Meet the Roasters Guild
Rekindling Craft Traditions
Story by Nick Obourn
Photos courtesy of Sustainable Harvest Coffee Importers

The first guilds (or gilds) on record were groups of town merchants struggling to stay afloat in the feudal system of early 11th century Europe. The merchants sought to strengthen their businesses and establish economic defense against feudal lords. The guilds formed strong bonds that eventually gave them political weight, signaling a shift and setting the rough outline for contemporary society's unions.
   By the 12th century, much in accord with the merchant guilds, craft guilds established themselves. The first craft guilds were comprised primarily of weavers who were structurally divided into masters, apprentices and journeymen. The object of these early craft guilds was to keep information alive by sharing it, to resist the tests of time and competition, and to train future meritorious artisans. Over the centuries, feudal society broke down, along with craftsman traditions, but in specialty coffee the idea of the guild is still very much alive.

The Power of the People
The year was 1994. The place was Houston, Texas. The late Pete McLaughlin, Paul Katzeff, Dan Cox, and Donald Schoenholt sat lapping up the conclusion of the Specialty Coffee Association of America's (SCAA) Annual Conference. Without warning the course of specialty coffee detoured in one pivotal moment. Mclaughlin, a Vietnam veteran and co-founder of Royal Coffee in Emeryville, Calif., climbed onto a chair and delivered an eloquent speech. "McLaughlin was a stylish old bird with a great smile and a winning personality; tough as nails and a great coffee cupper," recalls Schoenholt. "But most of all, he was a great raconteur." Upright and fearless, McLaughlin waxed prophetic on the inefficiencies of the specialty coffee industry. He pointed out the misdirection and the philosophical dearth of an industry that was rapidly expanding. He felt that if something weren't done, the halls of the SCAA Conferences would no longer fill with the rich scent of coffee. That moment, that brave speech by a man who "feared no man, nor beast," would remain in Schoenholt's memory unabated and serve as a vehicle for change.
   Years later, in one of the SCAA's Town Meetings--an annual conclave held during the SCAA Conference where any attendee could openly express suggestions to the SCAA's Board of Directors--a roaster/retailer posed a question: Why, in all the seminars at the conference, was there nothing devoted specifically to the roaster/retailer? Then Schoenholt, who was in the audience, rose and addressed the issue, keeping his dear friend McLaughlin's rant close to heart. "If you can find a room that has chairs and a microphone, I will organize a session for independent roasters," he said to the Board of Directors of the SCAA. He then yelled across the room to fellow roasters and asked them if they wanted to participate in a roasters' panel. Later that day a group of about 40 or 50 interested individuals met, and began the first unofficial session of The Roasters Guild, then known as "Roasters Roundhouse."
   "We talked about roaster fires. We talked about small fincas in Atitlan, Guatemala. We talked about staleness, freshness, whether there should be dating on coffee; every topic you could imagine came up and was talked about," says Schoenholt. The following year, the SCAA asked Schoenholt if he would plan an actual session devoted to roaster/retailers for the conference.
   The Roasters Roundhouses gained in popularity with each SCAA Conference. The energy was there, the excitement sparked. "Sometimes in life you get this dynamic and everyone starts having a great time, and it doesn't matter what the topic is anymore," says Schoenholt of the early sessions. The camaraderie of those first gatherings of artisans sharing roasting information eventually led to the formation of a more concrete structure. Don Holly, then administrative director of the SCAA and Ted Lingle's right-hand man, encouraged the formalization. Schoenholt remembers it began to morph into a group within a group, under the umbrella of the SCAA.
   Under the direction of Schoenholt and others, a newsletter called The Flamekeeper formed to further the goal of the organization by creating a scheduled base of information for all the members to read. The Flamekeeper kept members abreast of new events, current ideas and relevant topics of discussion, and began to draw together interested roasters. In these founding years of The Roasters Guild there also arose the idea of the annual retreat, an event that is a major attraction for today's members. By 1999 it was clear that The Roasters Guild was becoming its own entity, and a successful one at that. Schoenholt, Don Cox, Jerry Baldwin, and George Howell had all worked hard to get the ball rolling. The combination of spontaneous timing and inspiration shone through in the heightening momentum.
   Shortly after, Schoenholt left his post at The Roasters Guild to focus his attention on Gillies Coffee, of which he is currently president. For him, it was a matter of making a living, even though The Roasters Guild was just getting going. Mike Ebert of Spring Grove, Ill.-based Coffee Masters succeeded Schoenholt as the next leader, and the structure of the organization began its next metamorphosis. Ebert points to a meeting in Chicago in 2001 as the beginning of the structured Roasters Guild. Ebert's command of the guild signaled a changing of the guard--with a younger generation of coffee roasters at the helm--and the start of three years of rapid change, expansion and decisions that would redefine the guild as a group of artisans sharing. It opened the guild up to new members and ideas, strengthening the practice of keeping the classic philosophy of a guild alive.

Putting Ducks in a Row
One of the core goals of The Roasters Guild is to facilitate and open avenues of information for craftsmen involved in a specialized vocation. To fulfill this openness, a fine line between inclusion and exclusion had to be drawn. The Roasters Guild is comprised only of individuals who, as stated in their mission, roast coffee as an integral part of their profession. This includes sample roasters, roasting machine manufacturers, importers, and many others. "[The] Roasters Guild includes many different walks of life," says Peter Giuliano, vice chair of The Roasters Guild. The variety almost guarantees a wealth of information that roasters can share, and the exclusivity means The Roasters Guild can stay true to one of its prized values: no selling to each other, no competitiveness.
   When the new group of individuals, alongside Ebert, Giuliano, Merle, and others on the council, began their construction of the current Roasters Guild, it was very important to fortify a just system, to include as many individuals as possible, yet make sure all those involved were coffee roasters in essence. They also wanted to utilize the strong groundwork that Schoenholt, Holly and others had evoked. The new leaders also wanted to keep the SCAA close to the dealings of The Roasters Guild, but keep enough distance to continue as a separate group. "We felt that the SCAA is a valuable organization and we wanted to operate in concert. There was some question whether The Roasters Guild wanted to be a rogue organization that may or may not be associated with the SCAA," says Giuliano. "Ultimately, we decided that The Roasters Guild and the SCAA are stronger by really close association with each other."
   With many hurdles to overcome and many fine lines to define, The Roasters Guild took the first step and established a democratic election process to determine an executive council. Giuliano remarks that he wanted the elections to the executive council of The Roasters Guild to be open to all Roasters Guild members, provided that they wanted to serve. And they do. In the most recent election held, eight candidates vied for four spots.
   Elections for a position on The Roasters Guild's 11-member executive council are planned to be held once a year, with the commencement of the election process announced in The Flamekeeper and on the SCAA's Web site. Last year marked the first official election for the organization. The guild is presently operated by an informal board, of which Ebert is still the leading member. The other 10 members of the executive council are Peter Giuliano from Counter Culture Coffee, vice chair; Shawn Hamilton from Java City, secretary/treasurer; Paul Thornton of Coffee Bean International; Boyd Guildner from Ponderosa Roasting Maintenance & Manufacturing; Mané Alves of Coffee Lab International; Spencer Turer of Dunkin' Donuts; Scott Merle from Batdorf & Bronson; Trish Skeie from Taylor Maid Farms; Geoff Watts from Intelligentsia; and Jeremy Raths from The Roastery. For the election, the guild sets deadlines for the return of the members' nomination forms, and the past chair is then responsible for assembling a nominating committee. This committee consists of one other council member--not the chair or the vice chair--and two individuals who are members of the guild. The nominating committee culls the group of candidates from those selected by the members and those become the members-elect. Bios are posted on The Roasters Guild Web site and a ballot is sent to each member. Each member votes by mail and the results are tallied at SCAA headquarters. This year's new members of the executive council will be announced at the 2004 SCAA Conference in Atlanta. When the new council members are announced, Ebert will step down as chair of The Roasters Guild, Giuliano will take his place, and the newly elected members will be inaugurated. The recycling of executive council members ensures a wide array of thought and ideas to diversify the future of the guild.
   There's an expression: "Behind every good man is a woman." If The Roasters Guild is the man, then the woman is Stacie Stringfellow, director of educational programs for the SCAA. Much of the organization of the guild has been due to her steadfast devotion. "[Stacie Stringfellow] is very modest about this, but it is impossible to over-state her role," says Giuliano. "We provided a lot of the ideas, but Stacie provided a lot of the hard work." According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), The Roasters Guild falls under the classification of an educational program, and Stringfellow ties a lot of loose ends for the guild, a legal entity of the SCAA. She organizes the speakers and the classes for the annual retreats, sets up subcommittees for the retreats and carries out most of the fine-tuning the guild requires. "I help them do policy structures, get the membership applications actually started, get the membership signed up, and start some sort of pay structure for memberships," says Stringfellow. If the SCAA is the The Roasters Guild's umbrella, Stringfellow is the one watching the weather forecast. In 2004, The Roasters Guild plans to hold its retreat at the Keystone Resort in Colorado from August 26-29. Stringfellow is instrumental in the planning of the event. Slated for the annual flocking of roasters are classes covering tasting, which will include an organic acids profiling; history, a discussion on Moka Java; science, the environmental effects of roasting; and business, navigating the multitude of certifications and buzz words. The guild expects this year's event to be even more successful than the last. Ebert sums up Stringfellow's contribution succinctly: "Without Stacie, we'd be dead in the water."

On the Horizon
The Roasters Guild continues to evolve. The executive council, infusing vital energy into the program, has planned a member's trip to Guatemala, an accreditation program--the first of its kind--and a new book, the Coffee Roasting Handbook. "These guys have set in place something that will last way beyond their tenure as leaders of the guild. They did a great job developing a concept, [as well as] filling in the structure," says Dave Griswold, president of Sustainable Harvest and current SCAA president. The origin trip to Guatemala is an opportunity for roasters to complete the connection from seed to cup, and for most attending the trip, it will be their first time to origin. The trip will visit several fincas and will include cuppings, tours of the fincas and coffee cherry picking. The Roasters Guild sees the trip as a central ingredient to the art of roasting. After all, actually visiting where your coffee is grown, talking to the farmers who grow it, touching the soil it rises through, can change the roasters and, therefore, change the way they roast coffee. "When [roasters] are on a trip, the concept they give the farmers is, we understand the care and the concern that you've taken in picking [the coffee] and processing it, and we are going to continue to honor the product and your work," says Griswold. "It is really a moving experience for farmers to hear that."
   The book and accreditation program are new approaches designed to expand the reach of coffee roasting and designate a stronger system. The accreditation program--the hard work of all on the executive council--is divided into three levels of roaster. The three levels, Apprentice Roaster, Journeyman Roaster and Master Roaster, seek to educate and officially document future roasting professionals.
   This new striated program mimics the craft guilds of 12th century Europe, which were divided into the same levels of accomplishment. Through this program The Roasters Guild can not only keep tabs on individuals interested in roasting, but it can, with hope, create an entirely new system for roasting professionals. It would provide a legitimate structure for ambitious roasters. Much like a doctor hangs his or her esteemed degree above the desk, a roaster would be able to do the same above the roasting machine.    The Coffee Roasting Handbook, currently being written, is similar to the accreditation program in that its purpose is to establish a standard. The book will be a collection of different writings on the science and art of roasting. As roasting can be a subjective craft, the book will focus more one the hard facts to serve as a compilation that will be up for interpretation by the reader.
   For Ebert, the future of The Roasters Guild reflects its relationship with the SCAA--expanding, but mutually dependent. He wants The Roasters Guild to remain a "mini-community within the SCAA." And for the first time ever, the 320 members of The Roasters Guild will have their own room at the SCAA Conference in Atlanta. In it, they will host educational sessions, seminars, and tastings; they will manage the cupping pavilion, and hold their annual meeting in the room. Within that room, new members will become elected executive council, information will exchange hands, newcomers will wander in, and some won't be able to turn back. "We live in an age of technology where there will probably be the opportunity for people to punch a button and walk away, and these guys will keep reminding us that there is the human skill, the hand, the smell, and the touch," Griswold says. Roasters will feel at home at the conference, and for Pete McLaughlin, it will be known that his rant those many years ago did not go unheard. Coffee's rich scent will fill the halls of the SCAA Conference once again, thanks to a guild of roasters.

Nick Obourn is associate editor of Fresh Cup Magazine. He can be reached at nick@freshcup.com.