Curating Your Menu: Exploring Specialty’s Supporting Players (Tea, Chocolate, and CPG)
Workshop Description: While coffee will always be the centerpiece of your cafe menu, let's demystify the many options there are for those "supporting players" and celebrate all they have to offer when it comes to curating your menu!
Join us to learn about how to taste, evaluate, prepare, and promote offerings in the chocolate, tea, and CPG categories, with the same care and attention you give your coffee.
Ideal for the cafe owner or manager, lead barista, the curious coffee sensory enthusiast, this will be a sensory-focused class anchored in practical business application.
Objectives:
⁃ Understand how to taste/evaluate chocolate, tea, and CPG products from a sensory perspective.
⁃ Understand and apply evaluation approaches to chocolate, tea, and CPG products from a COGS and value-added perspective.
⁃ Understand different approaches to the preparation of tea, chocolate, and CPG in busy cafe settings.
⁃ Understand and apply how to promote non-coffee items in your cafe and across different promotional channels (social media, newsletters, etc.)
Date: Friday, April 25, 2025
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Room Number: 360DEF
Category: Business
Booking: To book your place in this Workshop, head to the Specialty Coffee Expo Registration Portal and add a session to your order. Already registered? Simply enter your email address and badge code to access your booking and add other paid events to your badge.
Instructors
Julie Housh (she/her)
Julie leverages extensive experience in education, program development, and stakeholder engagement to create connections between people and ideas in the coffee value chain.
Throughout her career, she has designed and delivered educational programs across the coffee industry, from barista training with Intelligentsia Coffee to sustainability initiatives at the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA). Julie excels at building partnerships, managing complex projects, and fostering communication among diverse stakeholders and across global cultures and time zones. Notably, she spearheaded coffee championship events and certification programs for World Coffee Events. When not thinking about coffee, Julie is probably thinking about snacks.
Tarra Samuelson (she/her)
Sales Manager, Rishi Tea
Tarra Samuelson has been in the specialty coffee industry for 14 years, having taken on many roles in both retail and wholesale, such as barista, manager, trainer, sales, director, and owner. She has worked for some incredible companies (Klatch, Verve, Equator), and is currently the SoPac Sales Manager for Rishi Tea. Tarra is also the owner of Curated Coffee Consulting and is on the ownership team for Provision Coffee in Phoenix, AZ. Tarra loves education in coffee, and continues to instruct SCA classes and other coffee courses both in person and online. She lives in Phoenix Arizona with her husband, Dan, and her dog Kumi.
How to Dial in Espresso
Workshop Description: Elevate your espresso skills in this comprehensive workshop designed for baristas seeking to deepen their knowledge of coffee extraction. Participants will explore the intricate processes that influence espresso quality, focusing on both the science and art of dialing in.
Course Highlights:
Understanding Extraction: Discover how various factors—such as dose, volume, time, and pressure—affect the extraction process, ultimately influencing flavor, tactile, and quality.
Best Practices: Learn the optimal techniques for “how” and “when” to dial in your espresso to achieve the perfect balance of flavors.
Adjusting Variables: Gain hands-on experience adjusting and documenting brewing variables and see firsthand how these changes impact the final cup.
Coffee Analysis: Analyze roast profile, origin, bean density, and processing methods to understand their effects on the extraction process.
Tasting Experience: Develop your palate while describing and comparing flavors, extraction, and balance.
By the end of this course, participants will not only have a greater appreciation for the complexities of specific coffees but will also leave with increased confidence and efficiency in dialing in espresso.
Date: Friday, April 25, 2025
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Room Number: 362DEF
Category: Espresso
Booking: To book your place in this Workshop, head to the Specialty Coffee Expo Registration Portal and add a session to your order. Already registered? Simply enter your email address and badge code to access your booking and add other paid events to your badge.
Instructor
Kristen Hjelm (she/her)
Senior Director, Business Development - BUNN
Kristen Hjelm is the Senior Director of Business Development for BUNN. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family and two young kids. Kristen received a Master in Business Administration degree from Arizona State University. Kristen has been involved with the coffee industry for over 20 years as a barista, corporate trainer, sales and business development consultant. As a sensory and technical judge, she has judged regional and national Barista Competitions for over 12 years. Kristen has volunteered, presented, and created content for various industry organizations, including SCA Expo, World of Coffee, Coffee Technicians Guild, Coffee Fest, and more. Kristen is passionate about the specialty coffee industry and provides a welcoming atmosphere in which to learn, share, and grow with one another.
Equitable Pricing Models: Building your Own Pricing Impact Assessment to Support Smallholder Livelihoods
Workshop Description: Pricing decisions across the supply chain have a direct measurable impact on the livelihoods, resilience, and prosperity of coffee producing communities. This workshop gives roasters and other coffee enterprises the tools and insights to assess the impact of their pricing strategies on smallholder producers welfare. Participants will explore impactful pricing models—such as long-term contracts, living income benchmarks, community investment and traceable price guarantees, among others—that go beyond c-market rates and business as usual models, to provide meaningful support and incentives for coffee producers.
Designed for roasters of all sizes, this workshop helps participants assess and adapt pricing practices aligned with business goals and producer prosperity. Through practical exercises and open-source tools, attendees will gain a solid understanding of the data needed to evaluate price impact, develop strategies to work with supply chain partners to assess impact, and craft communication tools that raise awareness with employees and end consumers. By the end of the session, roasters will have the skills to assess and monitor the impact of their pricing strategies, using this insight as a pivotal tool to build stronger, more resilient supply chain
Date: Friday, April 25, 2025
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Room Number: 370AB
Category: Business
Booking: To book your place in this Workshop, head to the Specialty Coffee Expo Registration Portal and add a session to your order. Already registered? Simply enter your email address and badge code to access your booking and add other paid events to your badge.
Instructor
Pedro Manga
From Surviving to Thriving – How to Run a Profitable Coffee Shop
Workshop Description: Back by popular demand! Join this workshop designed exclusively for coffee shop owners or managers seeking to elevate their business game. Focus on honing your business acumen while gaining invaluable insights into financial strategies, operational efficiencies, and essential practices to maximize profitability. From cost analysis to menu engineering, you’ll walk away equipped with the tools to optimize your shop's financial health.
Date: Friday, April 25, 2025
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Room Number: 371AB
Category: Business
Booking: To book your place in this Workshop, head to the Specialty Coffee Expo Registration Portal and add a session to your order. Already registered? Simply enter your email address and badge code to access your booking and add other paid events to your badge.
Instructor
Laila Ghambari
Owner & Consultant, Guilder
Laila Ghambari brings nearly two decades of specialty coffee expertise, rooted in a lifelong connection to the craft. She is the owner of a roastery and three cafés in Portland, OR, the 2014 U.S. Barista Champion, led multimillion-dollar cafe operations at Stumptown Coffee Roasters, and shaped industry standards as a Barista Guild Executive Council member and chair. Additionally she is a consultant, helping coffee businesses scale strategically, build strong cultures, and achieve sustainable success.
Quality, Food Safety and Employee Safety - The Trinity
Workshop Description: As a coffee roasters, we all should agree that quality management, food safety and employee safety are all important. In fact, the last two are regulated and one must comply. Quality management one could argue that without it, you will not survive.
In this workshop you will learn the scientific disciplines each requires, as well as how they overlap and even sometimes conflict.
We will work thru how to develop all three that feed into one another which helps create robust programs for each.
We will explore:
- The things you must do (regulatory - FDA and OSHA)
- The things you should do for quality control
- Risk assessment process for each
- Development of SOP's for each
- Documentation of the whole process
- Internal Audits, Corrective Actions and Root Cause Analysis
The end goal - is to create systems and programs for each that take your "tribal" knowledge and make it institutional. From there, you will understand that humans are humans, we make mistakes, but how do we prevent making the same ones over and over.
Date: Friday, April 25, 2025
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Room Number: 372AB
Category: Business
Booking: To book your place in this Workshop, head to the Specialty Coffee Expo Registration Portal and add a session to your order. Already registered? Simply enter your email address and badge code to access your booking and add other paid events to your badge.
Instructor
Mike Ebert (he/him)
Senior Consultant, Firedancer Coffee Consultants
MIKE EBERT is founder of Firedancer Coffee Consultants, dedicated to helping clients create a personalized strategy to ensure long-‐term success. He works primarily with roasters, producers and retailers, drawing from his extensive experience in all facets of the specialty coffee supply chain to guide clients in reaching their potential. Ebert is an Authorized SCA Trainer (AST) for the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA); a certified Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) and lead trainer for food safety; and co-‐chairs curriculum for the SCA Educational Advisory Council, which develops new educational experiences for the specialty coffee community.
Roast Revolution: Exploring Cutting-Edge Innovations in Coffee Roasting Techniques
Workshop Description: In the rapidly evolving world of specialty coffee, staying ahead of the curve with advanced roasting techniques is vital for both quality and sustainability. This workshop will explore pioneering innovations in coffee roasting that are transforming the industry.
Our session will showcase the latest technological advancements in roasting equipment and software, designed to enhance precision and efficiency. Attendees will learn about sustainable roasting practices that significantly reduce energy consumption and environmental impact, aligning with the growing demand for eco-friendly coffee production.
We will also explore new flavor profile developments through unique roasting techniques, offering attendees insights into creating captivating flavors that meet the nuanced preferences of the specialty coffee market.
This workshop serves as a platform for coffee roasters, shop owners, enthusiasts, farmers, and green coffee importers to network, share knowledge, and foster collaboration, driving growth and innovation across the industry.
Date: Friday, April 25, 2025
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Room Number: 361DEF
Category: Roasting
Booking: To book your place in this Workshop, head to the Specialty Coffee Expo Registration Portal and add a session to your order. Already registered? Simply enter your email address and badge code to access your booking and add other paid events to your badge.
Instructor
Benjamin Put (he/him)
Co-Owner, Monogram Coffee
Benjamin Put is a six-time Canadian Barista Champion and co-owner of Monogram Coffee in Calgary. A four-time World Barista Championship competitor (2015, 2016, 2017, 2022), he is best known for his pioneering work with freeze-distilled milk, as well as his dedication to pushing the boundaries of specialty coffee.
Beyond the competition stage, Ben has spent over a decade mentoring and coaching the next generation of baristas, and his expertise now extends into cutting-edge roasting techniques. As a roaster, Ben has worked with exceptional coffees from Panama, Bolivia, and beyond, leveraging technology to achieve unparalleled consistency, flavor development, and efficiency.
Join Ben at Roast Revolution as he shares insights on the future of coffee roasting, the impact of electric roasting technology, and how precision-driven techniques are shaping the next wave of specialty coffee.
Infused at Origin: Understanding and Experiencing Infused Coffees
Workshop Description: Join us for an in-depth exploration of the growing trend of infused green coffee—a processing technique that is making waves in the coffee landscape. In this hands-on workshop, you'll learn about this trending category of coffee, including how it's made at origin, what sets it apart from other coffee processing methods, and its potential advantages and drawbacks.
Date: Friday, April 25, 2025
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Room Number: 360DEF
Category: Brewing/Sensory
Booking: To book your place in this Workshop, head to the Specialty Coffee Expo Registration Portal and add a session to your order. Already registered? Simply enter your email address and badge code to access your booking and add other paid events to your badge.
Speakers
Hernando Tapasco (he/him)
Hernando Tapasco is an Agronomist and seasoned Q-Grader cupper, with extensive experience in coffee quality assurance and processing. As a consultant he is widely recognized by his skills to connect coffee production and processing with distinctively attributes in the cup. He grew up in a coffee farm and it’s a former Q-Grader Instructor.
Taste, Describe, Create: Applying The CVA Descriptive Form To Coffee Blend Creation
Workshop Description: The Taste, Describe, Create Workshop introduces the Coffee Value Assessment Descriptive Form to coffee professionals new to the CVA. The workshop advances the knowledge and understanding of the Descriptive Form by applying it to the coffee blend creation process. Working collaboratively in small groups, we will recreate a reference coffee blend.
After completing this workshop, attendees will gain valuable first-hand insight into the multiple uses of the CVA Descriptive Form. The practical application of the form in a guided workshop setting will build the confidence necessary to include the CVA as part of their product development and quality control processes.
Date: Friday, April 25, 2025
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Room Number: 361DEF
Category: Cupping
Booking: To book your place in this Workshop, head to the Specialty Coffee Expo Registration Portal and add a session to your order. Already registered? Simply enter your email address and badge code to access your booking and add other paid events to your badge.
Instructor
Todd Arnette (he/him)
The Alchemy of the Pour: Mastering Latte Art Techniques
Workshop Description: Latte art transcends mere aesthetics; it represents the culmination of skill, technique, and the quality of coffee ingredients. This hands-on, bilingual workshop will immerse participants in the captivating world of latte art, highlighting how minor adjustments in milk texturization and pouring technique can lead to significant differences in visual and flavor appeal.
Throughout the session, we will explore the science of milk composition, the importance of espresso as a foundation, and the artistry behind each pour. Participants will engage in practical exercises to master silky microfoam and create stunning designs, from classic hearts to intricate rosettas and tulips.
Join us for an immersive experience that fuses technique with artistry, and take your coffee crafting skills to new heights!
El latte art trasciende lo puramente estético; representa la culminación de habilidades, técnica y la calidad de los ingredientes del café. Este taller práctico y bilingüe permitirá a los participantes profundizar en el arte del latte art, mostrando cómo pequeños ajustes en la texturización de la leche y en la técnica de vertido pueden generar diferencias significativas tanto en la presentación visual como en el perfil de sabor.
A lo largo de la sesión, exploraremos la ciencia detrás de la composición de la leche, la importancia del espresso como base fundamental, y el arte detrás de cada vertido. Los participantes realizarán ejercicios prácticos para perfeccionar la creación de microespuma sedosa y desarrollar diseños sorprendentes, que van desde corazones clásicos hasta rosetas y tulipanes intrincados.
Te invitamos a participar en una experiencia que combina técnica y creatividad, elevando tus habilidades en la elaboración de café a un nivel superior.
Date: Friday, April 25, 2025
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Room Number: 362DEF
Category: Espresso
Booking: To book your place in this Workshop, head to the Specialty Coffee Expo Registration Portal and add a session to your order. Already registered? Simply enter your email address and badge code to access your booking and add other paid events to your badge.
Instructor
Nicole Rosaly Martínez (she/her)
Authorized SCA Trainer (AST)
Nicole Rosaly is a dedicated coffee educator and Authorized SCA Trainer (AST) in Barista Skills, with certifications in Sensory Skills, Brewing, and Green Coffee. With over 18 years of experience in the coffee industry, Nicole has had the privilege to teach through workshops and certifications in both English and Spanish, always striving to make learning accessible and meaningful for everyone. Currently serving as Coffee Director at La Academia de Baristas de Puerto Rico, a barista professor at Universidad Ana G. Méndez in Puerto Rico, one of the creators of Project Origin for Puerto Rico, and on a new coffee journey with Not Your Average Joe, Nicole is deeply committed on supporting the growth of the coffee community. She believes in the value of collaboration and the importance of creating training programs that accommodate all types of abilities, helping individuals at every level unlock their potential and continue growing. With a focus on nurturing talent and fostering genuine connections, Nicole is grateful for the chance to share her love & passion for coffee through this workshop and contribute to the success of others.
Regenerative Thinking: A Design Thinking Toolkit for Specialty Coffee
Workshop Description: The practice of sustainability requires the dynamic careful balance of social, economic, and environmental priorities. Achieving this balance is by nature complex, as the connections are usually not clearly defined or emerge in scales (time or space) not easily identifiable by conventional analytical approaches. This challenge calls for a new (collective) mindset and leadership capacity, being more conscious, purposeful, and strategic to create this sustainable future (intentionally), generating greater possibilities for all actors in the coffee value chain.
Design thinking is a human-centered (user-centered) approach to problem-solving that amalgamates stakeholders’ need through empathy and an adaptive process rooted in practice and action-learning. The use of prototypes for making tangible the product or services help the designer re-think solutions to bring new perspectives and ideas, transforming the way people, organizations, and businesses solve these problems and create shared-value solutions.
This workshop will introduce prototyping techniques from design thinking for solving a set of real sustainability challenges in the specialty coffee sector that will allow the generation of a creative solution (prototype) that intersect desirability, viability, and feasibility. The blend of theoretical elements with action-learning offers a new way to understand problem solving and social innovation to make coffee better, for all.
Our goal is to provide actionable knowledge that support sustainability professionals, coffee companies and producer organizations in the specialty coffee industry to incorporate skills and mindsets that facilitate the generation of transformative solutions that are regenerative and distributive by design, and that consider sustainability an ongoing practice for learning how to make the right thing the right way, a commitment for create a coffee sector of shared opportunity, shared responsibility, and shared prosperity.
The workshop is inspired by the Theory U philosophy, Doughnut Design for Business tool, and the Human-Centered approach to innovation that will be adapted to the specialty coffee context to create an impactful and dynamic activity for all the participants.
Date: Friday, April 25, 2025
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Room Number: 370AB
Category: Brewing/Sensory
Booking: To book your place in this Workshop, head to the Specialty Coffee Expo Registration Portal and add a session to your order. Already registered? Simply enter your email address and badge code to access your booking and add other paid events to your badge.
Instructor
Andrés M. Montenegro J. (he/him)
Sustainability Director, Specialty Coffee Association
Andrés Montenegro is the Sustainability Director at the Specialty Coffee Association. He is graduated as Agroindustrial Engineer and holds a M.Sc. in Process Design and Management with a major in food-bioprocesses. With over 15 years of experience navigating the coffee industry, he has focused his professional activity in the intersection between private companies, civil society, and governmental organizations for joint creation of innovations with shared purpose. As a coffee lover, and self-described coffee geek, he is passionate about findings ways to make coffee better, acknowledging the handprint & footprints to keep the coffee ritual thriving in tandem with society & environment.
Strategic Brand Positioning: Understanding Your Market & Defining Your Edge
Workshop Description: In today's saturated specialty coffee market, having exceptional blends or beautiful single origins isn't enough - you need a deep understanding of your competitive landscape and a clear brand positioning strategy to truly stand out. This comprehensive workshop will equip roasters with essential tools for analyzing the market and positioning your brand for growth. Understanding your competition is crucial for identifying gaps in product line offerings, price points, and approach to coffee that could become your opportunity. Without this knowledge, you risk becoming just another craft roaster or missing key differentiators that could set your brand apart. Through careful analysis of market trends and competitor strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, you'll discover how to carve out your unique space and create a compelling value proposition that resonates with wholesale and retail customers. Whether you're launching a new roasting business, expanding your wholesale program, or refreshing your existing brand, developing a clear mission statement, brand voice, and personality isn't just helpful - it's essential for sustainable growth. By understanding your target buyers and crafting a distinctive roasting identity, you'll create a foundation for meaningful customer connections and long-term success. Join us to learn how to transform market research into actionable brand strategy..
Date: Friday, April 25, 2025
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Room Number: 371AB
Category: Business
Booking: To book your place in this Workshop, head to the Specialty Coffee Expo Registration Portal and add a session to your order. Already registered? Simply enter your email address and badge code to access your booking and add other paid events to your badge.
Instructor
Darleen Scherer
Founder + CEO, Black Sheep
Darleen Scherer, founder of Black Sheep Coffee Collab, is a brand strategist & coffee entrepreneur.
She helps coffee brands grow by leveraging over 20 years of experience in the coffee industry as an entrepreneur and a marketer. From building coffee roasting companies to guiding businesses through challenges, Darleen has walked her clients' shoes and understands what it takes to succeed.
Recognized by: The New York Times, Roast Magazine, SPRUDGE, The Wall Street Journal
Industry Credentials:
Specialty Coffee Association - Presenter + Panelist, Former USBC Sensory Judge
Coffee Quality Institute - Arabica Q Grader
Coffee Fest - Presenter + Panelist
Coffee Roasters Guild - Former Executive Council Member
Working Towards Cuppers' Alignment in Descriptive Assessment
Workshop Description: If you've become familiar with CVA through the last year and are curious about how to incorporate the idea of alignment for the Descriptive Assessment, this workshop is for you!
Using references from the WCR Lexicon to exemplify intensity - and using additional CVA specific tools to exemplify CATA Descriptors, this workshop will focus on a few alignment activities for intensities and descriptors.
Group discussion is always welcome and we'll emphasize the idea that alignment can be welcome in the (objective) Descriptive Assessment - but is still unnecessary in the Affective Assessment.
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Room Number: 360DEF
Category: Brewing/Sensory
Booking: To book your place in this Workshop, head to the Specialty Coffee Expo Registration Portal and add a session to your order. Already registered? Simply enter your email address and badge code to access your booking and add other paid events to your badge.
Instructor
Roukiat Delrue (she/her)
Consultant
World-renowned expert in professional level coffee education, development, and innovation. Detail oriented and creator and co-creator of education programs – including implementation and further quality assurance of certified individuals and instructors.
Subject matter expertise in several aspects of the coffee industry including green coffee, objective quality assessment, post-harvest processing and brewing, and competition judging.
Familiarity with diverse languages and cultures, allowing for ease of communication throughout the coffee chain as well as teaching to producers or consumers alike.
What Drives Value in Coffee? A Participatory Dialogue and Tasting
Workshop Description: We must work collectively to distribute value equitably in the coffee sector, and participatory consumer culture offers chances to create and share value. Through a World Café Dialogue and an interactive tasting session, participants will explore how our coffee preferences are shaped by tasting, listening, and learning.
In the dialogue and tasting exercise, we’ll explore the role of extrinsic coffee attributes—elements of a coffee’s story that you can’t taste or smell—in shaping consumer preferences and coffee's market value. Participants will track their perceptions of coffee quality, using a version of the SCA’s Coffee Value Assessment Affective Form to examine how their preferences shift when provided with new information.
Key Takeaways:
· Explore Value Creation in Specialty Coffee: Understand how extrinsic attributes, such as information about sustainability practices, processing methods, and branding, influence coffee's value.
· Examine Consumer Preferences through Tasting and Data: Use interactive tasting and real-time data to show how information influences preference, exploring how these insights shape value perceptions and can inform marketing strategies for producers, retailers, café owners, and traders.
· Engage in Collaborative Dialogue on Market Dynamics: Share perspectives on what creates value in coffee and how it can be more equitably distributed, with a focus on practical applications in farm, roastery, and retail settings.
Each participant plays a crucial role in shaping this discussion, and all perspectives are welcomed. This workshop seeks to capture the value that each person contributes to the coffee sector. Participants will leave with deeper personal and collective insights about how value is shaped —helping them to create meaningful coffee experiences that drive value and make coffee better for all.
This dialogue is part of the Specialty Coffee Association’s (SCA) multi-year project on Equitable Value Distribution. At the end of each discussion round, groups will present their key findings. These presentations will be recorded and anonymized and, alongside testimony from similar dialogues in Mexico, Côte D’Ivoire, and Indonesia, will inform the SCA’s 2025 Report on Equitable Value Distribution.
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Room Number: 361DEF
Category: Cupping
Booking: To book your place in this Workshop, head to the Specialty Coffee Expo Registration Portal and add a session to your order. Already registered? Simply enter your email address and badge code to access your booking and add other paid events to your badge.
Instructor
Alexa Romano
Boost Your Social Ventures: Sustainable Project Funding through Crowdfunding
Workshop Description: This workshop is designed for leaders and entrepreneurs in the coffee industry who aim to transform their ideas into impactful sustainable initiatives. Led by Olga Velásquez, CEO of Raíces Colectivo, participants will benefit from her extensive experience in sustainability and fieldwork across Central America. Olga will share insights on various initiatives and discuss critical elements that enhance project viability.
Conducted entirely in Spanish, the workshop will focus on formulating projects that attract mass funding by refining key elements that resonate with potential donors. Participants will take their own ideas, analyze their specific challenges, and access valuable background information on other producers. They will learn how to utilize Raíces Colectivo’s free crowdfunding platform to support their initiatives.
Additionally, participants can develop a sustainable investment initiative that can be funded directly through their commercial partners or submitted to the platform. Through practical exercises, attendees will create compelling proposals and effective crowdfunding campaigns. The session will be recorded and published in English, ensuring wider accessibility. By the end, participants will understand how to transition from ideas to well-structured projects ready for crowdfunding, empowering lasting change in their communities.
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Room Number: 371AB
Category: Business
Booking: To book your place in this Workshop, head to the Specialty Coffee Expo Registration Portal and add a session to your order. Already registered? Simply enter your email address and badge code to access your booking and add other paid events to your badge.
Instructor
Olga Velasquez (she/her)
Social Coffee Research and Founder, Raices Colectivo
Olga Velásquez is a Business Administrator specializing in Finance and Marketing, with 15 years of experience in social program design and evaluation. She focuses on fostering a coffee value chain that transcends sustainability, emphasizing inclusion and innovation. This vision is rooted in her extensive experience in Central America, where she collaborated with feminist movements, child rights organizations, and health and humanitarian aid initiatives. Under her leadership, Raíces Colectivo has become a key player in the intersection of sustainability, social inclusion, and strategic development, driving impactful change and spearheading new initiatives through creative solutions, data-driven methodologies, and regional collaboration.
The Profitable Cafe: Financial Strategies for Sustainable Success
Workshop Description: What does a healthy cafe budget look like? And how do you match that to the reality of operations?
In the dynamic job of running a cafe, a solid grasp of budgeting is vital for sustainable success. This workshop is designed to empower cafe owners, managers, and aspiring entrepreneurs with the foundational tools to create, analyze, and optimize a budget that drives profitability. Attendees will dive into key areas of the P&L—like cost of goods (COGs), labor, and occupancy—to understand how each impacts the overall health of their business and how to control them ongoing via operational decisions.
Using a fill-in-the-blank workbook, attendees actively engage in analyzing financial metrics, calculating ideal expense percentages, and learning actionable methods to control costs. This workshop transforms complex financial concepts into manageable, practical steps. Plus, we’ll explore real strategies for boosting cafe sales and inspiring cafe workers to engage better with the business. Attendees will leave feeling enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and equipped with practical budgeting insights to support their cafe's growth.
This workshop would be perfect for people brand new to these concepts or even experienced cafe owners who are having a difficult time controlling expenses.
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Room Number: 370AB
Category: Business
Booking: To book your place in this Workshop, head to the Specialty Coffee Expo Registration Portal and add a session to your order. Already registered? Simply enter your email address and badge code to access your booking and add other paid events to your badge.
Instructor
Erica Escalante
The Ropes: Barista Skills for Total Beginners
Workshop Description: Welcome to Barista Bootcamp!This beginner-friendly, hands-on workshop is designed for folks with little to no prior coffee experience. You'll learn the technical skills required to step behind the bar, from pulling shots to steaming milk and everything in between.
This workshop is all about planting good seeds. Students will get familiar with popular equipment, pull shots to World Barista Championship technical guidelines, and practice steaming milk for common espresso drinks. The real magic happens when you take these seeds and carefully tend to them them back home, in your own cafe or kitchen.
Your friendly guide is Miranda Haney, a professional barista and songwriter from Austin, Texas. Don't let the words "bootcamp" fool you; Miranda's teaching style is fun, engaging, and compassionate. You'll leave feeling inspired to be brave, pay attention, and share your love of coffee with anyone who will listen.
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Room Number: 362DEF
Category: Espresso
Booking: To book your place in this Workshop, head to the Specialty Coffee Expo Registration Portal and add a session to your order. Already registered? Simply enter your email address and badge code to access your booking and add other paid events to your badge.
Instructor
Miranda Haney (she/her)
Founder, Barista Friend
Miranda Haney is a coffee educator and the founder of Barista Friend, a mobile coffee training service in Austin. Her teaching style is engaging, approachable, and most importantly, FUN! She's worked in the specialty coffee industry for nearly a decade, competing in the US Barista Championships, the Barista League, and many local latte art throwdowns. She's currently the President of the Austin Coffee Collective and hosts the Barista Friend Podcast.
Crafting Connections: A Market-Readiness Workshop for Green Coffee Producers & Exporters
Workshop Description: This workshop is designed to support green coffee exporters and producers to succeed in the U.S. specialty coffee market. Participants will learn how to craft compelling brand stories, target the right market segments, and plan effective customer journeys through communications, samples, and sales techniques. With insights from industry experts, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of buyer expectations, seasonality, and strategies for building lasting business relationships.
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Room Number: 372AB
Category: Green Coffee, Business
Booking: To book your place in this Workshop, head to the Specialty Coffee Expo Registration Portal and add a session to your order. Already registered? Simply enter your email address and badge code to access your booking and add other paid events to your badge.
Instructor
Sandra Loofbourow (she/her)
Educator and Consultant, Openflor Coffee
Sandra Elisa Loofbourow is a certified Q Instructor through CQI, a seasoned green buyer, roaster, barista, and published author. She was a founding Director of The Crown: Royal Coffee Lab & Tasting Room, and co-host of the bilingual podcast Cafetera Intelectual. Through Loupe Coffee and Openflor, she’s working to build a sustainable, ethical, and quality-focused coffee supply chain.
Tastes Like Tropical Fruits: Understanding Fruit Flavors and Aromas from the Tropics
Workshop Description: In this hands-on workshop, attendees will explore the sensory attributes of a wide range of tropical fruits and how to use them to appropriately describe tastes and flavors found in specialty coffee. Additionally, through a series of tasting and description activities, attendees will learn valuable tools to improve their sensory memory and approach flavor description in an effective way.
After completing the workshop attendees will be able to:
• Identify and describe the distinct flavors and aromas of 15+ tropical fruits.
• Develop and improve their sensory memory to better recognize fruit-related flavor notes in coffee.
• Enhance their vocabulary for effectively communicate flavor notes, improving their ability to describe coffee.
By the end of the workshop, attendees will be better equipped to articulate the fruity nuances in specialty coffee, enriching both personal appreciation and professional evaluations.
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Room Number: 360DEF
Category: Brewing/Sensory
Booking: To book your place in this Workshop, head to the Specialty Coffee Expo Registration Portal and add a session to your order. Already registered? Simply enter your email address and badge code to access your booking and add other paid events to your badge.
Instructor
Camila Khalife (she/her)
Coffee Quality Analysis Specialist
Camila Khalife is a coffee quality specialist with a background in communication based in Quito, Ecuador. She is the founder of Botánica — a café, training center, and quality lab. After working in different roles, she has specialized in coffee quality and education.
She is a Q Arabica Grader and is currently completing the Instructor Program at the Coffee Quality Institute. She is also the Impact & Communications Lead of The Chain Collaborative, a non-profit focused on community-led development initiatives in the coffee sector.
Camila is fluent in Spanish and English.
Introduction to Cupping
Workshop Description: This workshop will guide you through the standards and protocols used by cupping practitioners, giving you the skills to evaluate coffee like an expert. You'll also have the opportunity to practice cupping different coffees using the Specialty Coffee Association’s descriptive and affective evaluation forms. No prior cupping experience is needed to attend this workshop.
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Room Number: 361DEF
Category: Cupping
Booking: To book your place in this Workshop, head to the Specialty Coffee Expo Registration Portal and add a session to your order. Already registered? Simply enter your email address and badge code to access your booking and add other paid events to your badge.
Instructor
Seidy Selivanow (she/her)
Co-Owner & Barista Trainer, Kafiex Roasters
Seidy Selivanow was born and raised in Mexico, where from a young age, she developed a great passion for gastronomy, which led her to pursue a degree in this field. Her career took an unexpected turn six years ago when she began to explore the world of specialty coffee in the United States. It all started through her travels, which allowed her to visit various coffee-producing countries and learn about their processes.
During this journey, Seidy and her husband began roasting coffee at home, and later started selling it at local markets in Vancouver, WA, where they live. In 2018, they decided to take a further step and opened their first specialty coffee bar and roastery, a space that became key to her complete love for the world of coffee.
Today, her specialty coffee company and brand, Kafiex, operates two specialty coffee bars and a roastery where they roast coffee for other local businesses. Throughout her journey, Seidy has had the privilege of being part of important events, such as the Cup of Excellence Mexico, as well as speaking at events like the Women Coffee Powered Summit. Seidy has also had the honor of being the emcee for the national barista competition in Mexico and teaches barista and cupping courses for beginners.
In 2019, Seidy discovered national barista competitions in the States, which sparked her interest in competing. In 2021, she entered the competition and achieved first place in her first regional. In 2024, she placed eighth nationally, and more recently, she secured third place in the regional competition to qualify for the 2025 nationals in the United States.
Her journey in coffee has been a constant evolution, marked by passion, dedication, and learning, and she is motivated to continue growing in this fascinating world.
Programming for Flavor: Dialing in Coffee Equipment
Workshop Description: Programmable coffee equipment provides excellent control over the brewing process. Yet producing delicious results often requires going beyond factory default programs. In this class, we’ll explore batch brewer, espresso grinder, and espresso machine programs and learn how they can be used to dial in optimum coffee flavor. This class is ideal for anyone who owns or supports coffee brewing and espresso equipment, including coffee equipment technicians, café owners, lead baristas, and roasters.
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Room Number: 362DEF
Category: Espresso
Booking: To book your place in this Workshop, head to the Specialty Coffee Expo Registration Portal and add a session to your order. Already registered? Simply enter your email address and badge code to access your booking and add other paid events to your badge.
Instructor
Brady Butler (he/him)
Owner, Trail Blaze Coffee Academy
Brady Butler is an Authorized SCA Trainer who has been leading barista, brewing, and coffee technician trainings since 2009. Over his coffee career, Brady has also worked as a barista, a coffee equipment technician, and in wholesale customer support. He was also co-lead for the SCA's Brewing Content Creator Group and a Lead Author for the Coffee Technicians Program, including the Intermediate Diagnostics and Repair and Advanced Equipment Support courses. He currently owns Trail Blaze Coffee Academy, an independent training company based in Charlotte, NC.
Management & Leadership: Building a Better Business
Workshop Description: If you were one of the attendees hoping to grab a seat in last year's sold-out "Building a Better Business" workshop, now's your chance! Foster exceptional leadership and cultivate a motivated team: In this workshop, coffee shop owners and managers will learn proven techniques in effective communication, team empowerment, and cultivating a positive work culture. Discover the secrets to nurturing a happy and engaged team, driving productivity and customer satisfaction. Elevate your business through effective management and leadership, setting the stage for continued growth and excellence.
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Room Number: 371AB
Category: Business
Booking: To book your place in this Workshop, head to the Specialty Coffee Expo Registration Portal and add a session to your order. Already registered? Simply enter your email address and badge code to access your booking and add other paid events to your badge.
Instructor
Laila Ghambari (she/her)
Owner/Consultant, Guilder
Laila Ghambari brings nearly two decades of specialty coffee expertise, rooted in a lifelong connection to the craft. She is the owner of a roastery and three cafés in Portland, OR, the 2014 U.S. Barista Champion, led multimillion-dollar cafe operations at Stumptown Coffee Roasters, and shaped industry standards as a Barista Guild Executive Council member and chair. Additionally she is a consultant, helping coffee businesses scale strategically, build strong cultures, and achieve sustainable success.
Mastering Coffee Flavor Through Water Composition
Workshop Description: Water is an excellent solvent that consists of more than just the pure chemical compound of hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O), i.e. H2O. Substances from the environment, water treatment and minerals are dissolved in drinking water. Its exact composition affects the sensory dimensions of water: taste, odor and mouthfeel. With a Water Wheel similar to SCA’s Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel, we will understand the three main sensory dimensions. Attendees learn how businesses can elevate their beverage offerings by tailoring water to their specific brewing requirements and needs.
Relevance to the Coffee Industry:
Have you ever wondered why coffee can taste perfectly balanced in one café but overly bitter or sour in another, even when the same beans, brewing methods, and equipment are used? The difference often lies in the water. Hydrogen carbonate, or alkalinity, plays a vital role in controlling coffee’s acidity. Too much alkalinity can neutralize sourness but intensify bitterness, while too little can result in an excessively acidic taste. Striking the right balance is essential for creating a coffee experience that caters to diverse palates.
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Room Number: 372AB
Category: Science
Booking: To book your place in this Workshop, head to the Specialty Coffee Expo Registration Portal and add a session to your order. Already registered? Simply enter your email address and badge code to access your booking and add other paid events to your badge.
Instructor
Anastasia Chovan (she/her)
Director of Sales - Professional Filter, Vivreau North America
With over 25 years in the beverage industry, Anastasia Chovan is the Director of Sales, Professional Filter, at Vivreau North America. In 2022, she became North America's first certified water sommelier after completing an intensive training in Germany. Anastasia specializes in optimizing water composition and filtration to enhance beverage flavors, especially coffee. She plays a crucial role in developing innovative water filters for the North American food and beverage market, addressing key water quality challenges. Through Vivreau Water Lab education sessions and masterclasses, Anastasia passionately shares her expertise on water and its impact on taste.
Coffee & Climate: A Collaborative Workshop to Better Understand Climate Change
Workshop Description: Discover the causes and effects of global warming together, using coffee-specific examples, in a systems-thinking workshop. It is designed to act as a climate change primer for anyone thinking about the business risks and impacts of global warming on coffee.
In order to tackle coffee decarbonization or think about your company's carbon footprint and build resilient supply chains, we must first understand the problem. The aim of the Climate Fresk is to explain the fundamentals of climate science based on data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report in a collaborative game and discussion format. Participants will create a collective climate collage in relation to the specialty coffee sector. This makes it easier to understand what's at stake and empower each participant to walk away ready to turn potential climate business challenges into action!
This workshop is a coffee focused version of the Climate Fresk, which was created by Cédric Ringenbach to provide an accessible and engaging tool for climate awareness and education.
Learning Objectives:
Clarity on what's driving global warming and the current and future expected impacts on coffee
Confidence to enact climate adaptation, mitigation or resilience strategies
Build community, reinforce mission, purpose and values thinking
Enable sustainability advocacy beyond those who have sustainability in their job title
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025
Time: 1:30pm - 4:30pm
Room Number: 370AB
Category: Green Coffee, Business
Booking: To book your place in this Workshop, head to the Specialty Coffee Expo Registration Portal and add a session to your order. Already registered? Simply enter your email address and badge code to access your booking and add other paid events to your badge.
Instructor
Mel Bandler (she/her)
Sustainability Strategist & Educator
MEL BANDLER is a green belt Climate Fresk facilitator passionate about raising climate awareness. She is a sustainable sourcing professional who empowers brands to act on sustainability and engage purposefully with consumers.
Past Crop Profiling: A Roaster’s Guide to Blending
Workshop Description: This workshop provides roasters with practical strategies for managing costs by utilizing past crop coffees without compromising flavor quality. Attendees will explore blending methods to balance past and fresh crop coffees, aiming to retain a balanced flavor profile that masks any age-related changes. Through hands-on tasting, participants will experiment with various blending ratios and roast profiles, discovering effective ways to maintain quality and consistency. The session will also cover cost analysis techniques, allowing attendees to calculate the financial benefits of incorporating past crop coffees in their offerings, ultimately maximizing profitability and minimizing waste. Every coffee deserves a loving home.
Date: Sunday, April 27, 2025
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Room Number: 360DEF
Category: Brewing/Sensory
Booking: To book your place in this Workshop, head to the Specialty Coffee Expo Registration Portal and add a session to your order. Already registered? Simply enter your email address and badge code to access your booking and add other paid events to your badge.
Instructor
Sarah Cline Parker (she/her)
Green Coffee Professional, Tailwind Roasting
Sarah is the founder and operator of Tailwind Roasting Collaborative in Chicago. She has been in the specialty coffee industry for over 8 years with a passion for sustainable practices across the supply chain. She started her coffee journey in Colombia co-founding a social enterprise aimed at directly connecting producers with end consumers. From that time, she has had direct experience in most aspects of the industry, from café management, QC, wholesale, to green trading.
Trevor Jermasek (he/him) Roasting Director, Tailwind Roasting
Trevor has been in the specialty coffee industry for over a decade and began his roasting journey on a 1957-built UG22 back in 2010. Since then, he has worked with a wide range of roaster models and sizes, from refurbished vintage machines to modern builds. Whether it’s fine-tuning roast profiles or replacing drum bearings, Trevor has been deeply involved in virtually every aspect of coffee roasting and maintenance
Over the years, Trevor has worn many hats in the coffee industry, including barista, roaster, production manager, green buyer, and director of coffee. These roles have taken him from Java, Indonesia, to Cauca, Colombia, deepening his understanding of what it means to be a conscientious roaster in today’s coffee market.
At Tailwind, Trevor brings his technical expertise and lived experiences to support the team. His goal is to demystify and eliminate the arbitrary gatekeeping around crafting truly great, well-developed coffee.
Coffee Matchmaker: Multi-Perspective Cupping for Experienced Tasters
Workshop Description: Effective cuppers do more than just taste coffee – they catalog attributes to develop a high-resolution picture of each coffee and use this information to match each coffee with its ideal market. Since markets are diverse, cuppings must be able to cup according to different – and sometimes multiple – perspectives.
This hands-on workshop explores multi-perspective cupping, helping participants strengthen their use of the CVA Descriptive and Affective Assessments and become more agile in their ability to match coffees with buyers or consumers who will appreciate them. Anyone with prior cupping experience is welcome!
Date: Sunday, April 27, 2025
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Room Number: 361DEF
Category: Cupping
Booking: To book your place in this Workshop, head to the Specialty Coffee Expo Registration Portal and add a session to your order. Already registered? Simply enter your email address and badge code to access your booking and add other paid events to your badge.
Instructors
Rob Stephen (he/him)
Managing Director, Covoya Specialty Coffee
Rob Stephen is the Managing Director for Covoya Specialty Coffee in Providence, Rhode Island. Since entering the Specialty industry over 35 years ago, he’s worked at several nationally known coffee companies, and has had the opportunity to work in retail, roasting, quality, international development and coffee trading. In addition to being a Q Grader instructor for many years, he is also a Past President of the SCAA and of Coffee Kids, and represented the USA at the ISO council on international coffee standards (TC34:SC15) for several years. Specializing in quality standards development and supply chain optimization, he has lectured extensively at coffee events and trade shows around the world, and conducts training sessions regularly for the SCAA and the Coffee Quality Institute. Email: rob.stephen@covoya.com
Work It! Coffee Shop Bar and Workflow Efficiency
Workshop Description: Make your coffee bar workflow work for you and your team! Whether you’re in the process of designing a cafe space, or want to make sure that your team is working together, let’s come together to work on workflow!
In this workshop we will discuss the theory behind workflow management, examine case studies of different bar layouts - how they work and why they work, experiment with different approaches to bar layouts, and discuss not just the physical workspace but how teams can work together to be efficient behind the bar.
Whether you have one person on bar, or two (or more!) we’ll discuss the best way to approach drink order and how everyone can work together to ensure the highest quality of drinks is being served and your customers are receiving the highest level of hospitality!
Date: Sunday, April 27, 2025
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Room Number: 362DEF
Category: Espresso
Booking: To book your place in this Workshop, head to the Specialty Coffee Expo Registration Portal and add a session to your order. Already registered? Simply enter your email address and badge code to access your booking and add other paid events to your badge.
Instructor
Selina Viguera (she/her)
Cafe Leader, Blue Bottle Coffee
Selina works for Blue Bottle Coffee in Venice, CA and has been with the company since 2010. As a Café Leader, she continues to enjoy her work as a barista, but also as a trainer, mentor, and coach. Selina began volunteering with the SCA in 2012 and has managed the SCA BGA Café since 2015. She loves people and coffee.
A Deep Dive into Cold Brew Sensory Analysis: Applying the Coffee Value Assessment
Workshop Description: With the expansion of cold brew in the global market, there is a greater need to understand how coffees will perform with this brewing method. Although hot cupping is familiar to coffee professionals, many are unfamiliar with cold brew sensory analysis techniques. However, if you’re going to brew coffee cold, you should also cup it cold.
Date: Sunday, April 27, 2025
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Room Number: 370AB
Category: Cupping
Booking: To book your place in this Workshop, head to the Specialty Coffee Expo Registration Portal and add a session to your order. Already registered? Simply enter your email address and badge code to access your booking and add other paid events to your badge.
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.
Coffee Buying: Sourcing, the C Market, and Contracts
Workshop Description: This workshop will provide an in-depth look at coffee buying for specialty coffee roasters. It will cover specialty coffee supply from seed to cup. It will demystify the coffee 'c' market, which is the benchmark coffee price for arabica that underpins over 96% of coffee imported into North America. Finally, the workshop will answer all questions about contracts and logistics jargon that frequently comes up when buying green coffee. The material is advanced/intermediate, but all are welcome and all will learn!
Date: Sunday, April 27, 2025
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Room Number: 372AB
Category: Green Coffee
Booking: To book your place in this Workshop, head to the Specialty Coffee Expo Registration Portal and add a session to your order. Already registered? Simply enter your email address and badge code to access your booking and add other paid events to your badge.
Instructors
Katherine Nolte Ferguson (she/her)
Managing Director & Head of Specialty, Sustainable Harvest
Kat Nolte Ferguson is the managing director of sustainable harvest and head of specialty trading for Sucafina North America. She has worked in the coffee industry since 2000. After completing her degree in accounting and music performance, she lived in rural Africa and worked in microfinance. She entered the green side of coffee trading as the financial controller for a specialty importer in 2011. She worked for Twin Trading developing East African coffee supply chains, helping cooperatives gain sustainable certifications and access international markets. She is a Q-grader and served as chair for the SCA Sustainability Council. Her passion is cultivating greater sustainability in the coffee industry. At Sucafina Specialty, she continues to invest success of farmers, roasters and the coffee industry as a whole. Today, she lives in Seattle with her husband, two young daughters and very big dog.