We are honoured to present the speakers for Nordic Barista Cup 2013.
The preliminary program will be online April 15th – so stay tuned!
Buy 2013 tickets here.
CYNTHIA SANDBERG, USA
Cynthia Sandberg started her career as an attorney, but farming attracted her after she bought a large piece of land. She began farming it and selling her produce locally. She now owns Love Apple Farms, a 22-acre biodynamic garden in California devoted to growing vegetables exclusively for the two-Michelin starred restaurant, Manresa. Love Apple also presents about 100 gardening, cooking, and homesteading workshops each year on the farm.
At Nordic Barista Cup 2013 Cynthia Sandberg will talk about the basic principles of Biodynamics.
FELIPE BARRETTO CROCE, BRAZIL
Felipe Barretto Croce is part of the Fazenda Ambietanl Fortaleza (FAF) project in Brazil. He oversees quality control and development. FAF is a farm, a network of farms and a small family-owned exporting company, which is concerned with developing high quality specialty coffees along with environmental and social projects.
Felipe studied International Studies and Business at Washington University in St. Louis before falling in love with coffee.
At Nordic Barista Cup 2013 Felipe will talk about growing organic coffee.
CHRISTER SÖDERBERG, SWEDEN
As a social entrepreneur Christer Söderberg has developed an intimate relationship with the multiple aspects and interdependency of international business, human beings, and the environment.
Christer started and managed a NGO coordinating humanitarian aid during the war in Bosnia, managed a telecom product design company based in Hong Kong has worked on four continents, most recently in Brazil where between 1998 and 2002 he started a subsidiary for a Swedish Multinational.
Christer started Open World Foundation in 2007, followed by Open World Café community and social network in 2008, the first physical café in Stockholm that same year, followed by five partner cafés on four continents by 2011 and Open World Villages, a foundation and investor owned corporation started in 2011.
Open World works to create spaces, both virtual and real, to increase awareness about sustainability, resilience, and the importance of authentic leadership in both business and our personal lives. Open World initiatives help awaken the hidden potential in individuals, creating new perspectives on cooperation and personal development.
EMMA BLADYKA, USA
Emma Bladyka is the Science Manager at the Specialty Coffee Association of America. She holds a M.S. in Botany from the University of Wyoming and B.A. in Ecology.
Emma oversees a variety of established SCAA programs is the staff liaison to the SCAA Standards Committee.
She has experience in a variety of laboratory and field research projects in botany, ecology, enology, and climate change science.
Emma also serves as the World Coffee Research Industry Liaison, where she observes the WCR Technical Advisory Committee and is currently participating in a new WCR sensory analysis initiative.
RANDY POPE, USA
Randy Pope began his career at BUNN 35 years ago in the Technical Service Training Department as a technical trainer.
After 12 years Randy Pope became Director of the BUNN Beverage Technology Center, and acquired additional responsibilities in new product research and development, coffee recipe creation, and quality assurance. Pope has created brewing recipes for over 100 origin-specific coffees and blends for specialty coffee roasters and chains. He performs brew analysis for soluble, filter testing, and tests all components of BUNN coffee and tea equipment including funnels, filters, and sprayheads to confirm their part in brewing a perfect cup.
Pope collaborated on the development of BUNN Coffee Basics 101, which outlines basic brewing terminology, fundamental elements of proper brewing, water-to-solids ratios and explains how each brewing component functions in extracting the optimum flavor for each brew.
ALEX BERNSON, USA
Alex Bernson fell in love with cafes at Espresso Vivace, where he started his coffee career in 2006.
He has since made coffee in just about every retail setting, from farmer’s market stands to busy
Manhattan bars to high end restaurant/cafes, to Espwesso, the student-run cafe he founded at Wesleyan University. He managed Sweetleaf Coffee’s Hunter’s Point location in New York City, and is currently associate editor for Sprudge.
Alex’s overriding passion is the unique social roles cafes fill in their communities. In 2011, he graduated
from Wesleyan University with a multi-disciplinary degree in Feminist & Queer Theory focused Urban
Sociology, after completing an honors thesis entitled “The Social Space of The Café: How Service and
Physical Design Condition Social Performances”.
FRANCISCA LISTOV-SAABYE, DENMARK
Francisca has a Masters degree in Sensory Science and has more than 10 years experience in the Food Industry dealing with products ranging from high quality fish over the Danish specialty spirit Aquavit to confectionery. She always focuses on the taste and sensory characteristic of things trying to see the world with new eyes.
Francisca has a background in both consumer research as well as training judges for sensory panels. Furthermore she has been developing new candy, sweets and chocolate products for the Scandinavian market and holds a patent on a confectionery product containing fibers instead of sugar. Now Francisca is head of the NBC research project regarding grinding in Copenhagen.
At the Nordic Barista Cup 2013 Francisca will talk about the sensory aspect of coffee grinding.
SCOTT GUGLIELMINO, USA
While studying at University of California at Santa Cruz, Scott was hired by Williams-Sonoma (high-end domestic kitchen supply) to work as a seasonal sales associate. Tasked with selling coffee equipment during the Christmas season of 2004, he quickly became fascinated with coffee. While in universality he studied Bio-Psychology and worked as a barista for Barefoot Coffee Roasters.
After finishing his degree in 2007 he worked as Director of Sales for Verve Coffee Roasters and Technician for Four Barrel Coffee. In August 2010 Scott started working as Product Manager for La Marzocco USA, where Scott has lead an internal program to understand water chemistry and its effects on brewing and brewing equipment. In the coming months Scott’s work will be seen as La Marzocco launches an international water testing program.
CHRISTIAN NEDERGAARD, DENMARK
Born in 1970, Christian Nedergaard has always had a keen interest in food. Some of his first childhood memories circles around play dough in a small flat in Copenhagen. Later on at age 10, he attended culinary summer camp for 14 days voluntarily.
After a one year bohemian stay in France, including long hair, vegetarian habits and a keen interest in apples, Christian joined the Danish Army with the Artillery and later on as part of international peacekeeping missions in the Balkans and Afghanistan. Leaving the Army 2004, Christian went back being a student, yet spent most of his time working at restaurants, got a wife and kids, and ended up with a Bachelor in East European Studies.
In 2009 Christian partnered up with Sebastian from “Österreich wine” and opened the wine bar Ved Stranden 10 in Copenhagen, and found his place in life.
In an interview given to Oliver Strand from Bon Appetite the point was made clear:
“Food, and later, wine, has been my safe haven, where I could relax. Over the years, I worked in and out of the restaurant business, but I’m better at wine than at cooking. Actually, I’m better at people. I have a big love for people. The wine is the focus, but the key to Ved Stranden is to create a place for people to meet.”
RENÉ REDZEPI, DENMARK
Head chef and partner at restaurant noma in Copenhagen. Noma opened the doors in January 2004 and since then it has been a rise to fame. Noma holds 2 Michelin stars and is voted to be number one restaurant in the world on Restaurant Magazine’s “World’s 50 best”.
René has worked at several Michelin starred restaurants, among others Le Jardin Des Sens, El Bulli and The French Laundry. René Redzepi has re-invented the Nordic kitchen via noma, and is currently one of the most influential and quoted persons on the gastronomic scene worldwide.
René founded the Nordic Food Lab in 2008 and the MAD Symposium in 2011. In March 2012 he was on the cover of TIME magazine.
PONTUS DAHLSTRÖM, NORWAY
Pontus was born in Finland and moved to Norway in 1999 to start his restaurant career. In 2000 he started as a Sommelier at Restaurant Bagatelle (former **) and worked there for 5 years, the 3 last as “chef de cave” during those years he vas also active in Sommelier competitions.
In 2006 he joined the sales team at Moestue Grape Selections, a leading Wine import company based in Oslo. For 5 years he travelled Norway and Europe. In early 2010 he started project MAAEMO together with Esben Holmboe Bang and Jon-Frede Engdahl. Restaurant MAAEMO opened late Desember 2010 and in 2012 it was the first Nordic restaurant to go from no Michelin stars to 2 Michelin stars.
Buy 2013 tickets here.
Info about the Nordic Roaster competition