Meet the National Committee: Madeleine Longoria Garcia

Madeleine Longoria Garcia, Pacific Coffee Research

Community Coordinator

Holualoa, Hawai'i

What is your favorite/most memorable coffee moment?

I have a few very memorable coffee moments, but this one scenario sticks out right now: I moved to Hawai'i (for the first time) in late 2014, right at the beginning of harvest season, and was working on a property as a coffee picker. Because we would only harvest about three days a week, I also picked up a part-time job as a barista for a coffee roasting company in town and had one day of the week when I would work for each job. At some point, it hit me: I was touching every step of the coffee process over the course of a few hours. Waking up at 6 am, harvesting coffee for 6 hours and dropping it off for processing, then getting ready for a shift at the cafe and serving coffee to customers for 6 hours. It was exhausting, but also very cool and I think that's when I officially decided I was sticking around this industry for the long haul.

What led you to coffee? What’s your coffee "origin story"?

I think my coffee origin story is pretty generic. I was a college student studying business and leadership, working as a part-time barista to pay rent and other expenses, eventually becoming the manager of that cafe, and realized I never wanted to have a 9-to-5 cubical office job - so I didn't! I didn't apply for any jobs in my final year of university and ended up traveling for a few months after graduation. When I came back to the States, I was broke and jobless, so I started applying for coffee jobs and just kept going down the rabbit hole to seek out more opportunities to learn and work in coffee. That led me to some really amazing and beautiful experiences around the country and the world and now I'm so happy I made those somewhat risky decisions back then. My coffee life has been very fulfilling in so many ways and I wouldn't ever trade it for an office job!

Why did you volunteer to be a part of the US Chapter leadership group?

I felt it was time to give a louder voice to my community in the national conversation, while also being a source for guidance and information from SCA for my community. I wanted to ensure that the Hawaiian islands didn't get left out of discussions and didn't see anyone else here stepping up to the plate. I thought, I have the time and this is something I'm passionate about being a part of, so why not me?

What cause or element of the coffee community drives you to continue to be a participant?

Producer-focused quality initiatives. I'm all for anything that allows producers to save and make more money at the end of the day - and I don't just mean higher prices for green. I mean more focus on them, more recognition for their work, more ways to diversify markets, streamlining workflows, cleaner and easier record keeping and tracking lots throughout the season, more quality analysis and feedback.

Also, growing educational opportunities for everyone in the industry. We need more producers roasting and tasting their coffees, more baristas learning about espresso machines, more cafe owners learning about coffee production, etc.

A lot of this is what I do in my work, and I am so happy to provide valuable services for the coffee professionals in my local community.

What’s the most inspiring thing you hear from members of your community that keep you inspired about the future of coffee?

On the producer end, I am so inspired by producers who are trying new things, experimenting with coffee varieties, processing methods, etc. There are few things I find more rewarding than tasting coffee with a producer and having them realize how diverse their different coffees taste, how much a small change in farming practices can impact quality, and realizing that they have a broader market available for sales than they previously thought. On the cafe end, I love training new baristas who just love coffee and want to dive right in. It's so fun to work with baristas who ask all of the questions and who are truly interested in learning more about this industry and building a career in it.

What celebrity would you most want to teach how to enjoy coffee more?

Oh god, I'm terrible with celebrities... uh… Snoop Dogg? I feel like that would be an absolutely hilarious experience.

Who’s your favorite person to make coffee for?

My family, all of them. I love how much they love it when I make coffee for them, especially because we live so far away from each other and I don't get to do it very often.

What are some community efforts that you are supporting/encouraged/inspired by in response to COVID-19?

I am loving all of the online coffee meetups happening via Zoom, Instagram, Facebook, etc. All of the lovely and positive streaming content from story-telling and reading, to online group sketching/drawing, to general conversations between coffee people all around the nation and world. This has been such a great opportunity for us to connect with new folks in our industry or re-connect with old friends from afar. I feel like this has kickstarted a lot of creative endeavors for folks to continue to feel connected with each other and I love it.

What's a new part of your coffee – or daily! – routine that you don't want to give up after things go back to (the “new”) normal?

Waking up by 6:30 without an alarm and yoga every damn day.

What community have you felt needs to be represented in this chapter?

Hawai'i coffee professionals, including producers, mills, roasters, baristas, and everyone in between.

How do you see yourself connecting that community with the chapter?

I regularly attend board meetings with the Hawai'i Coffee Association to relay information from SCA to the Hawai'i community and vice versa in my meetings with the SCA US Chapter Coordinators. For two years, I have helped bring US CoffeeChamps to Hawai'i, creating greater opportunities for our local barista community to participate in national competitions with a lower financial barrier to entry while also connecting with the national coffee community. My goals are to build stronger communication between my local coffee community and the national community by being a part of conversations at both levels, participating in local and national events, and promoting local coffee businesses through the national chapter.