How did you start in coffee/tea?
Right here at Royal, actually! I come from a customer service and tech support background so I didn’t have much coffee experience beyond visiting local coffee shops. When I came on board as a coffee trader, I spent my first few months completely immersed in coffee. I was cupping daily, roasting a few times a week and learning all I could about varietals and origins until I knew enough to start trading. The team here was extraordinarily helpful in helping me get my bearings, and now I work in an industry I love.

Favorite thing about the industry?
From day one my favorite thing has been that everyone seems to love what they do. I don’t think there are many people out there who get into roasting unless they’re really passionate about it. I think having that many people who are stoked about what they do every day brings a good vibe to the industry as a whole.

If you had control of RNY radio for the day (…without risk of any criticism/comments) what would you choose?
I never really grew out of my punk phase, so probably something angsty and loud.