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.

With 13 years of experience, Britta Gustafson, the director of Education and Outreach for New Harvest Coffee Roasters, has made a career out of sharing their curiosity and joy for coffee. Whether they are building a bespoke training program for a new cafe, coaching baristas, or discussing the coffee supply chain with a curious consumer, their goal is to make coffee accessible and enjoyable for all.

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.

Dave Ferreira is the Master Roaster for Death Wish Coffee, with a decade of experience in the industry. Using his passion for coffee to find the best quality greens and develop roasts that highlight the unique attributes, he loves talking to like-minded people that can mutually advance their passions and drive innovation in the industry.

I am so excited to be participating in NECF for my second year! I have worked in specialty coffee in the Greater Boston area for over 14 years. I started out on the retail/cafe side, first as a barista and then managing one of Boston's busiest cafes. I eventually made the switch over to the Roasting/Wholesale side of the industry and have been the Director of Wholesale at Atomic for 5 years. Most recently, I became a certified Q Grader, which greatly supports my role on Atomic's Quality Control/ Green sourcing team..

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.

Harry Sultan is a Portland Maine transplant from New York City and a transplant in the world of professional Coffee from the world of digital media. After studying documentary and then years working as a producer for SYFY and Food52 he decided to pursue something he could put his whole heart into. Harry opened Another Round in June 2025 as a place to form community in a third space that was designed to be equally comfortable for folks coming in to play a 2 hour game of Settlers of Catan as it was for people stopping in for a great latte or relaxing after work with a local beer. In the year leading up to Another Round opening, Harry spent countless hours trying to expand his knowledge of coffee - a pursuit, he learned through the process, that he will never fully complete but is thrilled to continue.

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.

Based in CT, Juan Valentin is a multi-hyphenated guy and owner of Capsule Coffee Lab. Rooted in the belief that coffee knowledge should be accessible, providing coffee lessons, equipment repairs and maintenance, as well as open-source 3D-print designs for various coffee tools. He began his journey within the local CT coffee scene by volunteering his skills in design and engineering in exchange for lessons on espresso. His curiosity led him back home to Puerto Rico, where he was a barista and coffee tech for the past four years. He helped shops and farms improve their setup, provided private coffee lessons in both commercial- and home-use settings, as well as created 3D-printed tools for cafes, restaurants, and bars across the island. When not talking about coffee, you can find Juan hanging out with his wife and their cat, playing Magic the Gathering with friends, or cooking a homemade meal for family.

Justin has been immersed in the coffee industry since 2009, starting his journey as a barista and shifted into roles such as educator, quality control technician, roaster, coffee director, and now, business owner. With over a decade of roasting experience, Justin has honed his craft through continuous learning including participation in SCA Barista and Brewers Competitions. In 2023, he officially launched Enjoy Coffee Roasters. His unique perspective, shaped by years of hands-on experience across multiple facets of the industry, makes him a sought-after educator and panelist. Justin is hyped to contribute as a moderator and instructor at this year's New England Coffee Festival!!

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.

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!

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.

My name is Mika and I am one of the Barista Trainers at Joe Coffee Company in New York City. I have worked in coffee for about 10 years in various roles relating to retail, training, and education. The chance to connect with people and continue learning about such a ubiquitous craft has encouraged me to continue exploring this industry. For the past couple of years, my work has been more training and quality control focused. I have taught classes related to palate development and barista skills. I believe these skills are beneficial inside and outside of cafes since context can help empower us to acknowledge more about the spaces we inhabit and our impact on them.

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.

With nearly three decades in the coffee industry, Neil Balkcom has built a career spanning many parts of specialty coffee value chain, from green coffee sourcing and quality control to roasting, production, and operations leadership. Over 27 years, he has developed expertise in sensory analysis as a licensed Q Grader, combined with an operational mindset shaped by hands-on experience roasting, doing quality control, overseeing manufacturing, and supply-chain systems. His work bridges technical precision and craft, integrating quality standards, process design, and efficiency with profound respect for producers and origin relationships.

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.

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. 

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.

A mad scientist and kenning woman of the roastery with over 10 years industry experience and a lifetime in cafes. Lead roaster, founder, and worker-owner: Cafe Reynard, 89 Commercial Street, Malden MA.

Hi I am the lead roaster and roastery manager at Pavement Coffeehouse. I'm a New Hampshire native and have been living in Boston since the end of 2013. I joined Pavement in 2018 and started roasting full time in 2020. I love developing a new roast and listen very carefully to what I think the coffee is trying to tell me. When not in the roastery you can find me tending to my community garden plot or riding my bike :-)

Sasha has led the coffeehouse at Coffee By Design since 2024 after over a decade of working in coffee and fine dining. She is passionate about the customer experience and creating new ways for her team to get excited about coffee. She loves crafting new drinks and bringing her restaurant background into the cafe experience through collaboration with her team on creative menu development. 

Sylvie is from Andover, MA and got into the coffee industry through working as a barista in Harvard square. She has had the pleasure of roasting, training baristas, wholesaling coffee, and now represents Minor Figures for the Northeast! Respect for coffee is the name of the game, and no better way to do it than pulling a really really good espresso.

Broken Cup Teahouse is a Greater Boston-based, Asian woman-owned small business that specializes in sourcing single-origin, traditionally handcrafted, small-batch teas directly from tea makers in East Asia, and brings people together to experience beauty in a cup.