Fresh Cup Magazine | January 2017

MARKET TESTING | WATER FOR TEA | ANDY SPRENGER | DIETARY RESTRICTIONS | BRAZIL | LEADERSHIP

ALPINE MODERN January 2017 » freshcup.com

BUSINESS DIRECTORY P. 56

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T H E M AGA Z I N E FO R S P E C I A LT Y C O F F E E & T E A P R O F E S S I O N A L S S I N C E 1 9 9 2

FEATURES JANUARY 2017 Fresh Cup Magazine » Vol. 26 » No. 1

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CARMO DE MINAS, BRAZIL Atop Brazil’s Mantiquiera de Minas micro-region, farmers are working together to transform the way coffee is produced in the region.

BY SCOTT TUPPER

THE GUIDE TO NAVIGATING DIETARY RESTRICTIONS IN THE CAFÉ

DO YOU KNOW ANDY SPRENGER? A two-time US Brewers Cup champion and owner of Sweet Bloom in Lakewood, Colorado, Sprenger tells how he came to open a roastery in his hometown. P. 40

What is gluten? What do vegans eat? How do you cater to customers with dietary restrictions? P. 42

BY ELLIE BRADLEY

BY ELLIE BRADLEY

LEADERSHIP IN COFFEE OPERATIONS You pay employees well. Your café is warm and inviting.

How do your leadership skills stack up? P. 52

BY ANDREW RUSSO

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FRESH CUP BUSINESS DIRECTORY Your guide to industry resources and services all in one neat, friendly guide. P. 56

DEPARTMENTS JANUARY 2017 Fresh Cup Magazine » Vol. 26 » No. 1

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32

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32

More from the TimorLeste coffee community; Dalla Corte trains inmates to refurbish Evolution models

Concrete to Brick: Building a Company from the Ground Up—Part One

by Travas Clifton, Justin Hicks, and Ryan Foster

Back on the Bar

by Mikaela Wallgren

THE FILTER

IN HOUSE

38

NINE BAR

12

FROM THE EDITOR

22

28

34

ORIGIN

Habitual Ritual

Alpine Modern Boulder, Colorado

by Ellie Bradley

A Closer Look at Water for Tea

by Ravi Kroesen

Roasting at Origin

by Marcus Young

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BEHIND THE BAR

WHOLE LEAF

CONTRIBUTORS 68

COUNTER INTELLIGENCE People and products

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30

38

Snacks for the Masses

by Chris Lucia

Air Roasting

by Mark Crawford

City of Saints Brooklyn, New York

by Ellie Bradley

CAFÉ OUTFITTER

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THE WHOLE BEAN

CAFÉ CROSSROADS

72

CALENDAR Trade shows and events

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ADVERTISER INDEX

FC

FROM THE EDITOR Habitual Ritual

RITUALS ARE A CORNERSTONE OF COFFEE AND TEA.

CONNECT WITH US

/FreshCupMagazine

@FreshCupMag

@FreshCupMag

ON THE COVER: ALPINE MODERN Boulder has it going on. Check out this beautiful shop ELLIE BRADLEY, EDITOR ellie@freshcup.com

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on page 22.

Photo courtesy of Alpine Modern

EDITOR P HOTO BY CYNTHIA MEA DO RS; TO P R IG HT PHOTO BY ELLIE BRAD LEY

These rituals come in the form of morning pour-overs, checkpoints used to dial-in espresso, and profiles programmed into roasters and batch brewers.

Rituals facilitate consistency and repeatability, but they can also inhibit growth. In Carmo de Minas, Brazil, coffee farmers saw quality-focused production stifling their growth in specialty markets. In this issue, Scott Tupper tells how producers worked to create a paradigm shift, focusing solely on quality to change the country’s reputation as a producer.

In the Whole Leaf, Ravi Kroesen uses a scientific lens to asses water used for tea brewing—one of the world’s longest-standing rituals.

He asks questions about how the makeup of water might be affecting cup quality, both in tea houses and in the homes of customers. Open to reconsidering how you brew tea? Take a look at the US Water Hardness map on page 29 and read Kroesen’s column.

Another place to reconsider standard practices is accommodating dietary restrictions. If you’ve lacked sympathy for customers with allergies or food intolerances, now is a good time to step into their shoes and learn what it’s like to navigate the world with strict dietary limitations. We dive into some of the basics on page 42.

While habits and rituals can be stifling when relied upon too heavily, they offer many positive attributes—like being a source of confidence and comfort in the face of challenge. In this month’s Nine Bar, Mikaela Wallgren reflects on her experience in the World Brewers Cup championship. For Wallgren, finding success on the world stage came from leaning on skills she’d mastered through daily practice and routine in the café, but also from being willing to step outside her realm of comfort and test her capabilities.

In industries driven by routine and repeatable outcomes, it’s easy to become complacent. This issue is filled with tales of people who refused to accept the status quo, and looked critically within themselves to ask how they could do more. I encourage you to read these stories with an open mind and a slightly lighter grip on the habits you hold most dear.

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FRESH CUP MAGAZINE ~~~FRESH CUP FOUNDER~~~ WARD BARBEE 1938-2006 ~~~FRESH CUP PUBLISHING~~~ Publisher and President JAN WEIGEL jan@freshcup.com ~~~EDITORIAL~~~ Editor ELLIE BRADLEY ellie@freshcup.com Associate Editor CHRIS LUCIA chris@freshcup.com ~~~ART~~~ Art Director CYNTHIA MEADORS cynthia@freshcup.com ~~~ADVERTISING~~~ Sales Manager MICHAEL HARRIS michael@freshcup.com Ad Coordinator DIANE HOWARD adtraffic@freshcup.com Marketing Coordinator ANNA SHELTON anna@freshcup.com ~~~CIRCULATION~~~ Circulation Director ANNA SHELTON anna@freshcup.com ~~~ACCOUNTING~~~ Accounting Manager DIANE HOWARD diane@freshcup.com ~~~EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD~~~ DAVID GRISWOLD

ANUPA MUELLER

Sustainable Harvest Coffee Importers

Eco-Prima

CHUCK JONES

BRAD PRICE

Jones Coffee Roasters

Monin Gourmet Flavorings

JULIA LEACH

BRUCE RICHARDSON

Toddy

Elmwood Inn Fine Teas

COSIMO LIBARDO

MANISH SHAH

Toby’s Estate Coffee

Maya Tea Co.

BRUCE MILLETTO

LARRY WINKLER

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FC

CONTRIBUTORS TRAVAS CLIFTON, JUSTIN HICKS, AND RYAN FOSTER Launching a café is expensive. Part of the investment is taking time to learn about your prospective customer base. Looking for a way to test the market on a budget? Take a page out of Modcup’s book. The company’s founders launched their café from a series of mobile coffee operations, using the small shops to test the market before taking the plunge into a brickand-mortar space (In House, page 26).

MARK CRAWFORD Not too long ago, the SCAA revised its standard definition of espresso. Is it time to do the same for longstanding roasting guidelines? Mark Crawford examines the practicality of using air roasters for profile roasting, asking important questions about the differences between drum and fluid beds roasters (The Whole Bean, page 30). Crawford is director of sales at Modbar.

MIKAELA WALLGREN Mikaela Wallgren stepped onto the world stage at the 2016 World of Coffee event, claiming fourth place in the World Brewers Cup Championship. In this month’s Nine Bar, Wallgren reflects on returning to work and applying the lessons she brought back from competition and the months of preparation leading into Dublin (page 32).

Wallgren is a barista and HR coordinator at Copenhagen’s Coffee Collective.

RAVI KROESEN When you hear talk of TDS measurements, your mind probably jumps to baristas analyzing espresso shots.

But there’s room for tools like refractometers in the tea world, too. In the Whole Leaf, Ravi Kroesen examines factors that make good water for tea (page 28).

Kroesen began his tea career in 2000 and is now the director of tea operations for Royal Tea New York.

ANDREW RUSSO You pay your employees well, offer encouragement, and provide a safe and comfortable place to work. Still seeing a high turnover rate? Weak leadership might be the problem. Leaders strongly influence the success or failure of teams, in the café, roastery, and beyond. In “Leadership in Coffee Operations,” Andrew Russo shares strategies for learning more about your own leadership style and applying techniques to strengthen your team (page 52).

SCOTT TUPPER Scott Tupper co-founded Onda Exchange Company as a way to bring coffee producers and consumers together. Tupper shares a story of production transformed in “Carmo de Minas, Brazil,” on page 46. As growers shift their focus to quality, strategic partnerships with importers and exchanges are essential for changing the reputation of Brazilian coffee.

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MARCUS YOUNG Opening a roasting operation is tough, but it’s even harder in a producing country where many farmers haven’t even tasted their own coffee. In this month’s Origin column, Marcus Young discusses the challenges he faced launching Question Coffee, a café and roastery in Kigali, Rwanda (page 34).

Young is the campus director and senior consultant for Boot Coffee in San Rafael, California.

CORRECTION Bryon Lippincott was the photographer for last month’s feature, “Yunnan Coffee.”

Fresh Cup Magazine « freshcup.com

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The FILTER A Fine Blend of News and Notes

COOLEST FARMER at the Festival Kafé Timor.

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MORE FIRSTS FOR THE TIMOR-LESTE COFFEE COMMUNITY

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he Timor-Leste Coffee Association hosted its first national cup quality contest in conjunction with Festivál Kafé Timor in December, and farmers from the Tunu Fahi village in the Letefoho subdistrict of Ermera took top honors with their TunuFahiB lot.

Overall, sixty-two samples were submitted from Timor-Leste’s six main coffee-growing districts and evaluated by three judges using SCAA sample roasting and cupping protocols. Forty-seven of the roasts earned a score of eighty or higher (qualifying them to be considered specialty coffee).

Many farmers still struggle to earn a good living but events like this are inspiring them to improve quality and providing them with a clear path to a better life.

The first-place TunuFahiB roast, which scored an average of 84.45 points, was described by the judges as “creamy,” with “green apple, sour cherry, lemon and peach” flavor notes. Farmers from the Tasakina village in the subdistrict of Hatolia and the Lebedu village in Letefoho were granted second and third place with average scores of 84.325 and 84.025, respectively.

“The results from this first competition show the great potential that Timor-Leste has as a producer of specialty coffee,” says Paolo Spantigati, Asian Development Bank country director for Timor-Leste.

“Many farmers still struggle to earn a good living but events like this are inspiring them to improve quality and providing them with a clear path to a better life.”

Fresh Cup Magazine « freshcup.com

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Four of the contest’s ten award winners reported using the Timor hybrid variety; eight of the winning coffees were produced by smallholder farmer groups working in partnership with local and international exporters.

The Timor-Leste Coffee Association was formed in 2016 and supports a common goal of revitalizing the Timor-Leste coffee farm sector by serving as the unified source for industry standards, industry advocacy, media representation, and international brand development for Timorese coffee.

—Chris Lucia

A SECOND CHANCE FOR INMATES IN MILAN

S

everal inmates at the Bollate Penitentiary in Milan, Italy, are receiving a second chance at life outside of prison with the help of Italian espresso machine manufacturer Dalla Corte.

Social responsibility has always been at the heart of Dalla Corte’s operation—from popularizing the world’s first lead-free espresso machines, to selfimposing strict energy consumption standards with their products. And now, that commitment remains in place with the launching of the Second Chance Project, an opportunity for inmates to

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PAOLO DALLA CORTE

Inmates working on the Second Chance Project are given the opportunity to hone functional, specialized skills they can use when looking for work post-release, while also living a purposedriven life at Bollate Penitentiary.

“Our re-styled machine will have a great human content, not just a secondhand product inspected with professionalism,” says Dalla Corte.

—Chris Lucia FC

learn specialized skills to help prepare them for the future.

Eleven inmates, personally selected by founder Paolo Dalla Corte in conjunction with Bollate Penitentiary, will be trained to refurbish Evolution models from the company’s original line of espresso machines. Spare parts

We recover a machine, updating it to current regulations, safeguarding the environment. will be replaced in a new laboratory inside the prison, and leadfree components will be added to update the machines to current industry standards and regulations. A re-styled Evolution badge bearing the Second Chance Project logo will also emblazon the modified machines.

“In this way, we give the opportunity to many baristas to buy and work with a performing machine,” says Dalla Corte. “Moreover, we recover a machine, updating it to current regulations, safeguarding the environment.”

Fresh Cup Magazine « freshcup.com

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Under-counter Filtration: The smaller size of the Pearl Street café ruled out use of an RO system.

An Everpure High Flow system gets the job done.

Hot on Demand: Without extra rooms for kettles, a forty-five-liter Marco Ecoboiler serves up hot water on demand through a font on the front bar. “It works so much better than any tap I’ve ever used,” says beverage manager Alex Baum.

Cup Caddy: Aside from 4.4-ounce Duralex glasses for cortados, all drinks are served in to-go cups, stored in cubbies under the point-ofservice for quick access.

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Keeping It Simple: A twogroup Modbar manages espresso for the café, alongside two steam wands. The module rests on a rolling cart under the counter, easily movable during cleaning. The portafilter handles were custom-lathed by Saint Anthony Industries; La Marzocco didn’t offer ash and Alpine Modern wanted the handles to match the Douglas fir found in the rest of the space.

Mop ‘N Stow: How do you know a barista designed the bar? The mop sink is neatly tucked out of sight, behind two cupboard doors and next to the floor drains.

Genius.

Rinse, Repeat: Micro Matic’s rinsers are designed for beer, so the company worked with Espresso Parts to build countertop rinsers into the main bar area that would work for cleaning milk.

Cool Flow: Micro Matic did a lot of under-bar work for the café, including the ice machine.

“They hooked us up with a typical ice machine, but it actually fits under the bar,” Baum says.

BEHIND the BAR Alpine Modern » Pearl Street » Boulder, Colorado

A

» by Ellie Bradley «

lpine Modern built its first café in the University Hill area of Boulder, Colorado. Laptoptoting students from the University of Colorado fill the hilltop café during winter months, replaced by swarms of tourists in summertime. Looking to provide another venue for Boulder residents to enjoy the café’s offerings, Alpine Modern opened an outpost on Pearl Street, a centrally located thoroughfare in the city’s downtown area.

“The idea behind this was if you can’t make it to the café and need a coffee on the run, this would be that spot,” says Alex Baum, the café’s beverage manager. He explains that the Pearl Street location is designed around efficiencies. As the newly opened grab-and-go café sees higher customer volumes, they’ll be equipped to meet demand, running like a high-functioning kitchen.

The café element of Alpine Modern was developed as an extension of the overall brand, providing a community gathering place. Co-founders Lon and Lauren McGowan have streamlined the company into a lifestyle brand, offering an online periodical and thoughtfully sourced goods—including clothing, housewares, and outdoor gear—that unite modern design with mountain living.

ABOV E, O PP OSITE PAGE PH OTO BY ELLIE BR ADLEY, OTHER P HOTD C O URTESY OF ALPINE MO D ERN

Three’s Company: These twenty-fivecup siphon brewers aren’t just for decoration; they’re used to make the café’s cold-brew.

Batch-brew Beast: This Curtis Gemini G4 Intellifresh is Alpine Modern’s workhorse, churning out batch brew based on preprogrammed settings. “I love this thing. It’s a beast,” Baum says.

Sleek Storage: Baum votes for drawers over shelves, always. These drawers store the café’s supply of coffee, allowing for easy rotation of stock and helping to maintain the café’s neat profile.

“The whole idea is city people moving to the mountains,” Baum says. “The mountains used to be this rustic lodge and now it’s changing and emerging, so what does that look like today?”

At the Pearl Street café, a chevron theme pays homage to the nearby mountains, while a simple, clean aesthetic reflects the McGowans’ modern taste. Coffee selections are also kept simple: the café offers batch brew and espresso from Middle State Roasters. “Our main customer wants a cup of coffee,” Baum says, explaining that manual brews didn’t make sense for their café or customer base.

The Alpine Modern brand attracts café visitors from all corners of the world, many them connecting through Instagram. Most of these curious café-goers aren’t specialty coffee–savvy—or even into coffee—making an experience that’s approachable and inviting particularly important.

“It’s why we love Middle State. It’s not as light as a lot of the specialty stuff you get. Jay roasts for just clean and sweet and lovely coffees,” Baum says.

Alpine Modern also brings in a new guest roaster each month, like Stockholm’s Drop Coffee Roasters. “People get a coffee and walk around in the shop and start to get the brand more,” Baum says. “It’s hanging out with well-designed products and drinking good coffee.” FC

Banished to the Back: Two Mahlkönig Peaks grind for espresso—one for a single-origin, the other for decaf. A Mahlkönig EK 43 handles all grinding for the café’s batch brew. “I’ve always put grinders on the back bar,” Baum says. “It’s a messy thing and there’s no way of keeping it clean when it gets busy.”

Barista Tool Belt: An OCD and a Statesman tamper help Alpine Modern whip out high-quality espresso shots. Baum likes the Statesman for its ability to force proper wrist positioning, saving a lot of pain by the end of a long shift.

Fresh Cup Magazine « freshcup.com

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Café OUTFITTER:

Snacks for the Masses

What’s on your ingredient list? Gluten, nuts, dairy, soy, fish, and other animal products are some of the most avoided ingredients due to allergies and other dietary restrictions. You may offer alternative milks to cater to customers with dietary restrictions, but what about your snacks? We all need to grab a quick bite to eat occasionally, and these allergy-friendly snacks hit the spot without triggering an immune response. Check out page 42 for more info on food allergies and sensitivities.

1) ER-MAH-GERBS! Quit monkeying around and get your paws on Gerbs’ Crunchy Monkey snack mix. Free from gluten, peanuts, tree nuts, legumes, eggs, soy, dairy, fish, shellfish, mustard, and sesame—whew!— a handful of Crunchy Monkey is sure to delight even the most allergen-sensitive snackers. mygerbs.com

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2) LEMONS AND COOKIES, OH MY! Lemon burst mini cookies from Homefree provide all the sweetness of a traditional cookie without any peanuts, eggs, dairy, wheat, or gluten. As a bonus, they’re also vegan, Kosher, and low-sodium. Made in an allergy-friendly bakery in New Hampshire, Homefree’s line of cookies allow for snacking without fear. homefreetreats.com 3) FREE 2 B YOURSELF A fresh mug of coffee isn’t the only cup you can enjoy—break open a package of Free2b’s Chocolate Caramel Cups. Chocolate and caramel lovers looking to avoid the dairy or soy of a traditional treat can enjoy a delicious marriage of flavors in Free2b’s range of dessert cups. All products are free of the top seven allergens and certified gluten-free, Kosher, and non-GMO. free2bfoods.com 4) JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED Ever had to break out a dictionary to understand the ingredients on your snack labels? That’s no longer the case once you’re munching on RXBar’s Coffee Chocolate bars, containing eight easily-pronounceable ingredients and all the deliciousness you’d expect from a chocolate-coffee combination. Plus, they’re Paleo- and Whole30friendly and loaded with twelve grams of protein. rxbar.com

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5) GO NUTS Your head will spin when you realize dry-roasted Blueberry Pomegranate Clusters from 180 Degrees Snacks contain only 140 calories per bag without any peanuts, gluten, wheat or dairy.

Sunflower, pumpkin, and flax seeds headline the Clusters’ ingredients list, with almonds, cashews, and sea salt added to pack a flavorful punch.

180snacks.com FC

In HOUSE

T

he mantra you always hear in real estate is “location, location, location.”

In the coffee industry, finding the right location is a challenge, especially when you’re trying to grow your business in an area where property values are extremely high. Not only does the cost of building become a hurdle, but you’ll likely be competing with bigger, more familiar brands in the same area. The real question becomes: how do you find a way to break into the market and attract a loyal following?

Modcup founders Travas Clifton and Justin Hicks met at a Willem Boot coffee course in San Francisco and decided to start their business by waking up early and dragging their coffee cart to Hoboken, New Jersey, (right across from New York City) near a busy transit hub and office center.

Soon after, they attracted other coffee professionals like Ryan Foster to help them grow the business. Customers of Modcup Coffee Co.’s first mobile shop saw what looked like a converted hot dog cart equipped with an enigmatic lever-pull espresso machine, pour-over bar, and all the stylings of a unique coffee shop.

Over the last three-and-a-half years, Modcup has stayed on the road with a 1969 Citroën H Van and a variety of mobile setups, including a modified version of the original mobile café. The company also opened a café in the burgeoning neighborhood of Jersey City Heights, and a roastery-café combination to supply the growth of its cafés and wholesale partnerships.

Even as old projects develop and new ones take shape, everything is built from what Clifton and Hicks learned starting on the streets: adaptability, frugality, and personality.

When temperatures outside start dipping below forty degrees, your fingers go numb, and the electric kettles

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are barely reaching temperatures hot enough for pour-overs, all the romanticism of being “out there” with a business gives way to the reality of hard work (along with plenty of frustration and expletives).

In mobile operations, issues seemingly pop out of nowhere, leaving no choice but to solve the problem in the moment and keep things running.

The mandate to persist comes not only from the mobile operation supporting your livelihood, but because there’s likely a line of ten severely under-caffeinated people waiting to get their fix. There’s no time to call a technician— you are the technician, jerry-rigging stubborn equipment to keep customers happy and your books balanced.

Whatever the Modcup team did in those hectic moments usually resulted in a permanent fix, but the challenges taught them important lessons about each cog of the wheel that keeps their operation moving. They learned how to adapt their designs and models to the surrounding conditions, a lesson that continues to drive every aspect of the company.

Beyond adapting to physical demands, mobile operations taught the Modcup team a way to responsibly figure out how to meet the demands of the markets they were most attracted to. The struggle for many businesses in the food and beverage industry is the risk involved in taking on a new location. When you factor in rent, build-out cost, and any number of other expenses, you can’t ensure success, even when you have an outstanding product.

What gave Modcup the confidence to open their first brick-and-mortar café wasn’t just the ability of a space with an amazing view of New York City, but the knowledge they were about to open across the street from where their mobile operation launched in the neighborhood farmer’s market.

Before signing a lease or starting payments on a build-out, the team had already built a local client base, discerned the character of the neighborhood, and determined the direction the café needed to take for success.

While they took notice of the way many cafés in and around NYC tried to attract customers by boasting stateof-the-art equipment, familiar thirdwave roasting companies with good reputations for quality, and the ubiquitous fedora, Modcup set out to create a unique identity for their brand.

They adapted the café to welcome customers and invite them on the company’s growth journey.

Clifton, Hicks, and Foster encouraged engagement with the Modcup brand through a slogan that said “unplug and connect,” alluding to their decision not to provide Wi-Fi. Not only was this a request from many local patrons, but it changed the way people regarded the café as part of the specialty coffee movement. Spunky record player tunes replaced the muted world of hipsters with earbuds and iPhones, warm conversation cast out any air of a co-working space, and people excitedly discussed coffee, the neighborhood, and everything else that brought them together in the small space with a great view.

Even as the Jersey City Heights neighborhood changes, as many neighborhoods on the cusp of large metropolitan areas tend to do, the Modcup team is open and ready for those changes—including competing with several coffee purveyors in the area. While the café started as a combination of a local coffee shop and a well-sought destination for coffee geeks in the region, it’s a great testament to the lessons learned by starting on the streets. FC Travas Clifton, Justin Hicks, and Ryan Foster are the brains and leadership behind Modcup.

PH OTO S C OURTESY O F MO DC UP

Concrete to Brick: Building a Company from the Ground Up—Part One

By Travas Clifton, Justin Hicks, and Ryan Foster

Fresh Cup Magazine « freshcup.com

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The WHOLE LEAF A Closer Look at Water for Tea » By Ravi Kroesen

I

n eighth-century Tang Dynasty China, Lu Yu wrote in the Cha Jing, or Classic of Tea, “During the first boil, add a measure of salt appropriate to the amount of water to harmonize the flavor.” He believed that salt would neutralize any flavors or aromas present in the water and allow the flavor of the tea to shine through.

While Yu likely knew that goodquality water needed no additives, he understood that many reading his book would not have access to the best water and adding salt would help. One could say this was the first known attempt at controlling tea water to elicit a desired outcome in flavor.

In modern times, it’s fairly well known that when preparing tea the most important consideration outside of tea quality is the choice of water. Good-quality water can elevate bad tea into something palatable, whereas poor-quality water can make good tea undrinkable. Many teashops boasting custom water systems hear from customers how much better the tea tastes when prepared at the shop, as opposed to when customers brew the same tea at home.

Sometimes this can be attributed to incorrectly followed brewing instructions regarding tea-to-water ratios, water temperature, or steeping time.

However, the most common reason for inferior tea at home is a result of the water quality.

Three major factors must be considered when looking at what makes good water for preparing tea: the pH (power of hydrogen) level, TDS (total dissolved solids), and water hardness.

The pH scale ranges from 1 to 14 and defines acidity or alkalinity (basicness) of the water. Ideally, the more neutral the water, the better. A pH of 7 is neutral, although anywhere between a slightly acidic pH of 6 to a slightly alkaline pH of 8 is considered acceptable. Drinking water in the US is

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considered normal within a pH range from 6 to 8.5, so pH is generally not too big an issue when considering what water to use.

TDS measures not only the total quantity of minerals present in water, but also the amounts of metals, salts, or any other impurities that may have been dissolved. TDS is measured either in ppm (parts per million) or grains. 17 ppm is equivalent to approximately 1 grain. TDS is the most commonly stated metric for qualifying what type of water to use with tea, but without knowing which combination of dissolved solids makes up the TDS in a water, the measurement is unreliable. Hence, using a TDS meter may give you the desired reading, but still not guarantee the best water. (Relying on TDS measurements makes sense when you can control the dissolved solid content.)

Water wizard David Beeman, of GC Water, recommends water with a TDS measurement between 50–150 ppm, or 3–9 grains. Beeman has formulated water for hundreds of businesses large and small and crafted water guidelines for the Tea Association of the USA. He cites 150 ppm as the ideal amount of TDS in water for tea, provided the water is run through a reverse osmosis system, which filters the water completely, then reintroduces a mixture of calcium, potassium, and sodium to meet the suggested TDS measurements. Unlike coffee, no magnesium is added, as it makes tea taste overextracted and metallic in flavor.

Water hardness makes up part of TDS, but should not to be confused as being the same measurement. Water hardness describes the amount of calcium and magnesium in water.

Tea tastes best when the water hardness is between 17–68 ppm, or 1–4 grains. Too high (over 120 ppm), and the tea tastes flat and lacks flavor. At this level of hardness, the brew clouds over—especially in iced tea—and an

oily film forms on the water’s surface.

When water hardness is too low (below 10 ppm), tea becomes bitter and astringent, and color may be reduced.

Clarity will not be altered.

Although the US drinking water system is largely safe, not all tap water is ideal for tea-making.

As a business, the best long-term solution is to send your water to a filtration company, who can test your water for free and recommend a filtration system suited for your particular water. A reformulation unit may be necessary for areas where TDS and water hardness are not optimal.

A secondary solution would be to utilize a bottled water service. Any service should offer an analysis of its water showing pH, TDS, mineral, and metal content. Based on the parameters mentioned above, you can identify whether the water would be suited for your needs.

Last, if using locally provided drinking water is your only option, there are several ways to get a good idea of your water’s chemical makeup. Your municipal provider is required by law to issue an annual water quality report. The US Geological Survey has a great map showing levels of water hardness throughout the fifty states and Puerto Rico (see page 29). A titration kit, mentioned in Fresh Cup’s Water Issue, is a great way to test for water hardness. Titration testing kits, a pH meter, and a TDS meter can all be purchased online inexpensively. Chlorine in drinking water can be easily remedied using a store-bought filter.

We are just starting to explore how water affects tea. Hopefully in the coming years this knowledge can be broadened and further disseminated, raising water quality for every cup of tea. FC Ravi Kroesen is director of tea operations for Royal Tea New York.

Fresh Cup Magazine « freshcup.com

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The WHOLE BEAN Let’s Talk About Air Roasting » By Mark Crawford

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hallenging our assumptions is always a good thing. A few years ago, I was in an SCAA Skill Building subcommittee reviewing the curriculum for the introductory espresso classes. “Espresso” was defined in our SCAA curriculum for years with extraction times between 18–23 seconds. However, excellent baristas in the World Barista Championship competition were regularly extracting longer— in some cases, way longer—pours.

It seemed that it was time to redefine the length of pour time. “Can we change the definition of espresso?” questioned one of the members. After all, this was in writing and stood as a truth in the industry. But it wasn’t what leaders in coffee were producing as great espresso. It was time to change. We rewrote the guideline and sent it to Statistics and Standards to confirm—the definition has been revised to a range of 20–30 seconds.

Is it time to reassess standards in roasting?

Before we dive in to answer that question, let’s establish a few important definitions: • DRUM ROASTING: The most common method of roasting and the style of most commercial roasters. These roasters feature a rotating cylindrical drum, to which heat is applied—either directly under the drum, or centrally through a conduit. Drum roasters can use electric or gas heat and utilize a combination of convection and conduction.

• AIR ROASTING: Also called fluid bed roasting, this method is more common in home and sample roasters. Systems feature a tall cylinder through which hot air flows, providing homogenous distribution of heat. Fluid bed roasters rely completely on convection. The first air roaster was patented by Michael Sivetz, who firmly advocated for a higher-quality cup yielded by his design.

• PROFILE ROASTING: Varying tem-

perature over the period of roast time produces different results. Each green coffee has a distinct chemical makeup due to bean variety, growing region, and processing method. Roasters seek to reveal characteristics of each coffee by controlling the chemical reactions that occur during the roast process.

In drum roasting, the roast master is also controlling variables of air velocity and gas pressure.

A long-held assumption in traditional drum roasting is that the balance between conduction and convection airflow is key to roast development. Fluid bed roasting, or air roasting, heats only by convection. How does this affect roasting development and the quality of the final result? Is the balance between convection and conduction needed for good specialty coffee?

A small fluid bed roaster, now available with profile roasting control, facilitated comparisons that could test these questions. The Sonofresco Profile Roaster (with Advanced Definition Roasting technology) is only available in one- and two-pound batch sizes, but allows mirroring the roast profile (temperature over time) that someone roasting on a drum profile has determined to be the their favored roast. By isolating development time and comparing the roasted results across the two types of roasters, the hope is to closer examine the effect of combination convection and conduction—versus pure convection—on sensory outcomes.

These types of comparison tests are by no means definitive, but are intended to motivate others to perform more comprehensive testing on the subject.

Profile drum roasting has been an industry standard in specialty coffee for over a decade; profile roasting with air roasters is much newer.

It’s generally assumed that drum roasters, balancing conduction and

convection, yield more body, and air roasting can achieve more sweetness and brightness.

These assumptions made the opportunity to test the same profile of drum roasters with an air roaster all the more enticing. By controlling the ramp-up temperature against time, profiles can be duplicated from drum to air roaster. This allows us to isolate differences between convection and conduction, rather than arguing the drum versus air issue.

The work started with some comparisons that Willem Boot of Boot Coffee Consulting did in 2013 and documented on video.* He started with two different coffees, roasting each green variety to his optimum target on a one-pound San Franciscan drum roaster. The same roasting profile was set on a two-pound Profile ADR Sonofresco. His resulting videos are worth watching.

I recruited some great roasters to help conduct similar tests. I collected data and results from Caffe Ladro, Nossa Familia, Klatch Coffee, Just Love Coffee, King Coffee, Doma, Torque, Tony’s Coffee, and Nobletree. To expand on Willem Boot’s experiment, I asked each roaster to use two coffees they roasted regularly, using a roasting profile they were familiar with. I also asked them to compare air-roasted results with drum-roasted results.

We set out to isolate as many extraneous variables as possible in roasting, stripping everything possible away except the comparison of drum and air.

In short, many roasters noted more brightness, less body, and more flavor in the air-roasted samples compared to the drum-roasted. Next month we’ll take a look at the full results of these early trials and let the cup do the talking. FC Mark Crawford is director of sales at Modbar.

*Video can be found at http://bootcampcoffee.com/sonofresco/.

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NINE BAR Back on the Bar » By Mikaela Wallgren

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fter things wrapped up in Dublin, returning to the bar at the Coffee Collective was a really heart-warming experience. I was greeted by applause and cheering coworkers—everyone was so supportive of my presentation. They told me how much they respected the work I put in and how proud they were. They definitely made it feel like a very special homecoming.

Tying up my hair and securing my apron around my waist, I slid in to what, at that moment, felt like the tranquillity of everyday bar work. The months and weeks prior to the World Brewers Cup had consumed my thoughts every minute I was awake. All the build-up was released when I called “time” in the WBrC’s final round.

Returning to the bar a couple of days after, I felt light as a feather. Our coffee and my performance had exceeded any of our wildest hopes. I felt excited to continue the daily tasks in a coffee shop setting and to share our coffee’s world success, both with my team members and our customers.

The recipe, work flow, and my speech at WBrC centered around the topic of everyday passion, consistency, and

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knowledge of one’s tools. I used a red thread in the presentation, which represented finding strength in everyday workings. I used a coffee I knew and had brewed for three years—Kieni, from Mugaga society in Nyeri, Kenya.

I brewed on a Kalita Wave, choosing this brew method because I’ve built a strong routine on it through everyday repetition. I also brought my water and my grinder, as I knew exactly how they would perform. In simple terms, I brought my everyday work setting to the world championships.

What I brought back home after a successful competition was reassurance, pride, and confidence. I felt reassured of what I already felt to be true: the way we work on an everyday basis at the Coffee Collective is world-class.

I was immensely proud the Kieni, a coffee so core to the Coffee Collective, had taken the world’s attention.

I was confident, as I proved to myself that focusing hard in the bar on a daily basis can achieve great heights on the world stage. All you need to do is sign up for the competition and pin-point your personal strength, then repeat— over and over.

I definitely brought back home more intangibles from competing than practical skills. These intangibles

are important things like industry connections and a stronger sense of professionalism.

I mostly learned practical skills on the road to the competition. While preparing, I had to figure out basics like how to organize and structure the training in an efficient and effective way. I also had to decide how to divide the performance into separate sections. This allowed me to train for each part with full focus. Along with these two things, I learned how to stay consistent, how to engage with my audience, and how to look confident and professional on stage.

If I can single out the most valuable lesson, I learned that I need a lot of repetition. Repetition gives me selftrust and peacefulness.

Today when I work in the bar I continue enjoying the tranquillity of repetition; welcoming guests, pulling shots, steaming milk, reloading the dishwasher. I really enjoy brewing drip coffee—it’s my biggest joy behind the bar.

Together with our team I feel delighted to show our customers that world-class coffee is theirs to enjoy every day. FC Mikaela Wallgren is a barista and HR coordinator at Copenhagen’s Coffee Collective.

P HOTOS C O UR TESY OF BLACK WATER ISSUE

The World Brewers Cup competition takes place in two rounds. During the first round, competitors prepare three beverages utilizing whole bean coffee provided by the competition. In the second round, the open service, competitors utilize a coffee of their choice and serve a beverage preparation with a presentation. Six finalists move on to a final round, repeating a presentation of the open service for the judging panel. Mikaela Wallgren competed in the World Brewers Cup Championship last June in Dublin, turning in an impressive fourth-place finish. Here, Wallgren reflects on her experience returning to Copenhagen’s Coffee Collective, where she works as a barista and HR coordinator.

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ORIGIN Roasting at Origin » By Marcus Young

JEAN BOSCO SAFARI

added coffee products to market— including coffee roasted for the local and export markets.

It was against this backdrop that I moved to Rwanda while working for Sustainable Harvest Coffee Importers

the lives of its producers. In Rwanda I developed a roasting business that kept profits within the country, creating additional income for the coffee growers. Other aims of Question Coffee are to give coffee producers a

In Rwanda I developed a roasting business that kept profits within the country, creating additional income for the coffee growers. to open and develop Question Coffee, a specialty coffee roaster in Kigali.

I believe specialty coffee can be a force for good in the world, and that cafés are important public spaces. I have witnessed how coffee—when it’s sourced responsibly—can improve

chance to taste the coffee they grow, and to be a showcase for specialty coffee to Rwandans.

These goals aren’t unique in producing countries. Mariana Proença, who publishes Revista Espresso—a magazine covering coffee culture in Brazil—

*National Coffee Association (2016, March). What Are We Drinking? Understanding Coffee Consumption Trends. https://nationalcoffeeblog.org/2016/03/19/ coffee-drinking-trends-2016/)

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P HOTOS C O UR TESY OF M ARC US YO UNG

S

pecialty coffee roasters are opening in many coffee-producing countries, mirroring the growth of quality coffee that we witness in the US.* Colombia, Brazil, Peru, El Salvador, and Mexico all have vibrant specialty coffee scenes. Brazil, by its own account, is now the second-largest consumer of coffee in the world. Companies like Azahar Coffee in Colombia, Mexico’s Café Sublime, and Peru’s Café Verde are creating dynamic coffee scenes and thriving on the global stage—evidenced by Alejandro Mendez from El Salvador, who won the 2011 World Barista Championship while working for Viva Espresso.

Producing countries are investing in the development of their consuming cultures. In Rwanda, the government has diverted capital into infrastructure, including a roasting plant with a 6500-pound daily capacity.

The goal: to bring additional value-

reports that the growing specialty scene in Brazil has led to more farmers cupping their own coffees and discovering the unique qualities of the coffee they produce. This has led to more farmers producing more microlots for specialty niches.

Azahar Coffee is a vertically-integrated company that roasts coffee in Colombia, exports it to global markets, and retails in Bogotá. They pay farmers a price based on cup quality, consistency from year to year, and the cost of production. This transparent business model ultimately adds value for consumers.

But many challenges exist when building a specialty coffee roasting business in a producing country. In Rwanda, for example, it’s difficult to find quality propane gas for the roaster, and it’s expensive to procure and ship packaging, sealers, and other equipment.

Another challenge is staffing a coffee company in a culture that doesn’t have an existing coffee culture.

Thankfully in Rwanda, where there’s almost no local coffee consumption, there is a small but vibrant barista scene. From this crew I hired Dan Sibomana, Question Coffee’s first barista. There’s a handful of people with experience roasting coffee in Rwanda, but most only know sample roasting or have roasted low-grade commercial coffee for the existing consumer market.

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PH OTO C OURTESY O F M AR CUS YO UNG

MARCUS YOUNG with a coffee producer in Rwanda.

Hiring and training an experienced roaster with an interest in high-quality coffee was paramount, and I met Jean Bosco Safari, a Rwandan coffee roaster, years ago when he was living in Portland, Oregon, and roasting for Stumptown. He had since returned to Rwanda where I brought him on board as the roastmaster.

With equipment and staff in place, finding customers became the next challenge. There’s hardly a culture of drinking coffee in Rwanda, much less a specialty coffee niche. The local coffee was often low-grade, roasted very dark, and expensive. Most Rwandese drink tea, which is more popular and less expensive than coffee. Having never tasted quality coffee and with high prices, it’s no wonder Rwandese were reluctant coffee consumers. To succeed, highquality and affordable coffee was necessary, a challenge when looking to pay a fair price to producers.

Many Rwandese are raised to believe that coffee is somehow unhealthy, often asking “Won’t it make my heart race?” or “If I drink coffee, will I be able to sleep?” The challenge isn’t just finding a market, but developing one that’s entirely new. By sourcing delicious coffee, roasting them as artisans, and grinding and brewing it fresh to specialty coffee standards, Question Coffee has built a local following from expats and local Rwandese alike.

It’s been a slow process, requiring mindfulness of the local market and offering drinks that are appealing to new coffee drinkers. One key to Question Coffee’s success has been drinking coffee with the farmers who grow it. Starting with high-quality green coffee, exceptional roasting, and talented baristas, farmers who have been growing coffee their entire lives are now tasting their coffee for the first time and discovering its sweetness and nuance. This has created enthusiasm amongst the producers, who now actively promote their green coffee to international buyers and help market roasted coffee to their local communities.

The growth of specialty coffee in producing countries is exciting. It gives me hope that we will continue seeing ever-increasing quality. When coffee growers and producers experience their product in the same ways those of us in consuming countries do, everyone benefits.

The tasting experience aids communication about quality between buyers and sellers, and helps ensure producers understand the true value of their products. Consuming coffee in producing countries also brings in additional revenue from roasting and retailing, and—call me hopeful—makes it more likely that some of those proceeds will be returned to the original coffee growers. FC Marcus Young is the campus director and a senior consultant for Boot Coffee.

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Café CROSSROADS City of Saints » Brooklyn, New York

By Ellie Bradley

J

oe Palozzi grew up in coffee, learning the ins and outs of the industry from his father, a coffee grower and roaster. “Every single possible thing that could’ve been done in coffee, I did,” Palozzi says. This included a stint making flavored coffees in the nineties. “I smelled horrible for days,” he recounts.

But Palozzi has come a long way since his amaretto coffee–making days. He’s now vice president of operations for City of Saints Coffee Roasters. The company’s roastery resides in Brooklyn’s colorful Bushwick neighborhood; here, Palozzi stands at a tall work table, sipping a pour-over and reflecting on a coffee journey that’s helped launch a company with an evergrowing wholesale business and three retail cafés.

City of Saints began in Hoboken, New Jersey, where principal partner Matt Wade opened a coffee shop after noticing a void in the area’s thirdwave offerings. Palozzi worked for a nearby roaster-retailer that supplied

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Wade’s shop (at the time called Red Lion Coffee), and the two developed a friendship. Wade saw the benefits of the roaster-retailer model and wanted to shape his business accordingly.

Familiar with Palozzi’s long history in

MURAL BY MR. NERDS, commissioned as part of the Bushwick Collective, a local effort to beautify community buildings with graffiti murals.

ing in February [2014] and by March we placed the order for this roaster,” Palozzi says, gesturing to the seventy-kilogram Loring that churns out coffee for their retail locations and wholesale accounts.

The roastery blends perfectly into the industrial neighborhood’s eclectic tapestry of colors and businesses. coffee, he invited him to partner in the roasting venture.

Wade and Palozzi started roasting their own coffee at Pulley Collective, a Brooklyn-based roasting collective geared toward small businesses and startups. Working at Pulley gave Palozzi the opportunity to work on their thirty-five-kilogram Loring to test reproducibility and repeatability of roast profiles. “We started roast-

City of Saints opened its Bushwick roastery in December, 2014. With such a large capacity roaster, they rely on an Ikawa sample roaster to help them run trials before depositing large batches of five-dollar-apound coffee into the Loring. “You really don’t want to go into that blind,” Palozzi says, laughing.

The roastery blends perfectly into the industrial neighborhood’s eclec-

ROA STER PHOTO CO URTESY O F CITY O F SA INTS, OTHER P HOTO S BY ELLIE BR ADLEY

MURAL BY DASIC FERNANDEZ

tic tapestry of colors and businesses.

Walls are painted with graffiti murals by local artists, commissioned as part of a community effort to beautify area buildings. City of Saints couldn’t get landlord approval to paint the exterior, so they worked with three different artists to cover the roastery’s interior walls. The effect is a mix of colors and artistic styles that are uniquely Bushwick. The art is also replicated on the company’s packaging.

The murals give personality to the warehouse space without hiding daily roasting operations. Large garage doors open along the street-facing wall, allowing loads of green coffee to be wheeled onto the loading dock near the Loring.

Customers sit in full view of the action, for better or worse. While patrons aren’t always understanding of the need to open and shut the doors on cold days, fast and free internet—a rarity in New York—helps patch up any hard feelings. “We’ve got a very good Wi-Fi, so we can’t be beat,” Palozzi says.

The Bushwick location wasn’t designed to be a retail café, but Palozzi

says the stripped-down coffee bar has been beneficial for clients and for sampling their coffee in a variety of preparation styles. “We can really try all of our varietals, every single different way,” he says. The roastery boasts a two-group La Marzocco Linea, a Victoria Arduino Black Eagle, a Curtis G3 batch brewer, and a slew of manual brew methods.

Just as the murals of the roastery reflect the surrounding neighborhood, each café has features unique to its location. The Astor Place café in Manhattan’s East Village is sleek and polished, with Modbar modules and Marco under-counter water boilers.

City of Saints’ Hoboken café is just 600 square feet, designed to facilitate mostly to-go orders; here a two-group La Marzocco Strada EE pumps out espresso, while another set of Curtis G3 batch-brewers prepare filter coffee for the masses.

Coffee is the focus, but Palozzi’s background as a pastry cook shows in the selection of baked goods at each retail location. City of Saints part-

nered with Doughnut Plant to develop an espresso and drip roast for the popular donut purveyor, also selling their donuts in stores. “We work with Jessie August, their director of coffee,” Palozzi says. “He comes in, tastes the coffee, and we roast to their profile.”

In Bushwick, customers can enjoy French-style baked goods from nearby L’Imprimerie. At Astor Place, treats come from Colson Patisserie, and Hoboken is stocked by local favorite Balthazar.

While Palozzi can entertain good conversation about pastries, his eyes light up when it comes to discussing the science behind roasting and looking to the company’s future. He says he’s enjoyed the consistency of the Loring, but also how it allows control over every aspect of the roast. “We’re very happy to not take anything as set and challenge our expectations of what we can do with it,” he says.

City of Saints will open two more locations in New York this winter, with plans to continue expanding the wholesale and retail sides of business. FC

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Do You KNOW?

Andy Sprenger » By Ellie Bradley

A

ndy Sprenger built an impressive stockpile of coffee accolades before launching his own roasting operation. A US Aeropress champion and two-time US Brewers Cup champion, Sprenger was also a runner-up in the World Brewers Cup championship, as well as the US Tasters Cup championship. Needless to say, competition flows in his veins, which Sprenger attributes to growing up with older brothers.

Capitalizing on the momentum of a successful competitive run, Sprenger launched Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters in December 2013. The roastery is nested in a residential area of Lakewood, Colorado, the Denver suburb where Sprenger grew up. Though Sprenger planned to launch the roastery as a wholesale-only operation, pressure from the city zoning committee led him to open a retail café alongside the roastery. The café has been a welcome addition for Lakewood residents, serving as a community hub, and a tasting room for prospective wholesale clients.

This interview has been edited for clarity and space.

HOW LONG WERE YOU AWAY FROM COLORADO BEFORE RETURNING TO START SWEET BLOOM?

We’d been gone twenty-two years. I went to college in Canada and that’s where I met my wife. We got married and moved to Michigan where I became head cook for an environmental institute. We then moved to England for a year where I did theological studies, then to Lebanon for three years to work in environmental conversation— we worked to protect the wetlands in the Bekaa Valley.

I love birds, that’s my other passion—coffee and birds.

I followed that passion and we worked to protect a wetlands that was a really important stopover site for migrating birds between Africa and Europe. When the Iraq War started, things got a little bit less safe for Americans, then got progressively worse and we ended up leaving. We came back to the US and my wife became pregnant around that time, so we decided to start settling back in the States. We moved out to Maryland where the organization we were working for in Lebanon had a base. My wife became an administrator but they had no job for me, so I found a job in coffee thinking that would be just a holdover until I could find a job in conservation.

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WHAT WAS YOUR POSITION WHEN YOU CAME ON?

Barista. I started as a barista, then wore a lot of hats. I bagged coffee, I became the delivery driver for a while, anything that was needed. About two-and-a-half years into it, I started to show interest in the roasting side. Vince was doing all the roasting, so once I started taking that over it was a pretty quick transition until I was the head roaster.

WHEN DID YOU GET INTO THE COMPETITION ASPECT?

I’ve always been competitive. I grew up with two really athletic brothers, so anything that suggested competition, I was interested in. So it was like, ‘Oh my gosh, there’s coffee competitions!’ I think probably the first one I competed in was way back in the day when coffee syrups were the rage. It was a Monin contest. I made some crazy coconut chocolate frozen drink. Then I started doing roasting competitions, then the first year they had Tasters Cup I competed in that and I think I took second place. Then I started competing in the Brewers Cup. Fortunately I won it, then won it again that second year. Then the year after that I competed in the Aeropress competition and won that.

YOU CAME TO WIN!

Looking back I wonder ‘How’d all that happen?’ It was a nice way to express my passion. Being stuck on a roaster day in and day out is super mundane at times and very repetitive. I loved it, and I loved the cupping lab, but the competitions were a way for me to express my passion— passion and desire for quality that I had, and we had a as a company. But I still look back and just think ‘How did that all come about?’

I IMAGINE COMING OFF THE COMPETITIVE CIRCUIT WITH THAT AMOUNT OF SUCCESS HELPED ESTABLISH YOUR CREDIBILITY AS A COFFEE PROFESSIONAL.

For sure, it gave me a lot of credibility. I think it helped Ceremony get more recognition and it certainly helped build my name for whenever I would eventually do my own thing.

If I didn’t have those competition wins I think it would’ve been a lot harder to get established as a roaster, and start Sweet Bloom.

AND THEN YOU GOT SUCKED IN!

WHEN DID THE DECISION HAPPEN TO COME BACK AND START SWEET BLOOM?

I got sucked in. Fell in love with it, long story short. It became a passion pretty quick and I realized that I maybe had a gift set for sensory skills that helped me. The company where I got a job was then Caffe Pronto, now it’s Ceremony Coffee. I came in a year after Vince, my former boss, had started the business, so it was a great opportunity to come in and grow with a business.

It was kind of a combination of ‘What’s next for me?’ and having a strong feeling that we needed to be close to my parents, who live in Colorado, and carrying the momentum from those competitions—all that coming together making me realize, ‘We need to move back to Colorado.’ We decided to go for it and moved out here in April of 2013. It took us about six months to open the doors.

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WERE THERE ANY MAJOR SETBACKS OR SURPRISES IN GETTING THE ROASTERY UP AND RUNNING?

We found this space that we’re in, and I hadn’t planned on doing retail. Then probably three weeks into establishing all the paperwork, the zoning department got in touch and told us we had to do retail if we wanted the space. I couldn’t believe it. But we felt pretty strongly that this was the right space for us and decided to move forward.

Initially we were just going to do a pour-over bar and keep it super simple. Then I thought about all the people who would walk in and ask for a latte and figured we might as well have an espresso machine.

LOOKING BACK, ARE YOU GLAD THE ZONING COMMITTEE PRESSURED YOU TO OPEN A RETAIL CAFÉ?

I think pretty early on we realized it’s actually a really good part of our business. It gives us a face to our company, people can see who we are, it’s all open so you can see the roasting going on. And even for wholesale customers who might be interested in us, they have a place to visit us and taste our coffees with the proper espresso machines.

THAT’S HUGE. AND YOU HAVE A PLACE TO CONNECT WITH YOUR HOMETOWN COMMUNITY.

That’s something I really loved when I first got into coffee. I fell in love with the community aspect. Now to have it here, to have a busy café and just to hear conversation and people enjoying themselves. We’ve got a group of guys, that meet every Saturday. We don’t serve a lot of pastries so one of the guys brings scones. And every Saturday they’re here.

Just to have those things happening here, and people doing business meetings, friends hanging out—it’s been a great aspect that I’m really glad is part of what Sweet Bloom is.

IT SEEMS TO FIT YOUR EXPERIENCE IN COFFEE. EXTENDING THAT INTO YOUR HOMETOWN COMMUNITY IS A COOL, FULLCIRCLE SORT OF THING.

Definitely. Coming back, I could’ve started in Denver proper, or Littleton, or Inglewood, or any of these other suburbs. It was a special part of finding this space—it’s the city I grew up in.

TELL ME MORE ABOUT HOW YOU’RE BRINGING IN COFFEE.

Part of our philosophy or our mission is to actually bring producers here to Sweet Bloom. It’s been really cool. You write a new business plan and think it’s a great idea and hope that it can work someday. If I have money to go and travel to a country, why not use that money to bring a producer here and potentially make a more significant impact?

I can go down and talk to a farmer, and come back and tell about my experience and I’m not sure it’s that impactful at the end of the day. To be able to have a producer come here—for one, for them to just see where their coffee is being brewed, to see the end result of their hard work. To see the cafés, visit the people who are serving their coffee, and to see that come to fruition. We’ve done it twice now and my hope is that it’s always about fifty-fifty, as much as I’m traveling I’m bringing producers. FC

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F

ood allergies are tricky business. So are dietary restrictions. If you haven’t dealt with them personally they can be hard to understand—and difficult to find patience for. Queries about non-dairy milk options or the availability of glutenfree pastries might induce cringes and eye-rolls, but an unsympathetic barista or café manager is a surefire way to alienate your customers.

Yes, some customers follow dietary restrictions by choice. But many coffee- and pastry-lovers are forced to make inquiries about ingredients and preparation due to serious—and sometimes life-threatening—allergies.

No one likes to be pesky, but they do want to enjoy a latte and scone without feeling apologetic for making sure it won’t put them in the hospital.

As a café owner, it’s your responsibility to communicate to your customers how flexible you can be with dietary modifications. It’s also your responsibility to educate yourself on the ingredients found within your menu offerings and train your staff accordingly. Finding yourself on the serving side of an allergy mishap is scary—for both you and the customer—and demonstrating education about ingredients on your menu and accommodating your guests is also just good customer service.

SO, YOU’RE GLUTEN-FREE? First things first: WTF is gluten?

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and spelt (which is

often forgotten on the list of gluten violators). Gluten also happens to be responsible for giving dough an elastic quality that results in airy, delicious baked goods, which is why it can be difficult to provide gluten-free alternatives that are both tasty and aesthetically appealing. >NO-FLY LIST: Gluten-intolerant customers look for baked goods that do not contain wheat, barley, rye, or spelt.

This also includes ingredients that are varieties and derivatives of wheat, like durum, wheatberries, farina, farro, graham, kamut, and semolina. Malt and brewer’s yeast are also on the list.

A variety of plant-based milks can be used in substitution of dairy milk. Some alternative milks perform better >DAIRY-FREE ALTERNATIVES:

ALLERGY VS. INTOLERANCE What’s the difference between an allergy and an intolerance?

Food allergies cause an immune system response where the body mistakes a food as harmful and releases antibodies in defense. Symptoms can manifest in minor ways, like rashes, itching, and hives, or cause severe swelling that can interfere with breathing and cause loss of consciousness.

Food intolerances are also referred to as non-allergenic food hypersensitivities. Intolerances don’t trigger the immune system; their diagnosis is much more common than food allergies.

Intolerances stem from multiple causes, including a lack of certain digestive enzymes (proteins in the body that help break down food during digestion). Lactose intolerance is one of the most common food intolerances.

ALL THE MILKS, OR JUST COW’S? Catering to dairy-free customers covers a range of restrictions and intolerances, including allergies and intolerance to lactose, and the vegan diet. Dairy-free diets exclude anything derived from cow or animal milk. For café owners, accommodating dairy restrictions can be a great way to bring in additional business, as espresso is paired with milk products in many delicious and profitable ways.

Allowing customers more options for enjoying your coffee encourages them to return, while perhaps bringing along a dairy-intolerant friend or two.

when steamed or poured as latte art, especially those formulated for use in the café. Offering a nut milk—almond is a crowd-pleaser—and a non-nut milk, such as hemp, leaves options open for customers who might also have nut allergies.

IS A COCONUT A NUT? Tree nut allergies are one of the most common among food allergies.

The reaction is often severe, and can potentially be fatal. In the café, nuts are regularly found in baked goods, plant-based milks, granolas, and pastries. Offering milk options and

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menu items free of nuts is a wise move for coffee shops and tea houses looking to be allergy-friendly.

Your staff should always be aware of which items contain nuts. Every item. Always. >NO-FLY LIST: Walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, pistachios, and brazil nuts. Coconuts are recognized by the Food and Drug Administration as a tree nut, though many people with tree nut allergies can safely consume a coconut. A peanut is not a tree nut (it belongs to the legume family!), though a peanut allergy is also a common food allergy that can cause a severe reaction.

WHAT CAN A VEGAN EAT? Most people understand that a vegetarian doesn’t eat meat, but explaining veganism often becomes muddled. Vegans do not consume animal products, including eggs, milk, cheese, and butter, as well as other products derived from animals like fur, leather, and wool. >VEGAN-FRIENDLY ALTERNATIVES: Plant-based milk options are all vegan-friendly, leaving lots of choices for vegans on the hunt for a cappuccino fix.

Baked goods are more difficult to prepare by vegan standards, requiring the use of a special recipe or vegan supplier. If you offer a full breakfast or lunch menu, consider adding a vegan dish that’s available throughout the day, or build a few dishes that can be made vegan upon request.

IF YOU’VE GOT IT, FLAUNT IT You may already have options in place to cater to your customers with dietary restrictions. That’s great! But do patrons know those options are available? “The best way to make it easy for the customer is to label what options you have,” says Heather Finley, a dietitian and certified allergy specialist. Finley says labeling the menu minimizes stress for customers with dietary concerns. It also has the bonus of making you more visible online

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for people specifically seeking businesses that can adjust to their needs. “My clients will look up gluten-free bakeries and cafés before they go out,” Finley says.

While plant-based milks and allergy-friendly baked goods don’t need to be your niche, advertising that you’ve got them is a friendly way of letting customers know you won’t be bothered by their ingredient-related inquiries. If you’re open to modifying drinks or dishes to meet dietary restrictions, Finley recommends including a line on the menu to let guests know. “It can be something as simple as, ‘Ask about our gluten-free or dairy-free options,’” she says. Another easy way to communicate dietary friendliness is through simple symbols, noting menu items that are free of allergens or animal products.

Food allergies can cause severe and fatal reactions, so it’s vital that your entire team is versed on your menu and how it can be modified to meet dietary concerns and restrictions.

GETTING THE TEAM ON BOARD When it comes to allergies and dietary restrictions, there’s no room for error. Food allergies can cause severe and fatal reactions, so it’s vital that your entire team is versed on your menu and how it can be modified to meet dietary concerns and restrictions. While customers will typically know what they can and cannot consume, baristas should know which milks and other ingredients adhere to various dietary restrictions. When a barista can provide detailed descriptions, they’re able to guide guests through the menu to find selections that are both safe and satisfying.

Dietary restrictions can be a hassle for café owners, but they’re also a hassle for the customers who have to navigate every meal around specific guidelines. While it’s not feasible for every business to provide a robust offering of allergy-friendly options, being educated on your menu will go a long way— both in safety and in customer service. Businesses that cater to food allergies should proudly display this information, welcoming a broad customer base in so doing. FC

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“It’s amazing what you can do in a small town in Brazil. With a good program you’ll be competing with the very best in five, ten years,” says Sergio Dias as we return from photographing

O Gigante Durmido or “The Sleeping Giant.” O Gigante is an emblematic and unmistakable mountaintop which separates the state of Minas Gerais from the state of São Paulo and is visible from any number of the high coffee farms nestled atop the Mantiquiera de Minas microregion. >

O GIGANTE DURMIDO: ”The Sleeping Giant” looms over the Mantiqueria de Minas.

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PH OTO BY SEA N HA RWIN/ CAFFE LUSSO

BY SCOTT TUPPER

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ONE-STOP SHOP: Sergio and Tony play with sample roasts on the popcorn machine next to the patio where rain-dropped coffees are drying: Sergio’s Canaan Estate.

M

omentarily, however, Sergio is speaking not of coffee. He is reminiscing on Ubiratan, the valiant Carmo de Minas soccer team of his youth. In the seventies he and his hometown friends trained, traveled, and successfully battled against giants like Flamengo. Several Ubiratan boys were recruited by professional programs as a result of this exposure; one would go all the way.

The small but mighty Carmo de Minas soccer team eventually succumbed to the pressures of time. Typical youth sports snafus like parental meddling and underfunding proved insurmountable against the more profound social and economic challenges facing Brazil amidst a twentyyear military dictatorship that began in the sixties. The boys of Carmo grew into men—most were conscripted— and today many are found working in or around coffee in their hometown.

Sergio chose a different path.

M

ay 7 of 1961 brought two important births for Carmo de Minas. First, the Cocarive Cooperative leapt from the minds of a small group of Manti-

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quiera de Minas farmers and into reality. Hours later the co-op’s figurative fraternal twin, Sergio Junqueira Dias, was brought into the world.

Due to his atypical pallor, Sergio was immediately dubbed O Russo, or “The Russian,” a moniker that follows him in Carmo to this day.

In this town of several thousand, Sergio grew up in a manner typical for the area: splitting time between farm and town living, going to school, and playing soccer. He tasted triumph on the soccer field, as well as the power wielded by an organized few acting as one. In the Brazil of his young adulthood, however, he saw little opportunity, and Sergio eventually bolted to Seattle with a cousin to learn English.

There, O Russo learned accounting, opened a screen-printing company, and started a family, while his cousin learned to fly in the booming aviation town. He watched intently while another industry—one closer to his heart—took flight in Seattle: the coffee industry.

Ever thinking of Carmo de Minas, after years of hard work Sergio managed to buy a coffee farm that once belonged to his grandfather. Though Seattle would remain his home base,

this investment marked the homecoming of Carmo’s prodigal entrepreneurial son.

O

ld Blue Eyes once sang, “There’s an Awful Lot of Coffee in Brazil,” and so will Sergio, after a beer. It’s true: Brazil grows approximately 30 percent of the world’s coffee. The country’s infrastructure, vast lands, agreeable climate, and machine-friendly landscapes have all enabled it to crank out unparalleled volumes of coffee for over 150 years. But quality? A reputation in consumer markets as producers of filler and commodity coffees has long plagued the Brazilian specialty coffee grower.

Consumers demand exotics, cupping scores be damned. And, after all, who hasn’t tried Brazilian coffee? That said, paradigm shifts are seldom realized by one person—or in this case, both person and product. Sure, there are transcendent examples: Elon Musk and his Teslas, Steve Jobs and his i-devices. By and large, however, changing people’s minds about what something ought to be takes time, dialogue, and—most frequently overlooked—work.

P HOTO S BY SC OTT TUP PER

THE CUPPING LAB AT COCARIVE: Left to Right: Pedro Chaib (Condado Estate; JC Coffee; son of Ibraim), Tony Burlisson (a Seattle roaster), and Sergio Dias exchange notes.

At Cocarive, the “work” part of achieving a paradigm shift in Brazilian coffee has been a two-front war: within, they must eternally increase quality among their members, and outwardly they must battle old stereotypes while delivering consistently.

Perhaps cognizance of this reality led to the motto for Cocarive Co-op, “Working together to produce the best coffees.” In the eighties they expanded their headquarters and moved into the building where they handle cupping and administrative tasks today.

In 2001 the farmers again rallied and sprung for the development of a top-of-the-line sorting and warehousing facility, shifting focus exclusively to quality. Coffee quality in Mantiquiera de Minas skyrocketed as they stuck to their motto more than ever and the third wave hit its stride. A renewed focus on time helped bring about these improvements: planting at the right time, picking at the right time, and allowing coffee to dry for the right amount of time; don’t grow so much you overextend and spend inadequate time on each lot.

In the Mantiqueira de Minas, many coffee farms are shrinking. Are producers jaded by popular opinion

regarding Brazilian coffee and departing to try something new? Not hardly.

Rather, they’ve quite literally tasted the possibility. At Cocarive, growers bringing in samples will often stop to cup coffees and chat alongside “Baba,” the co-op’s resident Q Grader and Brazil’s champion cupper. Like Sergio is to the North American markets, he’s also Cocarive’s conduit to Eurasian markets. The learning, however, doesn’t stop with Baba.

Free-flowing information exchange between the farmers is perhaps the greatest testament to the “working together” part of the Cocarive mantra. This pervades not only at the cupping table, but on farm visits, at the gas station, and in all places between.

(The number of car window conversations witnessed during a week in Carmo eclipsed this observer’s driving career tally.)

These exchanges are not necessarily birthed from benevolence. More likely, I’d venture, these business owners’ senses of curiosity are born of selfinterest. What is remarkable, though, is that open mouths accompany these open ears. Intended or not, the upshot of this rapid information turnover is a collective betterment for Cocarive’s

700 farmers. By investing in their own specialty coffee knowledge, members are empowering themselves and one another to identify, test for, and pursue the world’s most coveted markets from the ground up.

D

own the road it’s cool and orderly in the co-op’s big warehouse. All activity stems from a blue and yellow mechanical sorter located smack-dab in the center of the building. It’s four stories tall, and its labyrinth of shiny pipes would confound the most adept Super Mario champion. The employees of the co-op, however, are calm and focused as they start, stop, clean, and restart entire channels of the equipment.

Fragmented in this way, these processes guarantee traceability while ensuring quality control, a solace not offered in many growing communities.

In most cases, farmers with superb microlots will choose to retain individual ownership of their coffees as they wait for export. The hope: direct access to the lucrative specialty coffee markets where people like Baba and Sergio are pounding the pavement.

The ability to control and process one’s own coffee so far up the supply

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S

creen-printing is not Sergio’s first business; he always had an entrepreneurial bent. In the neighboring town of São Lourenço, he shows me the site where, as young men, he and his business partner Ibraim introduced the Mantiqueira de Minas region to air-popped popcorn.

“Ibraim used to dance and throw it in the street when business was slow.

It worked, we sold out many nights,” Sergio says.

This fateful popper would find life anew as a sample roaster in the planning phase of J.C. Coffees, Sergio and Ibraim’s importing business. Ten years ago, with Sergio in Seattle and Ibraim in Carmo, the old partners built a business based on holistically changing mindsets and prices for their coffees. Vertical integration was theirs, but the two men knew their strategic placement meant a far

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SERGIO DIAS

greater opportunity than the capacities of their own farms could hope to yield. As co-op farmers and community members of Carmo, their pitch to team with their neighbors for direct trade has been well received. In Seattle, their go-to-market methodology hearkened back to those popper days as well: be present, give plenty of samples, assess what people like, and repeat.

To cash in on the progress achieved by their peers and the co-op in the years between Sergio’s departure and the launch of their import business would have been all too easy; after all, both men own coffee farms and have friends and family who do too. But they adopted a unique approach of retaining ownership by producers.

Rather than asking growers to impropriate their best coffees to them at origin and then resell them in the customary method, J.C. integrates with the co-op’s existing infrastructure, enabling each farmer to make the final call on the lot prices they’ve shipped. As such, great coffees are making it to great roasters in an apolitical system which serves to do one thing: push the needle ever forward for Brazilian specialty coffees from the Mantiqueira de Minas.

“Once people start using our coffees instead of whatever Brazilian they had, they never go back,” Sergio says matter-of-factly. And by outward appearances, it seems to be true.

Sergio’s nephew Pedro excitedly speaks with me about his uncle. “Stay beside O Russo and you will learn everything. He has a great heart, and a great mind,” he says three times before I’m able to understand with my remedial Portuguese. Pedro’s not alone; Carmo’s younger generation visibly perks up when Sergio speaks.

An interruption at the dinner table highlights this truth. Sergio’s been telling his old teammate, Kiko Ribeiro, about the results he’s seen from raised drying beds when Kiko’s twenty-seven-year-old son, Angelo, breaks rank with an interjection. “Pa, I’ll buy them if you’ll just build them!”

Angelo wasn’t the one being spoken to, but is too excited to care. The prospect of innovating for prosperity in coffee is enticing, and in a world which loses young farmers to urban centers every day, it’s important too.

A

ngelo’s interest in investing in coffee is a healthy indicator for the future of Brazil’s coffee industry. Kiko was among the very best in Carmo’s legendary youth soccer program, and was even invited to join Flamengo, one of the continent’s premier clubs. Obligated to family and farm, a young and heartbroken Kiko had to decline the invitation. Growing up around a story like that—and seeing how unpredictable coffee was for his father—Angelo opted to specialize in Carmo’s other industry, dairy. He

PH OTO BY SC OTT TUP PER

chain is one of several advantages enjoyed by farmers in the Mantiqueira de Minas microregion of which producers worldwide can only dream.

Most will dry and bag their own coffee before bringing it to Cocarive for final sorting and bagging for export.

Many will sell directly to roasters in Seattle, Portland, and beyond into channels opened through Sergio.

These producers are regularly hitting third-party cupping scores in the high eighties and popping into the nineties with their best microlots.

These Mantiquiera de Minas advantages highlight the upside of the Brazilian specialty coffee paradox: the infrastructure, organization, and diversity of lands which enabled the proliferation of low-grade industrialag coffees and the subsequent reputation for subpar coffees are the same mechanisms enabling quality-focused growers with the right land to develop and deliver sensational specialty coffees with unmatched efficiency. As for their subsequent reputation. . . well, that’s still being shaped. This is where visionaries like Sergio are making perhaps the greatest impact.

pursued a university education and currently works as a salaried zoo technician.

Now, he’s thinking long and hard about coffee.

On their forested farm, Kiko’s hard work is churning out coffees that cup around eighty-seven points each, and he’s begun selling direct. Sergio is an entrepreneur and a role model whose success and community approach allures as much as it inspires.

A life growing coffee is being eschewed the world over for the perceived limits it places upon one’s future, but could we be witnessing a turning point where perceived limits are supplanted by opportunity? Is the paradigm shift afoot?

In Seattle, Sergio describes a life of an automaton: T-shirts! Coffee! T-shirts! Coffee! Eat something!

Rinse, Repeat. In Brazil, O Russo gets to be a little more dynamic. His extensive network of friends and family embraces him, demanding a social calendar only possible in a town where blocks, rather than miles, separate the majority of people.

Sergio is most in his element, however, on his farm. There, the creative instincts that gave rise to multiple business ventures play out all over the place—they’re in the myriad experiments being conducted on the white canvas of his drying patio, and the old dairy farming infrastructure for which he knows he can find a new purpose. They’re in that secret microlot he’s pointing to on that middle hill over there, and the planning that led to the survival of those ventures is evident when he starts describing what we can expect in three, five, and ten years.

Back on his balcony, the vanishing light steals our view of Sergio’s farm. It’s winter, and the inky night soon reveals the Milky Way and the Southern Cross.

With the disappearance of the foreground, talk of coffee experiments gives way to a more ambling conversation of the town and general state of affairs in Minas. The mood is positive, and as an end-ofthe-day ritual Sergio checks up on any coffee orders for the next morning in the US. For five minutes the farmer-preneur is in two places at once; specialty markets move beneath his fingertips, as specialty coffee grows beneath his feet.

Is this what fourth wave looks like—independence and fluidity in both marketplaces? Satisfied, Sergio closes his laptop and stares out the open balcony doors and into the hilled void where so much coffee hangs, waiting to be picked.

A hometown boy at heart, O Russo takes a moment to enjoy the development of specialty in the Mantiqueira de Minas microregion. “Where else in the world do you have this? We can do anything!” he says. My eyes track his gaze, and in the darkness, I can no longer confirm that O Gigante is sleeping. FC

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BY ANDREW RUSSO In 2005 I stood in front of thirty soldiers, all with more experience than me, and was introduced as their leader. I was barely twenty-one years old, standing in front of a wide range of people of different ages, education levels, and socio-demographic backgrounds. Soon we would jump out of airplanes together, deploy together—and they expected me to lead them through it all. Sound intimidating? It is.

In coffee, taking charge of experienced baristas, roasters, and buyers is equally intimidating. How a team is led can make or break the experience.

In simple terms, leadership means providing direction, guidance, and motivation to succeed in any given mission within an organization. Leaders also influence others to complete tasks. There are hundreds, if not thousands of books on the subject of leadership. It’s been studied using generals, CEOs, average people called to a challenge, and little coffee shops like yours.

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G

ood leadership helps businesses run smoothly and efficiently while preventing turnover and loss of property and materials, and increasing customer satisfaction. Cornerstone on Demand, a consulting firm hired to assist with customer retention at one of Rupert Murdoch’s many publications in the UK, made a strong case for investing in building outstanding leaders. In its research, Cornerstone Demand discovered customer retention had nothing to do with customers and everything to do with employees. Happy and productive employees meant happy and continuing subscribers, and the tipping point for satisfied employees was almost always good leadership.

Happy and productive employees aren’t necessarily the result of raises, pats on the back, or free coffee— positioning effective leaders and investing in building your own leadership skills are far more important tactics. According to Cornerstone’s research, an outstanding supervisor was stronger than all other metrics alone, trickling down to positively impact employee performance and customer satisfaction.

But what about pay—doesn’t that play a pretty big role in employee satisfaction? You might be surprised to learn the effects of pay are minuscule.

Cornerstone reported a 10 percent pay increase accounted for a 5 percent increase in retention, with the positive effects of pay only increasing employee satisfaction for a matter of weeks.

Salary, comped food, and praise all fall short of the impact of a great supervisor. By looking at trends in leadership and common leadership styles, we’ll explore characteristics of effective leaders. Knowing your tendencies as a manager will help you build a path to more effective mentorship.

TRENDS IN LEADERSHIP Three common themes emerge in research and literature that explore principles of good leadership: leading

from the front, leading people instead of things, and only holding employees to the same standards to which you hold yourself.

LEAD FROM THE FRONT The scene is Mount Everest, near the summit. Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay are finally approaching the peak, a monumental moment in history. And yet, Sir Hillary refuses to have his picture taken at the top, knowing doing so would bring all the attention to him and not the people who made his ascent possible. He assisted with every facet of the trip and after it was over, thanked his team and returned to Nepal often to help the Sherpa community and the mountaineers who would follow in his footsteps. Sir Hillary demonstrated

team a suggested brew profile and walking away, explain why the profile is important, why you take the time to dial in the brew, and encourage them to work to perfect it. Identify members of your team who can mentor newer baristas and collectively usher the team to a place of brewprofile mastery.

DON’T ASK OTHERS TO DO WHAT YOU WOULD NOT The New York Times ran an article in 2014 called “Why You Hate Work.”

Many interviewed in the article attributed their hatred for work to bad bosses. These unhappy employees felt bossed instead of led.

Leaders are a part of the team, while bosses assign tasks without any willingness to pitch in. By pitching

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BOSS AND A LEADER? LEADERS ARE A PART OF THE TEAM, BOSSES ASSIGN TASKS WITHOUT ANY WILLINGNESS TO PITCH IN.

leading from the front, setting an example for those around him through actions instead of words.

LEAD PEOPLE, NOT THINGS Though some equipment is sleek and shiny, it will not respond to your attempts to lead it (not even to great espresso). In an authoritative role, you’re not leading your café, your roastery, or your warehouse—you’re leading people in these spaces. It’s your responsibility to give your team the ability to master the equipment.

Your focus should be leading your employees to feel skilled and confident in their work environment.

Consider the scenario of teaching brew profiles; instead of giving your

in to do menial tasks once in a while, hopping on the bar, or taking out the recycling, a leader demonstrates an understanding of every facet of their business, including the chores and daily lives of employees. If you wouldn’t light the roaster’s pilot light with a match every day, don’t ask your employee to do so.

LEADERSHIP STYLES Knowing effective leadership strategies is helpful, especially when you understand your style as a leader. There are dozens of primary and hundreds of secondary and hybrid leadership styles. The vast range of styles can be summarized in three main role types:

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authoritarian, representative, and laissez-faire. Understanding which type of leader you are is an essential step in building skills to better lead your team. A case study for each leadership style shows how different personality attributes have been used in a coffee setting to positively shape a company.

AUTHORITARIAN Authoritarian leaders centralize power and authority in themselves— think a monarch or dictator. There

is no question with whom the final say rests. When used properly, this leadership technique is extremely efficient and effective. Conversely, a leader using this style poorly will be perceived as heavy-handed and micromanaging. The key to succeeding with this style is seeking input in making critical decisions.

Case Study—Howard Schultz In 2008, Starbucks was in a bad place. After an eight-year hiatus from the company, CEO Howard Schultz returned and swiftly took control. In his book, Onward, he talks about turning Starbucks around with an authoritarian role.

Schultz made decisions, took action, and changed the trajectory of the company. It’s unique to see an authoritarian leadership style used properly, but he did so by temporarily closing retail stores to allow retraining for employees. Schultz also stopped reporting certain performance criteria to Wall Street, and he

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made many other critical decisions that would impact the company.

Some of those decisions were right, while others were not, but Schultz made his choices and owned them.

Most importantly, partners going through the transition were happy the company had a firm leader who considered their input when it came to critical decisions.

REPRESENTATIVE This leadership style can involve group voting, taking input and making decisions, or by picking the best idea out of a group and committing to it. A representative style fails miserably when the leader delegates their authority to the group consensus. As a representative leader, you’ll want to be what the Speaker of the House is to the House of Representatives: take input from everyone, but maintain a clear position as the leader of your party.

Case Study—Flight Coffee Co. Flight Coffee started as CQ Coffee in Bedford, New Hampshire, a small roasting operation out of a garage with a Diedrich IR-5. Claudia, the

owner, gained a solid reputation for quality and expanded while hiring new employees. As the company grew, Claudia realized she needed input from her roaster, barista, and quality control people. She gathered information from each of these representative employees but retained decision-making authority, allowing the employees to feel valued for their input. Claudia changed the name to Flight because, in her words, her leadership style and commitment to quality, company, and employees made her business “take off!”

LAISSEZ-FAIRE This leadership style is hands-off, though that doesn’t mean allowing your employees to run free and build their own civilizations Lord of the Flies-style. Laissez-faire leadership can be a disaster if employed the wrong way, but it works extraordinarily well with groups of smart, specialized individuals, such as those at Google or NASA. Roasting operations can benefit from this style, too. Divide your staff into roasters, production team members, and green buyers and quality analysis–quality control.

Provide a series of guidelines and let employees operate within a specific set of parameters, while monitoring the team to check on progress. Keeping track of benchmarks also effectively helps employees stay on track.

the Coffee Roasters were expected to devise their own schedules, plans, buying system, and production line.

Their only directive was to roast coffee and fill orders. Everyone worked hard with little influence from the top, only

BUILDING LEADERSHIP SKILLS TAKES TIME; EACH IMPROVEMENT WILL EVENTUALLY TRICKLE DOWN TO ALL LEVELS OF OPERATION.

Case Study—The Roaster Who Shall Not Be Named In an example of how not to use laissez-faire leadership, a group of roasters and their production staff were left to their own merits within a certain company—let’s call them the Coffee Roasters. Employees of

speaking with their boss to discuss financials. Employees were always blamed for problems within the company, and the Coffee Roasters suffered a 100-percent turnover of its warehouse and roasting staff, resulting in the closure of cafés, a loss of quality, and long-term financial woes. A laid-

back leadership style can be good, but an approach that’s too hands-off can produce dire consequences.

Applying these principles and styles won’t happen overnight, and building leadership skills takes time. Still, each improvement will eventually trickle down to all levels of operation if properly set forth with care and diligence.

As a leader, your employees are your responsibility. A strong manager steps back, assesses the work environment and the people in it, and applies the style of leadership that fits best, using strategies to strengthen the team as a whole. FC

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Business DIRECTORY Fresh Cup recently launched an online business directory, providing our readers quick access to industry resources and services. This is the directory’s inaugural print edition, giving a hard-copy look at companies offering exceptional equipment, services, and education. Organizations are categorized based on their primary business focus.

ALSO AVAILABLE ONLINE AT FRESHCUP.COM

CATEGORIES Beverages, Mixes & Milks »»»»»»»»»»»»»»» 56

Green Coffee »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» 62

Business Services »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» 57

Non-Profits & NGOs »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» 63

Equipment & Supplies »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» 57

POS & Loyalty Programs »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» 64

Coffee Roasters »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» 60

Syrups, Chocolates & Sweeteners »»»»»»»» 65

Education & Training »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» 61

Tea, Tisanes & Chai »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» 66

Food »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» 62

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Business DIRECTORY EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES

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finest specialty coffee gear in the

on for profitable, reliable beverage equipment and

world. The amazing brands we wholesale include

great service wherever you serve customers around

Acme & Co. Ceramic, Porlex Grinders, Hario, Ka-

the world. Bunn offers quality beverage equipment

lita, KeepCup, Chemex, Acaia, Baratza, Able, Bo-

and comprehensive service worldwide

navita, Saint Anthony Industries, Ratio, and many more. Get in touch and we’ll help you decide what’s best for your business.

CURTIS 323.837.2300

GOODNATURE

wilburcurtis.com The Curtis name is synonymous with a full line of the world’s most advanced, top-of-the-line commercial coffee brewing equipment, iced tea brewing systems, and specialty beverage dispensers.

800.875.3381 goodnature.com For more than forty years we’ve provided innovative equipment and service solutions to the juice, cider, and other beverage industries. With full-time juice business consultants on staff, we’re a market leader with 2,000 clients

CUSTOM CUP SLEEVES

worldwide. Our products are 100-percent made in the US with the strictest quality control in the industry.

888.672.4096 customcupsleeves.com Get your own logo custom-printed on high-quality coffee sleeves made

by Java Jacket with a minimum order of only one case.

HUHTAMAKI 913.583.3025 us.huhtamaki.com At Huhtamaki, we’re global specialists in packaging for food and drink, dedicated to making every consumer experi-

DETPAK

ence enjoyable, consistent, and safe.

253.380.5091 detpak.com Detpak

provides

an

extensive

range of cups and cup accessories for the coffee-to-go and takeaway food industries.

JAVA JACKET 800.208.4128 javajacket.com While leaving a local coffee drivethru when taking his daughter to

DITTING USA

school, Jay Sorensen dropped a cup of hot coffee in

810.367.7125

his lap because the paper cup was too hot. That got

ditting.com

him thinking, “there must be a better way to get your

Swiss-precision, high-quality,

Joe on the go.” In the fall of 1991, Jay invented the

low-maintenance commercial and

original, recycled, best-insulating coffee cup sleeve

industrial coffee grinders.

58

January 2017 » Fresh Cup Magazine

on the market­—the Java Jacket.

EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES

(cont.)

KITCHENAID

PROMAC USA

800.422.1230

844.776.6221

kitchenaid.com/countertop-

promac-usa.com/home

appliances/coffee-products

Promac has been in the espresso

In 1919 our iconic Stand Mixer was

coffee machines sector since 1982.

born. From that stemmed an entire kitchen of high-

We produce professional espresso coffee machines

performance appliances, all created with the same

technologically advanced, easy to use, and highly

attention to detail, quality craftsmanship, versatile

competitive in quality and price relationship.

technology, and timeless design. As the only appliance brand that makes things exclusively for the kitchen, we continue to keep pushing the limits with our products so you can keep doing the same with everything you create. So here’s to you, your kitchen,

PUMPSKINS

and the delicious world that surrounds us all.

877.994.4600 pumpskins.com

KLEAN KANTEEN 800.767.3173 kleankanteen.com A leader in BPA-free, stainless steel drinkware and food trans-

Pumpskins are durable, scratchresistant plastic overlays that wrap around your specific coffee or tea dispenser.

Whether permanent or removable, they are customdie cut to fit your equipment like a glove.

port, Klean Kanteen is family-owned and operated, with distribution in forty-plus countries worldwide.

With environmental stewardship and fair labor central to the company’s philosophy, Klean Kanteen is in business for good. Since 2008, Klean has donated over $1.5 million in sales to environmental organizations working towards positive change through 1% for the Planet. From non-profit partnerships to grassroots events, Klean works closely with valuesaligned companies and organizations to support efforts toward health, the reduction of single-use

RETAILMUGS.COM 970.222.9559 retailmugs.com We do custom printing on ceramic mugs and travel tumblers. Sell one mug a day and add a few hundred bucks to your pocket every month.

plastic, and environmental education and awareness. In 2012, Klean Kanteen proudly became a B Corporation, certified by the nonprofit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.

SERVICE IDEAS 800.328.4493 serviceideas.com

LORING SMART ROAST 707.526.7215 loring.com Commercial coffee roasting machinery with a focus on efficiency with regard to natural gas consumption and CO2 and particulate emissions.

Specializing in airpots and servers for the coffee and tea industry.

Since 1946, Service Ideas has been an innovative worldwide provider in the service industry. Today, we continue to push forward with an uncompromising commitment to provide quality products and service to our ever-expanding audience.

Fresh Cup Magazine « freshcup.com

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Business DIRECTORY EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES

(cont.)

STIXTOGO

VESSEL DRINKWARE

800.435.6789

855.883.7735

stixtogo.com

vesseldrinkware.com

Our unique, reusable sticks plug

We offer a full spectrum of BPA-

a standard coffee lid to eliminate

free, custom, reusable drinkware

splashing and spilling in more than 30,000 stores

in a variety of sizes and materials. Our products are

worldwide. StixToGo is the world’s number one

designed to promote sustainability by offering well-

provider of spill-proof solutions for the hot bever-

made, functional drinkware items.

age market. With patents and trademarks in several countries, splash stick innovator StixToGo continues to bring unique specialty coffee solutions to the market.

YOUR BRAND CAFÉ 866.566.0390 yourbrandcafe.com Your Brand Café offers custom printing on disposable hot and

TODDY

cold cups, coffee sleeves, glassware, and more.

888.863.3974 toddycafe.com Discover delicious cold-brew coffee with the Toddy Maker. This patented cold brewing system takes what’s best about coffee and removes undesirable acids, creating a concentrate that lets the roast shine through. Coffee shops and cafés around the world love it for flawless iced coffees and frozen drinks. The ease of preparation and two-week freshness level make Toddy an ideal partner for any busy coffee business.

ZOJIRUSHI AMERICA CORPORATION 800.264.6270 zojirushi.com Zojirushi provides an assortment of commercial products including vacuum-insulated mugs and bottles, water boilers, coffee makers, thermal carafes, and Hot Pot beverage dispensers.

COFFEE ROASTERS CAFFE D’ARTE

60

UPSHOT FILTERS BY LBP

800.999.5334

800.545.6200

caffedarte.com

upshotsolution.com

From its beginnings, Caffé D’arte

The UpShot Filter for roasters: In-

(meaning the Art of Coffee) has

novative single-serve format that

stood for passion combined with the highest stan-

enables greater control over your roast, production,

dards of quality, steeped in the great Italian coffee

distribution, and profit margin. We offer packaging

tradition. We take great pride in our 1949 Balestra

options that fit your business—invest in packaging

wood-fired roaster, not only for the unique flavor

equipment or partner with a co-packer. Designed

that it imparts to our coffees, but also for its pres-

with sustainability in mind, the UpShot Filter is com-

ervation of an Italian art form, setting a standard of

patible with Keurig and other single-serve brewers.

excellence that few can match.

January 2017 » Fresh Cup Magazine

COFFEE ROASTERS

(cont.)

CARAVAN COFFEE

MR. ESPRESSO

800.875.5282

510.287.5200

caravancoffee.com

mrespresso.com/wholesale/

Caravan Coffee is an Oregon-

Mr. Espresso continues to be

based, quality-focused coffee

family-owned and operated with

roaster with a mission to ethically source coffee

two generations of Di Ruoccos working together

from all over the world and deliver it to your door.

in the Oakland showroom and roasting facility to

We believe great coffee is for everyone.

ensure that what we began over thirty years ago will endure.

CHOCOLATE FISH COFFEE ROASTERS 916.451.5181 chocolatefishcoffee.com

EDUCATION & TRAINING

We are a Sacramento-based coffee roaster and retailer known for choosing produc-

COFFEE FEST

ers who are as passionate about growing coffee as

425.295.3300

we are about roasting and brewing.

coffeefest.com Coffee Fest trade shows, education, and competitions have been

GAVIÑA GOURMET COFFEE

at the forefront of the coffee, tea, and specialty beverage industries since 1992.

800.428.4627 gavina.com/for-business/foodservice At Gaviña, we partner with our customers to grow their coffee business. With more than 140 years of experience, our family brings you coffee that is guar-

COMPAK GOLDEN BEAN ROASTERS COMPETITION & CONFERENCE

anteed to satisfy your customers. We look forward to sharing our passion and expertise in coffee to help you build your business with the right products, pro-

419.418.1017

grams, and training.

goldenbean.com The largest coffee roasting competition in the world is now in North America. Coffee companies submit

MALABAR GOLD ESPRESSO/ JOSUMA COFFEE CO. 650.366.5453 malabargoldespresso.com When lattes and cappuccinos start with Malabar

roasted coffee samples on a predetermined date, then coffees are judged through a blind tasting format in nine different categories and brew methods.

The entries are judged by roasters in attendance; participants also enjoy the three-day competition and conference.

Gold Espresso, your customers won’t need to add sugar or want to use syrups!

Fresh Cup Magazine « freshcup.com

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Business DIRECTORY EDUCATION & TRAINING

(cont.)

GREEN COFFEE

FRESH CUP MAGAZINE 503.236.2587

COFFEE HOLDING COMPANY

freshcup.com

800.458.2233

At Fresh Cup, we’ve spent more

coffeeholding.com

than two decades covering the

Our mission is to provide our cus-

stories of specialty coffee and tea, showcasing tea-

tomers with the finest coffees available across the

growing regions and cutting-edge coffee towns, giv-

entire spectrum of consumer tastes and prefer-

ing voice to stalwart veterans and visionary newcom-

ences, at a fair price, while adhering to our guiding

ers, and digging into issues important to owners and

principles.

those vital to employees. Our stories have educated our international readership on best business practices and on the amazing things going on in the farflung corners of the industries. More than anything,

DESCAMEX

Fresh Cup has shown how complex, exciting, sophis-

888.215.2030

ticated, and plain cool tea and coffee are.

descamex.com Descamex is dedicated to the production of decaffeinated coffees through safe practices, prepared under the strict-

FOOD

est quality and safety standards, raw materials, and processes.

EARNEST EATS 888.264.4599 earnesteats.com We’re known for our award-winning Energized Hot Cereal, made with coffee fruit—the fruit of the coffee bean—for

GENUINE ORIGIN COFFEE PROJECT 646.828.8585

a powerful superfood, and focusing on bringing

genuineorigin.com

economic and environmental sustainability back to

At Genuine Origin, we’ve re-engi-

coffee-growing regions.

neered the green coffee supply chain to best support the pioneers who are revolutionizing the coffee industry, micro-roasters, and small farmers. Together we can build a better, stronger future for specialty coffee and for the people who care about it. Join us.

UMPQUA OATS 877.303.8107 umpquaoats.com Creating the best oatmeal in the world took a lot of time and patience. And before we knew it, everyone at home in the Umpqua Valley of Oregon had heard of our “reinvention” of oatmeal.

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January 2017 » Fresh Cup Magazine

ORGANIC PRODUCTS TRADING COMPANY 888.881.4433 optco.com Since 1990, we have been working directly with small-scale farmers around the world to source high-quality green specialty coffee.

GREEN COFFEE

(cont.)

SUSTAINABLE HARVEST

NON-PROFITS & NGOs

503.235.1119

CAFE FEMENINO FOUNDATION

sustainableharvest.com

360.901.8322

Sustainable Harvest is an im-

coffeecan.org

porter of high-quality, specialty-

An NGO working to improve the

grade coffees from over fifteen countries around

lives of women in coffeelands.

the world. As pioneer of the Relationship Coffee Model, we’ve led the paradigm shift that has served as the foundation for the direct-trade model and the interest in creating a closer connection between farmers and consumers.

COFFEE KIDS coffeekids.org We are an NGO working to improve the lives of children in coffee-growing countries.

THETA RIDGE COFFEE 574.233.2436 thetaridgecoffee.com We are dedicated to bringing you the finest quality green coffees from around the world.

FOOD 4 FARMERS 802.482.6868 food4farmers.org Our mission is to facilitate the implementation of sustainable food security programs in coffee-growing communities.

WALKER COFFEE TRADING 713.780.7050 walkercoffee.com Walker Coffee Trading L.P. first opened its doors in 2005 as an independent coffee

GROUNDS FOR HEALTH

trading group and in the years that followed has

802.876.7835

grown at a steady pace, becoming the supply partner

groundsforhealth.org

for some of the largest coffee businesses in North

An international charity with ties

America. We are a truly sustainable company inter-

to specialty coffee focused on cer-

nally and externally, and have established long-term

vical cancer prevention in the developing world. We

relationships with our suppliers and customers,

are a mission-driven, international non-profit orga-

valuing everyone’s individuality, instilling mutual

nization, born out of and with enduring ties to the

respect, and promoting constant verbal communica-

coffee industry and focused on increasing coverage

tion and empathy.

of cervical cancer prevention services.

Fresh Cup Magazine « freshcup.com

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Business DIRECTORY NON-PROFITS & NGOs

(cont.)

HEALTHY KIDS CONCEPTS

PUEBLO A PUEBLO

916.730.5275

puebloapueblo.org

healthykidsconcepts.org

Pueblo a Pueblo is committed to

920.209.0488

Healthy Kids Concepts is resolved

improving the health, education,

to create a movement where healthy eating, exer-

and food security of coffee-growing communities

cise, and fun becomes the norm in the daily lives of

through integrated community- and school-based

our children.

programs.

RELATIONSHIP COFFEE INSTITUTE 503-235-1119 relationshipcoffeeinstitute.org

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S COFFEE ALLIANCE

Coffee Institute (RCI), a non-profit public benefit

womenincoffee.org

portunity for smallholder commodity farmers and

Empowering women in the inter-

their families.

The mission of the Relationship corporation, is to increase social and economic op-

national coffee community to achieve meaningful and sustainable lives.

POS & LOYALTY PROGRAMS COFFEE SHOP MANAGER 800.750.3947 coffeeshopmanager.com First launched in 2001, Coffee Shop Manager was developed in

OREGON COFFEE BOARD oregoncoffeeboard.org With an industry so diverse in the state of Oregon, the only thing missing was a group to unite and

Washington, the heart of the software and coffee industries. Our solutions have been serving the needs of the specialty coffee industry and selected quickserve environments ever since with customers in all fifty states.

bring the craft together. The Oregon Coffee Board was founded in 2014 to represent the Oregon coffee industry and promote the quality and diversity that is

64

found among the coffee trade. As the first of its kind

SELBYSOFT

in the United States, the Oregon Coffee Board has

800.454.4434

elevated standards to encourage involvement and

selbysoft.com

promote specialty coffee in the industry. Providing

SelbySoft has a long history of pro-

information and leadership to help guide members,

viding industry-specific point-of-

the Oregon Coffee Board is dedicated to the better-

sale software. Since 1985 we have been developing

ment of each member’s craft.

for the independent and small to medium store level.

January 2017 » Fresh Cup Magazine

SYRUPS, CHOCOLATES & SWEETENERS CHOCOLATERIE MONBANA

HERSHEY FOODSERVICE

33(0)2 43 05 42 48

hersheyfoodservice.com

foodservice.monbana.com/en/

After 100 years making some of

800.468.1714

the world’s best chocolate, a brand

contenu/home A French family business founded in 1934, three

name doesn’t get more classic or popular than the

generations of chocolate lovers have enabled Choco-

Hershey’s name. When guests see Hershey’s brands

laterie Monbana to become one of the most creative

on a foodservice menu, they know exactly what they

in its sector.

will get—a high-quality, great-tasting treat.

HOLY KAKOW 503.484.8316 holykakow.com

DAVINCI GOURMET

Holy Kakow handcrafts small-

800.640.6779 davincigourmet.com Perfect for any business offering specialty beverages, DaVinci

batch organic chocolate sauces, organic coffee syrups, and organic cacao powder in Portland, Oregon.

Gourmet syrups and sauces, drink recipes, marketing materials, training support, and more work to create a specialty beverage menu unique to your coffeehouse. Inside every bottle of DaVinci Gourmet syrup and sauce awaits the perfect complement.

MONIN 855.352.8671 monin.com Monin Gourmet flavored syrups add exceptional flavor to any beverage. Made with premium ingredients.

GHIRARDELLI CHOCOLATE 800.877.9338 ghirardelli.com/professional Ghirardelli Professional Products offers a wide range of premium ingredients for the specialty coffee and foodservice industry.

ROUTIN 1883 800.467.7142 1883.com/en/ Routin 1883 is a manufacturer of gourmet syrups, sauces, and frappes. With over 120 years of experience, Routin 1883 syrups are made with no preservatives and with water from the French Alps.

Fresh Cup Magazine « freshcup.com

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Business DIRECTORY SYRUPS, CHOCOLATES & SWEETENERS (cont.)

TEA, TISANES & CHAI

(cont.)

TORANI

THE CHAI COMPANY

800.775.1925

604.940.9887

torani.com/foodservice

chaico.com

R. Torre & Company, Inc., maker

The Chai Company’s focus is to de-

of Torani, is a San Francisco-

liver the best chai latte in the most

based, family-owned company that produces flavor-

authentic yet convenient way possible.

ing syrups, sauces, and blended drink bases. In 1925, Rinaldo and Ezilda Torre visited family in Lucca, Italy.

The two returned home to their native San Francisco with something very important: handwritten recipes,

DAVID RIO

which they used to create authentic flavored syrups.

800.454.9605 davidrio.com Based in San Francisco, California, David Rio crafts its distinctive premium chai and tea products—combining Eastern

TEA, TISANES & CHAI

tradition with Western innovation and style—to connoisseurs around the world.

AIYA AMERICA 310.212.1395 aiya-america.com Aiya’s mission is to share the

DIVINITEA

goodness of matcha through glob-

518.347.0689

al education of its tradition, history, and science for

divinitea.com

good spirit and health.

We’re the best organic wholesale tea company in the United States.

We offer wholesale to both domestic and international clients where applicable. All of our blends are made to order in small batches and unconditionally guaranteed. Call for samples and see for yourself.

ART OF TEA 877.268.8327 wholesale.artoftea.com Art of Tea offers customized tea

OREGON CHAI

menus, retail teas, the Pyramid

888.874.2424

Tea bag line, the Hospitality Tea Program, custom-

oregonchai.com

ized blends, training, and private-label programs.

Fill your cup with indulgent flavor anytime, anywhere, with quick-tofix Oregon Chai tea. The most you’ll need is milk.

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January 2017 » Fresh Cup Magazine

TEA, TISANES & CHAI

(cont.)

SERENDIPITEA 888.832.5433 serendipitea.com We are committed to the highest quality loose leaf tea, selecting fine, certified organics when available.

We work closely with tea gardens, estates, and specialists around the world, while maintaining knowledge and expertise regarding all facets of tea and production.

TEASOURCE 651.788.9971 teasource.com At TeaSource we bring you the highest quality teas and tisanes from around the world. We have conducted hundreds of tea tastings and workshops for our customers, and we have given talks and speeches about tea everywhere, from Las Vegas to Hamburg to Beijing.

TWO LEAVES AND A BUD 855.282.5450 twoleavestea.com Two Leaves and a Bud has built a grassroots following by taking tea personally, connecting tea lovers to the tea they love and introducing new tea drinkers to great tea. Cheers to that.

Fresh Cup Magazine ÂŤ freshcup.com

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Counter INTELLIGENCE

A SIDE OF CHOCOLATE, PLEASE! Looking for a sweet pairing with your winter beverages? Check out Chocolate Text’s Artesian ChocolateSideCar drink accessories—a perfect fit on the rim of most glass and plastic drink containers. Dark chocolate and milk chocolate flavors are available with designs imprinted for numerous occasions, including weddings, baby showers, and Valentine’s Day. chocolatetext.com

GO LOCO FOR THAT COCO(NUT)

BREWS FOR TROOPS

Avoiding dairy but still like

Founding Fathers Coffee now

whipped topping? Rich Products

offers five different roasts, each

Corporation’s coconut milk Café

available ground or in single-

Whip is for you. The topping con-

serve cups. The kicker? Half of

tains no high-fructose corn syr-

all Founding Fathers profits are

up, is vegan-friendly, comes with a light and creamy

donated to organizations that

texture, and is available in both dairy and vanilla fla-

support American military families like the American

vors—each with a hint of coconut. richs.com

Legion, so now you can take your coffee with a spoonful of patriotism. foundingfathersproducts.com

AVOID THE LANDFILL

Located in the Golden Valley of Boga-

coffee cups are removed from

wantalawa, Sri Lanka, Elephantea is

recycling equipment in the US

now available in the US. Elephantea

every year and sent to landfills?

pledges to donate a percentage of

Due to an interior plastic lining,

profits to help fund local non-profits

traditional coffee cups are not recyclable. However,

working to prevent poaching, harbor-

reCUP’s new EarthCoating technology—manufac-

ing, and harming of Sri Lankan pachyderms. All El-

tured to adhere to current paper recycling infrastruc-

ephantea varieties are handpicked Ceylon teas grown

ture standards—works the same as your old paper

in Sri Lanka’s ideal elevation. elephantea.com

cups, but is totally recyclable and won’t end up in the landfill. recup.co

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SAVE THE ELEPHANTS

Did you know fifteen billion paper

January 2017 » Fresh Cup Magazine

» People & Products «

HIGH STANDARDS FOR HOST HostMilano and SCAE Italia have announced a partnership—in conjunction with Fiera Milano— defining qualitative, objective, and sensorial parameters for high-quality espresso. The entire process will be finalized when roasters, tasters, engineers, baristas, and other coffee professionals from around the world convene at Host2017 from October 20–24. fieramilano.it

JURA DUTY The JURA E8 intends to revolu-

ALL THE SPARKLE WITHOUT THE CALORIES

tionize the brewing process with

NatureWise Whole Body Vital-

new technology that allows users

ity drinks have been number

to completely customize their

one on Amazon’s new release

coffee experience. Espresso has

charts in the Sparkling Juice

never been easier to make, and

Drinks category for a reason:

the E8 allows two cups to be brewed simultaneously

people love them. Whole Body Vitality drinks are

while sporting an attached grinder that streamlines

available in Citrus Matcha, Berry Guayusa, and

the bean-to-cup process. The E8 has all this, and a

Tropical Tea flavors, packed with electrolytes, amino

sixty-four-ounce water tank that utilizes proprietary

acids, and containing zero calories or sugar for a

smart-filter technology. jura.com

sweet taste without the guilt. naturewise.com

A FRUIT-TEA WAY TO LOSE HOLIDAY POUNDS

PARTY LIKE IT’S 1862 Viennese coffee roaster Julius

If working out isn’t

Meinl recently unveiled its latest

your cup of tea,

innovation, blending an artisanal

prepare for a sim-

experience with smart technology.

pler way to help increase your metabolism. If you

The 1862 Premium New is the next

can boil water, then Tetley Metabolism Tea’s vitamin

generation of the existing 1862, built using state-of-

B6-infused brews provide a convenient and delicious

the-art technology and design. The machine features

alternative to other calorie-dense drinks while add-

a built-in automatic tamper developed by Puqpress,

ing a boost to your day. Plus, they’re available in two

a super-premium espresso machine by Cimbali, and

great flavors: a tropical blend and a blueberry-rasp-

a high-tech grinder with portafilter recognition by

berry combo. tetleyusa.com

Mahlkönig. meinlcoffee.com

Fresh Cup Magazine « freshcup.com

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Counter INTELLIGENCE BACK TO THE GRIND German coffee grinder manufacturer Mahlkönig has engineered two new shop grinder models. The GUA 710 features premium coffee grinding combined with convenient functionalities like foldable table and metal cup attachment options, or a spout with a metal knocker or bag holder add-ons—the possibilities are limitless. The GH 1 grinder uses specially hardened steel and can easily handle sixteen kilograms per hour. mahlkoenig.de

GET YOUR DAILY VEGGIES

I SEED WHAT YOU DID THERE

Purjus organic juices are now

Absolutely Gluten-Free has re-

available in over 600 Lions

leased its new all natural, Kosher,

stores throughout the south-

non-GMO, vegan, dairy-free, soy-

eastern United States. These

free, and gluten-free Organic Su-

tasty beverages are vegan, or-

perseed Crunch—a light, sweet,

ganic, gluten-free, and GMO-free, and contain no

and crispy snack packed to the brim

artificial flavors, preservatives, or added sugars.

with important nutrients. Gut-friendly prebiotic fi-

Try Apple, Beet, or Beet-Apple-Pear flavors and get

ber, powerful antioxidants, and 2,000 milligrams

two full servings of fruits or vegetables in a single

of Omega 3 ALA come in each serving, and whole

16.9-ounce bottle. drinkpurjus.com

superseeds like flax, chia, and sesame provide an additional nutrient boost for healthy snackers on the go. absolutelygf.com

COFFEE FOR A CAUSE

Sometimes you just need a nice,

3,000 Asian elephants left

sweet dessert drink to take an af-

in Thailand, down from over

ternoon tea party to the next level.

100,000 at the beginning of

Enter Pinky Up. Offering flavors like

the last century. Around half

Tiramisu and Chai Latte, it’s sure

of those remaining are subject to abuse and mis-

to sweeten up your day. And with-

treatment in tourist attractions and labor camps. El-

out any calories, drinking Pinky Up

ephant Nature Park Coffee is helping the elephant population of Thailand by donating 100 percent of its profits to medical equipment, care, and rescue costs. enpcoffee.com

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PINKIES UP!

There are only an estimated

January 2017 » Fresh Cup Magazine

teas won’t require a second thought.

Cheers! pinkyuptea.com

» People & Products «

MAXIMIZE YOUR FROTH With frothed beverages continuing to grow in popularity, Capresso introduces the new MAX Automatic Milk Frother with patented technology to deliver maximum milk froth at the touch of a button. Stocked with a see-through milk pitcher and a stay-cool handle, the MAX Automatic allows users to watch the frothing process transform beverages into something special. Three temperature settings—hot, warm, and cold—make the Capresso MAX ideal for preparing a variety of beverages. capressoblog.com

FRESH COFFEE AT YOUR DOOR

BEAVER STATE ROASTERS EXPAND

IV Coffee Co. now delivers the

Coffee Culture’s four locations

best specialty coffee to your door

have thrived for over twenty-three

within forty-eight hours of being

years in the small town of Corval-

roasted. All roasts are picked spe-

lis, Oregon. Now, the specialty cof-

cifically by staff, and are sure to

fee is finally available for purchase

be fresh when they arrive. The best part? IV Coffee

throughout the greater Pacific Northwest via the

Co. offers the perks of a curated subscription ser-

Holderness Coffee Roasters brand. One blend and

vice without binding customers to a subscription or

two single-origin roasts are available, all sporting

contract. ivcoffeeco.com

a balanced, medium-bodied flavor profile with mild chocolate and fruit notes, as well as nutty overtones. holdernesscoffeeroasters.com

THE QUEEN’S TEA

A STAR IS BORN IN CLEVELAND

Do you have $19,000 burning a hole

Cleveland, Ohio just got itself a

on your pocket? Then consider pur-

new specialty coffee roaster in

chasing the world’s most luxurious

the heart of the Tremont neigh-

coffee maker from Royal Paris, aptly

borhood.

Rising Star Coffee

dubbed the Royal Coffee Maker.

Roasters, founded over six years

Each machine takes fifty hours of painstaking work-

ago and already expanded into three Cleveland loca-

manship to produce, combining the talents of skilled

tions, recently opened its pour-over and Aeropress–

sculptors, metallurgists, engineers, and, of course,

only location at the Fairmont Creamery. Visitors can

fine jewelers. Only eight are hand-produced each

expect the same quality they’re used to from Rising

month, making this coffee maker truly fit for a king.

Star, as they bring their unique vision to Tremont

royal-coffee-maker.prezly.com

and downtown Cleveland. risingstarcoffee.com

Fresh Cup Magazine « freshcup.com

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Trade Show & Events CALENDAR JANUARY

MARCH

JANUARY 12-14 CAFÉ MALAYSIA Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia cafe-malaysia.com

MARCH 2-4 RUSSIAN COFFEE & TEA INDUSTRY EVENT (RUCTIE) Moscow, Russia unitedcoffeetea.ru/en

JANUARY 22-24 WINTER FANCY FOOD SHOW San Francisco, California specialtyfood.com

MARCH 2-4 CAFE ASIA & ICY INDUSTRY EXPO Marina Bay, Singapore www.cafeasia.com.sg

FEBRUARY MARCH 3-5 INDIA INTERNATIONAL TEA & COFFEE EXPO Kolkata, India teacoffeeexpo.in FEBRUARY 9-11 THE NAFEM SHOW Orlando, Florida thenafemshow.org MARCH 5-7 INTERNATIONAL RESTAURANT & FOODSERVICE SHOW New York City, New York internationalrestaurantny.com

FEBRUARY 15-17 AFRICAN FINE COFFEE CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION Addis Ababa, Ethiopia eafca.org

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January 2017 » Fresh Cup Magazine

MARCH 10-12 AMSTERDAM COFFEE FESTIVAL Amsterdam amsterdamcoffeefestival.com

» 2017 Coffee & Tea Trade Shows, Classes & Competitions « MARCH

MARCH

MARCH 17-19 COFFEE FEST Nashville, Tennessee coffeefest.com

MARCH 25-26 SOUTHWEST COFFEE & CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL Albuquerque, New Mexico chocolateandcoffeefest.com

MARCH 18-19 COFFEE & TEA FESTIVAL NYC Brooklyn, New York coffeeandteafestival.com

MARCH 30-APRIL 1 MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COFFEE EXPO (MICE) Melbourne, Australia internationalcoffeeexpo.com.au

APRIL

MARCH 23-25 NCA ANNUAL CONVENTION Austin, Texas ncausa.org

APRIL 6-9 LONDON COFFEE FESTIVAL London, United Kingdom londoncoffeefestival.com

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ADVERTISER Index Go to freshcup.com/resources/fresh-cup-advertisers to view the Advertiser Index and the websites listed below.

ADVERTISER

CONTACT

ONLINE

PAGE

Add a Scoop Supplement

415.382.6535

addascoop.com

51

American Barista & Coffee School

800.655.3955

coffeebusiness.com

51

Barista Pro Shop

866.776.5288

baristaproshop.com/ad/fresh

37

Brewista

888.538.8683

mybrewista.com

37

Café Femenino Foundation

360.901.8322

coffeecan.org

15

Caffe D’Vita

800.200.5005

caffedvita.com

5

Cappuccine

800.511.3127

cappuccine.net

7

Coffee & Tea Festival

631.940.7290

coffeeandteafestival.com

Coffee Fest

800.232.0083

coffeefest.com

4, 55

Coffee Kids

info@coffeekids.org

coffeekids.org

36

Descamex

844.472.8429

descamex.com

45

Divinitea

518.347.0689

divinitea.com

51

Fresh Cup Magazine

503.236.2587

freshcup.com

35, 67

Genuine Origin Coffee Project

646.828.8585

genuineorigin.com

Ghirardelli Chocolate

800.877.9338

ghirardelli.com/professional

Gosh That’s Good! Brand

888.848.GOSH (4674)

goshthatsgood.com

Grounds For Health

802.876.7835

groundsforhealth.org

44

Healthy Kids Concepts

916.730.5275

healthykidsconcepts.org

36

Holy Kakow

503.484.8316

holykakow.com

13

73

2 76 9

International Restaurant & Foodservice Show 203.484.8057

internationalrestaurantny.com

Java Jacket

800.208.4128

javajacket.com

17

Malabar Gold Espresso

650.366.5453

malabargoldespresso.com

21

Monin Gourmet Flavorings

855.FLAVOR1 (352.8671)

monin.com

Organic Products Trading Co

888.881.4433

optco.com

17

Pacific Foods

503.692.9666

pacificfoods.com/foodservice

75

SelbySoft

800.454.4434

selbysoft.com

13

StixToGo

800.666.6655

royalpaper.com

19

TEA House Times, The

973.551.9161

theteahousetimes.com

73

Toddy

888.863.3974

toddycafe.com

19

Two Leaves and a Bud

866.528.0832

twoleavestea.com/hbc

20

Vessel Drinkware

855.883.7735

vesseldrinkware.com

20

World Tea Expo

866.458.4935

worldteaexpo.com

25

Your Brand Café

866.566.0390

yourbrandcafe.com

14

Zojirushi America

800.264.6270

zojirushi.com

January 2017 » Fresh Cup Magazine

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