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Webinar Part 1: The Coffee Journey
Legend says that in AD 850, Kaldi the goat herder discovered coffee after he noticed his flock had more energy after consuming certain berries from a plant. Fast-forward almost 3,000 years later and consumers are now spending over $120 billion on specialty coffee.
Tune in to the first episode of our 3-part webinar series to learn everything there is to know about coffee. This webinar episode will answer questions about what coffee is, where it comes from, and how it is made. It will also explore how coffee options differ, its continual development, and trends in the market.
- Coffee as an agricultural product
- Different tree species and farming
- How post harvest process develops flavor and influences the end cup profile
- Coffee roasting, another important step of flavor development
- Latest trends in coffee products and the coffee business
- Coffee education system and competitions
This webinar is the first episode of a 3-part webinar series. A digital badge will be awarded to all participants who attend the webinar. Participants who attend all 3 webinars will receive a Certified Coffee Passionate digital badge and certificate from Worldchefs and Nestle Professional. This webinar is brought to you by Nestlé Professional.
Practical Information:
- Topic: The Coffee Journey
- Where: 10:00AM CET on Zoom and catch a replay at 5PM CET on Facebook Live, Twitter, and YouTube!
- When: September 30th
Looking forward to seeing you at the webinar!
About the Speakers
Wendy Christensen
Global Coffee Category Lead, Nestlé Professional
Wendy Christensen’s passion for coffee and has been brewing ever since she spent time with coffee farmers and their families in the central highlands of Vietnam. Coming from a farming family in the United Kingdom, she is well-versed in farming practices, the importance of heritage, sustainability, and felt at home with the farmers in Vietnam.
In her current role, Wendy is the Global Coffee Category Lead for Nestlé Professional, having spent more than 10 years working in the coffee category based in the UK and working across the EMENA region. She has more than 20 years’ experience with Nestlé across varied sales, marketing, and project leadership roles.
Being the worlds leading coffee brand brings responsibilities, that Nescafé has always embraced. As early as the 1960s, Nestlé helped farmers adopt agricultural best practices, a work that continues today. Wendy’s vision is to bring to life for customers and consumers, a passion for coffee and the difference you can taste in every cup. From the unmistakable exquisite and consistent coffee quality of Nescafé, to leading sustainability programs, to so much more that comes from a seal of trust that makes good things happen with a Nescafé coffee, cup after cup.
Alessandro Bottazzi
Global Category Manager for Nescafé, Nestlé Professional
Alessandro Bottazzi is the Global Category Manager for Nescafé at the Nestlé Professional Strategic Business Unit, based in Nestlé headquarters in Switzerland. He has 23 years of experience with Nestlé working in a variety of positions including Finance, Sales and Marketing. Additionally, Alessandro has worked for Nestlé Professional in Italy, the EMENA Region, and the Global team.
Alessandro is passionate about coffee, food, travelling and arts. Currently he is responsible for leading product innovation, communication and developing new commercial propositions for Nescafé Out of Home. Alessandro uses his understanding of global coffee trends and insights to drive Nescafé foodservice initiatives, ensuring that sustainability is at the core.
Christos Sotiros
Master Barista and Category Executive, Nestlé Professional
Christos Sotiros is currently the Master Barista and Category Executive for Nestlé Professional, based in Switzerland. Having a passion for customer service and flavor experience, he has worked in food service for 12 years, holding in a variety of food service positions in five-star hotels, independent cafes, bars, and restaurants in Greece and the USA.
He has a Psychology degree from the American College of Greece and loves the mountains, especially in the winter as he is an avid snowboarder.
Christos knew that coffee was his passion and would be part of his future as he attended his first coffee seminar when he was 18 and was amazed to learn about the coffee and roasting process. He has been a finalist in Greek Barista Championships three times and placed 3rd in 2017. In addition to being a Q-grader Arabica, he has been an AST trainer since 2017 on sensory skills, barista skills, and brewing modules.
In 2016, he joined Nestlé in Athens, Greece, as a coffee expert supporting the sales and commercial teams to build their coffee knowledge. Christos joined the global team last year and in his current role, he supports product and system development and is responsible for building coffee knowledge and capabilities globally.
