Playing Catch-up

Hi. I know it’s been quite a while, and I must assure (myself mostly) everyone that:

1. I’m still conscious, and

2. building.coffee is beginning to stabilize, and

2nd 2. I’m still doing all the coffee things (most of them in Saigon, at building, but also a couple of trips).

We launched building a few months ago and it’s been pretty hectic since then.

Just getting the business systematized and keeping it running takes most of my focused effort, while hosting/welcoming guests takes big chunks of time out of my day. I’ve had quite a few visitors from far and wide since opening, and the feedback I’ve gotten tells me I’m dedicating my time to the right things. I was getting worried there for a bit. This is the first time I’ve ever opened a physical business with multiple partners. I’ve helped dozens of other people as they were starting their businesses, and am really glad I was able to gain some level of experience through that work, but nothing compares to the weight that one feels when its yours. This thing came from my brain and now I’m responsible for how it turns out. There were a lot of stops and starts, and I still don’t feel like we’ve gotten everything nailed down just yet. Growth and improvement, new learning opportunities and really interesting projects keep coming our way, so I can at least feel validated enough to keep it up.

I was invited to present in Singapore in October, for the Singapore Roaster Forum event at Glyph Supply Co’s beautiful cafe. Presented by Compound Coffee Co., it was a really fun and informative day, and I got to catch up with some of my friends in the Singapore coffee community. The event included cupping the results of the roasting competition and presentations from people I regard highly. Mercanta’s Adryll Lin talked about “Mercanta's vision, green sourcing philosophies and strategies to stay relevant and ahead of the dynamic industry.” Regina Tay - coffee hero, past Singapore Barista Champion, coach and roaster for many competitors, founder of Bearded Bella, former roaster for Common Grounds and St Ali in Jakarta - presented her thoughts and strategies for roasting for competition. Andre Chanco, from Yardstick Coffee (Manila, Philippines), shared the origin and development story for Morning, an awesome upgrade for the capsule coffee market. And finally, Mr Ben Toovey - Australian Roasting Champion, World Roasting Championship Finalist, head of Genovese Coffee’s Specialty Division, and big sweetheart - shared his thoughts on Quality Control in the Roastery, and gave lots of valuable tips (for example, why he finds Grainpro bags to be superior to vacuum packing green coffee).

I’m really happy to have participated - I presented about the development of the Vietnamese Specialty Coffee Scene, the genesis and vision for building.coffee, along with my personal story as a coffee professional. The audience was engaged and asked great questions, and honestly we could have carried the conversations on for hours. The Singapore roasting scene is continuing to grow and challenge itself, while its more experienced members are happy to participate and share. I really love Singapore’s coffee community.

Also, I participated in an event in Seoul, Cafe Show, one of the largest coffee industry events I’ve seen (although - my experience is limited to SCA Expo and a few other regional shows in North America and Southeast Asia). I was invited as a panelist for World Coffee Leaders Forum, with a host of old and new friends. It was good to see everyone - so many great conversations about coffee and people and life, challenging topics, and delicious coffees (and food!). WCLF’s theme was Coffee People Share, focused on the rise of knowledge, data, and resource-sharing movements (in specialty coffee, in particular). There were several intriguing presentations, with thought-provoking discussions throughout the weekend. I’m honored and humbled to have been invited to be a part of this event, and am glad to have run into so many familiar faces. It was my first visit to Seoul, and I already want to visit again. What a city! There’s a lot to share, but I’ll save that for the next updates.