Serving People Serving Coffee Since 2005
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85 www.baristamagazine.com New Deal have partnered already on a coffee liqueur that is still in heavy production. "These are my friends; they're people I hang out with when I'm not at work. They're as excited about what they do as I am about what I do, so inevitably, we end up talking about it, and that leads to getting really excited about doing a project together." Having grown up in the coffee business, specifi cally in the business of doing coffee business as an advisor with Bellissimo, Matt understands the importance of cross-promotion and branding. "With the Cascara Wit, Base Camp loyalists fi nd out about Water Avenue Coffee. Conversely, Water Avenue Coffee drinkers might be trying Base Camp beer for the fi rst time," he says. "All of a sudden, you have thousands more people who know your company's name. And they already trust Base Camp, so they trust that Base Camp wouldn't partner with a company that wasn't up to their standards. We get the benefi t of their reputation, and vice versa." Matt's the kind of guy you ask to water your plants when you're out of town. You call him if you get a fl at tire and need a lift. He comes though for his friends in a pinch, every single time. Matt met the woman he would eventually marry when he was a punk kid working at a café in Eugene. Matt dotes on Kylene, as well as their elderly chihuahua, Atreyu, and brand-new puppy, a Japanese Chin named Mochi, and he likes nothing better than being with his family. He spends as much time as he can with his younger sister, Whitney, and her 2-year-old, Thayer. And of course, Matt loves his dad, Bruce. They work together, travel together, and confi de in one another, as they have for more than two decades. Perhaps that especially close paternal relationship is part of what set Matt up for leadership. Today, he's on top of running a roasting company, directing education for ABCS, and overseeing Water Ave.'s business-extension projects. Notably in 2016, Matt created an entire curriculum for the online side of ABCS, called www.onlinebaristatraining.com, which offers immersive training and instruction for prospective as well as existing coffee-business owners. It made sense, then, for the members of the Oregon Coffee Board (OCB) to vote Matt their president, a position in which he is cur- rently serving. The OCB is the fi rst association of its kind—that is, an advocacy group established for the promotion and betterment of the statewide coffee industry. It was modeled off the Oregon Wine Board, which was founded to bring previously competitive winemak- ers and vintners together in an effort to distinguish Oregon as a wine lover's destination. "People won't come just for one winery, or one roaster, but if Oregon is known for being a place with lots of great wines and lots of great coffees, people will come," says Matt. The OCB was founded in 2014 "to represent the Oregon coffee industry and promote the quality and diversity that is found among the coffee trade," reads the mission statement. "As the fi rst of its kind in the United States, the Oregon Coffee Board has elevated standards to encourage involvement and promote specialty coffee in the industry. Providing information and leadership to help guide members, the Oregon Coffee Board is dedicated to the betterment of each member's craft." No, Matt hasn't discovered a way to magically create extra hours in the day in order to be president of the board, a demanding job previously held by Mark Stell of Portland Roasting Coffee. He's making it work though—he believes in it that much. "We can't just go national, or international, without having our local game down and solid fi rst," he says. "I think this eludes a lot of coffee-business owners. It's so fun to go to the big coffee events and be a part of all the things happening far away from home—vol- unteer efforts, or competitions and workshops. Honing in on what's happening in your own backyard might seem a lot less sexy—but it's so important." Of course, Matt's talking not only about his work with the Oregon Coffee Board, but with Water Avenue Coffee, as well. Is it better to be known citywide as the coffee on tap at Portland's best brunch restaurants (which Water Ave. is)? Or to be known to the worldwide specialty-coffee community for being a guest roaster far from home? There's no right answer for everyone—each owner and company has to decide for themselves. For Matt, there's no question. "Water Avenue is by, for, and about Portland, Oregon," he says. "It's an honor to be here, so I want to really and truly be here." "!++'ċ+)ĥ+û!!%*/%#$0/ƫđƫ%#+*/1)!.%*/%#$0/ċ+) %#+*/1)!.%*/%#$0/Į#)%(ċ+)ƫđƫĂćĊċăăĀċĂĂĆĆ HOW HAPPY ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS? CONSUMER INSIGHTS Subscription-based market research for cafés Let Consumer Insights measure your customers' satisfaction for just $24.95/month! Online satisfaction surveys with monthly results & analysis.