NCA Next Gen Interview: Legacy Brewed — Commemorating an Illustrious Career in the Coffee Industry

September 1, 2023September 5, 2023 / nationalcoffee / Leave a comment

By Courtney A. Farnsworth, The J.M. Smucker Company

If you work in coffee, chances are you know – or have heard of – Tracy May Adair.

We recently had the privilege to sit down with Tracy May for an interview less than one month before her retirement to discuss her many roles and experiences in coffee over the years.

If you ask her, Tracy May got into the coffee industry “by accident, just like many others.” She studied Chemical Engineering in college and earned an MFA in Poetry – a far cry from anything coffee-related. After being recruited at a job fair to work in Proctor & Gamble’s soaps division, Tracy May made the move to San Francisco to manage the maintenance department at the Folgers Coffee Plant. She quickly rose through the ranks at Folgers, taking on various roles across the country, ultimately becoming the Director of Green Coffee Supply and Coffee R&D.

Tracy May Adair evaluating green coffee on a trip to Vietnam

The coffee industry has changed significantly since Tracy May’s career began. She notes that the biggest change – on the consumer side – has been the sharp increase in the number of coffee shops in the U.S. and elsewhere. In 1990, Starbucks had less than 100 stores; there are now there are over 35,000 locations worldwide. She also notes the rising cost of labor; less available labor for what is considered a ‘high-touch’ agricultural product; the rise of single-serve coffee products; increased mechanization where possible; and a higher cost of production.

I asked Tracy May what the most difficult part of her job has been over the years. “There’s just a really high degree of industry knowledge needed. Keeping current enough on both industry information and internal technology and plans to try and bridge the gap between them. For example, our supply base may think about coffees being interchangeable that we don’t see as interchangeable because our product designs are different from their other customers. Our internal team may say, “So-and-so uses this coffee, why can’t we?” but they don’t understand that there might be limitations that a roaster with different technology or different market needs can live with, but it doesn’t fit our business model.” She added, “We need to keep understanding what is out there, what changes are going on, and try to understand what might become opportunities for our business, even though it isn’t currently on our radar.”

What is something that she’s enjoyed over the years? “I like cupping — cupping is the hub that everything else revolves around. When you cup you don’t know what you’re going to experience on the table. Coffee can surprise you. It raises questions, and it’s a complex industry so the questions are complex and interesting. The cupping table is where you run into surprises, good or bad, and those raise questions and suggest opportunities. Cupping is not just a bunch of yes/no decisions. Of course, those decisions need to be made. That’s just the beginning.”

Tracy May Cupping Folgers Instant Coffee

Tracy May couldn’t pin down one memory in her career as her favorite, but shared a story about when the Folgers business worked with USAID and Technoserve to help build and start a school in Huehuetenango, Guatemala. She gave a speech at the opening that had to be translated into two different languages, Spanish and Mam, the local language. “That school would help kids learn Spanish, among other things, so that they could have opportunities that would otherwise be closed to them. That’s not so much about coffee as about the importance of education.” When asked about her greatest achievement throughout her career, she stated, without a doubt, “Helping the Folgers business recover from Hurricane Katrina in 2005.”

It is more than a fine cup of coffee that has inspired Tracy May over the years, it is more about the role that we all play as individuals in the greater picture. “I’m not here for the profit of the business—I’m here for the support of the families that depend on the business (including my own). If I do my job well, then they are all better off. Business profit or other measures of business success are just ways to keep the business stable so it can continue to contribute to society through its employees.”

Tracy May evaluating green coffee in Mexico

Finally, I asked Tracy May for a bit of advice to offer the next generation of coffee professionals, and here is what she had to say: “Be curious and follow your curiosity. Especially now that so much information is available on the internet, through all parts of the industry. You don’t have to limit yourself to information that only touches on your immediate job or task, and it’s probably better if you don’t. Read widely, ask questions of others in the industry, learn about all aspects of the business, and then connect those dots to see if it brings a new idea for your business or career.”

Even with 33 years in the coffee industry, she mentioned that she often still feels like the newest person in the room. Tracy May attributed much of her knowledge to conversations she has had with other industry professionals, especially when traveling together. She encourages everyone throughout their career to “Ask a lot of questions. Most people are very willing to talk about their most recent project, trip, or what they think is important in their current role and you get to know a lot about them and the industry that way.”

She also offered this: “Mostly say yes to opportunities that come your way, even if they feel uncomfortable because you aren’t sure you’re ready for them. It’s hard to know how to navigate a career in any field when there’s so much you don’t know about it. Saying yes to opportunities can teach you what you like or don’t like to do, and what you want to do more of.” She also stresses that “Just because you can, that doesn’t mean you always should. ”There is no one straight path to a successful career in the coffee industry. Coffee is complex; every day there is something new. The important part is to keep learning and enjoy what you do.

On behalf of everyone in the business, I want to thank Tracy May for all her contributions to the industry over her career.

Brewing Good Health: Exploring Coffee’s Health Benefits for National Wellness Month

August 14, 2023August 14, 2023 / nationalcoffee / Leave a comment

It’s National Wellness Month, a time for celebrating and sharing all of the ways we keep ourselves happy and healthy. “Wellness,” of course, can mean many different things. The Global Wellness Institute defines wellness as the active pursuit of activities, choices, and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health.

Some may picture green juice and yoga classes when they think about wellness, but this definition makes clear that many things can contribute to wellness – from enjoying time with family and friends to enjoying a balanced diet, with or without yoga mats!

For coffee drinkers, we know that coffee contributes a lot to the “happy” category. Not only do our beloved coffee beverages put smiles on our faces, but they also put a pep in our steps for the final month of summer fun. This month, though, remember that coffee also has so much more to offer when it comes to staying healthy.

Coffee itself boasts myriad unique health benefits, perhaps thanks to the thousands of naturally-occurring antioxidants and polyphenols in every cup. Drinking coffee is associated with a reduced risk of a wide range of chronic diseases and even a reduced risk of multiple cancers.

In fact, the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) recommends drinking coffee “regularly,” and the American Cancer Society (ACS) has concluded that coffee reduces the risk of multiple cancers including liver cancer, endometrial cancer, cancers of the mouth, pharynx and larynx, as well as basal cell skin cancer and melanoma.

Overall, coffee drinkers live longer, happier, healthier lives. Multiple prospective studies encompassing hundreds of thousands of people – for example, these studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine and Circulation – have found that drinking coffee is associated with increased longevity. Another study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that compared with non-coffee drinkers, participants with the highest level of coffee consumption had a statistically significant lower all-cause mortality.

Coffee can also help achieve shorter-term health goals. Coffee consumption is associated with maintaining a healthy body weight and reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, another leading cause of ill health for Americans. A study published in The Journal of Nutrition in 2020 found that higher coffee consumption (both caffeinated and decaffeinated) was associated with “significantly lower total body fat percentage and trunk body fat” in women.

Wellness includes health from head to toe – and coffee delivers. A literature review conducted by NCA’s science advisor in 2020 found that drinking coffee is associated with up to ⅓ reduced risk of depression. Some studies even suggest that coffee has the potential to help alleviate the symptoms of neurocognitive disorders like ADHD.

It seems like new evidence about coffee’s unique health impacts emerges all the time. One recently-published study conducted in Portugal found that drinking coffee increased activity in parts of the brain involved in short-term memory, attention, and focus. (Note that ingesting caffeine on its own did not have the same effect). New findings conducted by researchers at the University of Verona showed that enjoying espresso helps to destroy rogue tau proteins that gather in the brain and kill neurons, a process that is believed to be involved in the onset of Alzheimer’s disease- researchers say these results pave the way for more research into treatment and prevention.

To put it simply: your favorite cup of coffee is a great way to support and celebrate wellness this month and every month.

An Interview With Felton Jones, Roastmaster for PJ’s Coffee

July 31, 2023July 31, 2023 / nationalcoffee / Leave a comment

As part of NCA Next Gen’s ongoing interview series, Everett Brown, Managing Director at Westfeldt Brothers, Inc., recently had the opportunity to sit down with Felton Jones, Roastmaster and Coffee Buyer for PJ’s Coffee. In this conversation, Everett and Felton discuss Felton’s industry experience and what the coffee industry can do to provide more opportunities for underrepresented groups.

Everett Brown: Felton, thanks for sitting with me. Could you tell me a bit about your background and how you began your career in coffee?

Felton Jones: I started with PJs Coffee of New Orleans back in the 90s as a part-time employee and eventually had the opportunity to move into a full-time position. I was doing everything from making cold brew to delivering coffee. In my time as a delivery driver, I had many opportunities during my downtime to learn from Phyllis Jordan, the founder of PJs Coffee. I used those opportunities to join Phyllis and my predecessor, Scott Reed in the cupping lab. I was always willing to learn from the team, and the rest was history.

EB: You and I have known each other for many years, and we recently spoke about underrepresented groups in coffee – particularly, how there aren’t enough opportunities to get into positions of influence. As an African American in the industry, what does representation in coffee mean to you?

FJ: In one word: opportunity. If opportunities were out there, African Americans would be able to go for those opportunities and positions of influence. The coffee industry is extremely relationship-driven, in the best way. But on the other hand, if you’re not in on those relationships and don’t have the ability to be in on those conversations, it’s hard for those opportunities to trickle down to other people.

I see more black and brown people in coffee at the barista level. I think we need a bridge that connects the barista world to the rest of the industry. The opportunities that could benefit those workers are tremendous, and once we create that bridge between the front line and higher levels in the supply chain, I think we will see a wheel begin to turn. Those relationships will give underrepresented groups the opportunity to get into more positions of influence in coffee.

EB: Do you see more representation among the Next Generation of coffee professionals?

FJ: I believe representation over the last 20 to 30 years has been stagnant. However, I do see representation from a more individual perspective. I think about people like Phyllis Johnson, President of BD Imports and Founder of The Coffee Coalition for Racial Equity. There are more independent businesses and owners getting started in coffee that are coming from newer groups.

EB: What measures do you think the industry could take to provide more opportunities for underrepresented groups to get into the coffee supply chain?

FJ: As I see it, the most obvious opportunity is outreach and introduction of the industry to HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities). Whether it be through a general assembly, seminars, or curriculum, this is an opportunity to make an appeal as an industry to individuals who are wondering “What’s next?”

I think about my youngest, who is beginning to start his senior year in college and will be approaching this big moment in life soon. As an industry, we could capitalize on this opportunity to reach out to young people and say “Hey, what about coffee?”

This strategy could be a bit exclusive to those who don’t attend college or have the opportunity to pursue higher education. There are opportunities to reach out to high schools and get to people who enter the workforce early. Connecting to coffee shops on and around college campuses or in cities to show interest and outreach would work as well.

EB: What hurdles and challenges did you experience in your career that you hope to help others learn from?

FJ: I have been in the coffee industry for 30 years, and the last 10 to 15 years have been increasingly easy for me. My company stood behind me and sort of made me the face and name of our brand. It’s amazing to have a brand that sticks behind you. It adds a level of credibility to your name when you are entering those decision-making situations. I have our company, PJs, to thank for all of that help.

I have also seen internal challenges, though. Usually, these are challenges in trying to separate the business side of things from the artisan aspect of coffee. It’s a matter of not looking at just the balance sheet, but saying “We really are a coffee company. We know what we are talking about and we’re not just saying stuff.”

EB: Are there any organizations in the industry that you see doing good work when it comes to furthering the representation of underrepresented groups in the supply chain?

FJ: The only one that comes to mind immediately is the Coffee Coalition for Racial Equity. The group was started by Phyllis Johnson, who I mentioned earlier. Phyllis wrote a letter a long time ago that was published to challenge the industry to show more support for groups that don’t have as many opportunities in the coffee industry. Phyllis started the CCRE to create a group and space that would fight for those individuals to receive racial equity within the industry.

EB: If you could go back in time twenty years, what advice would you give yourself about pursuing a career in coffee?

FJ: I would say have patience, be willing to get dirty, and don’t be afraid of change. I’ll be candid with you: I was having a conversation with an employee who looks up to me as a mentor and he told me “Mr. Jones, your generation is so much more loyal than my generation. If an opportunity presents itself, we’re probably going to take it.” That was an enlightening experience for me because, when I was starting out, we really didn’t move around much. But, because of that, there were opportunities that might have passed me by or passed people in my generation by. So, experiment when you are younger with moving around in the industry but also don’t give up a good thing that you have going just because.

But honestly, there’s not much I would change about my personal path. I’m happy with where I am and happy I’ve stayed with it. It’s a long journey and there are so many lessons to be taken along the way.

Celebrating Coffee During America’s Birth Month

July 11, 2023July 25, 2023 / nationalcoffee / Leave a comment

This year, America celebrated its 247th birthday, but did you know that coffee has been one of America’s favorite beverages for even longer? In fact, there is evidence that coffee came to the colonies as early as the days when Captain John Smith and others helped to found Jamestown.

In 1670, Dorothy Jones became the first person licensed to trade coffee in the colonies, and later, drinking coffee came to be seen as a patriotic act. Choosing coffee over tea (and dumping tea into the Boston Harbor) was associated with some of America’s Founding Fathers: George Washington not only imported beans from Yemen, but even attempted to grow coffee (not so successfully) at Mount Vernon.

From those early days, coffee has cemented itself as a staple in American culture. Today, two-thirds of Americans enjoy coffee each day (per our National Coffee Data Trends report), drinking an estimated 491 million cups of coffee daily.

Among American coffee aficionados, we can find some mega-stars to add to our list of American coffee icons.

In 2012, Leonardo DiCaprio partnered with La Colombe to launch a signature coffee line called “Lyon,” benefiting the actor’s environmental sustainability efforts.
In 2022, Tom Hanks launched “Hanx for Our Troops” coffee, with profits donated to veteran support organizations.
Internet cool-girl Emma Chamberlain started “Chamberlain Coffee” in 2020, partnering with Food4Farmers to support food security for families in coffee-farming communities.
Boston-born actor Ben Affleck’s undying love for Dunkin’ is well known. This year, he even served up a Dunkin’ Super Bowl ad!

Pop legend Britney Spears included a coffee scent in one of her successful perfume collections.
When “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” host Jerry Seinfeld was asked why coffee is so central to our culture, Seinfeld said: “I think the answer is we all need a little help, and coffee’s a little help with everything.” We couldn’t agree more!

Famous or otherwise, coffee drinkers may be interested to know that evidence shows coffee is associated with many unique health benefits. For example, a comprehensive review published in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that “consumption of 3 to 5 standard cups of coffee daily has been consistently associated with a reduced risk of several chronic diseases.”

From the earliest coffee drinkers in colonial Jamestown to today’s millions of coffee drinkers and coffee businesses, people have made coffee part of the fabric of America for centuries. And we’re proud to say that it will undoubtedly be part of our culture for generations to come.

We think that’s something to celebrate.

NCA Next Gen Spotlight: Everett Brown of Westfeldt Brothers, Inc.

June 22, 2023June 22, 2023 / nationalcoffee / Leave a comment

As the NCA Next Gen Council transitions to the next wave of coffee leaders, we wanted to collectively introduce each council member and allow them to tell their coffee story. As part of our Next Gen spotlight series, Bent Dietrich from American Coffee Corp. sat down with Everett Brown, Managing Director at Westfeldt Brothers, Inc. to discuss the coffee industry and his experiences as an NCA ‘Next Gen-er.’

Bent Dietrich: How did you get started in coffee? What is your current role?

Everett Brown: My career in coffee started in college when I was studying finance at Tulane University. After my first financial securities class, I quickly realized I wanted nothing to do with the securities or banking industry, but still wanted to apply some knowledge I was picking up while pursuing my degree.

I did some independent research and quickly realized that coffee was a future-traded commodity. We didn’t have any commodity-focused courses, but I understood the language well enough to understand trading models. At the time, I was working at a hotdog restaurant in New Orleans and quit my job to become a barista. This was because up until that point, I had never even drunk a cup of coffee before. So, I figured it would be good to at least know what a cappuccino is comprised of.

After a brief stint as a barista, I did some research on who was trading and importing the beans for PJs Coffee where I worked. I found Westfeldt Brothers, Inc. and sent a cold email and by some miracle, they got back. I asked for a meeting just to learn more about what they do and asked for an internship. If they could just pay me enough to cover my living costs, I would do whatever they wanted. I was just obsessed with getting more knowledge. Six months into my internship, they offered me a job and the rest is history!

BD: What is your favorite aspect of working in the coffee industry?

EB: The people. Simple as that. All of my peers and colleagues are incredible. Everyone I talk to in other industries feels overwhelmed by the number of people that do what they do. They feel isolated. In coffee, I feel as if we’re all a family. I would venture to say almost every trader in America knows each other and treats each other with respect. That is rare in today’s world. I don’t take it for granted.

BD: As an NCA Next Gen-er, where do you see the industry heading? Are there any exciting developments, products, or innovations that capture your interest?

EB: We seem to have a hyper-focus on traceability, but not in the traditional sense. There are a lot of grassroots campaigns trying to start certain initiatives to support certain causes that are company specific: café practices, CSR Initiatives, etc. There are still larger certification programs that exist and help: RA, UTZ, and Fairtrade. But I find it very exciting that individual companies are starting their own bespoke response to issues for suppliers and origins they source from.

BD: One of the best things our industry does is provide the opportunity to travel. Whether it be to an NCA Convention, an origin trip, or visiting customers, do you have any memorable experiences that come to mind?

EB: I was in Honduras during their presidential election in 2017. It was a wild ride… I’ll keep it at that.

BD: While we’re on the subject of travel, I’d like to touch on the NCA Convention – something I’ve come to look forward to every year. What has your experience been with NCA Conventions?

EB: The NCA was always a highlight of my year for work, but since joining the Next Gen Council, it’s been taken to a completely new level. Simply put, I love attending the NCA convention. I get to see all my peers and now I feel like I am truly involved and have a say. There’s nothing better than that.

BD: How did you get involved with NCA Next Gen?

EB: My boss and president of Westfeldt Brothers, Inc. Shelby Westfeldt Mills, recommended that I join. She helped start the Next Gen Council and mentioned that I should try and get involved if I could. I started by joining the Communications Committee, and when the time came to apply for the Next Gen Council, I jumped at the opportunity and was accepted into the Council. It’s an honor to be involved and the council has some absolute all-stars on it this year.

BD: What has been your favorite part of working with the Next Gen group?

EB: The members that I work with directly on the Next Gen Council are fantastic. All of them are brilliant contributors and constantly challenge me to see issues we face in a new light. Beyond the Council, I’m proud of all of the representatives of the next generation of coffee and am proud to be a member of this community. The future of coffee is certainly in good hands.

BD: What is something you would like to see Next Gen focus on to help young professionals in the coffee industry?

EB: I’d like to see better resources for Next Gen-ers who want to try new careers or experience different aspects of the industry. I have only ever experienced the green coffee trading side of things. I would love to have the opportunity to be a roaster for a day or exchange information with other people in the industry. I’m envisioning something more than just a conversation – more of a hands-on experience. Like a mentorship program that might already be in the works… 😉

BD: Let’s say it’s the NCA Convention and we are hitting a cool, local coffee shop to catch up over a cup of coffee. What is your go-to order?

EB: Double-shot iced latte with oat milk and a splash of simple syrup.

National Cancer Survivor Month: Coffee’s Connection to Cancer Prevention and Treatment

June 13, 2023 / nationalcoffee / Leave a comment

Regular readers here know that drinking coffee is associated with a wide array of health benefits and that the body of robust, independent scientific evidence built up over recent decades continues to grow stronger with each passing year.

*Coffee provides a wide range of health benefits.*

In honor of National Cancer Survivor Month, it’s particularly fitting that we take a deeper look at the research associating coffee with a reduced risk of multiple cancers, as well as with improved health and longevity for cancer survivors.

Among the many major leading health authorities and independent organizations that have highlighted coffee’s unique health benefits is the World Health Organization (WHO). After a thorough review of existing evidence in 2015, WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) confirmed that drinking coffee is associated with a reduced risk of cancers of the liver and uterine endometrium.

In 2020, the American Cancer Society updated its guidelines for diet and physical activity for cancer prevention, concluding that drinking coffee likely reduces the risk of multiple cancers including liver cancer, endometrial cancer, cancers of the mouth, pharynx, and larynx, as well as basal cell skin cancer and melanoma.

Meanwhile, the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) has also confirmed coffee’s association with reduced risk of endometrial and liver cancers. Decaf drinker? You’ll be pleased to hear that AICR says most human studies show a similar reduction in cancer risk when looking at regular and decaf coffee. These are just some of the reasons why IACR recommends coffee as something to “eat regularly.”

These sentiments were echoed by the World Cancer Research Fund which found “strong evidence” that coffee reduces the risk of liver and womb cancers as well as evidence of reduced risk of mouth, pharynx and larynx, and skin cancers. In fact, coffee is the only antioxidant food shown to have a protective effect against melanoma.

The benefits of drinking coffee don’t stop at reducing the risk of developing cancer – several studies have discovered a link between coffee consumption and improved outcomes after a cancer diagnosis. Research has found that coffee consumption is even associated with higher rates of survival in breast cancer survivors and slower rates of progression and death in patients with advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer.

Seeing all this evidence of coffee’s unique health benefits, it may be surprising that researchers still don’t know exactly why we’re seeing these effects.

Many attribute it to the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of the approximately 1,000 naturally occurring compounds in coffee beans and hundreds more that develop during the roasting process.

Coffee researchers have identified the need for more research into disease prevention and even the potential for clinical benefits of coffee for the treatment of cancer and other inflammatory diseases.

There are plenty of motivations for drinking coffee: the great taste, the mood boost, the great taste, the cognitive benefits, and of course, the great taste (see what we did there?). But it can’t hurt to know that evidence supports adding coffee’s anti-inflammatory properties and health benefits to the long list of reasons to pour another cup.

Coffee’s Journey through COVID-19: What Changed—and What Didn’t

June 6, 2023June 8, 2023 / nationalcoffee / Leave a comment

The COVID-19 pandemic turned everything on its head, from how people understood their health, to work schedules, travel ability, and more.

One routine that has stayed constant, however, was America’s love for coffee. COVID may have changed where and how Americans drink coffee, but never how much. The latest edition of the National Coffee Data Trends (NCDT) report, released last month and based on surveys conducted in January 2023, illustrates coffee’s continued recovery, renewed growth, and unique staying power as COVID-19 has moved out of its most acute phases.

*91% of past-week coffee drinkers now buy coffee away from home at least once per week.*

Unsurprisingly, due to quarantines and shifts to work from home in many industries, the pandemic resulted in a massive increase in drinking coffee at home and a similarly significant decrease in drinking coffee away from home.

Between January and July 2020, coffee consumption outside of the home fell by almost 20%. While past-day coffee drinking away from home remains below pre-pandemic levels, it has rebounded almost 13% since then, showing a clear path toward recovery.

Now that COVID restrictions have eased, coffee drinkers are returning to their pre-pandemic routines. 91% of past-week coffee drinkers now buy coffee away from home at least once per week.

And, as Americans are getting back to work in offices, coffee is getting back to work too. In the most recent polling, 32% of Americans reported having an in-office coffee station, up 6% since mid-pandemic (January 2021).

Coffee was not completely immune from lasting pandemic impacts, of course. Just like many restaurants continue to use QR-code menus, and office buildings keep refilling hand sanitizer dispensers, some new coffee habits appear to be here to stay.

*Source: 2023 National Coffee Data Trends*

The Spring 2021 NCDT report (mid-pandemic), found that 30% of Americans had discovered new coffees they could enjoy at home, and 23% had purchased a new coffee machine for their household. For some coffee drinkers, trying new things meant doing less work at home and leaning into convenience: between January 2020 and January 2021, drive-through usage among coffee drinkers skyrocketed by nearly 30%.

App usage also jumped significantly during the beginning of the pandemic. From January to July 2020, app usage among past-week coffee drinkers buying coffee outside the home jumped by more than 60%.

The appeal of options like drive-through, apps, and delivery seems to have staying power. App usage (29% of past-week coffee drinkers) has declined somewhat from its peak in July 2020 (39%) but remains above the 24% observed in January 2020.

Similarly, drive-through use (currently, 59% of past-day coffee drinkers who bought their coffee outside the home) has declined from pandemic peaks (62%) but remains well above the pre-pandemic rate of 48%.

In the face of the unprecedented challenges brought on by COVID-19, coffee has proven its remarkable resilience. The coffee experience has transformed — as have many aspects of our daily lives — but coffee seems to have weathered the pressure of the pandemic and come out maintaining its position as America’s favorite beverage.

Learn more about the NCA’s National Coffee Data Trends.

NCA Next Gen: Coffee & Chat with Jasmine Murphy of the J.M. Smucker Company

May 24, 2023 / nationalcoffee / Leave a comment

As the NCA Next Gen Council transitions to the next wave of coffee leaders, we wanted to collectively introduce each council member and allow them to tell their coffee story. For our first Next Gen spotlight, Bent Dietrich from American Coffee Corp. sat down with Jasmine Murphy, Assistant Manager of Green Coffee Trading with The J.M. Smucker Company, to discuss her industry experience and what makes a career in coffee so great.

Bent Dietrich: How did you get started in coffee? What is your current role?

Jasmine Murphy: I have always been fascinated by the complexity and diversity of the coffee industry and was lucky enough to get my start in coffee by chance. After college, I landed a job in a lab working on ready-to-drink milk-based products. When a position opened on the coffee team, I jumped at the opportunity. With the help of an amazing mentor, I quickly learned the ins and outs of the business, from cupping to logistics.

Since then, I’ve had the privilege of working on some incredible projects and contributing to the coffee industry in meaningful ways. In my current role at The J.M. Smucker Co., I lead the sustainability work for such iconic brands as Folgers and Bustelo.

BD: What is your favorite aspect of working in the coffee industry?

JM: One of my favorite aspects of working in the coffee industry is the opportunity for learning and growth. I love the way that coffee brings together so many different disciplines from agriculture and chemistry to finance and hospitality. It’s an incredibly dynamic and diverse industry and I feel fortunate to be a part of it – the passion and community within the industry is exceptional.

BD: As an NCA Next Gen-er, where do you see the industry heading? Are there any exciting developments, products, or innovations that really capture your interest?

JM: At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the developments and innovations in the sustainability space are the most exciting and relevant to me and my role. It is crucial that we as an industry — and the Next Gen specifically, as up-and-coming industry leaders — highlight and prioritize sustainability at every aspect of the supply chain. I am thrilled to see the progress and commitments consistently being made by the industry and cannot wait to see what comes next!

JM: One experience that comes to mind is when we were driving through Colombia with some colleagues to visit a coffee farm. The roads were treacherous (at least from this Ohioan’s perspective), and our car was struggling to make it up a steep switchback. Eventually, we got out and decided to watch and try to help the driver navigate without rolling off the hill. It reminded me of the dedication that goes into producing every cup of coffee and the challenges that producers face to bring us this amazing beverage. Experiences like this make me grateful for the opportunities the industry provides.

BD: Speaking of conventions, I have to say the NCA Convention has really become a highlight of my year. It feels almost like a family reunion at this point. How has your experience been attending NCA Conventions?

JM: I fully agree — it feels like a family reunion! Being in the industry for 10+ years at this point, you get to know so many amazing people that you do not get to see face-to-face anywhere other than at the conventions. I always enjoy attending and it is honestly one of the highlights of my professional year too.

BD: How did you originally get involved with the NCA Next Gen?

JM: I first got involved by participating in NCA Next Gen events at the NCA Convention and SCA Expo.

BD: What has been your favorite part of working with the Next Gen group?

JM: It is difficult to pick one favorite part, but I would have to say it’s working with such a passionate group of people! The Next Gen has amazing ideas and solid plans to put those ideas into action.

BD: What is something you would like to see Next Gen focus on to help young professionals in the coffee industry?

JM: In my opinion, the Next Gen group can play a crucial role in creating a strong and supportive community that helps young professionals navigate the coffee industry. Spoiler alert: We are already hard at work creating a mentorship program to help foster a new generation of coffee leaders.

BD: Let’s say it’s the NCA Convention and we are hitting a cool, local coffee shop to catch up over a cup of coffee. What is your go-to order?

JM: Depending on the offerings at this cool, local coffee shop, I would either do a pour-over Ethiopian coffee, black, or a vanilla latte with oat milk.

Cold brew is red hot — let’s make sure it stays that way

May 9, 2023 / nationalcoffee / Leave a comment

The National Coffee Association is here to help your coffee business navigate cold brew’s evolving regulatory landscape.

Cold brew may not be new, but it’s never been hotter. Demand for the format is off the charts, with 17% of coffee drinkers having had a cup of cold brew in the past week, according to the National Coffee Association’s Spring 2023 National Coffee Data Trends report. Keep in mind, this survey was conducted in January 2023 – the dead of winter – and nearly one-fifth of coffee drinkers were still choosing cold brew each week!

The coffee industry is certainly stepping up to meet this soaring demand. In fact, Technavio reports that the market for cold brew is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 7.73% between 2022 and 2027, an increase of $439.93 million.

What hasn’t kept pace with this rapid growth, however, are clear rules, regulations, data, and guidelines governing cold brew’s safety. Like all coffee, cold brew is safe. But whether you manufacture airtight ready-to-drink cold brew products or serve it from a dispenser in a retail establishment, the patchwork of state and local laws that apply can leave even the most knowledgeable food service professional scratching their heads.

Given the National Coffee Association’s scope covering the entire U.S. coffee market and our vast in-house scientific and policy expertise, we are well-positioned to help fill in these knowledge gaps. To that end, we have been spending the past several years building a library of resources to help keep your bases covered and the cold brew flowing safely into customers’ cups. The last thing you or your company needs is a damaging recall or costly lawsuit, so the NCA is here to make sure you’re prepared when the health inspector comes a-knocking.

Last year, we added several tools to our Cold Brew Safety Toolkit: a Cold Brew Safety Guide for Retailers, designed to help retail coffee shops maintain a food-safe environment; a model retail Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Plan, to ensure you’re taking the necessary steps to protect your product and customers; a compliance checklist, to stay on top of what a health inspector might be checking for; plus, several videos and a webcast covering these tools and how to use them. These new resources complement our existing Cold Brew Safety Toolkit for Industry, geared towards manufacturers of airtight RTD cold brew products, originally released in 2018. We also have a comprehensive FAQ to answer, well, the most frequently asked questions about cold brew safety.

But NCA’s work is not done! The cold brew space continues to evolve, and we’re developing even more resources to keep you on top of the latest developments. This May 16th, 2023, I will be joined by Scott Hawks, food safety and quality expert with Toxstrategies, LLC, to lead a free, practical, hands-on workshop for NCA Members on the latest cold brew regulatory developments, NCA’s cold brew tools and resources, a forthcoming, hot-off-the-press challenge study, and more. (To learn more about the workshop, head to ncausa.org/CBWorkshop). If you’re not an NCA member and currently handle or sell cold brew, now’s a great time to join. A comparable workshop or training held by an outside consultancy could easily run your company much more than the cost of a small retailer’s annual membership with NCA (visit ncausa.org/join to learn more). When you consider that top food science consultants charge rates exceeding $400 an hour, becoming part of NCA is a no-brainer, especially when you consider the vast wealth of other, non-cold brew-related resources you’ll also get immediate access to.

As we speak, NCA’s Science Leadership Council (SLC) is also finishing work on the aforementioned comprehensive microbial challenge study and whitepaper, which will be an essential (and required) tool for making the case to an inspector that retail cold brew is not a likely food for pathogens to grow in. I’ll be exploring top-line results of the study at our workshop in May.

On the advocacy front, NCA is working diligently with government and advocacy bodies to solidify a standard in the FDA’s Food Code for retail cold brew specifically. This will give some much-needed clarity to the many coffee companies serving this popular format. Many state and local authorities abide by or model their own regulations after those of the federal government, so this would have a cascading positive impact all the way down the chain.

This is just the beginning for cold brew and for the NCA. With more resources in the pipeline than ever before, NCA is working hard to continually live up to our motto: We Serve Coffee. To learn more about the National Coffee Association, visit ncausa.org.

Mark Corey, PhD. is NCA’s Director of Science and Policy. In this role, he oversees coffee science, regulatory, safety, and policy issues and serves as a technical resource to the industry. Mark holds a B.S. in Food Science and Human Health at the University of Maine, an M.S. in Food Science at the Pennsylvania State University, a Ph.D. in Food Science and Technology at the University of Georgia, and has completed a USDA National Needs fellowship in functional foods and human health. He is also a licensed Q-Arabica coffee grader and is PCQI-certified for Human Food.

Coffee & Chat with Emilio Medina, Becamo S.A.

May 1, 2023May 1, 2023 / nationalcoffee / Leave a comment

By NCA Next Gen

Interview content does not necessarily reflect the views or position of the National Coffee Association or NCA Next Gen.

Mike Rosa, Commodities Manager at Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee, and NCA Next Gen Council Member, recently had the opportunity to talk with Emilio Medina, founder and CEO of Becamo S.A. Formed in 1983, Becamo has become widely known as one of the top coffee-exporting companies in Honduras. Mike and Emilio were able to spend some time together during Mike’s travels in Honduras where he observed some of the sustainability work being done first-hand. The following is their conversation, which has been edited and condensed for clarity.

MIKE: Emilio, it’s been a volatile few years for the industry as a whole, and exporting coffee is especially tricky. What challenge has stood out to you?

On the export side, the biggest challenge has been dealing with the inverted market. This has made projections and planning much more difficult (but important), and it has become increasingly hard to keep added costs from quickly snowballing.

On that note, what are some of the other recent challenges from an overall planning or strategy perspective?

Shipments and logistics have become much more difficult to manage, with the quality implications and cost headaches they can bring. The margin for error has decreased. Resources required for functions like document management have increased by 100%.

One recurring comment seems to be the challenge of getting the next generation of coffee farmers in Honduras engaged. Is this an area of focus for Becamo?

We had identified this as an emerging issue all the way back in 2002. It was clear that the youth’s lack of participation would become critical to address. This is when we started our first sustainability initiative in a small village near San Juan. One month later, we had already seen significant progress, and the effects on the economy and happiness within the town were evident.

The next generation needs to see that when things are done properly, there is optimism for a better future. Showing what can be possible with the right tools and education is key to demonstrating the opportunities in coffee to young people.

To that end, we created a brand called Coffee Youth – a program supporting and marketing coffee produced by the next generation of farmers. After seeing the success of this program, we created Women Coffee, a similar concept of exporting coffee labeled as being produced by women. In all our projects, the succession to the next generation of coffee is kept in mind.

Are sustainability programs finding success in getting youth engaged in coffee? What sort of messaging or education have you seen success with through Bloom/NKG Verified?

Our programs emphasize access to biodiversity in farming and continuous improvement of the quality of the coffee. This motivates producers, as they can clearly see the potential improvements to their income. We cannot lose sight of the basic truth that income is the main motivating factor for the producer. If the producer is not seeing good returns on their coffee, that is when the risk of migration becomes higher.

For young people, we need to pass along knowledge of effective agronomy practices for producing coffee. We’ve seen success with the rollout of our Ecopil technology – a key benefit to these seedlings is that they lead to well-yielding coffee trees in 18 months, instead of 3 years. To the producer, especially the young producer, seeing income starting to flow in earlier is an incentive. On top of this, the actual bags weigh less than the traditional system, so there are transportation cost savings observed.

Outside of youth engagement, we hear about many challenges the Honduran farmer faces – availability of coffee pickers, leaf rust, etc. Where do you think the biggest areas of focus need to be to ensure the long-term health of the coffee industry in Honduras?

The focus we need to have is on the improvement of the producer’s income. All the supply chain actors have a role to play in ensuring that the price to the producer is fair, motivating, and sufficient to cover their basic needs.

One other aspect of our programs is strengthening the education and health programs in the local community. This can motivate youth to stay in the coffee areas/where they were born, because they have essentials like good health and education. Having these needs met ensures they don’t need to look elsewhere like the United States in order to find those opportunities.

With these initiatives continuing to grow in scale, do you feel there is a notable upside to the current Honduran production levels we have seen? Or is steady production with better farmer profitability a more reasonable target?

Sustainability initiatives need to grow much larger to negate the trends of migration and abandonment of farms. In my opinion, Honduras will not be able to return to 10 million quintals (7.7M 60kg bags), due to factors such as lack of labor, climate change, and costs. If costs increase, there will be a strong demotivation for producers, so we need these initiatives to help producers in advance. To maintain or increase production in Honduras, we must work together. Producers, exporters, roasters, NGOs, etc. to improve the producer’s income.

Looking to the future, what is your vision for Becamo’s continued development and its identity?

Becamo has been and will continue to be highly committed to coffee growers. Every day, we try to bring more allies to our producer’s sustainable services unit, to bring knowledge and better income to the producer. Right now we are about to sign into a large collaboration program with USAID, among others, reinforcing our end goal of assisting the producer.

On a personal level, which skills do you think were most valuable for you when coming up and navigating the ups and downs of the coffee world?

I always kept a focus on seeking efficiencies, efficiency in the marketplace, and then within my company. Nowadays, that focus on efficiencies has moved towards sustainable coffee growing projects, as they are the key to the future of the coffee industry. Without a theme of efficiency embedded in these programs, costs can run out of control and threaten their success or farmer adoption.

If there was a piece of advice you would tell your younger self, as you were growing in the industry, what would it be?

Stay disciplined. Respect the rules and set risk limits. Attention to quality and best practices will always guide you in the right direction.

What do you want the broader coffee community to know about the Honduran producer?

They are heroes. They are persistent, hardworking, and want to stay committed to continuing to produce. With that said, those of us in a position to do so must continue to support and guide.

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