Coffee is all about the people. From planting, maintenance, and harvesting at the farm, to processing at the mill, to exporting, roasting, and brewing, it’s all made possible by extraordinary, intelligent, passionate people.
The 2019 Boston Specialty Coffee Expo was an eye-opening experience in truly immersing myself into this global community and getting to meet many of the people who seem so far away from my desk in Portland, Oregon. I’m sharing just a few of the conversations—there were many—that I had with incredible people from the Expo weekend, who congregated to join in community, build their organizations, and find solutions to problems large and small. I had the pleasure of speaking to a wide range of folks throughout the value chain and what their unique experience is like coming to the SCA. For some, it was their first time attending like myself, and for others, they’ve lost count because it’s become an annual holiday of sorts.
We spoke about their career thus far, what Expo means to them, how it affects their work, and their goals moving forward, taking what they’ve learned from this incredible experience and building on it.
I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to sit down with me in the halls, away from the busy show floor, in the makeshift dining area, in the mornings before the crowds flooded in, and as the extravagant booths started to be disassembled around us, to reflect on an experience that they were still deeply in the midst of.
–Rachel Apple, Quality Control, George Howell Coffee
–Kimberly Noon, VP of Marketing, Bellwether
–Dee “Walt Deezy” Traylor, Barista & Owner, Rosalind Coffee
–Charles Tysor, Roaster & Technician, Carolina Coffee
–Katia Zelaya, Specialty Coffee Producer and Exporter, Ricardo Zelaya Coffee
