How do you take your coffee?
Mostly black with a pinch of milk to bring up mouthfeel and sweetness.
Tell us about some of the challenges (and joys!) of being a coffee member of the coffee community:
Being part of Portuguese culture, Portuguese coffee brings people together. “Vamos tomar um café” (let’s go for a coffee) is a Portuguese tradition.
During the 18th century the Portuguese were crucial in expanding the coffee industry into what it is today. Portuguese colonists introduced the coffee plant to Brazil and later to other former colonies in Africa.
My joy is sharing my knowledge of over 25 years of experience in the coffee world. Having the certificates of Coffee Quality Processing and Coffee Quality Grader, I love sharing my passion in coffee with my colleagues and our dear partners.
Has the Canadian coffee landscape changed in terms of diversity & inclusion since you've started working over 25 years ago?
The coffee industry has evolved a lot. I see 2 changes:
One, with more access to technology, changes in legislation and increasing competition in the marketplace, consumers are starting to become better versed in understanding the coffee world and are moving towards sustainability and organic options. In line with this, Canadians are more likely to chose organic or environmentally friendly coffee. At KDP we are buying all our green coffee responsibly sourced. Therefore, we have direct relationships built around aid and sustainability in several coffees growing countries. We help our coffee farmers to improve their revenue and environment so they can be a stronger community.
And two, I am glad to see more and more women leading the coffee industry. At KDP Canada, we are proud that 33% of our employees are women and even prouder that 25% of them are in leadership positions.
If you could work towards ONE thing to increase diversity & inclusion in Canadian coffee, what would this be?
I would encourage women to get involved in and become leaders in the coffee industry.
