As A&E continues to grow, our staff continues to evolve and grow with us. It’s an exciting time! Check out what some of the staff has been up to of late:
Sam:
Sam will be taking on more responsibility by taking on the Wholesale Sales and Training program while still managing Quality Control along with some equipment maintenance. This new role will have him visiting A&E’s wholesale accounts to train the staff on brewed coffee and espresso drinks. These accounts have already seen an improvement!
Sam recently completed the Instructor Development Program through SCAA to certify him to teach classes. We caught up with him to learn a bit more about this new addition to his (already impressive) coffee knowledge:
Can you tell us more about what this move to this new position means for you?
I guess my reason for wanting to be a part of the education side of the coffee industry is that I really have a passion for helping the people who are producing coffee at origin. Most coffee producers are living in extreme poverty and can barely afford to feed their families. This is mainly due to the fact that the market price of coffee has barely increased at all in the past 30 years when compared to other common goods. This means the cost of actually producing coffee is greater than what producers can get in return. Coffee is worth much more than it is currently sold for and the average price per pound directly reflects the value the average consumer equates it to. By learning how to educate others on the value and uniqueness of each pound of coffee, and how to properly prepare it, I can help create more value for coffee. This will reflect in the amount people are willing to pay for it.
What skills did this class help to develop and how will this class improve what you do at A&E?
This class developed my ability to teach people everything I know about coffee. It will help me to better present subject matter both to a new A&E employee and to our customer base.
What was your favorite aspect of the class?
My favorite part about the class was being able to feel part of a community of people who are trying to educate the North East in the area of specialty coffee
So you were married in September (congrats, by the way!) – were you able to take a honeymoon? How’s married life treating you?
Yes I did get married! Alyssa and I are doing very well and are loving the married life. We went up to Burlington, VT for our honeymoon and had a wonderful time.
Nichole:
After being a long-time customer, Nichole started working at A&E 4 years ago, first as a Cashier and a then as a Barista. Eager to learn more about the business, she approached Emeran when the Wholesale Account Manager position opened. Though this position initially started as part-time, Nichole has worked hard coordinating the wholesale roast schedule and taking a hands-on approach to the packaging process. We’re happy to have her managing A&E’s wholesale accounts full time now.
We caught up with Nichole to hear what she has to say about this new position.
“ I have really enjoyed [this position] because I get to see all of my efforts come to fruition as we roast, ship and deliver an average of 800 pounds of coffee per week to our various wholesale accounts. ”
Nichole will now lead the onboarding of new wholesale accounts, walking them through the first few order cycles and making sure they’re set up for success. Her impeccable communications skills will be put to good use as she’ll manage A&E’s account relationships and continue to ensure that the roasting, shipping and delivery happens smoothly each week.
“ I take both a professional and personal approach to my interactions with accounts in an effort to solidify our relationships with our customers. That personal approach is something I really believe is missing in business these days. I’m really thrilled to have had a hand in growing our wholesale business during my tenure thus far and am excited to be part of this team. My hope is to use the skills and knowledge I have gained during my time with A&E to further promote our product and ideals.”
Be sure to stop in and congratulate these Roastarians on their new positions and their commitment to great coffee! And, while you’re in, make sure to enjoy one of our limited-time-only specialty drinks (Pumpkin Chai Latte, anyone?) before the month’s end!
