Barista Magazine

OCT-NOV 2012

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While it was incredibly important to constantly develop my skills to stay relevant amongst the talented group of Intelligentsia coffee professionals, it was equally important to stay ever-so-engaged with our retail customer base. I felt that my continued presence at the espresso machine, bean counter, or behind the register continually reinforced our commitment to them and to our product. The values of your company must always be represented in the service you provide. BMag: But you did leave Intelligentsia and coffee for a period of time, right? MB: I actually went back to the same cell-phone company—the same boss asked me to return to work for him in new market expansion and spectrum deployment. They offered a ton of money and very interesting and unique opportunity. When I left coffee (for about nine months) most of the choice was centered around expanding my desire to learn a different perspective of leadership, and the new earning potential. (To be honest, and I'll never make that mistake again.) My short time out of the coffee industry most certainly made me realize what an important role passion and motivation play in what career choices you make. It was then when an opportunity became available at the SCAA, albeit it was a bit awkward as it was a position recently vacated by a very dear and talented friend, Michelle Campbell. BMag: In your position with Intelligentsia, you worked closely with the SCAA on a number of events, right? MB: I'd been incredibly lucky to have the support of my employer in volunteering for the SCAA since 2004. I started out judging at regional competitions and also coordinating much of the hosting duties for the competitions presented by Intelligentsia in Chicago. While continuing to judge, I became a member of the USBC head judges committee, getting a chance to work with wonderful industry friends like Brent Fortune, Tracy Allen and Nick Cho. I judged at several WBC events and the WBC finals in Copenhagen in 2008. Intelligentsia hosted a total of three Great Lakes Regional Barista Competitions during my tenure, all of which I was chiefly responsible for producing. Honestly I never had intentions of assuming a staff position at SCAA for running various barista competitions and programs. It wasn't until the opportunity became available that I had a very inspiring conversation with Ric Rhinehart that focused not only on producing the barista competitions, but also the desire of SCAA leadership to elevate the role of the barista in the forward growth of the specialty coffee platform, and bring this incredibly passionate community together so they truly understand the power of their position and voice in our industry. BMag: You've worked with barista competitions at all levels, from the paperwork and planning beforehand, to the execution of a competition. What are your favorite parts about barista competitions? MB: As I moved through planning barista competitions, it was always so important to remember that my goal was to understand what the competitors need to be successful and to feel supported at the competition. Of course we were always limited by time and budgets, but the competitors were always so grateful for that level of support. I didn't mind running soundboards, cameras, or cleaning dishes to ensure that everything was what they expected. My favorite moments were always being able to tell the competitor right before pressing the red LEAVE THE ENERGY TO THE COFFEE. CONCEPT GREEN LINE ESPRESSO MACHINE It Knows What You Want and Then Some Self Learning Software memorizes your peak production hours and auto adjusts to stand-by mode during down time Brewing Accuracy Software senses when your brew is not your best and will tell you how to correct it Multi-Boiler lets you operate group heads at different temperatures Huge Energy Savings with 47.6% certifi ed energy savings during its rest period & 30% when operational GREENSBORO, NC 336.662.0766 WEGAUSA.COM Like us on . WEGA USA www.baristamagazine.com 65

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