The Coffee Community

going to NASCORE made me realize that this really is a community here.
people know eachother, people care about each other - it's very real.
in part this is simply due to the shared passion - but it's largely due to the kind of person who is in this industry.
this, more than anything else, made the trip so great for me.

so, following are photos of some of the great people in the business.


Billy Wilson and Duane Sorenson. Billy is a barista at Crema in Portland and a truly nice person. Duane is the founder of Stumptown and an amazing guy. Both of them were really nice and helpful and welcoming to me. Duane was truly the mayor and the host for all of us - making the Single Origin Shootout happen, making drinks for us, buying beers, taking us out to dinner... we all owe him a huge thank you.


Michelle Campbell, Bronwen Serna and Eli Rami. Michelle Campbell is the force behind the SCAA's events. Without her there would be no NWBC or the like. And she's a super nice person as well. Bronwen is the reigning US Barista Champ, works at Hines in Seattle and is an all-around great person. She was so fun to be around, made everyone happy and is hysterical to hang with at parties. Eli is from The Roasterie in Kansas City, busted his ass to make things run smoothly at the comp and was super cool.


Jodi from Stumptown. One of the partners at Stumptown and as a result one of the truly great forces in coffee. And, on top of that, she's super sweet and kind - she (in so many ways) made this trip good for us. Really welcoming - thanks for all Jodi!


Jon Lewis. Jon used to be at JJ Bean in Vancouver and is now at the hot upstart Doma in Idaho. He and his wife Kendall are truly some of the coolest people in the world. And, of course, Jon is an entertainer and performer in barista comps like you can not imagine! Plus - he gave Valerie 5lbs of Vito's Blend after she raved about it.


Terry from Espresso Parts NW. One of the nice guys - one of the good guys. A rare thing from a vendor! Terry sponsors just about everything related to espresso.


It was such a good weekend.
I can't even describe it.

Thanks - to all those above, and all those not above.
Be well,

-c