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
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.
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.
What are you drinking right now?
Panama Finca Lerida, washed & natural, roasted by Benetti’s. Tasty stuff!
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.
