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.

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

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.

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.

Lecture Description

Amidst volatile prices and seasonal realities, cooperatives and washing stations need sufficient cash flow to make timely purchases from smallholder farmers. Whereas exporting organizations often lack crucial liquidity during the harvest, they also rarely have the required collateral to secure a working capital loan. To combat this, exporters, lenders, and buyers collaborate through tripartite agreements to meet exporters’ seasonal financing needs. This strategic coordination mitigates risks for lenders on unsecured loans, enables buyers to secure supply, and provides exporters with the necessary cash to make upfront, timely payments to farmers—providing stability to smallholder families in an environment of increasing instability and risk. In other words, it’s a win/win/win/win.

These agreements have proven to be an effective way to facilitate trade across the coffee value chain and mitigate risk. However, they do come with their own set of challenges.

This panel will discuss the pros and cons of collaborating through tripartite agreements and how coffee trade financing can be more effective through collaboration. The panel will demonstrate how exporters and buyers can leverage tripartite agreements (and why they should) to help producer organizations fulfill their financing needs.

Date: Saturday, April 13, 2024
Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Room Number: N426C

Instructor

Andrea Zinn (she/her)
Director, Council on Smallholder Agricultural Finance (CSAF)

Andrea Zinn is the Director of the Council on Smallholder Agricultural Finance (CSAF), the leading network of lending practitioners promoting an inclusive finance market for farmer cooperatives and agri-SMEs. CSAF members collectively disburse over $400M annually to coffee producer organizations and SMEs. Previous to CSAF, Andrea consulted on various global projects focused in coffee and agricultural finance, including initiatives funded by IFAD, USAID, GIZ, ITC, and the Inter-American Development Bank. Andrea previously specialized in SME financing and coffee price risk management through her work with Oikocredit and Vuna Origin Consulting. In addition to CSAF, Andrea leads Aceli Americas, an adaptation of Aceli Africa to mobilize financing to high-impact agri-SMEs in Latin America.

Delmy Regalado (she/her)
CEO, SAN MARCOS

Delmy Regalado is the CEO of Beneficio San Marcos, located in Sensenti, Ocotepeque, Honduras, She is well known for supporting producers and representatives of other organizations to market their coffees; emphasizing especially the work of women in the coffee industry. it also supports financial management, with training related to administration and finances.
coffee producer, and founder of an association of women producers of La Labor.
with more than 20 years of experience in the production and processing of specialty coffees.

Daniel Rivera

Felice Chay (she/her)
LatAm Origination Coordinator, Sucafina NA

Felice is the Latin American Origination Coordinator at Sucafina NA. She was first introduced to the coffee industry as an Economic Development Peace Corps Volunteer in Western Honduras in the early 2000s. After over a decade of non-profit/development work in both the US and Central America, she joined a green coffee trading company in 2012. She began working with Sucafina NA in 2016 and coordinates third-party sourcing from Central America and Peru for the global group.

Lecture Description

Releasing an impact or sustainability report is a common practice in the coffee industry these days. But what is the purpose of these reports, what makes a great impact report, how do you know what to include, and how do you measure what's included in a report? In this panel, we'll hear the various perspectives from industry leaders on the gaps, the challenges and the future of impact reporting; From assessing and reporting different layers of impact across the supply chain, to community reports done within Ugandan coffee communities, to the efforts in communicating impact for women produced coffee in Costa Rica, to new and innovative ways of channeling information back to coffee producers by coffee roasters. Join the discussion among coffee exporters, NGOs and Roasters to break down the why, the what, and the how of impact reports.

Date: Saturday, April 13, 2024
Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Room Number: S401D

Instructor

Pedro Manga (he/him)
Sustainability & Impact Coordinator, Caravela Coffee

With dual degrees in Chemical Engineering and Biology, and a Master’s in Environmental Sciences, Pedro specializes in designing environmental and social impact assessment methodologies. He has experience in developing learning programs that encourage a responsible use of natural resources. As the Sustainability & Impact Coordinator for Caravela Coffee, Pedro integrates comprehensive impact assessments within Latin American coffee communities, crafting communication and reporting strategies to inspire stakeholders throughout the coffee supply chain. His work is dedicated to fostering sustainable practices and highlighting their value in the global specialty coffee industry.

Sunghee Tark (she/her)
Co-Founder & CEO, bean voyage: women-powered coffee

Sunghee is the co-founder and CEO of Bean Voyage, and a freelance writer. Through her day-job at Bean Voyage, a feminist non-profit she co-founded with Abhinav Khanal, she collaborates with smallholder women coffee producers and youth to co-create a sustainable value chain that works for all. She is often found traveling between LATAM and Asia and when she is not traveling, she enjoys writing about coffee and the incredible people behind it. Her interest in the specialty coffee industry has initially stemmed from her passion to understand the intersectionality of income and gender inequality and her zeal to learn how coffee can play a role has kept her in the industry since then.

Anu Menon
Co-founder, Driftaway Coffee

Anu co-founded Driftaway Coffee, a Brooklyn-based coffee roaster working to build an equitable value chain by prioritizing women & minority producers, and to make coffee accessible and fun for all. Since its founding, the company has grown via eCommerce with a unique tasting-led subscription offering. Driftaway is focused on sourcing inclusively, making their packaging and operations sustainable and to building a company that is a positive force to make the coffee value chain more equitable. Anu leads design, technology, customer experience and support teams at Driftaway.

Kenneth Barigye
Managing Diector, Mountain Harvest

Mr. Kenneth Barigye is a commercial coffee farmer and the Managing Director of Mountain Harvest a coffee company he founded in 2017 to specialize in exporting high quality specialty coffee Uganda.
Mr. Barigye serves on the Board of Directors of the African Fine Coffees Association, Uganda Coffee Federation and the National Coffee Research Institute.
He envisions a more sustainable and equitable future for all actors in the coffee value chain. A future in which smallholder farmers are thriving, not just surviving.

Lecture Description

In this session we will explore the history of sensory analysis in the specialty coffee industry context, how it has impacted what we currently understand as coffee quality, and how this current definition impacts coffee professionals in producing communities. Next, we will introduce tangible initiatives seeking to overcome sensory inequalities in the coffee industry.

In all the efforts of the specialty industry to make coffee a differentiated product, producers and other coffee professionals from coffee producing communities are often left out of the conversation; quality, value and therefore coffee prices are defined in and by the Global North, and specialty coffee producers continue to be mere suppliers of what those control of defining quality demand. The lack of participation of coffee producing professionals in the value definition conversation, perpetuates an inequitable coffee trading system, where those in charge of determining quality, hold all the negotiation power. This session is designed to start a conversation around the evolution of the definition of quality and the meaning of value with a community-focused, bottom-up approach.

Date: Saturday, April 13, 2024
Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Room Number: N426AB

Instructor

Kosta Kallivrousis (he/him)
US Sales Manager, Algrano

Kosta Kallivrousis is a coffee professional with a well-rounded industry experience spanning 13 years and working across the value chain barista, training, roast profiling, roasted coffee sales, coffee competitions, and green coffee sales. His focus is on decolonizing taste and the wider coffee sector and building fairer, more inclusive systems of trade. Today, Kosta is US Sales Manager for the direct trade online marketplace Algrano.

Camila Khalife (she/her)
Coffee Quality Specialist, Botanica

Camila Khalifé is a coffee quality specialist with a background in communication. She started her journey in coffee in 2014, when she founded Botánica, a training center and quality lab in Ecuador. After working in different roles, she specialized in coffee quality and education; she is a Coffee Quality Institute’s Quality Evaluation Assistant Instructor and a WBC Sensory Judge.

Camila is also the Impact & Communications Lead of The Chain Collaborative, an organization focused on community-led development in the coffee sector that works with local leaders in coffee growing communities in Latin America and East Africa. 

Lecture Description

As we all experienced through Covid, there are many forces outside our control that can greatly affect our coffee businesses. We can’t prepare for every scenario but what we can do is strengthen our foundation to weather any storm. Investments in Leadership, Operations, Innovation are the triple threat for building a resilient coffee business in the face of unforeseen challenges with our industry. 

Date: Saturday, April 13, 2024
Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Room Number: S403AB

Instructor

Laila Ghambari (she/her)
CEO, by Laila Ghambari

With nearly two decades of experience in food and beverage operations Laila Ghambari has an extensive knowledge spanning various roles. She runs her own coffee business consultancy, by Laila Ghambari, coaching coffee business owners and professionals to achieve their goals. She has been an influential figure in the specialty coffee industry, winning the 2014 USBC, and being an elected member of the Barista Guild Executive Council.

Lecture Description

This presentation delves into the pivotal role of acidity in coffee quality, exploring its impact on flavor, its complexity and health. The discussion progresses to analyze the nuances of acidity in specialty and mainstream coffees, highlighting the influence of extraction methods, filter types, and materials.

The session reveals key parameters, shaping cup acidity through a comprehensive study encompassing organic and chlorogenic acids, caffeine, and physicochemical factors.

The interplay of roasting and extraction on perceived acidity is revealed through statistical tools. Chlorogenic acids emerges as significant influencers of pH and titratable acidity, whereas sensorial acidity is closely linked to organic acids.

The aim of the talk is to provide essential guidance for sensory education through detailed chemical data. The findings underscore related to organic acids allow us to consider them as potential predictors of beverage acidity in coffees.

Date: Saturday, April 13, 2024
Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Room Number: S402AB

Instructor

Agnese Santanatoglia (she/her)
Coffee Scientist, University of Camerino

Following a master’s degree in Pharmacy and Industrial Pharmacy and an International Master’s in Nutrigenomics, Agnese Santanatoglia is now a third-year PhD fellow at the University of Camerino, studying for her PhD in Analytical Food Chemistry at the International School of Advanced Studies.

Her PhD is within the RICH (Research and Innovation Coffe Hub) project, a collaborative hub between the University of Camerino and Simonelli Group (Belforte del Chienti).

Currently, her research focuses on the characterization of different filter coffee extraction methods (mainly AeroPress, Clever, Chemex, French Press, Moka, Pure Brew, Turkish and V60), the study of the main volatile and non-volatile compounds (HPLC/GC - MS), the link between the latter and sensory sciences and the variability of the different analytes among the extraction systems from a health perspective.

Her research also aims to understand the main variables, both from a chemical and sensory perspective, among the different extraction methods and in which way it is possible to improve the quality of a cup of coffee.

Lecture Description

Our coffee community is very supportive, and we love to see our fellow competitors in major grocery retailers. Getting the meeting with a buyer is hard and getting the “yes” is the exciting part and then the real work begins. This session will discuss the toll gates needed to be successful in launching into retail and the right type of investment that is needed based upon the brand and product. Every brand and product are different and an understanding of go to market basics can help brands succeed at retail.

Date: Saturday, April 13, 2024
Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Room Number: S401ABC

Instructor

Manuela Mishler (she/her)
Vice President of Marketing & Business Management, Luna Gourmet Coffee & Tea Company

Manuela Mishler has carved an impressive niche for herself as the Vice President of Marketing & Business Management in the thriving world coffee. Manuela's journey in the food and beverage and coffee industry is a testament to her passion and strategic acumen. Blending her coffee and marketing expertise Manuela has developed and executed varying levels of programs for multiple brands in retail America. Her ability to understand brands, consumer trends and to adapt to each retailer sets her campaigns apart.

Lecture Description

While not new to the coffee industry, sustainable sourcing continues to reach new heights as industry players try to find more advanced solutions for driving greater biodiversity, climate mitigation and social/worker engagement and equity to ensure that production and harvests live up to the highest ethical standards while also increasing yields. In an effort to create the best working and market conditions, many leaders in the industry have struck out on their own to create sourcing and sustainability solutions for their particular needs, while continuing to engage with industry standards, NGOs and regulatory bodies. Their efforts have had a positive impact on growers and the industry as a whole and have helped to streamline production in remote areas which previously had little sustainability oversight.

Now it’s time to hear their stories.

Join leaders from SCS Global Services and SCS Standards with clients Portland Coffee Roasting, Cooxupé and Expocafé for a panel discussion on the breadth and scope of diverse sourcing strategies each has been involved in. Panelists will discuss:

- New sustainability protocols and standards being developed.

- Sustainable strategy implementation successes and in-the-field learnings.

- The current and future impact of global regulations that are focusing on carbon and deforestation.

- Insights on how producers can meet shifting market needs.

Date: Saturday, April 13, 2024
Time: 11:30am - 12:30pm
Room Number: S401D

Instructor

Kevin Warner (he/him)
Director, ESG Certifications and Strategy, SCS Global Services

Kevin Warner has extensive experience in food systems, working with both small farms and large agribusinesses, and across sectors with leadership roles at NGOs and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As the Director of ESG Certifications and Strategy at SCS Global Services, he supports global scheme management and business development functions with subject matter expertise in environmental sustainability and social responsibility. Kevin holds an MBA focused on sustainable business practices from the University of Oxford where he was a Skoll Scholar for Social Entrepreneurship. 

Victoria Norman (she/her)
Executive Director, SCS Standards

Victoria is a veteran quality assurance professional with exposure to a diverse range of sustainability standards under different assurance models in natural resources, sustainable agriculture, food safety and manufacturing. She has expertise in standard development and facilitation of stakeholder groups working toward consensus-driven outcomes, as well as experience conducting gap analyses, benchmarking exercises, and dissemination of best practices. Before joining SCS, Victoria held positions at the European Commission and at the ISEAL Alliance. Victoria holds a Master’s degree in Development in Latin America, Bachelor’s degree in Politics and International Relations, and is fluent in English, French and Spanish.

Jeisson Riaño
Sustainability Coordinator, Expocafé

Jeisson Alonso Riaño is an accomplished individual with a strong academic background in Biology, a Master's degree in Geography, and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Environmental Management. For the past seven years, he has been working in the sustainability coffee sector from both academic and business perspectives, conducting scientific research on climate change, deforestation, sustainability programs, developing customized projects, and driving progress on key environmental challenges. Currently, Jeisson is employed in the Marketing and Innovation Department at Expocafé, one of the top coffee exporting companies in Colombia. In his role, he is committed to promoting environmental initiatives such as decarbonization, water use, forest monitoring, and supporting the sustainable strategy at the company.

Dennis Macray
Executive Vice President, Operations, Portland Coffee Roasting

Dennis Macray leads operations at Portland Coffee Roasting and is an independent consultant with experience in developing sustainable supply chains in coffee and cocoa. Dennis has served as an operating partner/advisor on ESG and Impact to the CPG venture capital firm GroundForce Capital (PowerPlant Partners), and advised the Gates Foundation, World Cocoa Foundation, Hershey Company, and Eastern Congo Initiative. Dennis is the former COO at Theo Chocolate, responsible for bean-to-bar chocolate operations and impact sourcing. Dennis also served as Director of Global Responsibility at Starbucks Coffee Company where he led the development of ethical sourcing standards for coffee (C.A.F.E. Practices), cocoa, tea and Starbucks Supplier Social Responsibility Program.

Matheus Franco Severino
ESG Analyst, Cooxupe

Environmental and Health and Safety Engineer. Passionate about Sustainability, Coffee and Cooperativism. Currently part of Cooxupé's ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) department. Responsible for different sustainability projects and promoting sustainability in different sectors of the cooperative."

Lecture Description

Do you feel like you and your team are frantically filling orders in the nick of time? Do you question whether or not you are making money? Do you feel like your coffee releases are rushed and your audience / buyers never really know what you are offering or why?

To answer these questions well, you have to look under the hood of your business to ensure that you have the structure needed to maintain the health of your business and your people.

In this presentation, we'll cover the 5 essentials a growing coffee roaster needs, such as: product pricing structure, building and using a pricing calculator, creating and using a coffee release process, green coffee management & tools, financial structure and dry product management.

Date: Saturday, April 13, 2024
Time: 11:30am - 12:30pm
Room Number: S403AB

Instructor

Luke Waite (he/him)
Owner / Consultant, Pomelo Coffee Consulting & The Lev Co

Luke Waite is the owner of two companies, The Lev Co and Pomelo Coffee Consulting.

During his 7+ years working for coffee roasters, he discovered the need for better operational structure. Additionally, he saw a lack of creative agencies with deep understanding of the branding needs of coffee exporters, importers, and NGO's. These gaps in the industry led to the genesis of Pomelo serving the consuming side of the industry, while The Lev Co serves producers and importers.

His mission is to make coffee roasters more profitable so they can make a meaningful impact on the world.

Lecture Description

Many coffee roasters desire to buy directly from the coffee farmer, and are even willing to travel to the source to build relationships. And yet, so many coffee producers tell stories of the cultural faux pas and culture clashes that eventually led to deals falling through, or unfortunate misunderstandings. Through using humorous stories from the field coupled with great photographs, this workshop helps explore the important role of culture when buying green coffee at the source, and outlines a number of helpful strategies for minimizing cultural barriers while maximizing win-win partnerships.

Date: Saturday, April 13, 2024
Time: 11:30am - 12:30pm
Room Number: S401ABC

Instructor

Dr. Ryan Snider (he/him)
Managing Director, Socially Responsible Coffee Ltd.

Dr Ryan Snider grew up in Kenya and has lived / worked throughout sub-Saharan Africa. He is the Managing Director of Socially Responsible Coffee Ltd and his goal is to connect coffee roasters with the farmers who produce their coffee. In order to do this, his team acts as a ‘cultural bridge’ between East African producers and North American roasters, aiming to create a win-win relationship. www.socially-responsible-coffee.com

Lecture Description

This lecture is designed to empower coffee entrepreneurs in their ability to use business as a force for good within their communities, with a focus on people, planet and purpose. During this session, participants will become equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to scale their coffee businesses while implementing socially sustainable practices.

This lecture will include an introduction to the opportunity for equity which lies within the decision-making process concerning the coffee vendor ecosystem (i.e. the coffee supply chain and key vendor categories, such as beans, equipment, packaging, staffing, manufacturing, etc.), and a discussion about future-proof methods to ensure lasting change.

Coffee entrepreneurs will learn about social and product sustainability, and how to identify strategies to create equitable communities throughout the decision-making process, within key leadership roles, and through the creation of tangible change-making opportunities, such as property ownership. Attendees will walk away feeling confident in their ability to identify opportunities for community reciprocity, and gain strategies and insights for scaling coffee businesses. Additionally, the lecture will foster networking opportunities and provide clear next steps as to how businesses can scale while remaining true to themselves and their community.

Date: Saturday, April 13, 2024
Time: 11:30am - 12:30pm
Room Number: N426C

Instructor

Jesse Íñiguez (he/him)
Owner & Director of Coffee Operations, Back of the Yards Coffee Co.

Jesse Íñiguez is the Owner & Director of Coffee Operations at Back of the Yards Coffee Co. (BOTYC), a specialty coffee company located in Chicago's Back of the Yards. Established in 2016, BOTYC’s mission is to provide premium coffee products while increasing the quality of life for surrounding communities.

Born and raised in Back of the Yards, Jesse understands the importance of uplifting his neighborhood and ensuring equity through infrastructure. He’s a trusted community leader creating profitable and sustainable business models that create jobs, stimulate the local economy, prioritize the planet, and offer positive social impact, all without sacrificing the culture.

Lecture Description

Premium coffee, grown, roasted, and stored to demanding standards, along with a corps of baristas skilled in its preparation, drove the emergence of specialty coffee. Although cow's milk remains the gold standard for lattes, more than half of today's customers request plant-based milk. Baristas are challenged with creating the same presentation and drinking experience with these non-dairy milks.

Dr. James Gratzek has developed oat and almond barista milks for leading specialty coffee houses. As the market for plant-based milk has expanded into mainstream food markets, the performance standards for premium plant-based milk are being set by the demands of specialty coffees. To develop a premium plant-based barista milk from pecans, Dr. Gratzek leveraged his experience developing other plant-based milks as well as leading-edge food science research and processing technology.

Date: Saturday, April 13, 2024
Time: 11:30am - 12:30pm
Room Number: S402AB

Instructor

Dr. James Gratzek

Lecture Description

The global cold brew market is growing exponentially, creating the perfect opportunity for any specialty coffee business to expand.

Determining which coffees are best suited for reaching your goals with cold brew can be challenging since the brewing method produces such different flavors than traditional hot brewing methods. Cold brew cupping can be incredibly useful.

This lecture explores cold brew sensory analysis using the Coffee Value Assessment protocols. Discover how to leverage new sensory methods to unlock the hidden flavor profiles unique to cold water extraction.

Date: Saturday, April 13, 2024
Time: 11:30 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Room Number: NA26AB

Instructor

Julia Leach (she/her)
President, Toddy, LLC

Julia Leach leads Toddy, LLC, a company that has been at the forefront of cold brewing since 1964. Julia’s team works with cafes and roasters worldwide to help them develop cold brew programs that highlight the nuances of the brewing method and inspire their customers to fall in love with cold brew. She is passionate about the art and science of cold brewing and is active in developing quality cold brew education for the coffee industry. She has presented at SCA Re;co, SCA Expo, NCA Convention, and also frequently presents at industry events around the world.

Lecture Description

Electrochemistry is the study of chemical processes that involve the transfer of electrons in a reaction. In coffee production, there are many manifestations of electrochemistry. This seminar will cover our recent work on the topic, and covers topics ranging from the emergence and passivation of static electricity during grinding, to measuring and modifying flavor directly in coffee extracts.

Date: Saturday, April 13, 2024
Time: 10:15am - 11:15am
Room Number: S402AB

Instructor

Prof. Christopher Hendon (he/him)
Associate Professor, University of Oregon

Prof. Christopher H. Hendon is a computational chemist with interests in energy materials and coffee. He obtained his BSc. Adv. HONS from Monash University (2011) and PhD from the University of Bath (2015). After a two-year postdoc at Massachusetts Institute of Technology he joined the University of Oregon in 2017 as a tenure-track professor, where he received tenure in 2023. His research group focuses the emergence of defects in metal-organic molecules and solids. He has published over 100 papers, was named a Cottrell Scholar in 2021, a Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar, and the Samuel R. Scholes Jnr. Lecture for excellence in Scientific Communication. 

Lecture Description

For too long, we have treated origin trips like transactional tourism. Success has largely been determined by tables cupped, lots purchased, hands shaken, and photos taken. We tend to think far more about what we take from the trip than what we bring to it. To date, origin trips have largely been extractive and unidirectional occurrences; however, if equitable and prosperous relationships are what we desire, then there is a tremendous opportunity to redefine the origin trip experience and increase its value (Return On Origin Travel) for all involved.

In this intentionally interactive lecture, we will reimagine and redesign the origin trip, expanding its definition of success to include the objectives of the visiting roaster, the hosting producer, and the facilitating coffee trader. During the session, we will analyze Caravela’s trip checklist to review how one should prepare for an origin trip, what one should bring, what one should expect, and what one should be prepared to leave behind. By the conclusion of this lecture, each participant will have a stronger sense of the purpose for and possibility of origin trips, along with an actionable plan that will make the next voyage more valuable and meaningful for everyone involved.

Date: Saturday, April 13, 2024
Time: 10:15am - 11:15am
Room Number: N426C

Instructors

Amanda Rodgriguez (she/her)
Coffee Expert, Caravela Coffee

Amanda Rodriguez, the esteemed value chain leader at Caravela Coffee, brings over a decade of expertise to the realm of coffee. Having served as the country manager for Caravela's Nicaraguan operation, she boasts a comprehensive understanding of coffee processing, logistics, and milling operations. Amanda is a seasoned professional dedicated to enhancing the entire coffee journey, striving for excellence from seed to cup. With a passion for maximizing value for coffee partners, she endeavors to elevate the industry standard, ensuring that every step in the value chain contributes to a richer and more rewarding experience for all involved.

Brian Gaffney (he/him)
Chief Experience Officer (CXO), Caravela Coffee

Brian A. Gaffney is passionate about specialty coffee and the skilled professionals who produce it. As Caravela Coffee’s Chief Experience Officer, he is committed to reducing the friction in the value chain by making it simpler for specialty farmers to bring coffees to market, easier for specialty roasters to bring coffees to specialty consumers, and natural for specialty consumers to know the names of specialty producers. Brian is also a long-time specialty coffee fan who has written about the intersection between specialty coffee consumers and specialty coffee producers for publications including Standart Magazine, DRIFT Magazine, and Daily Coffee News.

Juan Esteban Garcia (he/him)
Relationship Building Leader, Caravela Coffee

With a background in Business Administration and a fervent love for football and the countryside, Juan Esteban brings a different perspective to the table. Having honed expertise in Finance Planning at Coca Cola and Loyalty Program management at Avianca Airline, Juan Esteban understands the intricate nuances of collaborative success. With a deep-seated belief in fostering trust-based relationships through enhanced collaboration, in Caravela we are invested in igniting a teamwork dynamic that transcends boundaries and cultivates enduring connections. Join us to get to know our model for building lasting relationships in the coffee industry through Relationship Origin Trips.

Lecture Description

Can small exporters survive on specialty coffee alone? Can specialty coffee survive without small exporters? While exporters are not considered crucial to the coffee trade, they perform critical functions that allow specialty coffee to exist -- supporting small farmers and processors, facilitating access to finance, marketing, and promoting new coffee producers while helping producers to cultivate products and pricing that will be successful at market (to name just a few!). Hear from them about what threats and challenges they are facing, and what future specialty coffee has if we don't find a way to make small exporters sustainable.

Date: Saturday, April 13, 2024
Time: 10:15am - 11:15am
Room Number: S401D

Instructor

Drew Burnett (he/him)
Director, Goodel Indonesia

Drew Burnett is an exporter of Indonesian coffee and a market development consultant who has worked throughout East Africa and Southeast Asia analyzing coffee markets to identify opportunities to build stronger production and marketing systems that empower farmers and other entrepreneurs to secure resilient coffee-centered livelihoods. Early career work on international development projects led him to Ethiopia, where he led field operations as Deputy Director of TechnoServe’s Coffee Initiative. He now leads Goodel Indonesia, an exporter focused on high-quality, transparently-traded coffees that is catalyzing the development of a more-sustainable Indonesian coffee industry through innovations like digital traceability and profit sharing.

Yuki Minami (she/her)
CEO, Aequitas Coffee

Yuki is an entrepreneur and the CEO of Aequitas. Her background in coffee starts when her great grandparents crossed the oceans in 1927, from Japan to Brazil to work in coffee farms.
She was born in São Gotardo, Minas Gerais state and holds degrees in Modern Languages and Business Management. In 2013, she attended a barista course and experienced the specialty coffee scene in Paris she wondered for the first time about showcasing the family’s coffee abroad. After living and working in São Paulo in multinational companies, she moved back to her hometown to learn about coffee production and dived into a journey of coffee processing techniques and quality control. Several relevant experiences and coming across the high quality of the family’s and of the neighboring producers lead her to found Aequitas in 2017 as an alternative to the traditional coffee trade. Aequitas’ mission is connecting producers to the international specialty coffee market in transparent and equitable relationships.

Sunghee Tark (she/her)
Co-Founder & CEO, bean voyage: women-powered coffee

Sunghee is the co-founder and CEO of Bean Voyage, and a freelance writer. Through her day-job at Bean Voyage, a feminist non-profit she co-founded with Abhinav Khanal, she collaborates with smallholder women coffee producers and youth to co-create a sustainable value chain that works for all. She is often found traveling between LATAM and Asia and when she is not traveling, she enjoys writing about coffee and the incredible people behind it. Her interest in the specialty coffee industry has initially stemmed from her passion to understand the intersectionality of income and gender inequality and her zeal to learn how coffee can play a role has kept her in the industry since then.

Lecture Description

The last year has been defined by economic uncertainty, with consumers becoming cautious about spending habits. At the same time, the specialty coffee industry has seen a new influx of consumers looking to drink better coffee, offering roasters an opportunity to widen their audience.

Faced with this reality, some roasters have started adjusting their quality paradigm to source coffees that are more accessible in taste and price, at times simplifying their Single Origin menus, or buying less complex coffees to enter new sales channels.

While expanding their reach may increase impact at origin, roasters must find new ways to differentiate. This panel will discuss new opportunities for product differentiation in light of consumers’ increasing appetite for sustainability and information about the origin.

We will share insights from Algrano’s Market Trends Report 2023 and present solutions learned from industry leaders in Europe and the USA interviewed for the research, often integrating extrinsic attributes to build popular coffee menus and navigate the current economy.

Participants will hear from roasters who are increasing the depth of producer storytelling, using origin information to educate consumers, and betting on social and community values to strengthen existing product lines or to create new ones.

Date: Saturday, April 13, 2024
Time: 10:15am - 11:15am
Room Number: S403AB

Moderator

Luiza Pereira Furquim (she/her)
Head of Content, Algrano

Luiza is the person behind Algrano’s yearly Market Trends Report and Impact Report. A journalist with a decade-long journey in specialty coffee, she has worked as a barista, roaster, and sourcing manager. In regular contact with producers, Luiza writes about the realities of different producing countries from market dynamics to prices and regulations. She also shares the experiences of roasters engaged in ethical sourcing practices from a business and impact perspective.

Speakers

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.

Ted Stachura (he/him)
Director of Coffee, Equator Coffees

Ted Stachura has been involved in the coffee industry for over twenty-five years. For the past 13 years he has served as Director of Coffee at Equator Coffees in San Rafael, California, where he oversees coffee procurement, roasting and quality assurance. Prior to joining Equator, Ted was a coffee consultant with Kenneth Davids Consulting, as well as an editor at the online publication Coffee Review. He co-founded Coffee Informatics, developer of the data management system RoastLog. Ted also worked as Coffee and Tea Training Program Manager at Peet’s Coffee & Tea, among other roles. Ted’s passion for coffee is expressed through his study of coffee, daily cupping and his efforts to educate the public about quality coffee.

Josh Longsdorf (he/him)
Operating Partner / Green Buyer, Anthology Coffee

Josh Longsdorf, founder and coffee buyer at Anthology Coffee, boasts over 20 years of specialty coffee expertise. With Anthology, he has championed single variety coffee for 13 years, adapting to industry shifts with resilience and innovation. Amid economic uncertainty, Josh strategically adjusted the quality paradigm to offer accessible yet exceptional coffees. His commitment to simplicity in Single Origin menus and exploration of new sales channels showcase an understanding of evolving consumer preferences.

Believing that curiosity is the key to effective education, Josh advocates for an immersive and engaging coffee experience. Beyond the cup, he envisions leveraging curiosity to build a popular coffee menu that resonates with a diverse and expanding audience. Josh brings a wealth of knowledge including new opportunities for product differentiation, shedding light on the intersection of sustainability and the growing demand for origin information.