Lecture Description

Nomad Coffee is a community-focused café leading a meaningful shift toward sustainable coffee culture. Through our reusable-cup program, we eliminated single-use cups from daily operations and successfully saved over 200,000 disposable cups to date. This presentation will share the story behind this transition—why we made the change, the challenges we faced, how we built customer engagement, and the practical systems we created to make sustainability achievable in a busy café environment. Attendees will learn actionable strategies for reducing waste, designing an effective cup-return model, encouraging customer participation, and integrating sustainability into day-to-day operations without compromising service quality.

Date: Sunday, April 12, 2026
Time: 1:00 pm - 1:45 pm
Location: Room 25AB
Category: Sustainability

Access: This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee here.
Please note that lecture sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended to secure your seat. 

Speakers

Annette Kim
CEO, Nomad Coffee

Nomad Coffee, based in Vancouver, is a specialty café committed to sustainability, community, and exceptional coffee experiences. Known for its innovative approach to reducing environmental impact, Nomad has successfully eliminated over 200,000 single-use cups through a robust reusable-cup program, demonstrating that sustainable practices can thrive in a busy café environment. Beyond crafting high-quality coffee, the company focuses on building customer engagement, staff training, and practical systems that make sustainability accessible and achievable. Through its cafés and initiatives, Nomad continues to lead a meaningful shift in coffee culture, inspiring both professionals and communities to embrace environmentally responsible practices without compromising quality or service.

Lecture Description

Psychological safety—the shared belief that it’s safe to speak up, make mistakes, and offer ideas—is foundational for learning, innovation, and retention. Yet in coffee workplaces, where pressure and hierarchy often shape communication, it can be difficult to practice in real terms.

This session explores how psychological safety shows up (or breaks down) in the daily realities of cafés, training programs, importing teams, and roasting companies. Drawing from systems thinking and relational leadership, we’ll look at how leaders—whether owners, managers, trainers, or buyers—shape workplace dynamics through small, everyday actions.

Participants will leave with practical tools for recognizing how power and communication interact in their own contexts and how to respond in ways that build trust, accountability, and collective resilience. This lecture invites reflection, not perfection—helping attendees turn awareness into actionable, sustainable practices that strengthen both people and performance.

Date: Sunday, April 12, 2026
Time: 1:00 pm - 1:45 pm
Location: Room 26AB
Category: Business

Access: This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee here.
Please note that lecture sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended to secure your seat. 

Speakers

Daphne Allison
Associate Marriage and Family Therapist

Daphne Allison is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT) and former coffee professional with over a decade of experience in the specialty coffee industry. Before transitioning into mental health, they worked primarily in specialty coffee retail while gaining perspective on the wider supply chain, developing a deep appreciation for the global coffee community. Though clinical work is now their focus, Daphne draws on both professional paths to bring a unique perspective to conversations about mental health, workplace culture, and care within specialty coffee spaces—highlighting how supportive environments can ignite potential and fuel our innate capacity to grow, learn, and heal.

Lecture Description

What does the coffee sector think about how value is created and shared? How do different actors feel about this? Are we making progress towards equity? And what are the sector's visions for the future? In 2023 and again in 2025, the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) conducted a global survey to explore these questions. 

In this lecture, the SCA takes the role of narrator—making sense of the findings from the 2025 Equitable Value Distribution survey. Rather than offering a single view, we share the range of experiences and perceptions gathered from respondents across the value chain, including where there is diversity and tension, and where there is consensus. 

Date: Sunday, April 12, 2026
Time: 1:00 pm - 1:45 pm
Location: Room 24C
Category: Sustainability

Access: This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee here.
Please note that lecture sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended to secure your seat. 

Speakers

Laurel Carmichael
Editor and Writer, Specialty Coffee Association

Laurel Carmichael is the Content Development Manager and Editor of 25 at the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA). At the SCA, their work involves writing, editing, and helping shape publications, including the Equitable Value Distribution Report that is the foundation of this lecture. Prior to joining the SCA in 2024, Laurel spent over 10 years as a barista, roaster, and green coffee buyer in their home country of New Zealand, and in Berlin, Germany. Laurel's work is motivated by a desire for collective learning and greater equity in the coffee sector.

Andrés Montenegro
Sustainability Manager, Specialty Coffee Association

Andrés Montenegro is a leading figure in sustainability leadership within the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), where he drives the sector's strategic evolution toward business models that are more equitable, resilient, and oriented toward shared value. With an international background in agri-food systems and sustainable development, he has spearheaded initiatives that integrate social impact, new value economies, and processes of deep organizational transformation. His work sits at the intersection of sustainability, strategy, and systemic leadership, guiding coffee organizations and communities in their transition toward models that are more conscious, adaptive, and capable of co-creating the future of the sector.

Lecture Description

What if you could apply the same principles used to recruit top talent to selecting the best coffee beans? This presentation challenges traditional cupping methods and introduces a novel approach inspired by modern HR practices.

We'll explore the newly introduced Coffee Value Assessment (CVA) system through the lens of a headhunter, uncovering surprising similarities between evaluating job candidates and assessing coffee quality. Discover how contemporary HR knowledge used in specialized recruitment can revolutionize your cupping process and enhance your understanding of the SCA's new system.

Date: Sunday, April 12, 2026
Time: 1:00 pm - 1:45 pm
Location: Room 25C
Category: Science

Access: This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee here.
Please note that lecture sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended to secure your seat. 

Speakers

Filip Bartelak
Consultant Instructor, Consonni

Filip Bartelak brings a unique perspective to coffee evaluation, blending his expertise as a Q Instructor and coffee professional with his background in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. He holds a Master's degree in this field and was a PhD candidate at Jagiellonian University, giving him a deep understanding of assessment methodologies. Filip has held leadership roles in the Coffee Roasters Guild and served as a consultant for the International Trade Center at the United Nations, demonstrating his commitment to coffee quality and sustainability. As a certified Q Instructor, he not only possesses coffee evaluation skills but also trains and certifies other Q Graders, solidifying his position as a leading expert in the field. He leverages his diverse experience to introduce innovative approaches to coffee assessment, bridging the gap between human resources and sensory analysis.

Lecture Description

Coffee auctions can feel intimidating and opaque to many buyers—but they're increasingly important tools for price discovery, quality incentives, and direct market access, particularly in regions where consistent pricing mechanisms have been lacking. This panel demystifies how auction systems work in specialty coffee and explores their evolving role in empowering producers and connecting buyers. From Cup of Excellence and AFCA's Taste of Harvest to newer origin-based platforms with Mountain Harvest, panelists will discuss how these systems drive quality, transparency, and collaboration—and walk buyers through the practical steps of participating with confidence.

Date: Sunday, April 12, 2026
Time: 12:00 pm - 1:15 pm
Location: Room 24AB
Category: Business

Access: This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee here.
Please note that lecture sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended to secure your seat. 

Speakers

Lecture Description

Sustainability and gender equity in coffee begins with the wellbeing of the people who cultivate it. Yet, while the industry invests heavily in productivity, climate resilience, and certification systems, the mental health of women coffee farmers—who make up a significant portion of the global workforce—remains largely invisible.

This session, inspired by SANA, an integrative mental health care and wellness program who has more than a 100 women coffee farmers in Colombia we have completed, demonstrates how investing in mental wellbeing is a sustainability strategy. Through data, stories, and measurable outcomes, we will explore how women’s emotional health impacts decision-making, community leadership, farm management, and long-term wellbeing.

Attendees will learn why mental health should be integrated into gender equity and sustainability frameworks, what scalable models exist, and how brands, roasters, and organizations can co-invest in wellbeing initiatives that create healthier, more equitable, and sustainable coffee systems.

Date: Sunday, April 12, 2026
Time: 11:00 am - 11:45 am
Location: Room 24C
Category: Sustainability

Access: This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee here.
Please note that lecture sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended to secure your seat. 

Speakers

Lucia Bawot
Founder & CEO, SANA

Lucia Bawot is passionate about transforming ideas into tangible projects. With more than a decade of experience working with leading companies in the coffee industry, she has built narratives and communicated the impact of their sustainability projects. In 2023, she published the her awarded first book, We Belong: An Anthology of Colombian Women Coffee Farmers. Currently, Lucia leads SANA, an initiative that provides a mental health and wellness support to Colombian women coffee farmers through a five-month integrative program that combines tele-counseling, virtual education, and community support, creating spaces to break silence, strengthen personal agency, and improve their well-being to live healthier and more fulfilling lives.

Lecture Description

This lecture explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming quality control workflows - making processes faster, more reliable, and easier to manage. We'll dive into how AI supports QC teams in tackling everyday challenges, where its current limits lie, and why professionals in the field can view AI not as a threat, but as a powerful partner rather than a replacement.

Date: Sunday, April 12, 2026
Time: 11:00 am - 11:45 am
Location: Room 25C
Category: Science

Access: This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee here.
Please note that lecture sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended to secure your seat. 

Speakers

Franciska Apró
Quality Business Process Owner, Sucafina

Franciska Apró is a coffee professional with over 15 years of industry expertise, primarily in quality control. A certified Q Grader and WCC sensory judge for Brewers Cup and Barista competitions, she brings strong sensory and technical insight to her work. At Sucafina NV in Belgium, she manages the quality department and leads global Quality Control initiatives as the group’s Quality Business Process Owner. Her role includes process mapping, process harmonization, identifying best practices, and advising on global quality projects. Passionate about quality, she champions systems and tools that enhance consistency and efficiency across the value chain.

Susan Wilcox
Quality Manager North America & Q Arabica Grader, Sucafina

Susan Wilcox is a Quality Control Manager, licensed Q Grader, and spot sales trader at Sucafina North America, where she leads coffee quality evaluation, sample analysis, and QC lab operations. Her work focuses on bridging sensory evaluation with data analytics to improve decision‑making, consistency, and transparency across the coffee supply chain. Susan develops standardized QC workflows, reporting frameworks, and operational tools that translate cupping data into actionable insights for traders, producers, and clients. Passionate about innovation in specialty coffee, she regularly collaborates across quality, sourcing, and trading teams, and is an active contributor to industry education and knowledge‑sharing initiatives.

Lecture Description

Stress is a part of our everyday lives. Coffee contains bioactive components that may affect stress responses, including caffeine, chlorogenic acids, trigonelline, and other phenolic compounds. In this pilot clinical trial, we examined the effects of coffee on three stress measures (self-reported, interleukin-6, and cortisol) using a placebo-controlled randomized crossover design. Subjects consumed one of three beverages (caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee, or a placebo). Beverages were consumed thirty minutes before a Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), which presents verbal and mathematical challenges to produce a short-term mental stress. Self-reported stress was assessed using a standardized questionnaire. Interleukin-6 and cortisol stress markers were measured by sampling saliva throughout the study. Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffees were chemically similar in terms of 3-chlorogenic acid, trigonelline, and total phenolics, only differing in caffeine content (40 versus 6 mg caffeine/100 mL). No differences in self-reported stress or interleukin-6 were observed across treatments. In contrast, subjects consuming decaffeinated coffee maintained significantly lower cortisol levels compared to both caffeinated coffee and to the placebo. This study provides preliminary evidence that decaffeinated coffee lowered cortisol, a key stress marker, relative to caffeinated coffee or a placebo. Future studies will examine the effects of coffee chemistry on stress responses.

Date: Sunday, April 12, 2026
Time: 11:00 am - 11:45 am
Location: Room 23BC
Category: Science

Access: This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee here.
Please note that lecture sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended to secure your seat. 

Speakers

Yukun Niu

Research Technician, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Yukun Niu is a research technician at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She obtained her Master's degree from the Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences at the North Carolina State University (2024) under the guidance of Dr. Gabriel Keith Harris. Her research is focused on understanding how food processing affects the health properties, especially coffee roasting and extracting, using a combination of analytical techniques, such as HPLC, and physicochemical analysis assays.

Lecture Description

La agricultura regenerativa se presenta hoy como una alternativa sólida para enfrentar los desafíos de la caficultura moderna, como la degradación del suelo, la variabilidad climática, la disminución de la productividad y la presión sobre los ecosistemas.

En esta conferencia exploraremos prácticas que ayudan a construir plantaciones más sanas, productivas y sostenibles, reduciendo costos, mejorando la calidad del grano y fortaleciendo la capacidad de los productores para enfrentar el cambio climático. También presentaré las principales aplicaciones regenerativas adaptadas al cultivo de café y cómo integrarlas en fincas de distintos contextos y tamaños, con énfasis en mejorar la salud del suelo, incrementar la cobertura vegetal y promover la biodiversidad para lograr sistemas más productivos y resilientes.

Date: Sunday, April 12, 2026
Time: 11:00 am - 11:45 am
Location: Room 26AB
Category: Sustainability

Access: This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee here.
Please note that lecture sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended to secure your seat. 

Speakers

Oscar Zacarias de Pedro
CEO, AGROSANA

El Ing. Oscar Zacarías es CEO y fundador de la empresa consultora AGROSANA, especializada en el fortalecimiento y desarrollo sostenible de la cadena de valor del café en Latinoamérica. Cuenta con más de 25 años de experiencia asesorando a organizaciones y empresas privadas dedicadas a la producción, procesamiento y comercialización de café. A lo largo de su trayectoria profesional ha acompañado a casi un centenar de empresas del sector cafetalero, brindando asistencia técnica y estratégica para mejorar la competitividad, sostenibilidad y resiliencia de los sistemas productivos. Su experiencia se enfoca en el diseño e implementación de estrategias de adaptación al cambio climático, el incremento de la productividad y la mejora de la calidad del café. Asimismo, ha promovido activamente la transición hacia modelos de agricultura orgánica y regenerativa, apoyando a productores y organizaciones en la implementación de buenas prácticas agrícolas sostenibles. También posee amplia experiencia en la gestión e implementación de certificaciones sostenibles y de comercio justo, trabajando con organizaciones cafetaleras en diversos países productores de Latinoamérica, particularmente en Centroamérica y México. A través de AGROSANA, el Ing. Zacarías continúa contribuyendo al fortalecimiento del sector cafetalero mediante asesoría técnica especializada, desarrollo de capacidades y acompañamiento estratégico a organizaciones y empresas comprometidas con una caficultura sostenible.

Lecture Description

Over the past century, coffee roasting technology has transformed dramatically, moving from manually controlled, fire-powered machines to automated systems built around data, precision, and repeatability. Today, the specialty coffee industry is entering a new phase of that evolution: the transition from gas-fired roasting to fully electric roasting systems. This shift is driven not only by sustainability goals, but also by advances in roast profiling, consistency, workspace design, and regulatory pressures affecting roasteries around the world.

This lecture explores the historical evolution of roasting technology, the forces driving current changes, and what roasters of all sizes can expect in the next decade. Attendees will gain a practical, non-commercial understanding of electric roasting: how it works, where it excels, what limitations exist, and how it compares to traditional gas roasting in workflow, cup quality, maintenance, safety, and environmental impact.

This session uses practical examples and clear technical insights to help coffee professionals understand the future of roasting technology and how to adapt their businesses accordingly.

Date: Sunday, April 12, 2026
Time: 11:00 am - 11:45 am
Location: Room 25AB
Category: Sustainability

Access: This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee here.
Please note that lecture sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended to secure your seat. 

Speakers

Zoe Gigas
Head Roaster, Bellwether Coffee

Zoe Gigas is a roaster, a consultant, an educator, and a sustainability advocate — sometimes all in the same conversation. Based in Berkeley, California, she serves as the Head Roaster at Bellwether Coffee, where she works with customers of their fully electric, ventless roaster to bridge the gap between technology and craft. With over ten years across roasting, green buying, quality assurance, and production, she has made it her mission to stay visible in an industry where roasters often work in the background. For Zoe, the work is always evolving — and that's exactly how she likes it.

Lecture Description

This presentation, “Building the Human Story of Guatemalan Coffees,” introduces a transformative approach to national coffee branding by leveraging the rich narrative and heritage of Guatemalan Coffees. It addresses the opportunity behind a strong, yet under-recognized, coffee brand, revealing how the power of human stories can elevate a nation’s coffee identity on the global stage. 

The story centers on the human element—how coffee growers, diverse landscapes, and Guatemala´s vibrant culture come together to produce world-class coffees that connects emotionally with consumers worldwide.

Through a clear positioning framework, the presentation defines the brand’s target audience as global coffee drinkers seeking authenticity, connections and positive impact. It showcases Guatemala’s leadership in quality, innovation, community, and sustainability, emphasizing artisanal traditions, pioneering methods, and deep commitment to the coffee growing families and their communities. 

The case study demonstrates measurable growth in brand awareness, engagement and international recognition, mainly driven by strategic storytelling and multi-channel communication. 

By weaving together research insights, stakeholder perspectives, and actionable branding strategies, this presentation delivers a compelling blueprint for how Guatemalan Coffees—and the country itself— can transform and reposition a country’s image on the world stage. Supported by engaging videos and social media examples, it also shows how the Guatemalan Coffee brand identity was brought to life at the WOC San Diego booth, so that attendees would have a more likely experience of the case study.  Inspirational and practical, this presentation offers valuable lessons for industry leaders, marketers, and coffee professionals, making it an ideal addition to the SCAs’ Education Program.

Date: Sunday, April 12, 2026
Time: 10:30 am - 11:45 am
Location: Room 24AB
Category: Business

Access: This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee here.
Please note that lecture sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended to secure your seat. 

Speakers

Andrea Vergara
Marketing Manager, Guatemalan National Coffee Association (Anacafé)

Holds a Master's degree in international marketing and a Bachelor´s degree in Business Administration. Has more than twelve years of professional experience in marketing, with a strong focus on the food and beverage sector. Currently serves as Marketing Marketing at the Guatemalan National Coffee Association (Anacafé), leading strategic initiatives that strengthen the global positioning and value proposition of the Guatemalan Coffees country brand in international markets.

Mike Dabadie
CEO, Heart and Mind Strategies

Mike Dabadie is the CEO of Heart and Mind Strategies, an insights, strategy, and activation consultancy. He has worked with SCA on strategic planning, consumer insights, and was the global campaign manager for the merger of SCAA and SCAE. Mike provided the strategy for the new brand positioning and new brand design for Anacafé and Guatemalan Coffee.

Lecture Description

In coffee, we talk endlessly about quality, process, and origin. But whose definitions are we using - and what do they leave out?

This lecture reframes coffee through culture, exploring how people around the world - from Ethiopia to India, Indonesia to the Arabian Gulf - have brewed meaning into their cups for centuries. These practices reveal that coffee has always been more than a drink - it’s a reflection of identity, ritual, and belonging.

Author and food anthropologist Lani Kingston, Director of Education & Conference for Coffee Fest and teacher of The Anthropology of Coffee at Portland State University, guides attendees through a journey that blends anthropology, history, and industry insight. Her bestselling books, including Spill the Beans: Global Coffee Culture and Designing Coffee, have been translated into over 17 languages and continue to shape how coffee professionals understand culture and consumption.

Attendees will leave this session with:

– A deeper understanding of how global coffee cultures influence flavor, ritual, and perception of “quality”

– Practical ideas for incorporating cultural awareness into storytelling, menu design, and customer experience

– A renewed sense of connection to the people and histories behind the cup

Ultimately, this talk calls for a more culturally literate coffee industry - one that values origin not only as a source of beans, but as a source of ideas, flavor, and identity.

Date: Sunday, April 12, 2026
Time: 10:00 am - 10:45 am
Location: Room 26AB
Category:

Access: This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee here.
Please note that lecture sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended to secure your seat. 

Speakers

Lani Kingston
Director of Education, Coffee Fest

Lani Kingston is a Portland-based author and consultant specializing in brand development, systems building, and professional education. As the Director of Education for Coffee Fest and Editor of its upcoming publication, The Drip, she spearheads professional programming and industry discourse across the United States.

Lani also serves as an adjunct professor of Coffee Anthropology at Portland State University and is the author of definitive coffee books translated into over 20 languages, including How to Make Coffee and Spill the Beans: Global Coffee Culture. Her consulting portfolio spans international contracts across the food, agriculture, chocolate, coffee, and tea sectors.

Lecture Description

This talk explores how a virtual reality (VR) café environment influences specialty coffee consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP), liking and purchase preferences. Coffee is rarely experienced in isolation; the ambience, service style, and surrounding cues all shape how people perceive coffee quality and value. Using immersive VR technology, our research simulated a café context to understand how environmental context can change the choices specialty coffee consumers make in comparison with a neutral environment, even when the coffee itself remains the same. This study further assessed how liking and purchase preferences are affected by environmental context. This research provides insight into how much context truly matters, whether environments influence perceived coffee value and WTP, and how VR can serve as a powerful, cost-effective tool for testing café concepts or product launches before investing in physical spaces.

Date: Sunday, April 12, 2026
Time: 10:00 am - 10:45 am
Location: Room 25AB
Category: Science

Access: This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee here.
Please note that lecture sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended to secure your seat. 

Speakers

Aishwarya Badiger
Postdoctoral Researcher, The Ohio State University

Dr. Aishwarya Badiger is a Postdoctoral Researcher at The Ohio State University and co-founder of Coffea & Company. Her interdisciplinary expertise spans consumer behavior, flavor chemistry, and specialty coffee. She has experience across academic research, the coffee startup space, and green coffee sourcing, where she applies sensory skills to understand consumer behavior around coffee products, sustainability initiatives, and roasters’ perspectives on green coffee value. Her current research examines how context and engagement level with coffee and other products influence decision making. She enjoys sharing her passion by introducing her community to new specialty coffees and advancing industry-science collaboration.

Lecture Description

In this lecture, Professor Peter Roberts from Emory University shares insights from his recent book, called "From Supply and Demand to Numbers, Networks, and Narratives: Confronting the Commodification of Specialty Coffee Producers." This book poses an important question for coffee professionals: As expanding specialty markets call for higher-quality coffees produced and transacted in certain ways, why is there not a widespread expectation that the producers who grow these differentiated coffees should receive prices that are commensurate with the economic value they create? Relying on more than a decade of observation and industry engagement, Roberts does not accept that problematic pricing is the direct result of ongoing problems with global supply and demand. The real problems are that the people who grow differentiated coffees do not have access to relevant price information and that they have outdated market connections. These numbers and networks problems are exacerbated by a more fundamental problem. Conversations about the value of green specialty coffees remain rooted in an outdated pricing narrative. After presenting these core arguments, this lecture outlines mosaic of promising market interventions that address the numbers and networks problems before explaining why an outdated pricing narrative is so hard to change.

Date: Sunday, April 12, 2026
Time: 10:00 am - 10:45 am
Location: Room 24C
Category: Sustainability

Access: This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee here.
Please note that lecture sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended to secure your seat. 

Speakers

Peter W. Roberts
Professor, Emory University

Peter Roberts has a PhD in Organizational Analysis from the University of Alberta (Canada) and has held academic positions at the Australian Graduate School of Management (Australia), Carnegie Mellon University (USA), Colombia University (USA), and Emory University (USA). For more than a decade, he has been the Academic Director of Specialty Coffee Programs at Emory University.

Peters’ 10+ years of work in and around the specialty coffee industry includes an annual pricing report (The Specialty Coffee Transaction Guide) that has been downloaded more than 10,000 times. His coffee work attracts the attention of industry media outlets. For instance, a recently published World Development article (Is the rising tide of specialty coffee lifting all boats?) was specifically covered by Daily Coffee News. This work also attracts considerable social media attention. Here, the Instagram page for the Specialty Coffee Transaction Guide has more than 5,200 followers.

Finally, Peter teaches an elective class in the business school at Emory University (called The Past, Present and Future of Specialty Coffee: An Integration of Historical, Market and Cultural Perspectives) that attracts more than 150 students per year.

Lecture Description

Do you feel like you and your team are frantically filling orders at the last minute? Do you wonder whether or not you are making a profit? Do you feel like your coffee releases are rushed and your buyers never really understand what you are offering or why?

To answer these questions effectively, you need to examine the inner workings of your business to ensure you have the necessary structure to maintain the health of both your business and your people.

In this presentation, we'll cover the five essentials every growing coffee roaster needs, including product pricing structure, building and using a pricing calculator, creating and using a coffee release process, green coffee management and tools, financial structure and dry product management.

Date: Sunday, April 12, 2026
Time: 10:00 am - 10:45 am
Location: Room 25C
Category:

Access: This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee here.
Please note that lecture sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended to secure your seat. 

Speakers

Luke Waite
Consultant, Pomelo Coffee Consulting

Luke is the founder of Pomelo Coffee Consulting and the creator of the Core 7, a framework built to help specialty coffee roasters build efficient, profitable, and sustainable businesses. He helps owners of specialty coffee roasters from startup to multi-million dollar operations build stronger teams, smarter systems, and more profitable businesses. His background spans leadership roles at Metric Coffee, Passion House, Pickwick, and more, giving him a holistic, ground-level understanding of how roasteries actually work. He also hosts Good Folks, Doing Good Work, a podcast for specialty coffee professionals who believe business can be a force for good.

Lecture Description

For decades, roasting has been concentrated in consuming countries—far from the farms and communities that produce coffee. But advances in processing consistency, packaging technology, and origin-based expertise are unlocking a new frontier: roasting at origin as a viable, high-quality, and economically powerful alternative.

This panel brings together producers, roasters, engineers, and supply-chain innovators to examine how decentralized, origin-based roasting can reshape the global coffee landscape. We will explore the scientific, economic, and cultural implications of shifting manufacturing upstream, including improved roast precision through proximity to processing, reduced carbon footprint, lower logistics costs, and the potential for significant value retention within producing countries.

Panelists will share real case studies from coffee producing countries, explaining how origin roasting can impact cup quality, local economies, and business feasibility. We will also address challenges—including energy needs, equipment accessibility, training, financing, and global distribution—to create a realistic roadmap for implementation.

This session aims to move the industry from theory to practice, offering a framework for how roasters, importers, retailers, and producers can participate in a more equitable and scientifically robust future of coffee manufacturing.

Attendees will leave with an understanding of how origin roasting works, why it matters, and what steps they can take to integrate decentralized manufacturing into their businesses.

Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026
Time: 1:30 pm - 2:45 pm
Location: Room 24AB
Category: Sustainability

Access: This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee here.
Please note that lecture sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended to secure your seat. 

Speakers

Shanita Nicholas
Founder, Quantum Seeds

Shanita Nicholas is the Director of Coffee Ecology at Quantum Seeds LLC, where she leads the development of decentralized origin-roasting networks that unite sensory science, sustainable manufacturing, and cultural storytelling. A chemical engineer by training, attorney by profession, and Q Grader by craft, she brings a rare combination of technical precision, legal strategy, and sensory expertise to the redesign of global coffee systems.

Before founding Quantum Seeds, Shanita co-founded Sip & Sonder, one of Los Angeles’ most influential specialty coffee brands and cultural hubs, where she built community-centered experiences rooted in Black creativity, entrepreneurship, and connection. Her work at Sip & Sonder established her as a leader capable of navigating the entire coffee value chain — from sourcing and roast profiling to retail operations, wholesale strategy, and hospitality design.

Lecture Description

What if brewing didn’t just change taste—but also health?

This talk explores how extraction parameters modulate coffee’s chemical profile, influencing both sensory quality and key bioactive compounds. From antioxidants to potentially harmful molecules, we will uncover how to design a better—and smarter—cup.

Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026
Time: 1:30 pm - 2:45 pm
Location: Room 23BC
Category: Science

Access: This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee here.
Please note that lecture sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended to secure your seat. 

Speakers

Agnese Santanatoglia
Coffee Scientist, Simonelli Group S.p.A.

Agnese Santanatoglia is a food chemist and postdoctoral researcher at the Research and Innovation Coffee Hub (RICH), a collaboration between Simonelli Group S.p.A. and the University of Camerino. Her research explores how extraction conditions shape coffee quality through chemical and sensory mechanisms. She combines analytical techniques, such as GC-MS and HPLC, with sensory evaluation to translate coffee science into actionable insights for coffee professionals. She conducted part of her research at The Ohio State University, focusing on coffee acidity and flavoromics. Alongside her academic work, she is also involved in science-driven innovation projects and entrepreneurial initiatives aimed at transforming coffee research into real-world products and impact.

Lecture Description

For much of the late 20th century, the scientific and public narrative surrounding coffee and health was dominated by risk and caution. Early toxicological and epidemiological studies positioned coffee as a potential risk factor for a range of diseases. Media reporting also reinforced a largely negative public perception. Few would have anticipated the dramatic reversal that has unfolded over the past four and a half decades. This presentation examines how advances in research design, analytical rigor, and global data integration have fundamentally reshaped the scientific assessment of coffee’s health effects. Improved scientific studies and emerging mechanistic evidence have converged to reveal a different narrative: consistent associations between moderate coffee consumption and reduced risk of several major chronic diseases (type 2 diabetes, liver disease, neurodegenerative conditions, certain cancers). Whereas earlier media coverage often sensationalized limited preliminary data, today’s reporting more frequently reflects the weight and quality of scientific and medical evidence. Drawing from 45 years of first-hand experience at the intersection of science, industry, and public communication, this presentation will explore how coffee’s health reputation has been radically transformed and how the industry can responsibly leverage this evolving evidence base to “brew a new narrative” in the years ahead.

Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026
Time: 1:00 pm - 1:45 pm
Location: Room 24C
Category: Science

Access: This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee here.
Please note that lecture sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended to secure your seat. 

Speakers

James Coughlin
Health Scientist, Coughlin & Associates: Consultants in Nutritional Toxicology

Dr. James R. Coughlin, MS PhD is an accomplished expert in food chemistry, nutritional toxicology and global regulatory affairs, including 45 years’ experience with coffee/health science. In his independent consulting role for the past 35 years, he continues to focus on coffee and health. He has served for several decades as a Board Member at the Association for Science and Information on Coffee. He has often communicated to the public about coffee’s risks and benefits, while assisting global research scientists in the design, interpretation and dissemination of their studies. He has also assisted the global coffee industry in representations to public health and regulatory organizations.

Lecture Description

Most people in specialty coffee still think in terms of cups: espresso, filter, cold brew served as is. But behind many Ready-to-Drink (RTD) cans, chain beverages, and tap systems there is something different: coffee brewed to become an ingredient – a liquid base that will later be diluted, mixed, or canned. These coffee concentrates are rarely talked about in the specialty community, even though they are quietly reshaping how the world drinks coffee.

This lecture opens that black box. We will first map how the industry uses coffee concentrates today for cold brew, RTD beverages, foodservice, and efficient café service, explaining in simple terms what a concentrate is (and is not), and why it is becoming so important. We will then compare the main ways these bases are produced and their impact on flavor and quality.

Finally, we will dive into a case study using falling-film freeze concentration (FFFC) on specialty cold and hot brews, showing how this low-temperature approach changes strength, volatile and bioactive compounds, and sensory attributes. Attendees will leave with a practical framework to reframe coffee as an ingredient, along with clear ways to assess if this new perspective can be applied in their own coffee businesses.

Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026
Time: 1:00 pm - 1:45 pm
Location: Room 25AB
Category: Science

Access: This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee here.
Please note that lecture sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended to secure your seat. 

Speakers

Dr. Nancy Cordoba
Westrock Coffee

Dr. Nancy Córdoba is an engineer, scientist, and CQI-certified expert in coffee post-harvest processing with more than 20 years of experience in coffee process engineering, flavor chemistry, and sensory science. As Principal Scientist at Westrock Coffee, she leads strategic R&D and innovation initiatives in coffee and liquid extracts. Her career bridges industry and academia across the coffee value chain, from farm-level processing to the development of new beverage systems. She integrates analytical chemistry, predictive modeling, and descriptive sensory science to drive evidence-based decisions in coffee innovation. Dr. Córdoba was recognized as part of The Sprudge Twenty Class of 2023 for her global contributions to coffee science and education.

Lecture Description

Coffee flavor extends beyond mere taste; it constitutes a multisensory experience constructed by the brain. This lecture, delivered by Ramon Parada, adopts an interdisciplinary approach informed by neuroscience, biomedical research, medicine, and specialty coffee hospitality, drawing upon his background in the El Paso U.S.-Mexico border region.

This session examines how the brain merges taste, aroma, memory, expectation, emotion, and environment to shape our experience. Attendees will see why two identical coffees can taste different depending on packaging, storytelling, presentation, environmental cues, and a guest’s mindset.

Grounded in neuroscience and scientific skepticism, this lecture underscores a key point: our sensory systems are not neutral measuring devices. Human perception is powerful, but also flawed, biased, and vulnerable to suggestion. This perspective matches current sensory science, which finds that flavor perception and analysis are shaped by smell, taste, integration, and bias.

By applying a skeptic’s lens to sensory evaluation, participants will better understand how expectation, priming, branding, origin narratives, and other cognitive biases can distort both cupping results and everyday guest experiences. The lecture challenges common misconceptions about taste, clarifies the dominant role of aroma and neural processing in flavor perception, and offers practical strategies for reducing bias, communicating tasting notes more clearly, and designing hospitality experiences that align with how the brain actually works. Blending scientific rigor with practical café application, this session provides baristas, roasters, trainers, and hospitality leaders with a more evidence-based framework for improving sensory evaluation, guest communication, and perceived quality.

Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026
Time: 1:00 pm - 1:45 pm
Location: Room 25C
Category: Science

Access: This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee here.
Please note that lecture sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended to secure your seat. 

Speakers

Ramon Parada
Owner/Founder, Glia’s Coffee

Ramon Parada is the founder and owner of Glia’s Coffee Co., a multi-location coffee business in El Paso, Texas, with operations in the county courthouse and experience in mobile coffee, high-volume events, and catering. He is also a medical student at the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine. Through Glia’s, Parada has helped fund scholarships for El Pasoans pursuing careers in medicine while using his business to support broader community initiatives. His work reflects a strong commitment to serving El Paso through both Glia's and medicine.

Lecture Description

The European Union's Deforestation Regulation formed a monumental shift in the baseline level of sustainability and transparency required to operate in the EU market. Despite the myriad pitfalls regarding the regulation's implementation - lack of clarity, negotiations and delays - the industry-wide exercise of ensuring supply chain compliance illuminated many issues pervasive throughout the coffee supply chain. US operators can examine the benefits and lessons learned from the EUDR implementation process on the ground level without the fear of imminent enforcement. This allows us to examine the breakthoughts in supply chain traceability, scale geospacial technology to our needs, and use the framework of the EUDR process to guide our future buying decisions for the benefit of a deforestation and exploitation-free supply chain.

Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026
Time: 1:00 pm - 1:45 pm
Location: Room 26AB
Category: Sustainability

Access: This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee here.
Please note that lecture sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended to secure your seat. 

Speakers

Ilya Byzov
Head of Research, Sucafina

Ilya is the Head of Research and Quantative Trading at Sucafina. With 17 years of experience in commodities and 14 in coffee, Ilya's main role is to understand global coffee supply and global coffee demand. This information is fed into models that forecast global coffee prices and guide the company's trading decisions. With the initial aim of forecasting coffee acreage globally, Ilya has been working with geospatial technology since 2019. Ilya has been helping to guide Sucafina's policy on deforestation and supply chain traceability since 2021, relying on his educational background of Environmental Studies. In 2023, this role has been expanded to include guidance on fulfilling requirements for the upcoming EUDR legislation. Ilya's passion for trees and coffee place him in a unique position to speak on the challenges facing our industy and possible solutions to those challenges.

Lecture Description

Putting sustainability goals into practice can be challenging for coffee businesses. While many organizations are committed to sustainability, they often struggle to move from aspiration to practical solutions that deliver measurable impact.

In 2025, the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) published its first How-To Guide, introducing the Sustainable Design Framework—an approach that helps organizations design sustainability strategies grounded in real-world needs, stakeholder collaboration, and long-term business viability.

This panel brings together perspectives across the full lifecycle of the framework. Moderated by SCA Sustainability Manager Andrés Montenegro, the session will explore the “before–during–after” of its development and application. Dr. Kate Fischer will share insights from the research and case studies that informed the framework. Angela Peláez (RGC Coffee) will reflect on the co-development process and how companies helped shape the approach. Brandon Bir (Crimson Cup) will present early lessons from piloting the framework in practice, including work in Guatemala.

Together, the panel will highlight how sustainability solutions can be designed, tested, and refined to respond to real needs and create shared value across coffee supply chains.

What will attendees learn from this presentation?

Attendees will gain practical insights into how to move from sustainability ambition to implementation within their own organizations. Specifically, they will:

• Understand how design approaches such as the Double Diamond can help identify sustainability challenges and develop actionable, context-specific solutions.

• Learn how business design elements—purpose, networks, governance, and finance—support the integration of sustainability into core operations and decision-making.

• Explore real-world lessons from the design, co-development, and piloting of the SCA Sustainable Design Framework, including key challenges, adaptations, and early outcomes.

• Identify practical ways to design sustainability initiatives that respond to real needs, create shared value, and strengthen relationships across coffee supply chains.
  

Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026
Time: 12:00 pm - 1:15 pm
Location: Room 23BC
Category: Sustainability

Access: This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee here.
Please note that lecture sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended to secure your seat. 

Speakers

Andrés Montenegro
Sustainability Manager, Specialty Coffee Association

Andrés Montenegro is a leading figure in sustainability leadership within the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), where he drives the sector's strategic evolution toward business models that are more equitable, resilient, and oriented toward shared value. With an international background in agri-food systems and sustainable development, he has spearheaded initiatives that integrate social impact, new value economies, and processes of deep organizational transformation. His work sits at the intersection of sustainability, strategy, and systemic leadership, guiding coffee organizations and communities in their transition toward models that are more conscious, adaptive, and capable of co-creating the future of the sector.

Kate Fischer, Ph.D.
Professor & Coffee Researcher, University of Colorado

Dr. Kate Fischer is a cultural anthropologist and Associate Teaching Professor at the University of Colorado-Boulder. She has been in coffee since 2005 and has conducted research with producers in Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Colombia. Her research focuses on gender and ethnicity; the political economy of coffee; migration and stability; and the challenges in determining quality at all levels, from farms and mills in Central America to industry centers in the global North. She is a CQI Post-Harvest Processing Expert and was a core member of the team that developed the Coffee Sustainability program for SCA.

Angela Pelaez
Director of Global sustainability and coporate compliance, RGC Coffee

Angela Peláez, from an agricultural family, is Director of Global Sustainability and Corporate Compliance at RGC Coffee. She specializes in sustainable sourcing, compliance, and impact-driven programs. At RGC, she led the design, development, and implementation of 3E, the company's flagship sustainability program, delivering measurable social, economic, and environmental benefits across coffee-producing countries. Her work strengthens supply chains, promotes biodiversity, climate resilience, and social equity, and improves traceability. Angela previously served on the SCA Sustainability Center's Farmworkers Committee and currently sits on advisory bodies for Fair Trade USA and Colombia's Coffee, Forest & Climate Agreement, focusing on making sustainability a strong business case.

Brandon Bir
Director of Sustainability, Crimson Cup Coffee

Brandon Bir is a dedicated coffee professional, Q-Instructor, and Q-PHP assistant instructor centered on international community development and supply chain equity. As Director of Sustainability, he travels extensively to forge direct-trade relationships across Africa, Asia, and the Americas, ensuring transparency from seed to cup. With an MBA in International Business and Sustainability, Brandon integrates sensory science with systemic social impact. He oversees the "Friend2Farmer" initiatives, focusing on long-term mutual success and environmental stewardship. A frequent SCA contributor and industry educator, Brandon remains committed to evolving global coffee standards through collaborative and equitable sustainability models.

Lecture Description

Impact reports have proliferated across specialty coffee—but are they driving genuine progress or just good PR? As buyers demand proof of sustainability claims and producers seek recognition for their investments, the stakes for meaningful transparency have never been higher. This panel explores how coffee companies can move beyond glossy reports toward genuine accountability and measurable improvement. Featuring Mountain Harvest's Impact Report—which tracks outcomes including income uplift for participating farmers, soil health improvements, and supply chain traceability—alongside perspectives from buyers and certification organizations, panelists will examine what transparency really means, how to distinguish between authentic impact and "impact washing," and how aligned partners can co-create long-term frameworks for shared progress.

Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026
Time: 12:00 pm - 1:15 pm
Location: Room 24AB
Category: Business

Access: This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee here.
Please note that lecture sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended to secure your seat. 

Lecture Description

This session provides coffee professionals with essential knowledge about lactose-free milk, bridging dairy science and barista practice. We'll explore what lactose-free milk is, how it is produced, and why it tastes distinctly sweeter than regular milk. We’ll draw on recent consumer research around consumer preferences, and examine purchasing patterns and motivations to highlight the broad appeal among consumers. The session will also be practical, touching on key considerations including foaming performance, cost implications for cafe owners, and positioning strategies. 

Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026
Time: 11:00 am - 11:45 am
Location: Room 25C
Category: Science

Access: This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee here.
Please note that lecture sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended to secure your seat. 

Speakers

Ty Wagoner
Senior Manager, California Dairy Innovation Center

Dr. Ty Wagoner brings over 15 years of experience in dairy research and product development. A trained chef turned food scientist, he holds BS and PhD degrees in Food Science from NC State University. His work spans dairy ingredient functionality, product development, and precision fermentation, with 10 peer-reviewed publications and 6 patents to his name. At CDIC, he collaborates with dairy processors, entrepreneurs, and students to advance new product innovation for the California dairy industry.

Lecture Description

The specialty coffee movement has pushed producers, roasters, and baristas to achieve remarkable complexity in the cup—yet the beverages we build around those coffees often fall short of expressing that same level of creativity and intention. This lecture explores how to craft drinks whose visual presentation, texture, and structure are as thoughtfully composed and sensorially rich as the coffees they feature.

Participants will learn how to apply culinary principles, multi-layered textures, ingredient preparation techniques, and strategic visual design to create beverages that amplify—not overshadow—the coffee at their core. We’ll examine the role of emulsions, foams, gels, syrups, dustings, layering, ice shape, milk aeration, glassware, and color perception in shaping the drinker’s full experience.

Through kitchen-inspired methods and specialty-coffee sensibility, this session will empower baristas to move beyond “pretty lattes” into genuinely crafted, multi-sensory beverages that tell a story from the first glance to the last sip.

Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026
Time: 11:00 am - 11:45 am
Location: Room 25AB
Category: Business

Access: This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee here.
Please note that lecture sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended to secure your seat. 

Speakers

Heather Perry
CEO, Klatch Coffee

Heather Perry is the CEO of Klatch Coffee and a lifelong figure in specialty coffee. Growing up in the business founded by her parents, Mike and Cindy Perry, she began working in Klatch cafés at a young age, building her expertise through competition, education, and industry involvement. Heather became the first woman to win the U.S. Barista Championship, and the first person to earn the title twice. Since then, she's placed second in the World Barista Championship, trained coffee professionals worldwide, and served as SCA President. Heather holds a BBA from Cal Poly Pomona and leads Klatch Coffee?s continued growth.

Lecture Description

In a culture defined by speed and consumption, the concept of Folk Coffee requires us to bring coffee back to the people. It calls us to return to the roots of coffee as a communal, reflective, and culturally rich practice. This lecture explores the deep connections between Latin American coffee traditions and the global “slow” coffee culture movements that once defined social life; such as sobremesas, salons, and other spaces of dialogue and leisure. Drawing from Latin American rituals of hospitality and shared experience, Folk Coffee reimagines how these traditions can inspire a more sustainable, intentional, and people-centered coffee culture today.

The lecture also considers how shared coffee education, through cuppings, workshops, and community tastings, echoes oral traditions and fosters accessibility across diverse communities. By treating education as a collective and story-driven process, the modern specialty coffee movement is reintroducing human connection and inclusivity into what was once an exclusive field.

Attendees will examine how cafés are already shifting away from grab-and-go service toward spaces of learning, ritual, and connection, and how embracing a “folk” mindset can deepen both community engagement and environmental care. 

Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026
Time: 11:00 am - 11:45 am
Location: Room 24C
Category: Sustainability

Access: This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee here.
Please note that lecture sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended to secure your seat. 

Speakers

Jacqueline McCourt
Coffee Educator, San Diego Coffee Training Institute

Jacqueline McCourt is a coffee educator and museum professional based in San Diego, California. She teaches at the San Diego Coffee Training Institute and works in visitor experience at the Mingei International Museum, where she engages the public with global craft traditions. She holds a bachelor's degree in History and is currently pursuing a museum studies certification. Her work is rooted in bringing a humanities perspective to the world of specialty coffee. Drawing on her Salvadoran and Irish American heritage, Jacquie is particularly interested in the role coffee plays in ritual, hospitality, and community traditions.

Lecture Description

Recently, the coffee market has experienced a great deal of volatility, driven by supply-side tightness and exacerbated by shifting U.S. tariff rates, which have added further uncertainty as global availability continues to tighten. This lecture will provide participants with an overview of the impacts of U.S. tariffs on the NY “C” market price. We will provide a background in economic theory of international trade and protectionist policies, a look at how tariffs have changed the speed and sources of coffee flowing into the U.S., and an analysis of their impact on the NY “C” market. The session will equip stakeholders across the coffee supply chain with a practical framework to understand and anticipate the effects of tariffs on the coffee market.

Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026
Time: 11:00 am - 11:45 am
Location: Room 26AB
Category: Business

Access: This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee here.
Please note that lecture sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended to secure your seat. 

Speakers

Hannah Fox
Director of Market Analysis, Advanced Economic Solutions

Hannah Fox is a market analyst at Advanced Economic Solutions, where she specializes in the analysis of coffee, cocoa, sugar, and other commodities. She provides clients with rigorous, data-driven insights to inform strategic decision-making. Hannah holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics from Texas A&M University.

Lecture Description

Every year, roughly a million independent cafés purchase tens of billions of dollars’ worth of coffee-adjacent products. These products are meant to complement the work of the barista community, a hive of some of the most thoughtful, innovative operators in the world. Yet despite the community’s outsized contributions to the broader F&B world, it has had essentially zero involvement in creating these products; baristas are largely left out of the process and they capture little-to-no economic value within it. That should change.

In this lecture, we’ll explore how the industry arrived here, how products flow into cafes, and chart a path toward a supply ecosystem of CPG brands that truly represent — and are owned by — the best our community has to offer.

Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026
Time: 10:30 am - 11:45 am
Location: Room 23BC
Category: Business

Access: This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee here.
Please note that lecture sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended to secure your seat. 

Speakers

Michelle R. Johnson-Strickland
CEO, Ghost Town Oats

Michelle R. Johnson-Strickland is the co-founder and CEO of Ghost Town Oats, an award-winning premium oat milk brand made by baristas. She is also the creator of The Chocolate Barista, the foremost platform amplifying Black voices in specialty coffee. A seasoned coffee professional with over a decade of experience, Michelle’s journey from behind the bar to leading a disruptive brand is fueled by a deep commitment to equity, authenticity, and freedom—values that have shaped every step of her career.

Bryan Harmer Hasho
Co-Founder, The Usual Company

Bryan Harmer Hasho is a Co-Founder of The Usual Company. After spending time in wholesale at Blue Bottle Coffee, he co-founded NYC’s Stand Coffee and went on to be employee one at Oatly North America where he spent seven years leading Oatly’s presence in the coffee channel.

Lecture Description

Regenerative agriculture is increasingly recognized as essential for the future of coffee, but the path to scaling it is neither uniform nor straightforward. Sustainable Food Lab will moderate a panel of leading experts exploring how different financing models can support coffee farmers to adopt and sustain regenerative practices across diverse landscapes. We will open with a brief framing on the social, environmental, and economic opportunities of regenerative agriculture, and why no single financing structure can meet the needs of all coffee farmers globally.

Four panelists, representing key stakeholders in coffee value chains, will share practical lessons from their work:

●      Root Capital: Insights on financing regenerative agriculture in partnership with producer organizations across Africa and Latin America.

●      Rainforest Alliance: How the organization is driving the adoption of regenerative practices through their Regenerative Agriculture Certification and field programs.

●      Keurig Dr Pepper: Lessons from a portfolio of regenerative agriculture investments with varied funding models and supply chain integrations. 

●      ACODIHUE Cooperative: A cooperative perspective on the challenges and opportunities for implementing regenerative practices, especially during times of high coffee prices.  

Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026
Time: 10:30 am - 10:45 am
Location: Room 24AB
Category: Sustainability

Access: This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee here.
Please note that lecture sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended to secure your seat. 

Speakers

Molly Leavens
Program Manager, Sustainable Food Lab

Molly Leavens is a Program Manager at Sustainable Food Lab, where she works with multinational food companies, NGOs, and public agencies to improve smallholder farmer livelihoods and climate resilience. Her work focuses on corporate sustainability strategy, living income, and regenerative agriculture across coffee and cocoa supply chains in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. She holds a BA in Food and the Environment from Harvard University and an MA in Management and Global Affairs from Tsinghua University.

Miguel Gamboa
Coffee Lead, Rainforest Alliance

Miguel Gamboa, Coffee Lead at the Rainforest Alliance, was trained as an industrial engineer with Masters in Reengineering and International Trade. He started his professional career working in a coffee exporting company. Then, 23 years ago, he started working with the UTZ certification program. Being part of the support team for the members of the certification program, he was able to learn about different realities of coffee production and marketing throughout Latin America. After the merger of UTZ and the Rainforest Alliance, he was appointed as a Coffee Representative Manager for Latin America, and since September 2022 - as a Coffee Sector Lead.

“I believe that the certification is a good basis to start improving the living conditions of producing families. Coffee is synonymous with life—not only for producers and workers but also for flora and fauna, and all of us who taste its flavor”.

Marco Garcia
Business Development Manager, Root Capital

Marco García is Business Development Manager at Root Capital, an impact investor supporting agricultural businesses across Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Based in Costa Rica, he leads the development of new market opportunities, financial solutions, advisory services, and partnerships that advance regenerative agriculture and climate resilience. His work focuses on connecting capital, advisory services, and market linkages to help agricultural enterprises scale sustainably and improve farmer livelihoods.

Sergio Silvestre
Commercial Manager, ACODIHUE

Agricultural Engineer with over 16 years of experience in developing coffee and honey value chains. He possesses a strong academic background with master's degrees in International Trade, Strategic Management, and Business Administration from the USAC Business School and EUDE Business School. He currently serves as Production and Marketing Manager at ACODIHUE, where he leads efforts to improve access to global markets and promote the sustainability of small-scale producers. He is an expert in implementing international certifications such as Fair Trade, Organic, and Rainforest Alliance, with extensive experience managing projects with international cooperation.

Whitney Kakos
Sr. Director, Sustainability, Keurig Dr Pepper

Whitney Kakos is the Sr. Director of Sustainability at Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP). She oversees the company’s strategy and programming across the areas of Climate & Nature, Water, Responsible Sourcing and Farmer/Worker Livelihoods. This work balances risk management and compliance with long-term impact work within the company’s owned operations and diverse upstream supply chains. Whitney has strong roots at the intersection of sustainability and coffee, first at UK-based Cafédirect and then at Keurig Dr Pepper. She holds a MSc in Environmental Policy from LSE and lives with her husband and two children in Boston, MA.

Lecture Description

In this lecture, we'll explore the fundamentals of inventory management for green coffee buyers at coffee roasting companies. Precise inventory management can help coffee roasting companies avoid critical mistakes that cost money and create stress. Expect to learn how to make important inventory calculations that will help you run an efficient business

Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026
Time: 10:00 am - 10:45 am
Location: Room 25AB
Category: Business

Access: This lecture is free to attend with a World of Coffee entry badge. Register to attend World of Coffee here.
Please note that lecture sessions are open on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended to secure your seat. 

Speakers

Jay Kling
Green Coffee Buyer, Efficiency in Coffee

Jay Kling is a green coffee buyer with over a decade of experience in the coffee industry. Through his project, www.efficiency.coffee, Jay works to create resources for green coffee buyers to help build and hone business skills. Jay's goal is to help green coffee buyers become proficient at fundamental supply chain skills like inventory management, demand planning, and understanding unit economics. Sustainable coffee purchasing starts with running a smart, efficient business that has enough profitability to pay higher prices for green coffee.