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PU LL: EV EN T S MANE PROVES THE MERIT OF EAST COAST COFFEE COMMUNITY ONCE AGAIN BEFORE BARISTA CAMP before Thursday Night , Throwdowns, before all of the stand-alone barista events in the United States, there was the Beast of the East Barista jam, now known as MANE: the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast Coffee Conference. Started years ago by visionaries Gerra Harrigan, then of New Harvest Coffee Roasters in Rhode Island, and Troy Reynard, owner of Cosmic Cup Coffee in Pennsylvania, the MANE Conference was developed to give East Coast café owners and baristas a place to gather and learn together, to celebrate their coffee world, make new friends, and soak up some seriously rich educational opportunities. Now it's 2013, and Gerra has left New Harvest— how would the annual MANE event continue? In the capable hands of New Harvest owner Rik Kleinfeldt, that's how. With his longtime friend Gerra (who took a position at InterAmerican Coffee last year), and Troy in the mix as always, Rik picked up the reins and drove MANE into new territory while maintaining what is beloved about the original model: It is grungy, it is impulsive, it is nebulous, it is great. From September 27–29 in Pawtucket, R.I., the MANE Conference attracted a sold out crowd of more than 300 to Hope Artiste Village, a beautiful old sugar mill that is today inhabited by a host of creative companies, including the Rhode Island School The Mid-Atlantic/Northeast Coffee Conference—affectionately known as MANE—was its usual of Design Alumni Gallery, a children's yoga studio, successful self this October, drawing pro baristas and café owners from across New England to the Rhode Island event hosted by New Harvest Coffee Roasters. Funky, friendly, inexpensive, and New Harvest's roasting and training facilities, as and accessible, the annual MANE Conference is known to be one of the most educational, well as a café. coffee-community oriented forums around. MANE took over several spaces within the Village: the unique and interesting class on sensory skills taught by Mike Primary gathering areas were the ballroom and bar, and a larger Mowry of Equal Exchange, in which all senses were explored forum space where latte art training, registration, meals, and in coffee evaluation, not just taste and smell. No one batted an coffee breaks took place. Individual classes took place in New eyelash about getting up early on Friday for a special cupping of Harvest's roasting room and training centers. Cup of Excellence coffees from Rwanda and Burundi led by the The two-day event is incredibly ambitious, offering really solid, InterAmerican team, either. inspiring educational sessions from leaders in the coffee industry: In fact, there didn't seem to be any classes or forums that weren't George Howell delivered the keynote speech, for example. Marcus well attended and animated. That's the kind of event MANE is. Boni of Kaldi's Coffee and World Brewers Cup Champion Erin Everything is alive and colorful. There's structure, but it's loose; McCarthy of Counter Culture Coffee sat on the always popular Drawing outside of the lines is encouraged. "How Did I Get Here?" panel moderated by Gerra. Todd Mackey We couldn't be more delighted that there are more and more gave an abbreviated version of the popular green-coffee defects stand-alone events for baristas and café owners all the time—we at class that he teaches regularly for Coffee Solutions. Enrico Wurm Barista Magazine champion nontraditional forums for education. of La Marzocco traveled all the way from Italy to discuss espresso That's why we will continue to support them all. We have a special machine technology and strategy. The list of esteemed presenters place in our heart, however, for the MANE Conference, for which went on and on. we were the media sponsor again this year. It's genuine, affordable, As individual classes engaged, wandering baristas were encour- inclusive, highly educational, and just a lot of fun. Get your calenaged to drop in to the on-going latte art training led by the talent- dars out and make a note for September of 2014—MANE's where ed Tamara Vigil, Liz Clark, Ana Mallozzi, Mark Hundley, Justin you're going to want to be. Enis, and Teresa von Fuchs. An overflow of students pressed into —Sarah Allen 24 barista magazine