Join Us For a Great 10 Minutes With Mark Hundley And Hear All About His Dream Job
Mark Hundley
Coffee Director
Seven Stars Bakery
Providence, Rhode Island
What other coffee jobs have you had?
The only other coffee job I’ve ever had was at a place called Hava Java in Woonsocket, RI. It was kind of like a Dunkin’ Donuts with all of these crazy fake flavored coffees. I didn’t know anything about coffee, but I really loved everything about the job. I worked there for five years and then bought the shop.
I owned it for almost five years until my interest started to wander when I was introduced to specialty coffee by my friend Eric, who is a roaster at New Harvest Coffee. I quickly became consumed and tried learning everything that I could possibly learn about coffee. So I sold the shop and started fresh at Seven Stars because of their great reputation and passion for quality. I worked my way through just about every position I could have held before ending up in my dream job!
What’s your favorite part about working in coffee?
There are way too many answers to that question! I’ll go with brewing coffee. Whether it is at home or at a cafe, I just love the process of brewing coffee and geeking out about it.
Where do you ideally see yourself in 10 years?
Still learning about coffee! I know time flies, but 10 years seems like forever. At some point, I would love to be owning a place again. I feel like I have learned so much in the five years that I’ve known about specialty, and more than anything I just love making really delicious coffee for people. It’s my favorite.
Who and what inspires you?
My family, my co-workers, my friends, The Providence Coffee Society, Paul at Cafe Volan, and especially all of the people that helped me get to this point in my career. I owe a lot to Todd, Gerra, Simon, Eric, Justin, and Rik!
What are you drinking right now?
Ethiopia Pheribo from Square One. Is there anything better than a delicious natural, brewed in a Chemex?!
Crazy/memorable coffee experience you’d like to share?
Two part answer to that! A few years ago I was lucky enough to be a part of the TED conference in Palm Springs, Calif., which was already completely crazy to me. One of the coffees we were serving a Guatemalan coffee from a micro lot owned by Pedro Zelaya. We had to learn all of this info about the coffee and talk about it with the TED attendees. Fast forward to a few months ago, I was able to go to origin for the first time (also crazy). We showed up at a farm for a cupping and look who it is. Pedro Zelaya! It was crazy to finally connect the dots and bring my love of coffee full circle. I ended up getting to meet four or five farmers on that trip that I have drank and enjoyed coffees from.
What are you doing when you’re not doing coffee?
Obsessing over my dog Ulysses. Hanging with friends. Playing video games. Reading comics. Getting teary eyed over sappy dog videos on YouTube like a total maniac.
Tell us something people would be surprised to find out about you.
I’m a Chinese/Burmese kid with red hair and a beard!
