Yannis Apostolopoulos
Business and Sales Development Director
W.S. Karoulias S.A.
Athens, Greece
&
Member of the Board
Speciality Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE)
Chelmsford UK
What other coffee jobs have you had?
Surprisingly enough, this is my first coffee job.
What’s your favorite part about working in coffee?
Coffee is for me the ideal industry to work. Almost all my life I’ve been working in wines and spirits. It is all about people enjoying moments of life and socializing. Coffee business is the same and moreover you can contribute to making a difference to all the people in the supply chain. Coffee people are amazing.
Where do you ideally see yourself in 10 years?
Still in the coffee business! Leading a big coffee company, educating consumers about good ”speciality ”coffee, educating coffee professionals, driving sustainability in coffee, helping farmers by providing education and infrastructure to improve their products and their everyday life.
Who and what inspires you?
First of all, I need to mention the support of my wife and kids to every step I make. I get inspired by meeting people from around the globe with different culture, habits and needs. Finally, there is one person that really inspires me and drives my judgment with his saying, œThe system must generate congruent behavior. He was my Professor in Harvard Business School: Prof. F. Warren McFarlan, Baker Foundation Professor, Albert H. Gordon Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus.
What are you drinking right now?
I am drinking a coffee from Finca Val Paraiso, a specialty by Cortese Caffe from Caturra variety, cultivated on œLa Naranja” fields at Acatenango in Guatemala, at an altitude of 1,500 meters. It is characterized by its distinct acidity and fruity flavors.
Crazy/memorable coffee experience you’d like to share?
While calibrating on a cupping table one time, all of us found a natural processed coffee from Ethiopia to be fermented, but then a guru of cupping explained to us: “No it’s not fermented ”IT’S THE PROCESS.” Since then, [that has been] our motto when tasting a coffee with similar profile.
What do you do when you’re not doing coffee?
I try to spend as much time as I can with family and friends, especially traveling with the family. My elder son had set the target by saying to his Mum a year ago: œLook Mum, my brother and I want to travel around the world, just like Dad, and we start now!!!
