10 Minutes With Todd Mackey

Todd Mackey
QC Coordinator & Trainer
InterAmerican Coffee/Coffee Solutions
Hopedale, Massachusetts

What other coffee jobs have you had?

Customer Support Manager, New Harvest Coffee Roasters, Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Retail Operations Manager, Olga’s, Providence, Rhode Island

Awaiting a pour from 2012 USBC Champ Katie Carguilo while judging the Providence Coffee Society Competition Cappuccino Throwdown at Nuova Simonelli, InterAmerican Coffee, Visions Espresso Service, and Coffee Solutions' Big Eastern Prep Event '14. (Judge's not pictured  “ Rob Stephen, Dan Streetman)
Awaiting a pour from 2012 USBC Champ Katie Carguilo while judging the Providence Coffee Society Competition Cappuccino Throwdown at Nuova Simonelli, InterAmerican Coffee, Visions Espresso Service, and Coffee Solutions’ Big Eastern Prep Event ’14. (Judge’s not pictured “ Rob Stephen, Dan Streetman)

What’s your favorite part about working in coffee?

Hands down, the people. I have met so many genuine and memorable people in my work in specialty coffee. In at a close second is how dynamic a trade coffee is: constantly changing, new, exciting, challenging, and different.

Where do you ideally see yourself in 10 years?

I like to think that in 10 years I will be in coffee, adding ever-increasing value to the supply chains I am part of, sharing knowledge and information, and enjoying the company of some top-notch human beings along the way.

Pouring cups and getting it done in the Coffee Solutions lab.
Pouring cups and getting it done in the Coffee Solutions lab.

Who and what inspires you?

My daughter inspires me constantly. Just looking at her reminds me that so much of our lives’ potential impact lies off in the future, undefined and undetermined, just waiting for our input and passion. I take this reflection as a challenge and inspiration to invest carefully with the only priceless resource any of us have: time.

 Hoisting the infamous Providence Percolator after taking 1st in a Latte Art Throwdown hosted by New Harvest Coffee Roasters in 2009.
Hoisting the infamous Providence Percolator after taking 1st in a Latte Art Throwdown hosted by New Harvest Coffee Roasters in 2009.

What are you drinking right now?  

Panama Finca Lerida, washed & natural, roasted by Benetti’s. Tasty stuff!

Leading a green coffee grading workshop for attendees of the 2013 Mid-Atlantic Northeast Coffee Conference.
Leading a green coffee grading workshop for attendees of the 2013 Mid-Atlantic Northeast Coffee Conference.

Crazy coffee experience you’d like to share?

There have been so many highlights, but one specific experience that has stuck with me was working alongside Ricardo Azofeifa, multi-time barista champion of Costa Rica, in leading an espresso training for potential competitors, mill staff, and farmers at ASOPROAAA in Tarrazu, Costa Rica in 2010. Ricardo’s passion and excitement about coffee and its preparation was thoroughly infectious. We had a blast exploring several single farm coffees produced in the surrounding area and processed just outside the door of the mill where we were working. The whole experience represented an amazing snapshot of the collaborative efforts necessary in creating quality in coffee from seed to cup.

 

About Sarah 936 Articles
Sarah Allen (she/her) is co-founder and editor of Barista Magazine, the international trade magazine for coffee professionals. A passionate advocate for baristas, quality, and the coffee community, Sarah has traveled widely to research stories, interact with readers, and present on a variety of topics affecting specialty coffee. She also loves animals, swimming, ice cream, and living in Portland, Oregon.