coffee roaster

NCA Member Spotlight: Driftaway Coffee

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Company: Driftaway Coffee
Location: Brooklyn, NY
NCA Member Since: 2019
Website: driftaway.coffee
Facebook: facebook.com/driftawaycoffee
Twitter: twitter.com/driftawaycoffee
Instagram: instagram.com/driftawaycoffee

What does Driftaway Coffee do?

We are a direct-to-consumer coffee roaster, offering personalized subscriptions in an environmentally and socially conscious manner.

What drives your passion for this industry?

We started this company out of an urge to create. Create something we were passionate about. Something we could be proud of. And for our need for and interest in great coffee.

Why did you become a member of the National Coffee Association (NCA)?

I am interested in networking with other members and learning from everyone.

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How Can the NCA Serve Your Coffee Business?

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By Theresa (Terri) Bartlett, NCA Director of Membership

We’re introducing an easier way to pay for small businesses, coffee shops, and independent roasters — and brewing some big-picture benefits.

If you are a small coffee shop operator (ten units or less) or a micro-roastery (5,000 bags a year or fewer), then you are probably already burning the candle at both ends. 

You’re primarily focused on the “basics” – day-to-day challenges like keeping the doors open and the lights burning – even as you are looking down the road at growth opportunities.

The bottom line? Above all, resources are tight.

This is why we’re rolling out an easier way to access National Coffee Association resources – to better serve you. (We’re also offering a special prorated offer on 2019 dues, so you can pick the plan that’s right for you.)

Because while you’re minding the store, we’re minding the big picture:

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The Buzz Is Brewing at Blue Donkey Coffee

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Blue Donkey will  host a specialty coffee cupping session at the 2019 National Coffee Association Convention in Atlanta, March 7-9

Atlanta Coffee Shop is Making Waves with National Coffee Leaders

As Atlanta grows, so does the city’s specialty coffee scene – and one of the hometown favorites is about to make a big splash with coffee executives from around the world.

Despite this excitement, Atlanta’s Blue Donkey Coffee remains true to its commitment to specialty coffee, personalized for coffee lovers.  The latest Blue Donkey café is just their second location, opening last fall in an upcoming area east of downtown on the edge of Grant Park.

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Building a Legacy of Leadership: NCA Chair on Family Values and Coffee’s Next Generation

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Join the NCA Next Generation council for a professional development breakout session and networking event at the NCA Convention in Atlanta, GA

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Michael Gaviña delivering his General Session remarks at the 2018 NCA Convention

Exclusive Q&A: Michael Gaviña, F. Gaviña & Sons

“We really have something special, we have a very collegial industry that is passionate about a product that our customers hold dearly.”

Michael Gaviña is the current of the National Coffee Association. He is a fourth-generation executive at F. Gaviña & Sons, Inc. (FGS), responsible for pricing raw materials and managing inventory. A Coffee Quality Institute Q grader, he joined FGS in 2002 as a buyer. He is has served as CFO of DF Roasters since 2015.

Here, talks to Next Generation Council Communications subcommittee member Kyle Bawot about what he’s learned over his career, the challenges ahead for coffee businesses, and his hope for next generation of industry leaders.

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TRUE Green & Roasted Coffee Taste Descriptions

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Exploring TRUE coffee descriptions: Trustworthy, Realistic, Understandable, Enticing

A Shared Industry Vocabulary to Keep Us On the Same Page

Learn more about coffee quality: Join Blue Donkey Coffee for a specialty coffee cupping at the 2019 NCA Convention in Atlanta, March 7-9

Part I: How To Communicate TRUE Coffee Quality

The following article was originally published as the first installment of a 2-part special series in Tea and Coffee Trade Journal in the July/August 2018 and September 2018 issues

By Spencer Turer, Coffee Enterprises – via LinkedIn

Aroma and taste descriptors are most easily understood when primary flavors are referenced for the perceived attribute.

When attributes are categorized into groups it becomes difficult to understand their meaning without additional training or explanations. Confusion is created when conclusions are used for flavor descriptions, or when adjectives or verbs are used in place of nouns when presenting descriptions.

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How To Communicate TRUE Coffee Quality

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Baristas training to make the perfect cup of coffee

Learn more about coffee quality: Join Blue Donkey Coffee for a specialty coffee cupping at the 2019 NCA Convention in Atlanta, March 7-9

The following article was originally published as the first installment of a 2-part special series in Tea and Coffee Trade Journal in the July/August 2018 and September 2018 issues

By Spencer Turer, Coffee Enterprises – via LinkedIn

“Coffee professionals are enthusiastic, passionate and place a high priority on product education – but we often create jargon and use insider’s vernacular not easily understood by consumers.”

How do we encourage or persuade customers to try our coffee?

Communicating the virtues of the coffee will attract the attention of buyers, for both green coffee and roasted coffee.

The success of any beverage program starts with quality: how does it taste? Branding, promotion and merchandising will capture the first sale, but only quality will keep your customers returning time after time.

Together we will explore how to create TRUE coffee descriptions:

Trustworthy, Realistic, Understandable, Enticing.

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Part 2: What Does Direct Trade Coffee Mean?

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The following post is the second in a three-part series that looks at how the coffee industry can become  more circular and direct across the supply chain. 

Part 1: Transparency and Traceability Across the Coffee Supply Chain

By Dr. Terry Tudor and Dr. Nicholas Head, SusConnect Ltd

The global coffee industry is growing. However, it is important that there are measures taken to ensure that this growth is circular and that small farmers and producers benefit along the way.

A direct trade model, which takes account of circular business models, along with the use of blockchain technology, offers the opportunity to realize these goals.

“Direct trade” is a term used by coffee roasters who buy straight from the growers, cutting out both the traditional middleman buyers and sellers, and also the organisations that control certifications. Continue reading →

How To Choose Flooring, Walls, Ceilings, and Doors For Facility Food Safety

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When it comes to food safety, materials matter.

By Joseph Bove, PE, Stellar, Vice President, Business Development

This post was originally published on Food For Thought

Whether you’re designing a new food and beverage facility (like a coffee roasting plant) or renovating an existing one, it’s important to consider the materials you choose for to surround your processing — literally.

When it comes to food safety, these features sometimes get less attention than other factors — such as equipment, ingredient storage/segregation and product handling — but they can be a plant’s Achilles heel if ignored.

Here, we’re going to look at the best practices when selecting materials for your facility’s flooring, walls, ceilings, and doors.

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NCA NextGen is Going to Geneva

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Bon voyage! 

Members of the NCA Next Generation Council to attend the 9th annual Swiss Coffee Trading Association Gala Dinner.

By Guillaume Zbinden, Be Green Trading
On behalf of the NCA NextGen Council

Switzerland is an important country for the coffee trade and roasting industry, and serves as the headquarters for several major coffee trading houses and roasters. (The country is even one of the world’s top five coffee exporters.)

This year, leadership from across the international coffee industry will come together for the 9th annual Swiss Coffee Trading Association Gala Dinner, October 11-12, 2018, in Geneva. It’s part of the SCTA Conference & Dinner 2018, “Making Waves.”

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Why the Latest Prop 65 Ruling is Bad for Coffee Farmers

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“Coffee is both delicious and healthy.”

California’s Misguided Labeling Decision Impacts Coffee Growers & Drinkers

This post was originally published on the Global Farmer Network

By Luiz Roberto Saldanha Rodrigues

When a Los Angeles judge earlier this month finalized a ruling that coffee sold in California must carry cancer warning labels, many California residents may not have paid much attention to yet another labeling requirement.   

Ever since voters passed Proposition 65 more than 30 years ago, after all, Californians have watched the steady proliferation of vague statements about chemicals, cancer, and birth defects. They appear almost everywhere, from the windows of hardware stores to signs at Disneyland. They’re so abundant that Amazon even sells them as stickers in rolls of 500.  

Many people have begun to ignore these labels because they’re so common and because the information they convey is almost useless.  

So why am I  concerned if they now also show up on coffee?

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