focused on gender, equity, and positively shifting the human patterns that shape our world.

Moderator

David Pohl (he/him)
Consultant, Pohl Coffee Consulting

David Pohl has 20 years of experience in the coffee industry with a focus on quality and sustainability. He is currently a consultant, working independently on a variety of projects with clients around the world. In this capacity he services stakeholders throughout the supply chain, from farmers to roasters, importers to retailers, in the areas of green coffee quality, market access, strategic sourcing, sustainability, product and recipe development, roasting operations & production, and training.

Lecture Description

Insect pests cause great losses in coffee production and yield when they are not properly controlled. The borer is the main pest whose effect is increasing due to climate variability. This change in climate has also caused the proliferation of other pests such as the Indian cricket and the borer with an important economic impact. Honduran Coffee has defined sustainable production with the least possible use of chemical products as a policy, which is why IHCAFE has developed integrated management of these three pests without the use of synthetic insecticides. Management consists of three practices: a) cultural, which consists of eliminating host material, eliminating sources of food and shelter; b) production and use of parasitoids. Follow-up studies on farms show predation of 38.4% and parasitism of 11.7% of biological states of borer in fruits visited by Cephalonomia stephanoderis, parasitism of 5 to 25% of adults of H. hampei by Phymastichus coffea, natural parasitism of 76 is also recorded. % by Acmopolynema sp on Paroecanthus sp eggs, showing the reduction of damage caused by these pests; c) Traps, which contain attractant liquid, this strategy is highly effective, reducing up to 40% of damage.

Date: Sunday, April 14, 2024
Time: 11:30am - 12:30am
Room Number: S401D

Instructor

Angel Rafael Trejo Sosa (he/him)
Coordinator of the Integrated Pest Management Program (MIP), IHCAFE

Researcher at the Honduran Coffee Institute since 1994. Coordinator of the Integrated Pest Management Program (MIP). With more than 25 years of research in coffee pests with emphasis on the fruit drill bit, Indian coffee cricket, stalk and root sweeper, biological control through the use of parasitoids and predators of African origin, ethological control of both bit and Indian coffee cricket.

Lecture Description

Many governments, corporations, and non-profit organizations have a strong motivation to protect rainforests and take action against deforestation, particularly if this deforestation occurs as a result of exportable commercial commodities such as coffee or cocoa. However, there have traditionally been significant limitations in measuring and detecting coffee region deforestation at scale. We have developed a more accurate approach to detecting deforestation that addresses these limitations due to recent advances in satellite imagery and machine learning, and welcome collaboration with coffee companies. We believe that this innovation has the potential to become an important new tool for the coffee sector in its efforts to combat deforestation and mitigate climate change.  It can not only underpin future research but also has important policy implications for organizations on the ground. Indeed, in the context of an expanding regulatory environment led by a more demanding civil society, it provides an accurate, consistent, and transparent way for organizations to report on deforestation events in their supply chains and monitor them. At the same time, we hope that it will open a broader discussion regarding the potential for machine learning to apply new innovations to systemic problems that plague the coffee sector.

Date: Sunday, April 14, 2024
Time: 11:30am - 12:30am
Room Number: S403AB

Instructor

David Browning (he/him)
CEO, Enveritas, Inc

David Browning is CEO of Enveritas, a non-profit organization, that provides sustainability assurance for the coffee industry. David previously led TechnoServe’s global coffee practice for 13 years. He also partnered with the Gates Foundation to work with ~200,000 smallholder coffee farmers in East Africa. He has served as a trusted counselor for many of the world’s leading coffee companies on sustainability strategy, and also formerly worked for McKinsey & Company. He holds an M.B.A. from Yale University, a Bachelor of Commerce and a Master’s degree in Advanced Finance from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.

Lecture Description

Everyone knows coffee tastes the best when freshly ground, so why not matcha? Join Eijiro ("Ey-jee-roh") Tsukada, founder and CEO of Cuzen Matcha, as he shares the history and benefits of drinking freshly ground matcha. With over fifteen years of experience in the Japanese and American tea industries, Eijiro launched Cuzen Matcha in 2020 to provide premium matcha to the global at-home consumer while supporting Japanese tea farmers who have committed to growing high-quality organic tea. His approach to inspiring consumers to drink fresh matcha has evolved with the market. Yet, Eijiro has remained focused on simplifying the tea experience and creating a harmonious future by expanding access to healthy, freshly ground organic matcha's flavor and health benefits. 

Date: Sunday, April 14, 2024
Time: 11:30am - 12:30am
Room Number: N426C

Instructor

Eijiro ("Ey-jee-roh") Tsukada (he/him)
Founder & CEO, Cuzen Matcha / World Matcha Inc.

Eijiro Tsukada is a serial entrepreneur in the matcha business and was named the Steve Jobs of drinks by Finacial Times. In 2020, he started Cuzen Matcha to pursue his passion for making authentic, freshly-ground matcha more accessible via an easy-to-use at-home matcha maker. The product won a CES 2020 Innovation Award and a TIME’s Best Inventions of 2020. Prior to Cuzen, Eijiro spent two decades at Suntory, a global beverage company in Japan, where he led the successful launch of Iyemon Toku-cha green tea in Japan in 2013 and opened Stonemill Matcha cafe in San Francisco in 2018.

Lecture Description

The attendees at this conference boast incredible expertise in coffee, spanning from cultivation to brewing, quality assessment, taste, and flavor. Yet, amidst this wealth of coffee knowledge, how much do we truly comprehend about its age-old rival, tea? You may craft exceptional coffee daily, but do you possess the know-how to create an equally outstanding cup of tea, a beverage often found side by side with coffee? Which holds greater health benefits? What divergences exist in their processing? Which factors contribute to superior products? What parallels and disparities exist between the two? Or, perhaps most simply, which carries more caffeine and in what quantities? This discussion promises a distinctive chance to explore the scientific disparities and commonalities between coffee and tea, delving into their health advantages while offering profound insights into these longstanding adversaries.

Date: Sunday, April 14, 2024
Time: 11:30am - 12:30am
Room Number: S402AB

Instructor

Youngmok Kim (he/him)
Principal Scientist, Finlays

Dr. Youngmok Kim, a principal scientist at Finlays, a top coffee and tea producer and solution provider, earned his master’s in tropical fruit postharvest processing from the University of Florida. His Ph.D. research at Texas A&M University focused on antioxidant polyphenolic stability in tea and solutions for tea beverage clarity. Over 16 years in the industry, his work centers on maintaining polyphenol stability in stored tea and coffee, minimizing precipitation in natural beverages, developing natural-colored drinks, optimizing extraction in processing, and exploring various natural flavor aspects.

Cupping

Guatemalan Coffees Cupping Session

Date: Sunday, April 14, 2024
Time: 10:45am - 12:30pm
Room Number: S404D
Access: Public

Lecture Description

Over the last 50 years, North America has lost 3 billion birds, accounting for more than 1/3 of the population. The reasons for this decline are numerous; however, in this lecture, we will explore current research into how the cultivation of coffee plays a part in this highly worrisome trend. Furthermore, we will delve into the different market drivers that are pushing farmers away from traditional shade- grown techniques into more intensive, full- sun methodologies and why a reversal of this swing could be immensely positive for migratory birds and farmers alike.

Date: Sunday, April 14, 2024
Time: 10:15am - 11:15am
Room Number: S401D

Instructor

Matt Ehresman (he/him)
Founder, Little Martian Coffee Project

Matt Ehresman is a certified Q-grader and 17-year coffee industry veteran. He was the Head of Quality at Victrola Coffee Roasters in Seattle and owned and operated the Hart Coffee Company Roastery. Recently, to gain a better understanding of the conservation efforts he has long been advocating for, Matt took a job in Land Management at a Nature Center in Wisconsin, where he has been working and learning for the past two years. Concurrently, he has been building a 100% renewable energy based roastery; the Little Martian Coffee Project.

Cheyenne R Smith (she/her)
Educator, Schlitz Audubon Nature Center

Cheyenne Smith is an Avian Educator at Schlitz Audubon Nature Center in Milwaukee, WI and has a degree in Wildlife Biology with 5+ years in avian research. Her present role involves caring for and training captive birds of prey, presenting public outreach programs and adult workshops, and creating educational content on bird conservation. She has also worked in coffee and training for over 10 years, and continues to work as a barista with Colectivo Coffee Roasters.

Lecture Description

Coffee professionals care deeply about the size and color of their coffee beans, but current methods of quantifying size and color are expensive and laborious. Here we provide a rigorous assessment of the feasibility of using the camera on a modern smart phone to rapidly quantify the size and color distributions of a sample of coffee beans. We used digital calipers to measure the width and length, and a handheld colorimeter to measure the precise color, of more than two thousand (>2000) individual coffee beans.  We also used a smart phone to image these same beans under various lighting conditions when they were placed on a "photosheet" printed with size bars and color patches that serve as fiducials for calibration.  We demonstrate that size is measured with accuracy of plus or minus 2%, and that color is measured with high accuracy that varies depending on the quality of the lighting conditions.  We discuss the potential for using smart phones as a convenient tool for rapid quantification of the physical properties of coffee.  

Date: Sunday, April 14, 2024
Time: 10:15am - 11:15am
Room Number: N426AB

Speakers

Alice Dien
Ph.D. Candidate in Biological Systems Engineering, University of California, Davis

Alice Dien is a Ph.D. candidate in Biological Systems Engineering at the University of California, Davis, focusing on postharvest technology and engineering. Her primary research topic is designing energy-efficient drying equipment for agricultural commodities. In September 2022, Alice joined the UC Davis Coffee Center team; since then, she has been researching photographic techniques for coffee quality assessment.

Drawing on her engineering background and a dedicated interest in international agricultural development, she collaborates with global community partners on projects that address interdisciplinary education challenges and global engineering issues. Alice's project portfolio includes contributions to sustainable agriculture, post-harvest handling, energy efficiency, and off-grid power solutions.

Lecture Description

When was the last time you paid $15 for a cocktail or a glass of wine? How about for a cup of coffee? Why should coffee be different? Industries like spirits and wine have effectively communicated the value of artistry and craft, commanding premium prices. For instance, Grand Cru wines from esteemed regions such as Burgundy can fetch hundreds to thousands of dollars per bottle. Could Specialty Coffee follow suit? How can Specialty Coffee communicate artisanal value effectively to elevate consumer willingness to pay? And what defines "luxury" coffee? These questions prompt exploration into the potential parallels between the worlds of spirits, wine, and coffee.

Date: Sunday, April 14, 2024
Time: 10:15am - 11:15am
Room Number: S402AB

Instructors

Jiyoon Han (she/her)
Bean & Bean Coffee

Jiyoon Han leads Bean & Bean Coffee in NYC, an omnichannel coffee business with retail cafes, ecommerce, subscriptions, and a wholesale program. She is a Licensed Q Arabica Grader and serves as an international juror for Cup of Excellence. Jiyoon and her mother Rachel, together the Mother Daughter Q Grader Duo, have appeared in Forbes, Huffington Post, Business Insider, CNN, and NBC. Jiyoon is a Board Director of the Specialty Coffee Association, and holds a BA in Economics-Philosophy from Columbia University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Adrian Clarke 
Delarki Limited 

Adrian Clarke is the founder and Principal of Delarki Limited, a private office specialise in nascent F & B categories. He holds directorships and advises several startups and has founded two: Axia, a dry Mastic spirit brand and Tenacious Labs, a cannabinoid company. He has a BA in Philosophy and Spanish from the University of Bristol and an MBA from Harvard Business School. 

Wilford Lamastus (he/him)
Coffee Grower, Lamastus Family Estates

Wilford Lamastus, a third-generation coffee grower from Panama, assumes the role of CEO at the Lamastus Family Estates, overseeing an impressive array of farms including Elida (105 years old), El Burro, and Luito. Beyond cultivation, he manages a coffee roaster, cafes, and a coffee tours division, diversifying the family's coffee ventures. As a founding member of SCAP and the Best of Panama (BOP), Wilford has been instrumental in elevating Panamanian coffee onto the global stage. The Lamastus Family Estates are celebrated for their exceptional quality, particularly in the geisha category of the BOP competitions, consistently securing top honors. Notably, Wilford holds the record for the highest price ever paid at a coffee auction ($6.030/lb). His Elida coffee, lauded with an impressive 98 points in the Coffee Review, stands as a testament to his steadfast dedication to excellence. Moreover, he is the sole grower in Panama to have received three Panama Cups, a prestigious accolade bestowed upon the best producer, underscoring his unwavering commitment to the pinnacle of Panamanian coffee production.

Fabiano Borré (he/him)
CEO, PROGRESSO FARM & UVVA WINERY

Fabiano Borré is CEO of Progresso Farm and UVVA Winery.
Companies located in Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil.
Graduated in Business Administration, with a postgraduate degree in corporate finance and leadership, Fabiano belongs to the third generation of the Borré family running the family business.

Lecture Description

Coffee quality is greatly influenced by environmental factors and the processing choices made during production. To ensure that desired quality is met, markers that cause that quality can be important tools. The determination of the cause of specific qualities allows for streamlined processing that will ensure that marker is always met, irrespective of the environmental growing conditions that season. We will provide an example of uncovering the volatile compounds responsible for the floral/bergamot aroma in Panama Geisha coffee.  A Washed Geisha coffee was obtained from 2022-2023 harvest. Six different roasting curves were used to produce coffees with different aroma and flavor profiles. The coffees aroma and flavor qualities were evaluated using sensory descriptive analysis and volatile compound composition was determined using various GC and LCMS techniques. Multivariate analysis is used to relate the chemistry and sensory data and additional sensory tests are being conducted to validate the statistical results. It will be possible to determine how environmental factors, such as climate, and processing choices, such as altering fermentation parameters or roasting temperature choices, can alter this specific quality. The results from this study will provide invaluable tools for the coffee industry when trying to achieve this floral/bergamot aroma in their coffee despite changing production factors each year.

Date: Sunday, April 14, 2024
Time: 10:15am - 11:15pm
Room Number: S401ABC

Instructor

Elizabeth Tomasino

Workshop Description

It's easy to agree that in recent years, two of the most important sensory characteristics of specialty coffee have been the attributes we call "sweetness" and "acidity." But we are still learning how coffee tasters perceive sweetness and which acids are actually in coffee (as well as how to recognize them). This lecture and workshop draws on emerging knowledge from research by the Coffee Science Foundation and beyond, to better understand coffee's chemistry, sensory attributes, and sweetness.

Date: Sunday, April 14, 2024
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Room Number: S503

Instructor

Brandon Bir (he/him)
Director of Sustainability, Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea

Brandon Bir is a coffee and sustainability professional with a passion for equality and international community development. When not traveling to coffee-growing countries to teach classes focused on quality and sensory science or working towards zero waste at the SCA Campus in Columbus, Bir can be found representing Crimson Cup speaking to students at universities and events around the world.
In his role as Director of Sustainability, Bir develops new sustainable practices for all professionals on the value chain in coffee. Brandon is a certified Assistant Q-instructor, SCA Content Creator, and holds an master’s from the University of Wisconsin.

Lecture Description

Coffee professionals have long known that the “roast profile,” i.e., the temperature versus time inside the roaster, strongly affects the flavor and quality of the coffee. Here we investigate roast profiles of the same total duration but very different dynamics inside a 5-kg commercial drum roaster, including profiles like "fast start," "slow start", "negative rate-of-rise," or "exaggerated flick."  In this presentation we report on two exciting sets of observations. First, we show that the "titratable acidity," which is highly coordinated with perceived sourness, invariably peaks during first crack and then decays to its original value by second crack. Although the dynamics of the TA development varied with roast profile, the peak TA surprisingly exhibited almost no statistically significantdifferences among roast profiles. Second, we report on how the different roast profiles impact the color of the roasted beans.  Despite dramatic differences in roast profile, our data indicate that the beans always follow a "universal coffee color curve" when plotted in the CIELAB L* a* b* color space.  Our results provide insight on how to manipulate and achieve desired sourness during roasting, and also point the way towards color standards for the coffee industry.

Date: Sunday, April 14, 2024
Time: 9:00am - 10:00am
Room Number: N426AB

Speakers

Laudia Anokye-Bempah (she/her)
Student Researcher, University of California, Davis

Laudia Anokye-Bempah is a Ph.D. student in the Biological Systems Engineering Program at the University of California Davis. Her research focuses on the kinetics of coffee roasting, with the ultimate goal of designing a “Coffee Roasting Control Chart” that will be used to produce the desired attributes in roasted coffee. Prior to her doctoral studies, Laudia received her MSc. in Biological Systems Engineering also from the University of California Davis, where she researched the use of desiccants for proper moisture preservation in green coffee during storage and transportation, and a BSc. in Food Process Engineering from the University of Ghana where she is from.

Lecture Description

Women are involved in all segments of the coffee value chain, including the peripheral support network. From producers to baristas and scientists, women play a significant role in the second largest traded global commodity. Their contributions have created significant economic, scientific, and social impact. Although they have faced many barriers, particularly the undereducated small coffee producer in emerging economies, they have also made great strides.  There has been a significant increase over the past 20 years of female leadership in the coffee industry and taking up decision-making roles., including women who are joining or organizing their own cooperatives, cooperative managers, coffee buyers,  roasters,  baristas, Q graders, coffee shop owners, scientists, etc.  That women play a large role in the global coffee value chain is widely known, but research and development efforts have mostly focused on women at the producer level.  As the coffee industry faces challenges of changing land/growing conditions, consumer tastes and market demands, it's important to hear and understand their roles directly from them, consider their lessons learned, advice and knowledge, all which are important to better equip the next generation of women and men to face the challenges and opportunities of the coming decades.

Date: Sunday, April 14, 2024
Time: 9:00am - 10:00am
Room Number: S401D

Panelists

Grayson Caldwell (she/her)
Director Sustainability & Impact, Bellwether

Grayson Caldwell is the Senior Sustainability Manager at Bellwether Coffee. With over 10 years of experience working in sustainable development and a Masters in Public Administration in Development Practice from Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, she has dedicated her career to improving livelihoods. Prior to joining Bellwether, Grayson worked with Hunter College NYC's Food Policy Center, the International Research Institute for Climate and Society, the Peace Corps, and nonprofits TechnoServe, Hot Bread Kitchen, and Ashoka.

Amaris Gutierrez-Ray (she/her)
Senior Director of Coffee & Roasting, Joe Coffee Company / Women in Coffee Project

Amaris Gutierrez-Ray is the Senior Director of Coffee & Roasting for Joe Coffee Company in New York City. She is also the founder of the Northeast Roaster Forum (RIP) and the Women in Coffee Project. A lover of stories and the people that tell them, she has always been interested in the culture and communities of the world in coffee. Both inside and outside the workplace, she's focused on gender, equity, and positively shifting the human patterns that shape our world.

Kyle Engelman (she/her)
Executive Director, Grounds for Health

Kyle Engelman is Executive Director of Grounds for Health, an organization committed to preventing cervical cancer in coffee communities through partnership, innovation and learning. Kyle is passionate about women's health and social impact and values the specialty coffee industry's commitment to recognizing that great coffee starts with healthy women and farmers. Kyle holds a Master’s in Public Health from UCBerkeley, a BA from Dartmouth College, and a Bachelor’s of Nursing from UMass Amherst. She is fluent in English and Spanish.

Teopista Nakkungu (she/her)
Regional Chapter Manager Africa, IWCA

Teopista Nakkungu is a seasoned coffee professional with over 20 years of experience in the industry. With a passion for promoting gender equity and sustainability, Teopista has been actively involved in various initiatives to empower women across the coffee value chain. Currently serving as Regional Coordinator for Africa and the Middle East at IWCA Global, Teopista has been pivotal in driving positive change within the industry through innovative strategies and collaborative partnerships. Their expertise spans from coffee sourcing and production to marketing and consumer engagement, providing a holistic perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing women in coffee.

Sylvia Calfat (she/her)
Committee on Sustainability Assessment (COSA)

Sylvia Calfat, Sr. Project Manager at COSA, spearheads innovative sustainability programs in Latin America and Africa, collaborating with various sectors. Sylvia is currently leading the GIZ-ICO CPPTF’s technical workstream on market transparency, empowering national institutions to collect rigorous data on cost of production, actual income, and supply chain efficiency to drive sustainability. Sylvia is also co-leading pilots on agile technology for data collection with the Gates Foundation and coordinating the GIZ-DIASCA workgroup, setting standards for income and cost of production data interoperability. Previously, she led sustainability projects at BSD Consulting, engaged in GRI work, and served as certification manager at FLO-CERT.

Moderator

Ruth Ann Church (she/her)
President, Artisan Coffee Imports

Ruth Ann Church founded Artisan Coffee Imports in 2009 with the mission to trade coffee in sustainable ways that improve the lives of farmers. She brings a strong background in economic development and twenty years of experience in international business. A Michigan State University project, 2015 – 2018, allowed her to live and work professionally in Rwanda, which is when she began sourcing Rwandan, women-grown coffee. Consulting clients include Sustainable Growers Rwanda and Rainforest Alliance. Church was a volunteer board member for the IWCA, 2015 – 2019, and is a frequent presenter at coffee industry events such as Re:Co Symposium.

Lecture Description

The objective was to characterize both the horizontal and vertical resistance to coffee leaf rust (H. vastatrix) of five varieties of brazilian origin with potential for release in Honduras, under laboratory conditions. First, 6 complexes pathotypes of Hemileia vastatrix were isolated in laboratory, with each of which simultaneous evaluations were carried out on the different coffee varieties, as follows: The experimental design was random, with 24 experimental units, 6 treatments (coffee genotypes), 4 repetitions per treatment (acrylic gerbox with 10 leaf discs). The treatments were the varieties of interest inoculated with H. vastatrix; T1: Catuaí (control); T2: Catiguá MG 2; T3: MGS Aranás; T4: Pau-Brasil MG1; T5: Paraíso MG H 419-1 and T6: Anacafé 14. The experiment lasted 50 days, in which qualitative and quantitative variables such as immunity, incubation period, latency period and degree of sporulation, infection rate and sporulation rate of coffee leaf rust were measured.  The results indicated that the MGS Aranás variety was superior to all, since it was immune to all pathotypes of Hemileia vastatrix, presenting vertical or complete resistance, while the varieties Catigua 2, Paraíso 1, Anacafé, were intermediate, presenting percentages of susceptibility to H.v. less than 10% to some pathotypes of H.v. While the Pau Brasil variety was inferior to all the previous ones, since it presented susceptibility to all the Hv pathotypes under evaluation, however its horizontal resistance was higher than the Catuaí variety, the control variety of the experiment.

Date: Sunday, April 14, 2024
Time: 9:00am - 10:00am
Room Number: S402AB

Instructor

Cristian Lizardo (he/him)
Coffee Researcher, Honduran Coffee Institute

Cristian Yizard Lizardo Chávez. Agricultural Engineer, Magister Scientiae in Entomology, Phytoprotection Specialist, is graduated from the Federal University of Viçosa, M.G. Brazil. He has been an employee of the Honduran Coffee Institute since 2008, where he has worked as Extensionist, Researcher and he currently holds the position of Chief of the Research and Development Department. He has Sixteen years of experience in coffee cultivation, he has worked on studies of the enzymatic activity of insects, insect-plant interaction, insect taxonomy, also in the characterization of pathotypes of H. vastatrix, pathogenesis, genetic resistance and epidemiology of the main coffee diseases.

Description: Join us for an enlightening workshop that explores the fascinating world of sensory perception in coffee tasting. Led by renowned coffee experts Christos Sotiros and Jae Teovanovic, this immersive session will delve into the impact and interaction between our primary senses when experiencing the flavors of coffee.

Discover the concept of cross-modal perception, where our senses intertwine to create a holistic sensory experience. Explore how taste, aroma, texture, and even visual cues influence our perception of coffee's flavor profile, unlocking a deeper understanding of the complexities behind our sensory experiences.

Delve into the atmospheric experience and learn how the surrounding environment can enhance the sensory journey. Explore the role of ambiance, lighting, music, and other factors in creating a memorable and immersive coffee experience for customers. Gain valuable insights and practical tips on how coffee shops can elevate the consumer experience through thoughtful design and ambiance.

Throughout the workshop, Jae and Christos will provide tips and recommendations on applicable strategies for coffee shops to enhance the sensory experience for their customers. From selecting the right coffee beans to creating a welcoming atmosphere, you will gain valuable insights into how to create a memorable and enjoyable coffee experience that keeps customers coming back for more.

Whether you are a coffee professional, a coffee shop owner, or simply a coffee enthusiast, this workshop is designed to deepen your understanding of sensory perception and provide practical tools to elevate the coffee experience. Don't miss this unique opportunity to learn from one of the industry's leading experts and unlock the secrets behind creating an exceptional sensory journey in the world of coffee.

Date: Sunday, April 14, 2024
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Room Number: S502
Category: Science

Instructors

Christos Sotiros
Category Executive & Master Barista, Nestlé

Authorized AST since 2018
Q Arabica
Swiss Barista Champion 2023 and WBC Semifinalist 2023 Athens
Currently working for Nestlé Professional Strategic Business Unit leading the coffee Capabilities building for internal coffee teams globally.
I ve been in the food & beverage business for more than 14 years working at hotels, bars, restaurants and cafes with my academic studies to be in Psychology.

Jae Teovanovic
Coffee Ambassador, Barista, Nestlé

Jae is a seasoned service industry professional with experience in cafes, restaurants, and bars in Greece and Canada. With a passion for coffee and bartending, Jae has honed their skills over the years, making them a valuable asset. In addition to his expertise in the service industry, has studied Health Sciences with focus on paramedics. Currently, Jae works as a Coffee Ambassador and Barista for Nestle Professional Canada. Their dedication, commitment, and ability to create memorable experiences, combined with their educational background in Health Sciences, make them a well-rounded and invaluable member of the service industry.

Description: For the novice coffee enthusiast, the competitive barista and everything in between, this workshop is designed to expand your knowledge of signature drinks and seasonal flavors, as well as providing other tips on how to elevate coffee-based beverages.

Workshop participants will learn the fundamentals of drink development and how to effectively balance flavor profiles to bring complexity and creativity to any beverage program. This workshop will also dive into how to properly price beverages, cost of goods, and how to effectively market your new creation. In this hands-on workshop, attendees will have ample time to develop their own unique recipe while gaining the skills needed to apply what you have learned in your own coffee environment.

ALLERGEN Warning: This workshop may require the tasting of actual foods, including, but not limited to: nuts, peanuts, wheat, and dairy. If you have a known allergy to any of these food products, you are likely to be at risk for an allergen exposure. There is a high risk of cross-contact with the allergens in this workshop. Please plan accordingly.

Date: Sunday, April 14, 2024
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Room Number: S501
Category: Business

Instructors

Dale Harris (he/him)
Consultant, Playset Coffee

Dale is a well respected consultant, trainer and business manager, with over 15 years experience working with commercial equipment and coffee operations to bring quality focussed coffee to customers, and customers to quality coffee, with a personal passion on the gaps between established skillsets and career paths.

As a World Barista Champion, Dale has travelled, trained and learned from experiences across Asia, Europe, Americas and is constantly pushing to understand the connections between the global specialty movement and the local differences that help us grow.

Following time working in commercial chains, and corporate B@B suppliers Dale led the wholesale program at Hasbean Coffee for many years, supported its acquisition by Ozone Coffee Roasters then took a number of roles there including managing the HB business, global NPD, and UK operations across both brands

Dale now consults for a range of companies and individuals around the world whilst pursuing some independent projects in coffee.

Lecture Description

Let’s talk sustainability and mapping your carbon footprint! In this lecture, geared towards roasters and coffee retailers, we’ll discuss the importance of measuring your carbon footprint, helping you make sense of the many indicators and which ones to start working with. We will also provide some tools to help you begin tracking your business’ carbon footprint, ending with a discussion of what to do with the information you’ll soon be tracking. Ideal for those businesses who have started to think about sustainability and want to start tracking their carbon footprints (or understand why they might do so for their sustainability journey), although we welcome folks at any point along their sustainability journey.

Date: Sunday, April 14, 2024
Time: 9:00am - 10:00am
Room Number: S403AB

Instructor

Pedro Manga

Pedro is the Sustainability Coordinator for Caravela Coffee, responsible for mapping Caravela's own carbon footprint both for internal use and also to satisfy the One Carbon World and other business and sustainability standards like B Corp and Ecovadis. He works closely with Caravela's technical assistance team on the ground to collect data from over 600 farms throughout Latin America AND make sense of all the data in a way that's understandable and actionable. Pedro also maps Caravela's own carbon footprint as a company - he has developed templates and tools to map each individual employee's carbon footprint -- these tools are what we will be sharing with the workshop, as well as the know-how to navigate the often-confusing world of carbon footprints - both the WHY and HOW of it.

Pedro has an extensive sustainability background that extends beyond coffee and is a thoughtful educator who connects well with everyone he meets.

Cupping

MTZ Ka'u Coffee Farms LLC Cupping

Date: Sunday, April 14, 2024
Time: 8:30am - 10:15am
Room Number: S404D
Access: Public

Cupping

Coffee Extraction Comparison: Hot Versus Cold Cupping

Date: Saturday, April 13, 2024
Time: 4:15pm - 6:00pm
Room Number: S405B
Access: Public

Cupping

INCUNABLES Cupping Session by Cafe Pacas. Discover With Us!

Date: Saturday, April 13, 2024
Time: 4:15pm - 6:00pm
Room Number: S405A
Access: Public

Cupping

List + Beisler Green Coffee Importers (Private)

Date: Saturday, April 13, 2024
Time: 3:45pm - 5:30pm
Room Number: S404D
Access: Private

Cupping

Remarkable Indonesian Coffee

Date: Saturday, April 13, 2024
Time: 3:45pm - 5:30pm
Room Number: S404BC
Access: Private

Cupping

Cafe Imports Producer Spotlight Cupping (Private)

Date: Saturday, April 13, 2024
Time: 2:00pm - 3:45pm
Room Number: S405A
Access: Private

Cupping

Guatemala and Honduras Specialty Coffees with TerraNegra Coffee Imports

Date: Saturday, April 13, 2024
Time: 2:00pm - 3:15pm
Room Number: S405B
Access: Public

Cupping

Mercanta North America - Meet and Greet Cupping

Date: Saturday, April 13, 2024
Time: 2:00pm - 3:15pm
Room Number: S404BC
Access: Public

Cupping

Gems of Araku - Araku Valley India

Date: Saturday, April 13, 2024
Time: 2:00pm - 3:15pm
Room Number: S404D
Access: Public

Description: Your calendar of coffee releases doesn’t have to be a scramble every year, every quarter, or every release! Our approach not only helps you understand how to release your coffees with an eye on freshness, it also celebrates that releasing coffees is cross-departmental work. We’ll consider all stakeholders as you learn to forecast for sales, ensure your sales and marketing teams have enough time to build a thoughtful rollout to your customers, and we’ll even help you think about pricing your coffees for wholesale, retail, and ecommerce. Our framework will focus your team, keep them informed, and support a smooth roll out and exit plan.

Releasing the best coffees into the world is a team effort! Join us if you’re ready to leave behind the hurried and frantic energy for a calmer and more orderly year ahead.

Date: Saturday, April 13, 2024
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Room Number: S505A
Category: Business

Instructor

Sandra Elisa Loofbourow

Sandra Elisa Loofbourow is a multifaceted coffee expert. Certified as a Q Instructor by CQI, she excels as a green buyer, roaster, barista, and published author, showcasing her comprehensive understanding of coffee from bean to cup.

Sandra co-founded The Crown: Royal Coffee Lab & Tasting Room, and lends her voice to the bilingual podcast, Cafetera Intelectual. She's dedicated to cultivating a coffee supply chain that's not only sustainable and ethical but also quality-centric, demonstrating her commitment to enhancing the coffee industry's standards and practices.

Rachel Apple

Rachel Apple stands as a distinguished leader within the specialty coffee industry, bringing 18 years of unmatched experience. Her journey from a Quality Control Manager at George Howell Coffee Company to playing a pivotal role at Cometeer has showcased her ability to build relationships and operational excellence. Rachel's influence extends through her work as a Head Judge for Cup of Excellence and as a certified SET Course Instructor, blending expertise with a deep commitment to sustainability and social responsibility.

Her leadership is further recognized in her roles with the US Barista Championship, where she contributes as Head Judge, Sensory Lead, and Committee member, demonstrating years of dedicated volunteer work. Now based in Boston but proudly retaining her Oklahoma essence, Rachel's unique blend of professional excellence and personal charm — complete with fringe and a Stetson hat — complements her reputation as a maker of unparalleled buttermilk biscuits and homemade jam, underscoring her diverse talents beyond coffee. 

Description: This workshop aims to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of how post-harvesting techniques can affect the chemical composition and sensory profile of cold brew coffee. By engaging in a hands-on sensory experience, participants will gain valuable insights into the potential of various post-harvesting methods, which can help enhance the flavor and quality of coffee. Additionally, It will focus on the scientific aspects of coffee production, particularly flavor chemistry. This analytical approach will reveal the intricate relationship between post-harvest processes and the nuanced flavor profiles of cold brew coffee. Participants will learn about cutting-edge post-harvest practices, such as controlled fermentation, which can help improve coffee quality. The workshop offers practical strategies, providing participants with the tools to create a distinctive, high-quality cold brew coffee experience emphasizing flavor and quality. Whether you're a coffee professional, enthusiast, or industry player, this is an opportunity to expand your knowledge and skills to elevate cold brew coffee creations.

Date: Saturday, April 13, 2024
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Room Number: S502
Category: Science

Instructors