People

In this episode, we chat with Connie Blumhardt, who is the founder and publisher of the award-winning Roast magazine. Connie has spent over 30 years in magazine publishing and has worked in the coffee industry for the past 25 years. She possesses a wealth of knowledge regarding magazine publishing, marketing, design and photography. On a daily basis, Connie serves 1000’s of roasters creating an amazing bird’s eye view of the roasting community.

Nick Castellano is the Creative Projects Manager at Ally Coffee and is based in Medellín, Colombia. Nick was previously the co-host of the Coffee & Technology podcast and now co-hosts a Spanish podcasts called Cafe Se Escribe En Español. Throughout his 5 years in coffee, he’s managed his own projects, worked as part of the marketing team Cropster, and has visited various origins speaking various topics related to technology and data collection. Aside from coffee, Nick enjoys boxing, golfing, and cycling when he’s not behind his desk or traveling.

Felix Teiretzbacher is the 2022 World Coffee Roasting Champion from Vienna, Austria. Felix has grown from a home roaster to a world champion in a matter of years and now finds himself a roasting icon around the world. He’ll tell us about the journey he took to become world coffee roasting champion and what his post-championship experience has been like.

Andrea Allen is the Co-founder of Onyx Coffee Lab. She is head of operations for all Onyx cafes and for the roastery. She also holds the title of 2021 U.S. Barista Champion and the runner-up in the 2021 World Barista Champion. In her spare time, she is hanging out with her husband and two daughters, an avid runner, and a barrel-racer. In this episode, we’ll discuss her journey competing, her thoughts on innovations in coffee, and the important role that women play in coffee.

Shelby Williamson is the Head Roaster and Colombian Green Coffee Buyer at Huckleberry Coffee Roasters, the 2019 US Roasting Champion, and a certified Q-Grader. Shelby started roasting about 8 years ago, and hasn't looked back since, falling in-love with the international trade and connection of coffee. We’ll discuss the impact her experience competing has had on her career and her journey to becoming a green coffee buyer.