“Organic Coffee; by Choice or Necessity?” by Christer Söderberg, Open World Foundation

[download Christer’s slides] In his talk, Christer Söderberg from the Open World Foundation, takes a look at where our world is heading in the future. Christer argues that it is time to do something about the current situation and ask us, “Is sustainability still possible?” “The best result comes from everyone in the group doing […]

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“Benefits and Challenges of Organic Coffee Farming” by Felipe Croce, Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza

Felipe talks about the research he’s done with organic farming as well as what he’s learned working in Brazil with Fazenda Ambietanl Fortaleza. “I don’t think any farmer wakes up & wants to spray chemicals on their coffee, they do it because they have to & they have families to feed.” “It takes guts to […]

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“From The Earth To The Stars, Applied Biodynamics” by Cynthia Sandberg, Love Apple Farms

Cynthia Sandberg talks about her approach to biodynamic farming, where she grows food in Santa Cruz for Manresa Restaurant in Los Gatos, California “Seed saving is a must! The seeds adapt over years to a specific area” “Animals are required on a biodynamic farm” ++ Cynthia Sandberg started her career as an attorney, but farming […]

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“Water, The Main Ingredient in Coffee” by Scott Guglielmino, La Marzocco USA

In this talk, Scott Guglielmino of La Marzocco USA showcases how important it is to understand your water and how it affects the taste of the coffee. 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 […]

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“Science & Quality at Origin” 
by Emma Bladyka, SCAA Science Manager

In this talk we are learning about how science can help us understand the WHY behind Specialty Coffee. Emma is focusing her presentation around two countries, Brazil & Colombia. “We’re into a new era of coffee research—beyond production towards more sensory-based research.” “There is no silver bullet to quality, a serious research program takes time” […]

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“NBC/SCAE Gold Cup Project” By Francisca Listov-Saabye, NBC researcher and Randy Pope, BUNN

In this talk, Francisca and Randy discuss their research behind conical and flat burr grinders. They share their results and their thoughts on better understanding your grinder. “The darker the roast, the more brittle the bean and the harder it becomes to reduce fines.” – Randy Pope “Minor changes can make great results” – Randy […]

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“Our Approach to Service” by Pontus Dahlström, Maaemo

In this talk, Pontus is discussing how the staff at Maaemo approaches service to their guests. He also highlights how they serve their coffee and how they are looking to improve the service, while still working with the famous traditional Norwegian “kokekaffe” or boiled coffee. “We charge the most for coffee in Norway—80nok ($13) per […]

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“Constructing Social Spaces: Coffee, Food and Alcohol” By Alex Bernson, Sprudge

In his talk, Alex Berson of Sprudge.com, will talk about social roles as a major part of the service experience. There are different patterns depending on whether you work with food, coffee or alcohol. For example, a barista being physically constrained behind an espresso machine. How can we as an industry improve how we interact […]

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“Milk and Sugar, Please!” by René Redzepi, Noma

This talk is about how Noma took the step into the world of specialty coffee. Last year René promised to launch specialty coffee no matter the cost at Noma, and he did! They have spent almost 8 months perfecting the coffee service—a long struggle with an outstanding result. “Messing with people’s coffee is one of […]

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“Cup of Excellence Cupping Calibration” By Silvio Leite, AgriCafé

First up on “Day 1” is Silvio Leite from Agricafé talking about the Cup of Excellence cupping calibration. Silvio spoke about the methods and protocols behind the CoE program. He also highlights the important variables behind growing coffee in Brazil, picking, sorting, processing as well as showcasing how to approach the CoE cupping. “Please, silence during […]

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