I am a Career Barista with Victus Coffee, determined to show others how they can use their passion for Coffee to inspire themselves and others to learn about something we all love to drink every single day. Coffee is an art that anyone can learn, allowing us to grow with skills we can apply to every aspect of our lives!

Amanda Armbrust-Asselin has worked in coffee since 2011. With a focus in Quality Control and Education, the majority of her career has centered sensory analysis at a green coffee import company. She has been an Arabica Q Grader since 2016, US Brewer’s Cup Head Judge since 2017 and World Brewer’s Cup Judge since 2019.

Amaris Gutierrez-Ray is the VP of Coffee for Joe Coffee Company, a roaster in New York City that owns and operates 25 cafes in the 5 boroughs. She was the founder of the Women in Coffee Project, and is now a collaborative co-founder of TWICE (Team Women in Coffee Exchange). A lover of stories and the people that tell them, she has always been interested in the culture and communities of the world in coffee. Both inside and outside the workplace, she’s focused on gender, equity, and positively shifting the human patterns that shape our world.

Ana Mallozzi has spent more than a decade in the coffee world, working in sales, training, quality control, and operations along the way. She’s now a Junior Coffee Trader at Covoya Specialty Coffee and loves getting to know roasters and supporting their work. While no longer in a training role, teaching people who are just getting started in the industry remains one of her favorite parts of the job! Ana is based in her hometown of Providence, RI.

Andrea started working in coffee accidentally in 2009, and considers making it her career one of her best “mistakes”. She began by selling roasted coffee to cafes, restaurants and grocery stores in Massachusetts, but has also sold green coffee, hot coffee, cold coffee, even RTD canned coffee. Today she works for Third Wave Water, and sells minerals to make coffee taste its best, wherever it is being brewed. A Rhode Island native, Andrea recently relocated back to the East Coast from Seattle, WA – mostly to live by an ocean you can swim in at least part of the year.

Hello! My name is Angela and I’m from Northern California, currently residing in Providence, RI where I have my dream job as a Sales Rep for Covoya Specialty Coffee. After getting my start in coffee as a barista in Seattle, I moved to New England where I first started building training programs for roasters and coffee shops, covering all things coffee and quality control. I love connecting with others over coffee and wine, one of my other favorite beverages. You can also find me playing games, crafting, and exploring the outdoors with friends, family and my dog, Jake.

Anne Mercer is the co-owner of Victus Coffee, a specialty coffee shop and roasting company in Hartford, CT. She is also a freelance writer with work published in renowned coffee industry outlets like Roast Magazine and Fresh Cup Magazine. Anne has served as a panelist, speaker, and workshop host at prestigious events such as the New York Coffee Festival, Coffee Fest NY, and the Northeast Coffee Festival. Combining her love for coffee and storytelling, she works to inspire and educate others in the industry. For more about her, visit AnneMercer.com and VictusCoffee.com.

Bailey is a seeker of delight, sensory or otherwise. After working in and around coffee in her hometown of NYC for nearly 16 years - in the cafe, the management office, the training center, at the oat milk factory, the sales desk, and on the support hotline - she recently relocated to Philadelphia, PA and is currently part of the wonderful On Premise Sales team at Minor Figures. Bailey has been involved in such illustrious events and organizations as Level Up, Coffee Fest NY, MANE, BLOOM, ACCESS, the Barista Guild, This Coffee Thing, and TNTNYC. She enjoys making flavor calls on basically anything, crispy food, running in new cities, making things, and feeling all of it.

Dana is a 15 year veteran of the craft beverage industry. His background is in food science and fermentation and spent over a decade in the craft beer community. Dana joined the team at J Rene Coffee Roasters in June 2023.

Emeran Langmaid is a coffee entrepreneur and brand builder behind Rare Breed Coffee, with more than 25 years dedicated to elevating specialty coffee in New Hampshire. At a time when high-quality, thoughtfully sourced coffee was far from mainstream in the region, Emeran helped introduce and grow a culture centered on freshness, roasting integrity, and education. As a hands-on leader, Emeran believes exceptional coffee begins with sourcing discipline and is realized through precise, intentional roasting. With Rare Breed Coffee, she brings that same commitment to quality into a bold, differentiated brand positioned for today’s driven, discerning coffee drinker. Rooted in specialty standards yet unafraid to stand apart, Rare Breed delivers organic, expertly roasted coffee that proves why rare is always better than common.

Gerra Harrigan is the head of sales for JNP Coffee, a specialty importer of coffees from Burundi. She has been in coffee a very long time getting her start behind the counter as a barista many, many years ago. She loves to talk about all things coffee until people's eye glaze over.

Jake Leonti is coffee expert having worked at every step of the value chain over the last 25 years. Mr. Leonti is a barista, roaster, importer and writer currently living and working in New York City. Leadership and education are the aspects of the coffee world that Jake focuses on the most these day.

Jay Kling is the Director of Coffee for Irving Farm Coffee Roasters. Additionally, he runs efficiency.coffee, a platform dedicated to creating and sharing business education resources with green coffee buyers.

Jennifer Wilder is a Founder & CEO, business coach, and public speaker with extensive experience building and scaling successful hospitality brands. She is the founder of LANEY & LU, PALETTE, and GINGER FOX - businesses known for elevated guest experience, strong culture, and disciplined operations. With a background in architectural engineering and executive leadership, Jennifer brings a rare blend of strategic rigor and people-first leadership to the hospitality industry. Over her career, she has led multi-seven-figure growth, built resilient teams, and navigated the realities of scale, margin management, and brand differentiation in competitive markets. Through her coaching and speaking work, Jennifer supports café owners and hospitality leaders who are ready to grow sustainably - strengthening leadership infrastructure, improving profitability, and building businesses that serve both their teams and their lives.

Jess has been working in the coffee industry for over 20 years - first as a barista in different cafes all over the country and recently as the proud owner of The Rose Room in Webster, Mass. Jess is passionate about building community. The Rose Room does this through supporting local agriculture, making menu items from scratch, hosting local artisans, and creating space for people from all walks of life to feel at home. 

Long time New England based coffee technician and owner of Sure Shot Coffee ServiceLong time New England based coffee technician and owner of Sure Shot Coffee Service

Kaera has been in specialty coffee since 2019 when she started at Pavement as a barista. She quickly fell in love with coffee, and was eager to use her education background in a cafe context, transitioning into barista training and coffee education management roles. Kaera currently Pavement’s Human Resources Manager where she has maintained a focus on streamlining standards, training, and development across all levels of the company. She especially loves working with brand new baristas, training new trainers, and riding bikes.

Kaitlin Higgins has been in the coffee industry for over 10 years, nine of them with Rebel Dog Coffee Co., from barista and marketing manager to trainer and green coffee buyer/roaster. Kaitlin has always loved connecting consumers to the journey of the coffee, and especially to the people involved in bringing it to us. Working with a coffee company that aims to open up the specialty coffee world to all coffee drinkers, Kaitlin is especially excited to host the Exploring Roast Levels cupping at NECF this year. She, along with Rebel Dog’s head of roastery operations, Nicole Rodrigue, hopes to illustrate for participants the benefits of offering something for everyone’s tastes.

Karen is the NECF Founder and Festival Director as well as the co-owner of Wayfarer Coffee Roasters. Karen’s passion has always been to bring coffee and community to New Hampshire, and she spent her early years roasting coffee in her home and selling it at local farmer’s markets. Over the past 10 years, Wayfarer has grown to include 2 cafes, a roastery, a local goods marketplace, and a growing wholesale business. Karen and her husband live on a 35 acre farm with their 2 children and spend their best days bringing people together around the family table to connect with each other while enjoying food from their farm cooked over a live fire.

I’m Margaret Gay, founder of 27Teas, a New Hampshire–based artisan tea company I started in 2018. I was the girl who was tired of walking into cafés and finding endless ways to order coffee but only one dusty box of tea. I began blending my own, determined to give tea lovers the same variety, quality, and excitement that coffee drinkers enjoy. What started as a passion project quickly grew into a popular New Hampshire tea brand, known for premium blends (loose leaf and plastic-free sachets) as well as interactive tea experiences like our blend-your-own tea bar. Today, 27Teas combines high-quality ingredients with creativity, community, and a mission to make tea culture feel easy, fun, inclusive and vibrant!

Howdy! My name is Matty Mellini and I'm a queer barista based out of Providence, RI. I've been in specialty coffee for 4 years, and like many of us, fell in love with coffee initially through Latte Art! I've since honed the craft and have competed in a handful of local throwdowns, and have been accepted to Compete at the Latte Art World Championship Open at Coffee Fest 3x in 2024. I love to share the knowledge I've acquired and the community that's been built in Specialty Coffee will always hold a great importance in my heart.

I have split my favorite appetizer with strangers in Salem MA multiple times, traded mixed drinks and made new friends in dive bars in NYC, and swapped recipes with a myriad of baristas, sommeliers, entrepreneurs, and chefs. I’ve strengthened friendships and business relationships over countless pours of spectacular teas, funky wines, and single origin coffees. I am passionate about food, beverages, great stories, and human connection. I’ve been in the specialty food and beverage industry for 20 years, and with each passing year, I get more excited about meeting new people and the food and beverages that will facilitate those meetings. I have laughed, cried, and laughed until I cried while sharing drinks and connecting with incredible people; and can’t wait to do the same thing with you.

Michael Acosta started in coffee in 2009, working as a barista at his college cafe. Fast forward to 2017, he opened Story and Soil Coffee in Hartford, CT, focusing on building the local specialty coffee community, celebrating cafe culture, and serving delicious coffees from great roasters around the world, including Connecticut.

Michel Brode has been the head roaster at Aero Coffee since the fall of 2020. He was trained as a chef in France and has many years of experience in restaurants, catering and cafes in both Europe and the states. He sees roasting as a craft that is a combination of science and technique with art and intuition. He loves sharing knowledge and experience with others and tries to always have a positive impact. Ultimately, he is driven by the desire to have people be fully satisfied and content.

Mike is the roaster for Rare Breed Coffee in Nashua, NH. He enjoys everything about coffee. He has roasted for many years and with many different styles as technology and the art has progressed. He hopes this next wave of specialty coffee is a good one, from farmer to consumer and everyone in between.

Pack Katisomsakul is a Boston-based coffee professional with Newbery Street Coffee Roasters, a Thai specialty coffee company focused on sharing Thailand’s coffee with the world. He is a two-time 3rd Place winner at the U.S. National Brewers Cup Championships (2024 and 2025), known for his thoughtful brewing and passion for quality. Pack’s mission is to bring Thai coffee to the global stage by highlighting its farmers, regions, and unique flavors. Through competitions, events, and everyday brewing, he enjoys connecting with people and telling the stories behind each cup, inspiring others to discover the potential of Thai coffee today worldwide.

Patrick Maloney is a 20-plus year coffee professional who has been a roastmaster, green coffee buyer, general contractor on various Roastery buildouts and founded and ran his own coffee company for several years before transitioning in 2020 to the Northeast US Loring Smart Roast Sales Rep and President of Maloney Coffee Consulting. Patrick resides in Massachusetts with his wife Lisa and has two college aged children. His goals in coffee center around helping others achieve their goals in this awesome industry. 

Seasoned coffee roaster, green buyer and Q grader for Coffee By Design. Collaborates with coffee producers to ensure the sustainability of the coffee supply chain. Through education and innovation, Phil endeavors to share the captivating journey of coffee, from farm to cup.

Pratik is a third-generation Nepali tea producer and the co-founder of Nepal Tea Collective. His grandfather started the first organic tea garden in Phidim, Eastern Nepal, in 1984 which has since grown into Kanchanjangha Tea Estate and Research Center. Drawing on generations of traditions and knowledge, he embodies the legacy of Nepal’s rich tea heritage.   In 2020, Pratik left his career on Wall Street and joined Nepal Tea Collective with a mission to create a global identity for Nepali teas while fostering fair and equitable trade across the supply chain. Apart from his expertise in Nepali teas, he deals with numbers and manages tricky logistics for the company. He leads the wholesale, fulfillment, and finance team at Nepal Tea Collective. 

Ren Wheeler opened Linger, an all day cafe and whisky bar, to expand upon the success of the much too wee rite tea & espresso bar. their goal is and will always remain to put as much intention into their tea program as their coffee program. The result has been that linger is a destination to find well made matcha and diverse tea offerings and preparations.

Rik Kleinfeldt is the President and Director of Sales of New Harvest Coffee Roasters, a Providence, Rhode Island. With more than three decades of experience in coffee sourcing, roasting, and wholesale development, Rik is deeply involved in every layer of the business—from building long-term relationships with producers to overseeing production, quality control, and institutional partnerships. Under his leadership, New Harvest supplies coffee to universities, bakeries, restaurants, and large venues across New England, while maintaining a strong local presence through its café and community engagement. He is passionate about sustainable sourcing, thoughtful growth, and using coffee as a way to strengthen local communities and long-term partnerships.Rik Kleinfeldt is the President and Director of Sales of New Harvest Coffee Roasters, a Providence, Rhode Island. With more than three decades of experience in coffee sourcing, roasting, and wholesale development, Rik is deeply involved in every layer of the business—from building long-term relationships with producers to overseeing production, quality control, and institutional partnerships. Under his leadership, New Harvest supplies coffee to universities, bakeries, restaurants, and large venues across New England, while maintaining a strong local presence through its café and community engagement. He is passionate about sustainable sourcing, thoughtful growth, and using coffee as a way to strengthen local communities and long-term partnerships.