Coffee and Technology Podcast: Recent Episodes
Cropster
Norbert Niederhauser and Nick Castellano bring you the 'Coffee and Technology' Podcast sponsored by Cropster. Norbert is a Cropster co-founder and brings a wealth of knowledge of coffee, the coffee industry, and the technology it uses daily. Nick is a digital marketer with a love of coffee and experience at origin and in cafes. Both are passionate about humanizing technology for all coffee professionals, from producers to baristas and everyone in between. They want to make technology accessible for everyone, so everyone can realize the benefits it can bring! To learn more about Cropster, visit: https://www.cropster.com/learn/
Join Kelsey and Norbert for today's episode with Miranda Caldwell the founder of Coffee MBA. From her roles as COO and green buyer to her impactful public speaking, including a notable presentation at the Re:co Symposium in 2023, Miranda is a powerhouse of knowledge and innovation. Her work spans strategic planning, product innovation, and marketing, underpinned by a passion for design and architecture, courtesy of her art history background. Leading The Coffee MBA, she provides critical business insights to the coffee sector, emphasizing strategic growth and operational excellence.
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Today we have a behind the scenes episode about building our latest product, Commerce, which was released in January 2024. Last month, Norbert and Kelsey sat down with Cropsterians Leo Cimoch, who is the Product Manager for Commerce and has extensive work experience in both the hospitality and tech industries, and Cassidy Nova, who is our Inside Sales Manager for Commerce and has had many roles in the coffee industry from learning at his family farm in Colombia to roasting to being “the eCommerce guy” in his last role.
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In this episode, we chat with Connie Blumhardt, who is the founder and publisher of the award-winning Roast magazine. Connie has spent over 30 years in magazine publishing and has worked in the coffee industry for the past 25 years. She possesses a wealth of knowledge regarding magazine publishing, marketing, design and photography. On a daily basis, Connie serves 1000’s of roasters creating an amazing bird’s eye view of the roasting community.
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This episode we chat with Doug Graf and Liz Bishop from Vintage Coffee. Vintage Coffee provides consulting, training, repair and maintenance, plant design, and start up for coffee roasters of every size. Doug Graf has been in the coffee industry for over three decades in his family business whether it’s roasting coffee or helping fix the machines. Liz's coffee career has including being a barista, trainer, roaster, cafe manager, green coffee buyer, and director of coffee. Liz recently became the first female Loring Smart Roaster Service technician in the world.
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Matt Brown, Senior Manager of Coffee Operations from Coffee Bar is joining this month's leading coffee industry podcast to chat about his international career in coffee, building out educational programs in cafes and communities, as well as sustainability programs he's implementing in California and Nevada.
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Nick Castellano is the Creative Projects Manager at Ally Coffee and is based in Medellín, Colombia. Nick was previously the co-host of the Coffee & Technology podcast and now co-hosts a Spanish podcasts called Cafe Se Escribe En Español. Throughout his 5 years in coffee, he’s managed his own projects, worked as part of the marketing team Cropster, and has visited various origins speaking various topics related to technology and data collection. Aside from coffee, Nick enjoys boxing, golfing, and cycling when he’s not behind his desk or traveling.
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Felix Teiretzbacher is the 2022 World Coffee Roasting Champion from Vienna, Austria. Felix has grown from a home roaster to a world champion in a matter of years and now finds himself a roasting icon around the world. He’ll tell us the journey he took to become world coffee roasting champion and what his post-championship experience has been like.
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Kevin Foley is the owner of Valley to Summit Sustainability, a sustainability consultancy based in California. Kevin is driven to help various businesses create and achieve a sustainability program. Kevin defines what is sustainability, his journey in helping Cropster become a B-Corp certified business, and what’s next for Cropster’s journey as a B-Corp.
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Andrea Allen is the Co-founder of Onyx Coffee Lab. She is head of operations for all Onyx cafes and for the roastery. She also holds the title of 2021 U.S. Barista Champion and the runner-up in the 2021 World Barista Champion. In her spare time, she is hanging out with her husband and two daughters, an avid runner, and a barrel-racer. In this episode, we’ll discuss her journey competing, her thoughts on innovations in coffee, and the important role that women play in coffee.
Shelby Williamson is the Head Roaster and Colombian Green Coffee Buyer at Huckleberry Coffee Roasters, the 2019 US Roasting Champion, and a certified Q-Grader. Shelby started roasting about 8 years ago, and hasn't looked back since, falling in-love with the international trade and connection of coffee. We’ll discuss the impact her experience competing has had on her career and her journey to becoming a green coffee buyer.
Follow Shelby on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sp_son_of_william/
Learn more about Cropster: https://www.cropster.com/solutions/
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Martin Elwert is the Founder of Coffee Circle in Germany. Coffee Circle is a certified B-Corporation and has been an e-commerce leader of specialty coffee across the DACH region of Europe. Martin comes from a consulting background and has used his experience to grow a successful coffee business. Listen to Martin as he tells the founding of Coffee Circle, funding to scale his business, and the importance of B-Corp to his business.
Follow Martin on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/martin.elwert/
Learn more about Coffee Circle: https://www.coffeecircle.com/en
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What does it look like and mean to code for the coffee industry? Nick and Norbert go into the technical minded part of coding for the coffee industry and what that journey has looked like for Cropster and beyond.
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Dale is a well-respected barista, trainer, and consultant with over 15 years of experience in coffee. He is currently the Chief Operations Officer at Ozone Coffee Roasters UK. As a World Barista Champion, Dale has traveled, trained, and learned from experiences in Asia, Europe, the Americas, and is constantly pushing to understand the connections between the global specialty movement and the local differences that help us grow. Listen and learn from Dale as we discuss competition expectations and tech in the cafe.
Follow Dale on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/acousticcoffee/
Learn more about Cropster: https://www.cropster.com/solutions/
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In another conversation between Nick and Norbert, we revisit what Iot means and this time we focus on how it can change the future of cafe's for the better.
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During our 2022 year end episode, Nick and Norbert discuss the importance of data collection at origin and why digitizing data at origin is important. This topic is so important to both of them and has been a recurring theme throughout 2022.
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Matt Swenson is the Nestlé Coffee Partner’s Director of Coffee. He works in the technical and product side of the business, helping plan for the next big innovation in the coffee pipeline. Prior to joining Nestlé Coffee Partners, Swenson was Chameleon’s Chief Product Officer. He is one of only 51 Q Grader Arabica Instructors in the world, and serves on the board of trustees for the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI). Listen in as we discuss the RTD market in coffee, sustainability at Nestlé, and his involvement with the CQI.
Follow Matthew on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/mjswenson36/
Learn more about Nestle Coffee Partner's: https://www.nestlecoffeepartnerssl.com/
Learn more about Cropster: https://www.cropster.com/solutions/
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Email us: marketing@cropster.com
Lucas Cuadros is the Co-founder of Unblended Coffee. Unblended Coffee is an importer that specializes on socioeconomic progress of young coffee growers in Colombia. Lucas is a young coffee entrepreneur that comes from a distribution background in the construction industry. We’ll discuss what entrepreneurship means to him in the coffee industry and the challenges/opportunities that come with working with a group of young Colombian coffee producers.
Jeffrey Chean is the Co-founder of Groundwork Coffee in Los Angeles, California. Groundwork Coffee roasts certified organic coffee from producing regions around the world. Jeffrey tells us what it means to roast and grow a brand around certified organic coffees and supporting organic coffee producing communities. We even discuss coffee’s tie to hallucinating drug plant varieties and rethinking society's approach to what responsible coffee and drug consumption is.
Carly Green is the Head of Coffee Education at Cometeer. Cometeer makes a freshly frozen coffee capsule roasted by various roasters and brewed by you at home. Carly tells us what excites her about the frozen capsule market, how data collection is vital to this business, and what the future looks like for Cometeer.
Ibrahim Al Mallouhi is the Founder of the Espresso Lab in Dubai. Ibrahim has become a leader of specialty coffee in the Middle East and has been an advocate for technology’s role in the coffee industry. Ibrahim tells his story of growing a successful roastery and cafe in Dubai, the importance that tech has had on his business, and the responsibility he has taken as a leader of specialty coffee in the Middle East.
Wilford Lamastus Jr is the son of a world-renowned Panamanian coffee producer, Wilford Lamastus. Wilford has grown his career as a next generation coffee producer, cafe owner, and coffee competitor. In this storytelling episode, Wilford tells the story of Panama’s growth in coffee, the brand building of Panamanian Geisha, and the role his family holds in the world of specialty coffee production.
Raphael Studer is the Co-founder and CEO of Algrano. Raphael has a PhD in Economics and has spent a significant amount of time at origin understanding how to empower those in origin. Raphael brings his perspective on the democratization of information in the coffee value chain, the challenges and opportunities of empower producers, and blockchains place/impact in coffee.
Tim Wendelboe is the Founder of Tim Wendelboe Coffee and is the host of the Tim Wendelboe Podcast. Since his 2004 World Barista Championship win, Tim has become a notable name in the world of coffee. We’ll discuss Tim’s passion for organic farming, his views on transparency, and using tech across the supply chain.
Matthew Torres is the Founder of Long Beach Coffee Club, a coffee community based in and around the Long Beach/Los Angeles-urban area. Matthew’s social media growth in the local coffee community has grown substantially and we discuss what that means to him and what kind of responsibility that holds for himself. We also discuss ways to continue connecting consumers with the rest of the supply chain.
Michael Phillips is the Director of Global Education & Engagement at Blue Bottle Coffee. Prior to his work in coffee, Michael worked in the film industry. In this episode, we discuss his journey to the WBC, how coffee retail has evolved, and what the future could be for high-quality instant coffee.
Sensors, sensors, sensors! In today's IoT connected world, sensors are everywhere collecting all the data that's important to us and our businesses. In the realm of specialty coffee, sensors are an extremely valuable technological tool to collect all the data that affects the way coffee producers, traders, roasters, and cafes run their businesses. Dive into the world of sensors with Nick and Norbert!
Darrin Daniel is the Executive Director of the Cup of Excellence and the Alliance for Coffee Excellence. Darrin has been at the forefront of coffee auctions around the world to achieve higher prices for producers and connect various roasters and producers worldwide through the Cup of Excellence. Throughout the episode, Darrin discusses his work at ACE and the COE and the opportunities/challenges that have come with the growth of COE auctions.
Jordan Michelman is the co-founder of Sprudge. Sprudge is an online media outlet that focuses on coffee news and coffee culture. Jordan has a passion for not only coffee culture but also the interrelation with food/beverage culture. Jordan speaks about his roots and journey to creating what Sprudge is today and his unique perspective on technology in the realm of journalism and blogging in coffee.
Martin Shabaya is a Kenyan Barista Champion and a finalist of the 2021 World Barista Championship in Milan. Martin shares his experience and journey in the WBC, the growth of Kenyan specialty coffee, and his passion for woodworking. More so than his tremendous achievements in coffee, Martin is also known for his contagious smile and his unrivaled kindness. Enjoy this unique episode from a well-respected barista champion.
Rob Hoos is a world-renowned coffee roasting consultant based in Portland, Oregon. Rob is the author of Modulating the Flavor Profile of Coffee and is also the Founder of Iteration Coffee. We’ll talk to Rob about his post-covid approach to coffee consulting, the value of technology for remote roast consulting, and his plans with Iteration Coffee.
Anne Cooper is a coffee consultant based in Australia. Anne has spent a large part of her career between the US and Australia and has extensive knowledge across the entire supply chain. Anne is a world-renowned master coffee roaster. From barista to master coffee roaster and consultant, listen to Anne’s journey across the coffee world, her approach to roasting, and how technology has enabled her to navigate remote consulting during Covid.
Scott Rao is a coffee consultant, expert, and author specializing in cafe operation, barista training, and coffee roasting and brewing. Scott has spent a large part of his career consulting coffee businesses around the world, from small to commercial scaled operations. Enjoy this discussion where we learn about his coffee journey, his approach to roasting, data collection for roasters, and the importance of balancing data and beliefs when roasting.
Patrik Rolf is the Founder and CEO of April Coffee Roastery to discuss his new book, “From Nerd to Professional - a coffee journey by Patrik Rolf.” Along with that, he’ll discuss his perspective of tech in coffee and how tech has shaped his journey in coffee. You can support Patrik’s journey in publishing his book by visiting his Kickstarter “From Nerd to Professional - a coffee journey by Patrik Rolf.”
Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aprilcoffee/from-nerd-to-professional-a-coffee-journey-by-patrik-rolf
Henry Wilson is the Founder of Perfect Daily Grind (PDG) and the Producer Roaster Forum (PRF). PDG is a digital coffee publication that is available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. PRF is a global forum that connects coffee producers and coffee roasters worldwide in host origin countries to promote and enable trade in coffee. Henry discusses his experiences and the need for accessible coffee education, the importance of technology on the production side, and the importance of producers' ability to market themselves as more than just a supplier but also a brand. Listen to the unique industry perspective that Henry brings to the table!
Sasa Sestic is the 2015 World Barista Champion from Australia and is the Founder of Ona Coffee and Project Origin Coffee. Sasa is well-known for also popularizing the Carbonic Maceration post-harvest processing method. Today, Sasa focuses on coaching up-and-coming barista champions and consulting various producers worldwide on best practice to maximize quality. Like most of the coffee world, Sasa is continuously on a quest to search for the perfect cup of coffee. Sasa discusses his journey from Handball Olympics to the WBC, the challenges and opportunities with coaching up-and-coming baristas, and how technology has enabled the way he enhances coffee quality from producers to cafes.
Part 3 of our new year’s mini-series, “The Founder of Cropster," the founding crew gets together to discuss what their founding story means to them and the experience of starting a company with 3 co-founders in Colombia, the US, and Austria.
What it's all about: Starting a truly global company with employees and a customer base around the world has its fair share of opportunities and challenges. The Founders discuss what they love about the world of coffee and how their professional dynamic has allowed them to scale a global business to profitable and visionary measures. One of the best parts? They've each stayed to true to their mission and values through a collective effort to create technology that empowers and benefits everyone across the supply chain.
Learn more about Cropster: https://www.cropster.com/solutions/
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In part 2 of the mini-series, "The Founders of Cropster," we speak to Martin Wiesinger, a co-founder and the CTO at Cropster. He’ll give us insights into the technical side of Cropster and his story as a founder.
What it's all about: The technical side of coffee solutions is a space to still be explored and understood in the coffee industry. Many coffee professionals see the finished solutions and its application, but the question is, who is really behind these software solutions and how are they thought of before they come to fruition? Along with his story, we get a glimpse of Martin's rationale behind his work as a Chief Technology Officer and as a technical visionary for Cropster's framework.
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In part 1 of our new year mini-series, “The Founders of Cropster,” we speak to Andreas Idl, a co-founder and CEO of Cropster GMBH. In his own words, Andreas discusses the beginnings and visionary side of Cropster.
What it's all about: The future of the coffee industry and Cropster is continuing the incorporation, adoption, and access of technology. Andreas is a visionary figure at Cropster and discusses Cropster's past and future ventures in the producing, trading, roasting, and cafe space.
Learn more about Cropster: https://www.cropster.com/solutions/
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Email us: hannes@cropster.com
Mokhtar Alkhanshali is the Founder of Port of Mokha and the Mokha Institute. Mokhtar is passionate about his Yemeni background and is committed to using coffee as a vehicle for peaceful and prosperous change for the Yemeni people.
What it's all about: Yemeni coffee is high in demand but difficult to get. Mokhtar discusses his work as a Yemeni coffee producer and roaster and also tells us about the impact that the Mokha Institute can have on Yemeni producers. He also discusses what internal consumption is like in Yemen, despite the current conflict.
Follow Mokhtar on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/mokhtar_alkhanshali/
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Noah Poletiek is the Director of Coffee at Chapman Crafted and has grown in the niche of coffee beer. Noah brings an interesting perspective on the art of sourcing and roasting coffees for coffee stouts. Learn with us from an expert on the science behind coffee beer!
What it's all about: The science of brewing coffee via roasting and extraction continues to fascinate the industry, especially for those who enjoy crafting and consuming coffee stouts. Noah outlines his motivation and his scientific approach to sourcing, roasting, and brewing coffee for beer.
Follow Noah on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/coolroastcurves/
Learn more about Chapman Crafted Coffee: https://chapmancrafted.coffee/
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Email us: hannes@cropster.com
Eli Salomon is a co-founder of Ground Control Coffee, an innovative batch brewer that helps cafes maintain consistency, efficiency, and quality. Eli has a background in law and is now a successful entrepreneur in the coffee industry.
What it's all about: Brewing coffee has become more and more innovative, with a plethora of brewing technologies coming to market for cafes and consumers worldwide. Eli tells us about his vision for Ground Control, his passions in coffee, and the successes he's had from his experience at Ground Control.
On this episode, we speak with our dear friend Vera Espíndola. Vera is the Director of Strategic Initiatives at Azahar Coffee and sits on the board of the Specialty Coffee Association. Vera’s research and work across the coffee industry has recently been a part of her work and involvement in the Sustainable Coffee Buyer's Guide. Join us as we discuss how coffee producers and coffee origins can be impacted through price and domestic consumption.
The current power dynamics in coffee are complex and still widely challenged by many in the industry. Norbert, Nick, and Daniel Mendoza discuss what the power dynamics currently look like and how more players across the supply chain can be empowered via knowledge.
Daniel Mendoza is the Sales Manager for North America and Oceania at Cropster. He has worked in different areas of the supply chain in coffee, tea, and flowers. With his experience, he brings a unique perspective to understanding the current power dynamics in the coffee industry and how it can change for the better.
Gregory Ward is the founder of Bridge City Coffee, a coffee shop and coffee roaster in Greenville, South Carolina, that focuses on building community through quality coffee and employment opportunities. Greg is also a founder of the Bridge Fund, which provides financial support for his employees related to health, transportation, housing, and education.
What it's all about: Entrepreneurship with a social purpose has its own challenges when building a profitable and scalable business. Greg gives us an understanding of what it means to be an entrepreneur that is focused on social impact and the how coffee is a driver of social progress.
Coffee subscriptions and virtual coffee tastings are becoming more and more popular among coffee consumers. Suyog Mody, a founder of Driftaway Coffee, tells his story on why he started a subscription model coffee business and his successes of offering virtual tastings throughout the pandemic. And for all of our data gurus, Norbert and Suyog outline the importance of data collection, data management, and data privacy when creating an infrastructure to support a coffee subscription platform.
George Howell is the founder of New England-based George Howell Coffee. George is a true pioneer of the specialty coffee movement and has been at the forefront of every major industry shift, including his founding of the Cup of Excellence. George has also been an industry leader in freezing coffee.
What it's all about: It's a pleasure to learn more about George's story in specialty coffee and how his progressive outlook on the industry has had a positive impact on what we know as specialty coffee. He also lays a clear understanding of the benefits of freezing coffee and what the future holds for freezing coffee.
Learn more about George Howell Coffee: https://www.georgehowellcoffee.com/
Learn more about Cropster: https://www.cropster.com/solutions/
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Connect with Nick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-castellano1/
Email us: hannes@cropster.com
Albert is a Senior Vice President of Trading at StoneX. Stone X is a financial services company and is among one of the largest commission commodity houses in the world. Albert’s expertise spans across commodity brokerage in the commodity futures markets. Albert brings a wealth of financial knowledge into the coffee industry and has spent a lot of time educating coffee professionals around the world on futures trading and hedging in coffee. Enjoy as Albert gives an in-depth and easy to digest discussion on market volatility and the recent market affects from Brazil’s frosts.
In the 21st century, company culture and work/life balance are front and center of the coffee and tech sectors. And now with remote work and other life changes because of the covid-19 pandemic, the way we approach and navigate our work environment is important now more than ever. Nick and Norbert discuss what it means to have a healthy company culture and what it takes for businesses/leaders to strengthen and define their company culture. Who knows, we might even discuss shorter work weeks. Grab a coffee and sit with your team as we discuss the most humane parts of a company’s culture in the coffee and tech industries!
Marcus Young is the Demand Generation Manager at Cropster where develops content, events, and educational programs. He is a certified Q-Grader, an authorized SCA trainer, and has over 15 years of industry experience. During his time with Sustainable Harvest, he was based in Rwanda sourcing E. African coffees and developing a market for coffee in Rwanda. Marcus brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this episode.
What it's all about: With Marcus' extensive experience, he will give us insights into what coffee education means and how tech has played a significant role in accelerating the learning process in the specialty coffee industry. His anecdotes from his career in coffee give some great insight into how far the industry has come, but also the work that still needs to be done.
QR codes have been around for quite some time and still have more potential for real-life application, especially in the coffee industry. Norbert and Nick give a brief history on QR codes, where they are today, and where they will be in the future. They'll also apply this understanding and explore the role of QR codes in the specialty coffee industry.
Geoff Watts is a pioneer and an early adopter of the specialty coffee movement. With over 25 years of industry experience as a barista, roaster, Q-grader, green coffee buyer, and educator, Geoff is the father of what we know as the Direct Trade model. Throughout his career he has served on the boards of the Coffee Roasters Guild (Chairman), the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (Chairman), and now works on different sustainability and transparency projects, such as the Specialty Coffee Transaction Guide. We'll discuss the social implications of a value chain and how technology can make the value chain more sustainable and transparent along with the various issues of the current trading model that uses the C-Price. Enjoy the listen!
In this episode of the Coffee and Technology Podcast, Nick and Norbert discuss the idea of the network in coffee and how tech can effectively connect those networks from seed to cup. Norbert tells us that this idea was always at the forefront of Cropster's vision and explains why this holistic idea is extremely important for the future of sustainable coffee trading. As part of the digitalization of the coffee industry, Nick and Norbert also discuss the impact not only has on the entire supply chain but also individually discuss each individual part of the supply chain.
Ricardo is the current Chief Operations Officer (COO) at Ally Coffee. Ricardo has a background in supply chain management and brings over 10 years of experience working in the specialty coffee industry as a green coffee importer and Q-grader. Ricardo is an advocate for a more transparent, sustainable, and traceable industry to empower producers in origin.
What it's all about: In this episode, we speak with our first guest, Ricardo Pereira, who is the COO at Ally Coffee. Ally Coffee is a green coffee company connecting roasters with specialty coffees sourced through sustainable partnerships. We talk about Traceability from the importer’s perspective and discuss how technology plays a role in that part of the supply chain. Ricardo also touches on how Cropster's solutions help importers track and organize their samples and coffees.
Follow Ricardo on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/ricardo.v.pereira/
Learn more about Ally Coffee: https://www.allycoffee.com/
Learn more about Cropster: https://www.cropster.com/solutions/
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Email us: hannes@cropster.com
In our next episode, we’ll discuss how tech can empower the coffee industry along with insights Norbert gained from introducing Cropster tech to coffee professionals in Colombia. Cropster has grown from a producer solution to a cloud based solution from origin to cafe since those days. Norbert brings more insight and a deep knowledge of what can be achieved for the future.
Norbert Niederhauser and Nick Castellano bring you the 'Coffee and Technology' Podcast sponsored by Cropster. Norbert is a Cropster co-founder and brings a wealth of knowledge of coffee, the coffee industry, and the technology it uses daily. Nick is a digital marketer with a love of coffee and experience at origin and in cafes. Both are passionate about humanizing technology for all coffee professionals, from producers to baristas and everyone in between. They want to make technology accessible for everyone, so everyone can realize the benefits it can bring!
What it's all about:In our first episode, we’ll introduce Nick and Norbert as well as discuss Cropster’s origins from founding 7-years ago to becoming a tech leader in coffee today. Cropster has grown from a producer solution to a cloud based solution from origin to cafe since Cropster’s beginnings. Norbert brings an insightful and deep knowledge of what we can achieve.