As the end of 2023 approaches, we at InterAmerican Coffee reach an inevitable and bittersweet moment. Come New Year’s Eve, we’ll be wishing a heartfelt farewell to John A. Mason III (the inimitable “JAM”) as he leaves us to enjoy a well-deserved retirement in his beloved Maine.
John’s roles at InterAmerican have included trader, head of Procurement, vice president, office manager and mother hen. As one of its first employees, John’s work ethic, exuberance for coffee, excitement for sharing and teaching, and collaborative mindset helped to shape our company and its early culture. All of us who came up under his tutelage are so grateful for it.
John was instrumental in directing InterAmerican’s early buying practices and quality control programs. His fluency in Portuguese and Spanish has been invaluable in building strong relationships across the coffee community, and he was actively involved with the Specialty Coffee Association and the Roasters Guild since their inception, which spoke to his love for community.
A Multifaceted Career, Shaped by Passion and Expertise
Perhaps more than anyone, John traveled extensively. It’s been a game to try and name a coffee-producing country, or really any country, that John hadn’t travelled to. Moreover, these adventures never got old for him. From Brazil to Ethiopia, Guatemala, Indonesia, Kenya, Papua New Guinea and well beyond, John travelled with an impish curiosity, a kindness and a sincere respect for all around him, which made him always welcomed — and always excitedly welcomed back.
John’s expertise in the coffee industry is deeply rooted in his diverse background. He was born in Brazil and lived in Panama, among other countries, both as a boy and with his own young family. Before immersing himself in the world of coffee in 1994, his varied roles included management consultant and regional analyst with Booz, Allen & Hamilton, paralegal and adjunct professor of Spanish. His education — which included brilliant parents and dinnertime quizzes, a voracious appetite for reading, a BA from Oberlin College and graduate work at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill — further enriched his approach to the coffee trade.
While John didn’t officially join the industry until 1994, his heart was with coffee much earlier. One of his fondest memories is of traveling to coffee farms in Central America with Fred Houk, founder of Counter Culture. Fred was personally (and, as John tells it, passionately) determined to ensure there were enough old-growth trees on the farms to support bird migration. The two had become friends in 1987, in Chapel Hill, after John — desperately combing the neighborhood for a good cup of coffee — came across a young Fred roasting Sulawesi Kalossi on a Probat sample roaster, inside a small coffee-and-wine shop.
In John’s words, “Fred is gone now, but good coffee … and his memory, continue on.”
“Is it time?” Indeed, it’s time to raise a toast to JAM!
An Aficionado of Coffee and Life
In a note to colleagues, John thanked and paid tribute to his family, for their love and support; to the Neumann Kaffee Gruppe, for the opportunity and foundation it gave him; and to his colleagues — and most especially Crystal Reyes, who was with him from the beginning and carried the day with her drive, honesty, humor and friendship.
“Being part of this coffee community, the bridge to sourcing and supplying what multitudes of coffee consumers want and need, keeping us all supplied and satisfied, was the most interesting, challenging and rewarding career a true coffee aficionado could have imagined,” John wrote. “I’ve loved every minute of it.”
Please join us in raising a coffee cup to JAM! We will miss him greatly, though his legacy will continue to inspire us. We wish him a retirement that’s filled with as much joy, adventure and fulfillment as he found in coffee during his time with us. •
Top photo: John Mason enjoying his time at Las Nubes, a coffee farm on the slopes of Volcan Actenango, in eastern Guatemala.
