The SCAA Event

Lifetime Achievement
Ricardo Espita
El Salvadoran Coffee Council (retired)

Ricardo was born in Santa Ana, El Salvador on August 14th, 1960 where he attended elementary and high school. After graduating he enrolled on an English language program in England and later went to Texas A&M University where he earn a distinguished student certificate in 1981 and got his Bachelor´s and master´s degree on Agricultural Economics in 1983 and 1985 respectively.

His first job was at FUSADES, a Salvadoran private development foundation and think-tank. Afterwards he started working for Technoserve, a US based non-profit organization, as administrative and technical support to El Salvador's branch to provide assistance to agricultural cooperatives. In 1991, his coffee lineage flourished and he decided to start working in the coffee sector, he started working at the Salvadoran Coffee Council which is the agency in charge of defining coffee policy, representing El Salvador at international coffee forums, promoting Salvadoran coffee abroad, and providing market information to the coffee sector, among others. He began as a coffee analyst and became head of the Statistics and Economic Studies Department. Due to his skills and leadership he became Executive Director from the institution between the years 2000 to 2009.

Some accomplishments:

Representing El Salvador before trade forums such as ICO to promote welfare for coffee growers and coffee worldwide associations such as SCAA, SCAE and SCAJ to promote the qualities of El Salvador coffees and strengthen relationships between the coffee chain
Multiple times as speaker in meetings and venues worldwide including the Americas, Europe and Asia.
During his tenure the Salvadoran coffee industry had a huge support to differentiate via quality and education. There was an increased attention to El Salvador coffee potential and efforts to reach markets that could contribute to El Salvador's coffee sustainability.
Under his leadership the Council inaugurated the El Salvador School of Coffee® which aimed to provide coffee education to face new coffee paradigms; El Salvador signed a LOU with the SCAA and partnered CQI on several quests such as the Q system, Q graders training, Coffee Corps™ becoming recognized as one of the best user of these tools. El Salvador joined the Cup of Excellence program becoming one of the best organized, vanguardist and sought after events of this program and the Salvadoran Barista Championship was launched. His tenure was also marked successfully by achieving a consensus and create a marketing campaign to focus efforts to bring worldwide attention to El Salvador as an attractive and desirable top quality coffee origin. El Salvador rapidly become host to multiple coffee buyers tours including Roasters Guild and it was also showcased at its annual retreat. He was also a drive force to design and execute an internal coffee consumption strategy to increase local awareness which included a symposium with medical community to spread the knowledge of several new studies on coffee and health, among other tactics.
His passion is and always been coffee...

	Alfred Peet Passionate Cup Piero Bambi La Marzocco s.r.l. As a very young man, Piero Bambi began working at La Marzocco, the Italian espresso machine manufacturer, as a technician and provided overall technical support to those working on the shop floor. In time, he dedicated energies to designing, first and for many years, machine components, electrical and hydraulic circuits, etc. and then, in 1989/1990, introduced the first machine designed entirely in his own hand - the Linea. He also patented the more innovative brewing technology related to the Linea. When the company planned on moving to new, larger facilities in 1960, Piero, together, with a team of architects, designed the new facilities on the hills overlooking Florence and coordinated all aspects of building. In addition to his technical and design talents, he began expending his energies to sales and exports. It is in this capacity that he opened the doors of La Marzocco to other members of the industry, to the gradually expanding number of roasters outside of Italy, to coffee lovers in general and, over the past 15 years, to the young and dynamic barista class to share his passion and dedication to and knowledge about espresso coffee, as well as share in fervent but friendly debate. In 1994, Piero dedicated his own time to writing "Coffee Machines for Use in Bars" which, in addition to narrating the history of La Marzocco, provides solid advice that is still worth sharing today. Piero continues to play an important role in introducing new technology and/or design, is a master at problem solving on the shop floor and perhaps most importantly, bears witness to the history of the coffee industry itself.

	Distinguished Author Zachary Carlsen and Jordan Michelman Sprudge.com Sprudge.com is the world's most popular and shared coffee publication. Started in 2009 by two childhood friends, the website has grown into a daily source of coffee news, event coverage, industry insight and original journalism, drawing from a diverse pool of contributors representing the very best coffee writers working today. The website is proudly dedicated to providing thorough coverage of specialty coffee competitions, including the United States regional barista circuit, the United States Barista Championship, and the World Barista Championship. Along the way their work has been featured, linked, or excerpted by countless popular news sources, all with the goal of presenting coffee culture, baristas, importers, producers and roasters in a positive light. Sprudge.com is partnered with a diverse roster of companies, representing all facets of the specialty coffee industry- from machine manufacturers to green coffee importers, from cafe consultants to roaster / retailers, and much more. The website remains a labor of love, wholly owned and operated by two friends who met each other at the tender age of 14. As our website grows, we invite you to join us as readers and supporters. This award is a great honor for us, and we hope to do it justice for many years to come.

	Outstanding Contribution Karl Schmidt Probat, Inc. As President, Karl Schmidt is responsible for the activities of Probat, Inc. primarily serving the North American market. Probat Inc.'s core competency is roasting and grinding technology. The company also provides complete coffee roasting facility concepts and consultancy for the Coffee Industry. Karl is also extremely pro-active in educating the coffee community in the ever changing landscape of the environmental issues confronting the Industry on an on-going basis. He does this by participating in lectures and presentations at the SCAA and other organizations focused on coffee technology. Karl also provides this information to the various customers and companies in the industry as needed. He is a steadfast supporter of the International Women in Coffee Organization. Prior to joining Probat, he held the position of Vice President of a major multi-national company in the Beverage and Food Industry. Karl has a background in Thermal Dynamics and Drying Technology and holds a Masters Degree in Mechanical and Process Engineering from a German University. In addition, he also completed seminars and training courses that were designed and developed by the Harvard Business School and the London School of Economics where he earned a Certified Diploma.

	Special Recognition Dan Streetman Irving Farm Coffee Roasters In 2003, while a student at Texas A&M University, Dan became a barista and then, in 2004, a member of the BGA. After graduation, he made coffee his full-time career, joining Cuvee Coffee Roasting Company. Dan attended his first SCAA in 2007, volunteering as a Station Instructor for the Skill Building Workshops. He was hooked on the experience of teaching and the chance to meet his inspiring colleagues. He proceeded to compete later that same year, before becoming a Barista Competition judge and a Certified Head Judge in 2008. Also in 2008, after serving two years as the South Central Regional Chapter Representative, Dan was elected to the BGA's Executive Council. In 2010, Dan left Cuvee and traveled the country acting as Head Judge in the Regional Barista Competitions. Subsequently, Dan was hired by Dallis Brothers Coffee to bring the brand to his home state of Texas. Currently, Dan works for Irving Farm Coffee Roasters, where he implemented a new buying system and has improved the quality of the coffee at every level.

	Special Recognition In memory of a tireless fighter for the defense of the small farmer: Raul del Aguila Raul del Aguila, a leader dedicated to the Fair Trade movement, died on Feb. 13 in Nuremberg, Germany, where he was representing his COCLA Producers Organization at the Fair Trade fair, BioFach. A forester and with a post graduate in Business Administration, Raul del Aguila began his professional career in 1983 as manager of his own farm in Tocache-San Martin, Peru, which produced coffee, cocoa and citrus. Gradually, during this decade, he began to get involved with smallholders and filled roles as Technical Specialist focused on land classification, and Commercial Finance Manager. He served as Secretary of the Association of Latin American and Caribbean Coordinator of Small Fair Trade Producers, the CLAC, between 1999-2002 and during that period he also participated as an observer in meetings of the Meeting of Members (now FLO) - in Germany, representing Producers. He also worked as Director of Rural Savings and Credit at Credinka in Cusco, Peru; Chairman of the Technical Standards Committee for coffee - INDECOPI Peru; President of the Peruvian Network for Economic Solidarity and Ethical Trade; Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce of the Convention; President Meat Industry Convention, President of the Cooperative El Tambo, President of the Pachamama Coffee Cooperative, among many other positions he held for to support the development of producers and as a leader in the cooperative movement. It was in the periods of 2006-2008, 2008-2010 he served as President of the CLAC. He was also a member of the FLO Board, and since 1994 was the General Manager of COCLA, which is a second grade Peruvian cooperative made up of 23 primary cooperatives whose members mainly produce coffee and cocoa products exported to U.S., Europe and Asia. Raul del Aguila was one of the historical figures of Latin American Fair Trade and always stood out as a faithful guardian of the rights of small producers, and asserted their voice in the highest levels of the system. In May 2010, he was honored by Human Rights Awards internationally as a pioneer in the development of Fair Trade. Undoubtedly, he leaves a tireless example of how a person can set aside his own interests to work on behalf of others. His life was a model of conviction, transparency, justice, and righteousness. "Fair trade is a change agent because it promotes a new way of being, and this works because it involves people throughout the system." said Raul del Aguila in the 2011-12 annual report of FLO. Truly, Raul del Aguila was characterized as a true pioneer of Fair Trade for small producers - not only in Latin America and the Caribbean, but globally - and his departure leaves a huge legacy in this business. "Our sorrow for the great loss of Raul is immense, but we have faith that the ideas our brother defended will prevail in all of us," said Merling Preza, Ex-President of the CLAC. Now, the life of Raul del Aguila will be in the memory of those who shared the hard work of fair trade, those who shared the road and those who stood side by side. We can only remember Raul del Aguila and continue fighting for the values that he championed in support of small producers.

	Service to the Association Andi C. Trindle Mersch Atlantic Specialty Coffee Andi's varied experience within specialty coffee began behind the espresso bar in 1989 and, since then, includes cupping, training, consulting, green coffee trading, roast quality control, sales, writing, and marketing. Andi currently trades green coffee and manages the Atlantic Specialty Coffee quality control lab. She has published articles with Roast Magazine and Specialty Coffee Retailer, and contributed to Fresh Cup, Coffee & Cocoa International, and Coffee Talk. Andi served 5 years on the board of the International Women's Coffee Alliance, including a one year term as President. Andi is finishing her 3 year service on the SCAA Board of Directors as Chair of the Professional Development Committee. She has proudly volunteered with the SCAA since 1998, formally joining the former Training Committee (TC) in 2001. She served on the espresso and cupping Subcommittees of the TC until 2010 when she transferred to the newly formed Professional Development Committee (ProDev), which she helped form and manage since its inception. Andi also served on the SCAA Nominating Committee in 2006/2007. Along with 12 years of committee and board service, Andi has developed and presented course content in brewing, cupping, roasting, espresso, and coffee business at the annual Event and Roasters Guild retreats for the past 15 years. Outside of the coffee world, Andi is the founder and Artistic Director of Triple Shot Productions, a 501(c) (3) theater producing company in San Francisco. Andi has performed and produced small theater in San Francisco since 1993 and most recently produced the world premiere of Dan Wilson's Just One More Game in March of this year. Andi is hanging up her theater and about half of her coffee hats to focus more on her highest priorities: her 16 month old "little bean" Alexis and her beloved, most appreciated husband, Eric.

	2013 Specialty Beverage: Cisse Trading Co. for their hot cocoa mixes product line 2013 Coffee or Tea Preparation & Serving Equipment (Commercial): Baratza for their flat burr grinder 2013 Coffee or Tea Preparation & Serving Equipment (Consumer): Brevelle for their Barista Espress espresso machine with integrated conical burr grinder 2013 Sustainability: Canterbury for their Singolo espresso machine and capsules 2013 Packaging: Seda International Packaging for their turn + go lid and Seda double wall cup 2013 Best New Product Food: Tierra Nueva Fine Cocoa for their coffee thins natural energy bars

	2013 Coffee & Tea Preparation & Serving Equipment (Consumer): Brewcessories.com for their Verstazi Magazzo - Coffee Pourover Station in Walnut 2013 Coffee & Tea Preparation & Serving Equipment (Commercial): Brewcessories.com for their Verstazi Espertto II Coffee Pourover Station in Walnut 2013 Food: Tierra Nueva Fine Cocoa for their coffee thins natural energy bars 2013 Packaging: Dave's Coffee for their Dave's Coffee All Natural Cold Brewed Coffee Syrup 2013 Specialty Beverage: Bev Tech for their Fabbri Gourmet Sauces Product Line 2013 Sustainability: Brewcessories.com for their Verstazi Voltaré Coffee Pourover Station in Bamboo 2013 Open Class: Coffee Lab Asia Limited Coffee Lab Asia Limited for their Cupping Lab - Cupping Software Application