2017 Roasters Guild Executive Council Election Results
The Roasters Guild Elections have closed and the results are in!
We would like to welcome our newest members Tony Auger and David Myers, as well as returning council members Jen Apodaca, Joe Marrocco, Steven Lee, and Anne Cooper. The new members of the Executive Council will take office for the 2017-2019 term starting in April at the Global Specialty Coffee Expo in Seattle, WA. Please see below to learn more about your new and returning council members! (To view current Executive Council members, please click here.)
Incoming Members
JEN APODACA, ROYAL COFFEE
Jen Apodaca started roasting coffee in 2005 for McMenamins Inc. in Portland, Oregon. She has roasted coffee for Ecco Caffe, Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea, and Blue Bottle Coffee. She is now the Director of Roasting for The Crown; Royal Coffee Lab & Tasting Room. She has experience on several styles of roasting machines and is dedicated to the craft of making coffee more delicious. She is an International Juror for the Cup of Excellence and the Chair of the Coffee Committee of the Good Food Awards for the past 4 years.
JOE MARROCCO, CAFE IMPORTS
Joe Marrocco has served in several areas of Specialty Coffee from Barista to Roaster to Green Importing. When it comes to roasting, Joe loves to talk theory, try new equipment, break old roasting rules, and roast lots of different coffees. As a Sr. Sales Associate and the Director of Education at Café Imports, Joe has been given lots of opportunities to do just that. If you are ever in the Twin Cities area, you should look him up! He will likely take you out for coffee. If you can’t find him at the office, you may want to look around one of the many lakes or rivers where he and his kids will likely be hiking and fishing, or check his kitchen. Joe loves to cook, especially for friends.
STEVEN LEE, GROUNDWORK COFFEE & TEA
Steven Lee began his coffee career in 1996 as a barista at Peet's Coffee in the San Francisco Bay Area. After spending a number of years in the Training & Education Department of Peet's, he moved on to help open the Roasting and QC Department at Intelligentsia Coffee's Los Angeles Roasting Works, where he developed his love for the craft of roasting. Since then he has worked on a number of consultancy projects, and has served as a judge for international coffee competitions. Steven is currently a Certificate Holding Lead Instructor for the SCAA, which allows him the opportunity to teach, help others, and have meaningful conversations about coffee; something he actually enjoys. Steven currently holds the position of Director of Coffee Quality and Education at Groundwork Coffee in Los Angeles where he spends his days cupping coffee, writing educational programs, and figuring out better ways to make coffee brown.
ANNE COOPER, EQUILIBRIUM MASTER ROASTERS
With over 23 years working in the coffee industry, Anne is an Australian roaster who has gained extensive experience in many areas of the coffee industry as barista, café owner/manager, national barista trainer & assessor, head roaster/roasting production manager at both a national & international level.
A certified Q Grader, Anne regularly attends, volunteers, competes in & judges regional, national & international Barista, Brewers, Cup Tasting & Roasting competitions in Australia, USA & Brazil. With her consulting company, Equilibrium Master Roasters, Anne continues to develop her extensive roasting skills & knowledge with exposure to a wide range of roasting machines (from large Commercial roasters to small Specialty roasters), various roasting techniques & industry relevant processes and protocols - skills & knowledge she is really passionate about passing on to the next generation of FlameKeepers!
TONY AUGER, GENUINE ORIGIN
There’s a fine line between addiction and dedication, and Tony has successfully balanced his career in coffee by going back and forth between the two. Tony’s first job in specialty coffee started as a way to fund his increasing habit of going to a cafe and ordering one of everything. He has now spent the past decade transitioning from coffee consumer to barista, then head roaster, QC lab manager and now he resides in green importing. Along the way he picked up various awards and accolades for his devotion to coffee - including four regional and national Brewers Cup placings, a US Roasting Competition placing, a Good Foods Award, and 3 consecutive Roasters Guild Executive Council nominations. Tony now works on the Roasters Guild Events Committee and as a Regional Partnership Manager for the Genuine Origin Coffee Project where he helps bridge the gap between coffee producers and roasters. He looks forward to joining the Roasters Guild Executive Council as another way to link people with specialty coffee.
DAVID MYERS, MIGHTY GOOD COFFEE
I grew up in a home where whole beans, grinders and Chemex were the standard in the days when Chock Full o’Nuts and Sanka were prevelant. Eleven years ago, I ventured in to specialty coffee when I happened upon a Diedrich IR-12 that was for sale along with several bags of beans. I’ve been hooked ever since going from a part-time roaster delivering coffee door to door to operating several cafes and a wholesale business. Along the way, I’ve been volunteering at Roaster’s Guild, Barista Camps and SCAA Events as a Lead and Station Instructor and served on the Roaster’s Guild Curriculum Council for the past two years. I’ve been fortunate to travel to origin and meet some of the people that grow the coffee I roast and have made many great friends in the coffee community. I recently traded in my Diedrich for a Loring but often have the most fun trying new machines in the roasting tent at the Retreat. I’m especially interested in connecting with and engaging newer members with the Guild and growing and diversifying the membership. And I make it a point to make sure my parents still get a weekly shipment of fresh coffee.
