Meet the Louisville 2023 speakers!
-
)
Brennan Pothetes is the Co-Founder and CEO of Butter Insurance, which offers a more accessible and efficient insurance experience for coffee shops coupled with a safety program, making them more susta ... -
)
David Palazuelos started his journey in Specialty Coffee as a barista at Presta Coffee Roasters in the sunny city of Tucson, Arizona. He slowly worked his way up through other roles within the company ... -
)
Joey Stazzone is the President (and Chief Coffee Hunter) of Cafe Kreyol. In 2012 Stazzone took his experience with chemistry, cross breeding, and backyard botany, and began working in developing count ... -
)
My name is Sean, Founder of West Lou Coffee. West Lou Coffee is a coffee roastery that was started from a deep love for coffee and for my home community. I was born and raised in the West End of Louis ... -
)
Anita Tam is the Founder and Owner of Slow Pour Supply - a specialty coffee equipment distribution company based in Houston, TX. Anita serves as the interim Chairperson for the United States Coffee Ch ... -
)
Kenneth R. Olson (he/him) is co-founder and publisher of Barista Magazine the worldwide trade magazine for the professional coffee community. He has written extensively about specialty coffee, travele ... -
)
Stacy joined the specialty coffee industry in 1998 when she took a job at Kaldi’s Coffeehouse in Cincinnati, Ohio. Since that time, she’s used her extensive language skills and travel experience in ru ... -
)
Jen manages the Sales Team at Dillanos Coffee Roasters. She has been in the coffee industry for over 30 years, 19 of those years have been at Dillanos. Over the years she has owned, managed, bought, f ... -
)
Culture & Community Ambassador, Dillanos Mike Miller has been in the Coffee industry for over 15 years. He has owned 3 coffee businesses including a coffee shop in the Virgin Islands, a Drive-Thru in ... -
)
2021 Oct/Nov Barista Magazine Featured cover and article. Competitor in the Barista League Online (S2). Going on year 10 in the coffee industry, in which I've pushed for creativity in signature bevera ... -
)
VP of Sales, Two Leaves and a Bud Jen is an Iowa girl who has been slinging tea with Two Leaves and a Bud for over 15 years now. When not talking tea you may find her as a cheering sideline soccer mom ... -
)
Claire Harriman is Business Development Director at Roast, managing advertising sales and new business opportunities for Roast and Daily Coffee News with a focus on building successful partnerships in ... -
)
Lease Consultant, The Lease Coach Dale Willerton is The Lease Coach, a professional lease consultant who has helped thousands of Tenants for over 25 years. The Lease Coach exclusively works for Tenant ... -
)
PerfectCube Mark Calhoun and Jim Starcev are serial entrepreneurs. They have started and sold multiple businesses over the last 16 years, ranging from technology to gelato. Their latest company, Perfe ... -
)
LaToya owned and operated Coffee & Cream in her hometown in the early 2000's leaving it behind when she relocated to Louisville Kentucky. She along with her husband's support now owns and operates 2 l ... -
)
Owner, Birch Coffee Jeremy co-founded Birch Coffee, a New York City-based coffee company, in 2009. Since then, the company has grown to 14 locations and is doing 10x the revenue it was doing by the en ... -
)
Owner, Keys to the Shop Podcast and Consulting Chris Deferio is an award-winning coffee professional and coffee shop consultant. With 23 years in the retail specialty coffee industry, he has held nume ... -
)
Customer Service Manager, Toddy Cold Brew Devon Powers is the Customer Service Manager at Toddy, a company at the forefront of cold brewing since 1964. Devon spends much of his time talking to coffee ... -
)
Head of Sales and Marketing, Dillanos Coffee Roasters Dave is the Head of Sales and Marketing for Dillanos Coffee Roasters. After a successful career at Nordstrom, Dave has served for over a decade in ... -
)
Sales, Two Leaves and a Bud Hannah is a former barista who has a passion for beverage crafting: specifically tea-based beverages! She has been with the Two Leaves and a Bud team since December 2021, a ... -
)
Serving Coffee to Others for 20 years Roasting Coffee for Others for 18 years Training Baristas for 18 years Consulting New Coffee Shops for 18 years Consulting New Coffee Roasters for 15 years Managi ... -
)
PerfectCube Mark Calhoun and Jim Starcev are serial entrepreneurs. They have started and sold multiple businesses over the last 16 years, ranging from technology to gelato. Their latest company, Perfe ... -
)
In the past 5 years as Sucafina North America’s QC Manager, Susan has cupped 450,000 cups of coffee. Prior to Sucafina, Susan was managing cafes and putting her Q Grader certification to work by evalu ... -
)
Account Executive, Caffe Umbria Terika Raak has been in the industry for more than 17 years and continues to get excited about learning new things each day. Over the past few years Terika has enjoyed ... -
)
Working at Cafe Kreyol has given me the opportunity to know what it feels like to make a difference in the world. Our choices are guided by the knowledge that thousands of farmers will directly benefi ... -
)
James Weiler (he/him) has worked in the specialty-coffee industry since 2003 primarily as a field tech and a commercial equipment servicer. He has worked in this capacity for Intelligentsia Coffee in ... -
)
Marketing Director, Lotus Energy Drinks With 10 years of marketing experience, from working with brands to becoming a digital marketing consultant, Hannah's journey has led her to becoming the Marketi ... -
)
Julie is the owner of GreenPod Coffee Packing, a revolutionary compostable coffee pod manufacturer specializing in co-packing for other specialty roasters. As small-batch roasters first, Julie and her ... -
)
With 15+ years marketing in industries ranging from fashion, retail, nonprofit, restaurant and public health, Angie came to specialty coffee in 2018 to empower small business owners in building and gr ... -
)
Julia Leach leads Toddy, LLC, a company at the forefront of cold brewing since 1964. Julia’s team helps cafes and roasters around the world to develop cold brew programs that highlight the nuances of ... -
)
Keith Hawkins has been in the coffee industry for over 25 years and is a passionate coffee connoisseur. Keith’s pragmatic approach to the coffee industry is to educate, introduce and inspire the consu ... -
)
Jackie Nguyen is a first-generation, daughter of a Vietnam war refugee. Jackie lived in New York City for over 10 years as a Broadway actor. However, due to the pandemic, the arts took a huge pause, l ... -
)
With a degree in journalism from University of Georgia and a career in film/video production under his belt, Christian has spent the last 5 years exploring opportunities to engage the local community ... -
)
Erin-Kate has an extensive background in business leadership, sales and operations. Her sales and operations backgrounds have helped her to be a sought-after consultant and coach, helping brands to gr ... -
)
Will is the Marketing Director for all of Heine Bros' 17 cafe locations in addition to wholesale and e-commerce. He previously worked in the caffeine industry as a Creative Director with Alani Nutriti ... -
)
Jack has founded multiple restaurant tech startups and is currently the CEO of Dripos, an all in one POS built specifically for Coffee Shops. Dripos powers coffee shops all across the country and unde ... -
)
Manish Shah is the owner of Maya Tea Company, a Tucson, Arizona-based manufacturer and distributor of fine loose leaf tea blends. He began his tea company in 1996 with a single product, and has since ... -
)
David is currently the CEO for La Terza Artisan Coffee Roasterie, a full service coffee resource that provides the highest quality coffee for consumers, equipment and education for restaurants and cof ... -
)
Rob Arnold is the owner of Pregame Coffee in Louisville, KY. He's originally from Iowa, attended Iowa State University, and then joined the U.S. Navy. Upon leaving the Navy, he went back to school for ... -
)
Born and raised in the Lone Star State, Chris began his coffee journey in 2017 with the opening of Purefi Coffee Roasters. Located in Spring, TX, PCR’s focus is to use the service of specialty coffee ... -
)
Justin Shepherd is the owner of Spencer’s Coffee, which operates three distinct locations in the midsize college town of Bowling Green, Ky. A disaffected journalist, Justin acquired the business in 20 ... -
)
Director of Brand Development, Barista 22 Syrups & Sauces Beginning her coffee career in 1997 as a barista, Anna currently manages the Barista 22 line of syrups, sauces and powders. Having extensive e ... -
)
Joe Dininger has worked in Specialty Coffee for going on 13 years and is currently the Product Development and Quality Manager at Heine Brothers Coffee. He develops new products and seasonal menus and ... -
)
Experiences Coordinator, Monin Ryan has been with Monin since 2008, taking a small 5-year break to teach Middle School English. She came back to the coffee world in 2020 and dove right into marketing. ... -
)
I was born and raised in Maui, Hawaii and moved to Louisville, Kentucky for college in 2012. Like any good student who takes a “break” from college, I got a job as a barista and started working at Sun ... -
)
Paul co-founded Birch Coffee, a New York City-based coffee company, in 2009. Since then, the company has grown to 14 locations and is doing 10x the revenue it was doing by the end of year three. Paul ... -
)
Tom Palm has 25 years of experience in the restaurant and foodservice industry. He is the founder of Design & Layout Services, a company specializing in the design of specialty coffee shops. Working w ...
Learn From Over 80+ Hours of Seminars, Workshops & Discussions
There's a variety of ways to learn when you attend a Coffee Fest event. Take advantage of over 80+ hours of content that will help you drive your business forward. The one thing we hear attendees say over and over again is just how accessible our classes and presenters are. Access learning in a few different ways, through Paid Workshops, Free Morning Seminars and through sessions on the exhibit show floor...
Check out these focused tracks that you'll find at Coffee Fest New Orleans:
Consider the All Access Pass at just $450!
The most cost-effective 2 days of training and education!
What's Included:
- Access to all show days
- 80+ hours of complimentary education
- Ability to watch the Latte Art World Championship Open
- Unlimited access to paid workshops up to 2 hours
- Ability to select ONE hands-on training workshop up to $99
Paid Workshops
These limited-capacity workshops give you access to hands-on training with time to ask presenters questions to get the clarity you need. These workshops require an additional investment ranging from $39-$199
Free Seminars
Make the most of your days at Coffee Fest with over 20 FREE seminars that come with your registered badge. Take these business-building principles from industry experts and others who've been where you are! Sessions are first-come, first-served.
What attendees are saying...
"We attended Coffee Fest San Antonio because we were looking to develop relationships with vendors and see what new products were out there to continue to stay innovative at our shop. Coffee Fest will be a new annual event for my store. The relationships we were able to build, the classes we were able to take and the vendors we were able to connect with were very valuable to my store.”
Jessica Edwards, Founder
Frank & Joe’s Coffee House, Wichita Falls, Texas
