I founded Boot Coffee in 1998 and over the years we have worked with more than 400 companies in the US and abroad. Our key focus is twofold: quality improvement and strategic marketing programs. Apart from our programs for roasting companies, we also have developed a strong focus on the producing world. My training as economist has definitely helped this specialization.

We have managed long term coffee development projects for national coffee organizations in Ethiopia, Panama and El Salvador. We have conducted studies for USAID, the Inter American Development Bank and for other NGOs specializing in sustainability issues. Last but not least, we have been able to create a niche for result driven promotion programs for exporters and producer organizations. Review or download my bio.

I was born and raised in the epicenter of American coffee culture, Seattle, Washington. Since then I have lived and worked coffee on four continents, from the farm to the roastery to the bottom of the cappuccino cup. The coffee chain is extraordinarily long, from the cherry to the café. I specialize in understanding all sides of the business, and helping people broaden their understanding of coffee.

I am an expert in all kinds of coffee brewing equipment, an expert in roasting, and an expert in cupping. I have extensive experience working on the ground at origin with coffee farmers and with coffee processors. I have been certified as a Star Cupper by the Coffee Quality Institute, and have served on international judging panels. I speak fluent Spanish.

I have been working with Boot Coffee Consulting as Quality Consultant and Trainer since 2008. After college, I lived in Mali, West Africa for two years focusing on international development work. Upon returning from Africa, I attended graduate school receiving a Masters in Intercultural Studies.

I am a Licensed Q Grader and an active member of the Roasters Guild. At Boot Coffee Consulting, I specialize in developing unique blends and roast profiles for clients. I also provide expert training to coffee professionals from around the world during our Roasting and Cupping Courses.

Kelly Hartmann has been working with Boot Coffee in Panama since the start of the coffee farming operations at Finca Sophia. Since then, Kelly has also managed Finca La Mula, the forest coffee farm near Boquete, Panama. Both farms are Geisha coffee plantations and for that reason, Kelly has been able to develop a unique specialization in Geisha.

Kelly grew up in a coffee growers and producers family. The Hartmann family has been in coffee since three generations in the Santa Clara area of the Chiriqui province. Kelly is an allround coffee specialist. Worked at the family farm for many years, then managed the construction of a coffee processing mill at Santa Teresa and has been employed by us since 2008.

For 11 years I have worked for The Golden Coffee Box, a small coffee importer and coffee roastery owned by Willem’s brother, Barend Boot. I started working in the shop where I advised customers which coffee suits them best. In the shop we also served coffee and I learned my first barista skills from the David Schomer Espresso Techniques Book.

After a few years I was trained in cupping and roasting by Jacob Boot, my coffee mentor and the father of Willem and Barend. I have 8 years experience roasting coffee and managing the warehouse.

My interest in coffee first began while working as a barista in college, then only grew while spending the summer in coffee-centric Indonesia during graduate school.

The coffee industry is wide and vast, reaching around the equator and into billions of homes everyday.

At Boot Coffee Consulting, I spend my time marketing unique, high quality, direct trade coffees to top-notch coffee roasters here in the US; once those coffees have a home, I help them get there safely.

I am originally from Central Europe where I studied political science and worked for human rights in Slovakia and the former Yugoslavia. Coffee was always my passion, and after returning from the Balkans in 2001 my father and I started Green Plantation Coffee, the first nano-roasting company offering single origin coffee in Slovakia. For more than 10 years I have been an active Slovak blogger, videoblogger and online coffee troll. In 2010 I (along with my coffee obsession) relocated to California. I started to work with Boot Coffee as a media consultant in late 2011 to help bring coffee knowledge to everybody through online media and a user-friendly framework.