Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders RoR Live! #10 : A Conversation w/ Kevin Nealon Green Buyer and Director of Coffee for Hucklberry Roasters
Welcome to the 10th episode of the Rate of Rise Live Series! In this interview we are talking with Green Coffee Buyer and Director of Coffee at Huckleberry Coffee Roasters, winner of the Roast Magazine Macro Roaster of the year award.
The RoR Live Series is a project in partnership with Roast Magazine taking the popular RoR series on Keys to the Shop and to the SCA 2022 Global EXPO in Boston where we have some live face-to-face interviews with 10 of the coffee industry's brightest minds
Kevin has spent well over a decade in specialty coffee. Beginning as a barista at Chinatown Coffee in D.C. he then moved to Guatemala where he assisted a small coffee growers' cooperative with processing, roasting, and packaging coffee and forging relationships that he maintains to this day.
For the last 8 years Kevin has helped Huckleberry Roasters develop, grow, and refine their coffee program through values and relationship based sourcing and all this at scale.
In this conversation we will be diving into Kevins role with the company and the journey of growth and development while maintaining long term sourcing relationships and quality.
We cover:
- Kevin's approach to sourcing
- Growth and keeping grounded
- Huckleberry's culture and its impact on green buying
- Feedback's role in guiding the roastery
- Overcoming challenges in logistics and supply
- Long terms farmer relationships
- Care for the people and work culture at Huckleberry
Links:
Instagram: @Huckleberryroasters
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Consulting and coaching: chris@keystotheshop.com