Nicolas brings more than 25 years of expertise to the coffee industry. His journey began in Europe and eventually led to the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia.Before joining Neumann Kaffee Gruppe in 2023, Nicolas spent more than a decade in the coffee-trading division of a multinational commodity house. In his most recent role, he oversaw operations and strategic initiatives in Brazil, Peru, Colombia and the United States, contributing significantly as a key member of the leadership team.

Nicolas’s influence extends beyond executive roles. He has presided over the Council of CECAFE (Brazilian Coffee Exporters Association) and served on the board of Asoexport (Colombian Coffee Exporters Association). Currently, he is an active board member of the National Coffee Association of U.S.A., continuing to shape the future of the coffee industry.

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Favorite dessert? Crepe Suzette with vanilla ice-cream

A random fact about me is: I’m a Spanglish and Portuñol semi-native

Favorite business trip? Nariño, Colombia

Thomas Silva joined Neumann Gruppe USA in July 2023 and completed the transition to chief financial officer in February 2024.

Thomas has more than 20 years of experience in Finance and Controlling in commodity-trading businesses including oil, energy, metals, soft commodities and, of course, coffee. Before joining Neumann Gruppe USA, he oversaw finance operations for a green coffee merchant in the United States, Colombia and Brazil.

Thomas has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, with dual concentrations in Finance and Accounting. He graduated magna cum laude from Northeastern University in Boston and is also a Certified Public Accountant.

Neil Barwick, who comes to us from England, began with the wrong beverage. Following his studies in business and economics, he spent a summer working for a tea company, where he was eventually offered an apprenticeship. This led to a good amount of time working in producing countries, including Kenya, Sri Lanka, India and Indonesia. Eventually, Neil became a tea buyer and blender for a large U.K. retail brand, which led to further travel developing tea blends, flavor profiles and tisanes.

When the tea company moved to the north of England, Neil decided to remain near London and eventually sought an opportunity with a newly opened company, InterAmerican Coffee UK.

Neil began as a junior trader, building up the company’s Specialty Coffee focus, as the demand for coffee grew in England. Over time, he also developed a deep expertise in the Purchasing, Futures and Risk Management departments. For the last 10 years of his 20-year career with Neumann Kaffee Gruppe, Neil was managing director of InterAmerican Coffee UK, our counterpart across the pond.

He is delighted to now be at the helm of InterAmerican Coffee U.S., in its Hoboken, N.J. headquarters. He brings with him his lovely wife, three children, and an outsized love of his longtime local football (soccer) team, West Ham.

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What did you want to be when you grew up? An astronaut or deep-sea diver. I had a huge fascination with the unknown and unexplored.

Best business trip: Best-weird, Sumatra (green bread and fish heads, but mostly the wonderful coffee and backdrop). But all trips are great. I love travel and still deem it an honor and a privilege. I love everywhere I’ve been for different reasons, even broken bones in Brazil and falling down a hill in Colombia.

Weekend weakness: In addition to West Ham, I have a soft spot for the New Orleans Saints, the New Jersey Devils and truly all things sport. That includes the rodeo I visited near the InterAmerican Houston office — truly one of the most entertaining sport experiences I’ve ever had.

Josh’s career in the coffee industry began in 2010 as a summer intern for the InterAmerican Houston office.  After graduating from the University of Kansas in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies and a minor in Business, he joined InterAmerican’s Houston team full time. His current list of duties includes risk management, purchasing, sales, inventory management and QC, among others.

When he’s not working, Josh enjoys drinking coffee, traveling, climbing, skiing, playing guitar, playing and watching golf, watching KU basketball and hanging out with his awesome wife, Kristin. Josh loves the specialty coffee industry and thoroughly enjoys being part of a supply chain that connects the world.  

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Best place you ever went on a business trip: Kenya in 2017 was pretty epic.

What did you want to be when you grew up? Veterinarian 

Favorite company outing or event: The Houston office’s annual pool party is always a great time.

Best coffee memory/favorite coffee experience: Honestly, I really enjoy the day-to-day.  It can be a grind and is often stressful, but the people I work with are genuinely incredible people and they make it all worthwhile.

Ed moved to New York City in 2006 and began working as a barista at a specialty coffee shop in Manhattan.  What started as a job to pay the bills wound up becoming his career and life passion.

Working in New York’s burgeoning specialty coffee industry allowed him to meet many inspiring people, whether they lived in NYC or were traveling through. Ed was inspired to keep expanding his career in specialty coffee because of the ability it provided to connect with people across the coffee supply chain, from producers to roasters, baristas to customers. He has since held many positions in the specialty coffee industry including barista, production and delivery manager, head roaster and green coffee buyer. Ed joined the InterAmerican team in May 2019 as a specialty trader.

Outside of work, Ed enjoys drinking delicious coffee, traveling, cooking and fermenting things, running, bike riding, playing music and spending quality time with his family and friends.

First concert: I went to my first concert when I was 8 years old. It was Boston, my all-time-favorite band!

What did you want to be when you grew up? A chef.

Michelle Maisto has always loved food and food writing, and in the coffee industry she’s grateful to have found a like-minded community.

She is the author of “The Gastronomy of Marriage,” a nonfiction memoir that was published by Random House in 2009. She’s has worn all the editorial hats in magazine publishing, earned an MFA in nonfiction writing from Columbia University and has written for publications including The New York Times, Forbes, Saveur, Gourmet, Roast and Barista Magazine.

As Head of Marketing at Neumann Gruppe USA, Michelle oversees branding and marketing efforts for InterAmerican Coffee and Rothfos Corporation. She’s additionally the Project Coordinator for the Neumann Kaffee Gruppe Partnership to Advance Coffee Equity (NKG PACE), a racial equity program created in 2021 in cooperation with the Coffee Coalition for Racial Equity (CCRE).

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Random fact: The summer before college, I was a barista on Sunset Boulevard and Johnny Depp, a generous tipper, came in twice a day. I had him to thank for my freshman beer money.

What did you want to be when you grew up: A teacher.

Best coffee memory: In retrospect, the Sunday afternoons in grade school when my Italian father would send me to the kitchen to make him an espresso with Anisette. He’d tease me that it was good training for my future husband. Instead, I married a man who makes my morning pour-over.

Emiliano was born in Nicaragua and grew up in the California Bay Area. He spent much of his childhood listening to his dad’s stories about life in the coffee mountains of Nicaragua, helping farmers organize and rise out of poverty. As a result, he grew up loving coffee culture and dreaming of a career in the coffee industry. During his summers in college he spent time working with coffee co-ops in Costa Rica (Coopetarrazu) and Colombia (Cooperative de Caficultores de Aguadas). He led farmer training sessions that covered sustainable production and Fair Trade standard compliance. In addition, he spent three months assisting and training with the co-op’s cupper. He gained still more experience in coffee when he worked with Café Moto, a local roaster in San Diego, CA.

After graduating from San Diego State University with a degree in Environmental Studies, Emiliano decided to apply his Nicaraguan background and his passion for coffee to the green coffee industry.

In his free time, Emiliano enjoys traveling, skiing, watching baseball and attending concerts.

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First concert: Steve Miller Band

Random fact: Collecting records has become a new obsession since Josh Burdett gave me his old turntable.

Favorite coffee experience: Living and working in the Tarrazú coffee-growing region of Costa Rica for three months.

A long-time flavor enthusiast, artist and academic, Amanda found working in coffee to be an unexpected but perfect fit. After working as an educator, archival picture framer and bodyworker, she got a part time job in a café—and she was hooked. With foundations as a barista, roaster and trainer, she joined the InterAmerican team in 2014 and became a licensed Q Grader in 2016.

Outside of work she spends her time making drawings, practicing yoga, gardening, and hanging in the woods or at the beach with her husband and sons.

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Random fact: At one point I lived in an ashram in the Bahamas.

Favorite company outing or event: Escape Room!

Best coffee memory: Judging finals at the 2019 World Brewer’s Cup Competition.

Tânia has worked in coffee and hospitality since 2000 and joined InterAmerican in 2016. She is a native of Terceira, Açores, is an actress and an animal activist, and is always looking for the opportunity to unify people and share their stories. When not smothering her dogs with kisses, she is searching for the best donut around!

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Proud life moments: I was the winner of the weekly brownie eating contest in elementary school. And I once ate 2 dozen glazed donuts in one sitting—easily. Further, I won the physical education award in junior high, arguably making up for all the brownies and donuts.

Favorite coffee experience:  Meeting with farmers and their families on coffee farms in Guatemala.

Christopher graduated from the University of Scranton, where he majored in Finance and minored in Operations and Information Management.

During his senior year, with school remote, he began working with a neighborhood coffee shop, helping with operations and business management. Through this experience, he learned about the world of coffee trading — which combines his excitement for finance with his love of coffee — and immediately knew it was how he wanted to focus his career.

Christopher considers himself a student of life and enjoys learning about new subjects. He’s interested in all aspects of the coffee market and is excited to be working on Logistics Operations within InterAmerican. Christopher wants to contribute to the work of helping to achieve sustainability and greater equality through all levels of the industry and to ensuring that everyone can enjoy the beauties of coffee anywhere in the world.

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First Concert: Carlos Vives

Hobbies: I enjoy drawing, reading, building different contraptions and learning how to speak French.

CJ is a graduate of Seton Hall University, where he studied finance and economics.

His journey InterAmerican Coffee was a culmination of his love of coffee, his interest in learning about specialty coffee and his fascination with commodity markets. CJ assists the Trade, Logistics and Customer Support teams in servicing our great customers.

Before InterAmerican, CJ worked in the golf industry (one of his passions) and at his family’s cotton commodities company.

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My first concert was: The Killers

A random fact about me is: My friends and I got very into board games. So much so that one of us started a board game company. Now we all help to create, test and market the game at conferences! Recommendation: Mycelium: A Mushing’s Game.

Favorite coffee experience: I visited a coffee farm in Costa Rica on a high-school trip. I got to watch the workers perform a controlled burn on part of the farm, see what coffee cherries/green coffee looks like and even cup some of their coffee!

Julia Syrdahl was born in Brazil and has been living abroad since 2013, with the last seven years in the United States. She graduated from Goldey-Beacom College with a degree in Business Administration and a concentration in Financial Management, and she’s currently pursuing a Master of Science in Business Analytics from Pepperdine University.

Julia’s coffee journey began when she was an undergraduate, interning with InterAmerican sister company Rothfos Corporation. After many summers working with and learning from the Quality Control and Inbound Logistics teams, she joined Rothfos as a full-time employee in January 2022. Her work there included a focus in Claims and Recovery for the Inbound Logistics department, as well as time with the Outbound Logistics team.

When not working or studying, Julia spends time with family and friends. She enjoys exploring new restaurants, coffee shops and learning new sports.

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Favorite book: “Froth on the Daydream” by Boris Vian

Favorite coffee memory: The first time I visited a coffee farm, “Bela Vista,” back in Brazil when I was a kid, I remember being fascinated by the coffee laying on the dry patio.

Profession you wanted to be when you were a kid: Archeologist.

As a trader at InterAmerican’s Houston headquarters, Crystal works with large, medium and small specialty roasters, helping to provide them with the best coffees to meet their customers’ specific needs and preferred flavor profiles. She also facilitates the company’s sustainability program.

Crystal has a Bachelor of Science from Texas A & M University and served as a judge for Costa Rica’s Cosecha de Oro competition.

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First concert: KISS. But Prince was the best one I ever saw.

Random fact: I make excellent hummus.

Favorite company outing: I loved holiday shopping for the local women’s shelter.

A Houston native, Arifa graduated from Texas Woman’s University with a degree in Science.  Before joining InterAmerican, she spent four years as an accounting assistant and more recently as a trading specialist.

When not busy at work, Arifa enjoys cooking, crafting, traveling and spending time with her family. She’s always eager to learn more about this amazing industry and looks forward to each and every new experience!

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Random fact: When I retire, I would love to open my own restaurant or bed and breakfast. I would also love to travel the world!

Be biased. What’s your favorite coffee? Easy! Ethiopia Misty Valley.

Elvira joined InterAmerican in 2015, as part of the Quality Control team. While new to the world of specialty coffee, a short three years later, she’s a licensed Q grader.

A Texas native, she was raised in Houston and is fluent in Spanish. Her love for coffee has grown and led her into the trading side of the business. She’s as eager as ever for new experiences and to learn more about this amazing industry.

Elvira loves spending time with her daughters and wonderful husband. In her free time, she likes to binge-watch movies and go shopping.

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Random fact: Because of my kids, I can be caught watching the Disney channel, even when they aren’t around!

What did you want to be when you grew up? A baker.

Favorite company outing or event: I must say, iFly indoor skydiving was very fun.

Adrianne has worked in the coffee industry for her entire professional life. What started as a part-time job in high school grew into a lasting passion for coffee. While pursuing the quality control aspect of the industry, she gained roasting and cupping experience. Over the years, she also expanded her knowledge in other divisions of the coffee industry that include commercial, decaf, soluble, and specialty coffee. Today, Adrianne manages the flow of green coffee from its country of origin to its arrival in U.S. and Canadian warehouses.

She is a Houston native and graduated from the University of Houston-Downtown. Her other interests include photography, scrapbooking, gaming and reading.

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My favorite work trip was: Costa Rica for a Quality Control Summit.

My first concert was: Selena at the Houston Rodeo.

My favorite coffee memory is: Judging the Brewer’s Cup at Nationals in Seattle 2018. The competitors’ skills, to highlight the coffees’ qualities, was really impressive! I enjoyed drinking their brews.

After working for five years with the largest shipping-container company in the world, Maersk Inc., between Houston, TX, and Chicago, IL, Christopher began his career at InterAmerican Coffee in May 2010.

Chris currently works in the traffic department and is responsible for inbound and outbound coffee for Continental Warehouse in Carteret, NJ, and Berkshire Warehouse in New Hope, MH. Hoping to soon complete his goal of learning Spanish as a second language, Chris is looking forward to what the future may bring within the InterAmerican team.

When away from the office, Christopher enjoys golfing, fishing, watching LSU football and spending time with his two young children.

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Favorite concert: Willie Nelson’s 4^th of July Picnic!

What did you want to be when you grew up? A professional baseball player.

Best coffee memory/favorite coffee experience: 2011 SCAA and IAC party in Houston!

LaWanda joined the InterAmerican Coffee Houston team in 2011, as an accounts receivable administrator. Processing checks, credit cards and credit applications is her specialty. She enjoys interacting with customers and the challenges that she encounters every day. She is busy with two children, but in her spare time enjoys supporting their schools and extra-curricular activities. She loves charity walks, church activities, shopping, reading and spending time with her extended family.

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What did you want to be when you grew up? A doctor

Favorite company outing or event: Scavenger hunt

Random fact about me: I’m a very, very picky eater!

Originally from Ocala, Florida, Gilda and her husband moved to Houston to be closer to their children and granddaughters.  She loves and is fascinated by the coffee industry and enjoys every new and exciting experience at InterAmerican.

Ryan Bennett is a native Houstonian and a fifth-generation Texan who comes from a family of Aggies. He received a Bachelor of Science in Economics with a minor in Business Management from Texas A&M.

Before joining InterAmerican, Ryan worked as a merchandiser for Total Wine & More. This is his first role in the coffee industry, though he’s enjoyed coffee since his days in high school. He’s excited to learn more about the industry and all it has to offer.

Ryan enjoys music and tries to see as much live music as possible. (White Oak Music Hall is his favorite venue.) He’s currently learning to play the guitar, which has made his appreciation for music much deeper. Ryan is also a lifelong fan of the Houston Astros and tries to catch every game. You can also find him gaming and watching movies.

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First concert: Garth Brooks

A random fact about me is: I’ve never broken a bone

What I wanted to be as a kid: An MLB player

Kayd spends most of her time drinking coffee, cupping coffee and talking about coffee. She was overjoyed to find a career in coffee when she joined Elan Organic Coffees in 2005 — and was equally thrilled to join InterAmerican Coffee when it acquired Elan in 2008. She’s Q Certified and active in the SCA, CQI, PCCA and Food 4 Farmers.

Kayd’s dedication to quality, sustainability and long-term relationships with roasters and partnerships at origin can be felt through her upbeat, positive attitude and contagious enthusiasm for everything coffee related. And her energy doesn’t stop there! She is a mom to two girls, manages her backyard garden full of organic vegetables and in her “free” time loves to play tennis, golf, stand-up paddleboard, go sailing and bike to work.

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First concert: Neil Diamond

Random fact: I once snuck into a Rolling Stones concert in Utrecht in 2003. I rolled under the tour bus, walked backstage and everyone assumed I belonged! Amazing show, Forty Licks Tour.

Best place you ever went on a business trip: Santa Avelina, Guatemala

What did you want to be when you grew up? A lawyer

Favorite company outing or event: Team-building event kayaking with refugee youth — organized with the International Rescue Committee in San Diego!

Erika has served as office manager of the San Diego office and today heads up InterAmerican’s sustainable green coffee sourcing efforts.

Her passion for sustainability and organic coffee has lead her on many trips to origin countries, creating relationships with producers all around the world.

Erika has led daily cuppings for more than 5 years; she is a certified Q-Grader and star cupper. She has had the opportunity to participate as a judge for Cup of Excellence, a cupping judge for Rainforest Alliance, and as a volunteer for the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI).

Erika is fluent in English and Spanish and is an excellent teacher. She loves to teach cupping and every aspect of the business. Her motto is, “Wisdom begins in wonder.”

Erika has a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Business from San Diego State University.

Dana joined InterAmerican Coffee in 2010, in the Quality Control department. Her work included all sample roasting, communication with customers and communication with origins regarding approvals and rejections — and of course, lots of daily cuppings and coffee evaluations. After a few years, her love for talking coffee with roasters, and for traveling to foster relationships at origin, lead her to her current role as a trader.

Dana is a Q Grader and has an SCAA Instructor Development Program (IDP) credential, which enables her to lead SCA classes. Her passion for coffee is fueled by her desire to learn every discipline and aspect about it, from discovering unique coffee shops to building relationships and increasing her knowledge about origin with lots of travel!

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First concert: Christina Aguilera — Genie in a Bottle was soooo cool!

Random fact: I’ve rebounded for Steph Curry, and it was the easiest job ever — just stand under the hoop, because he never misses!

Best place you ever went on a business trip: Six weeks in Colombia was indelible!

Favorite company outing: Biking from La Jolla shores to the Cabrillo National Monument. We went through the caves and had lunch at George’s on the cliffs of La Jolla. Very San Diegan of us!

Best coffee memory/favorite coffee experience: Hands down, finishing our Kenya buying trip with a safari with lions!

Pablo began his career in coffee after graduating from the University of California at San Diego. While working for local roasters and blogging about the local coffee scene, he found himself drawn into the world of green coffee.

Since 2017, Pablo has worked in green coffee logistics, marketing, sales and sourcing. His favorite part of working in the coffee industry is connecting people. Because of this, Pablo organizes an annual cold brew festival called Cold Brew City Fest. It brings together coffee roasters, coffee importers, cafes, artists, musicians, bakers and specialty beverage makers from San Diego, Los Angeles, Long Beach and Tijuana.

To keep his youthful glow, Pablo takes a monthly bath in Panamanian Gesha.

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First concert: Manu Chao in Tijuana. Legendary French singer who wrote the song “Welcome to Tijuana.”

Best place you ever went on a business trip: San Ignacio, Peru. I traveled to meet the producers and team of the COOPAFSI cooperative. Landed in the historic city of Cajamarca, where the last Inca ruler was executed by the Spanish. The mix of history and coffee made this my favorite origin trip!

Favorite coffee experience: Judging the PCCO (Premio a la Calidad de Café de Oaxaca) in 2018. The University of Chapingo organized a wonderful event for producers and buyers in Oaxaca. Getting to be part of it was extremely meaningful.

Krista’s training for specialty coffee began 25 years ago, as a preschool teacher helping kids to learn the value of organization and coloring between the lines. Not much has changed since! She’s been with InterAmerican for 16 years, first as a trading assistant and traffic coordinator and today as the invaluable customer service lead in our San Diego office, keeping traders and customers organized and every detail checked and tracked on colorful spreadsheets.

Krista loves the people in specialty coffee and the opportunity to learn something new every day. She’s an avid sports fan, specifically rooting for the San Francisco Giants, 49ers and Golden State Warriors. She enjoys hiking, going to the beach and wine tasting with her husband and Golden Retriever, Maya.

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First concert: New Kids on the Block.

Favorite company outing: SF Giants baseball game.

Favorite coffee experience: I loved going to my first Coffee Fest, a couple years ago. I was so happy to get to meet a lot of the customers I correspond with on a daily basis! 

Craig began his journey in the coffee industry in 2002, taking a part-time job packing coffee orders in a Midwest warehouse while also playing in a band. This exposure to the coffee world sparked a genuine interest in the craft and production of specialty coffee, leading him to pursue a role as a coffee roaster. Now a certified Q Grader, Craig has gained valuable experience across various facets of the industry, including roasting, logistics, product development and quality control.

After spending years on the roasting side, Craig is excited for the opportunity to engage with and support roasting customers from the importing perspective.

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Favorite dessert? Pumpkin pie
First album? “Thriller” by Michael Jackson
What did you want to be when you grew up? Michael Jackson

Maya has been imbuing the San Diego office with her Golden glow since April 2017. With her daily color-coordinated bows and bandanas, she brings an undeniable touch of elegance to the office, along with boundless joy and the warmest knee-level hugs. Maya’s enthusiasm for team potlucks (especially those featuring turkey and chicken) is unmatched, and her dedication to tidying up scraps and spills is nothing short of heroic.

Like the rest of her team, Maya adores InterAmerican customers (not to mention the mail carrier and the UPS driver), greeting everyone with equal affection. While she’s a master at positioning herself in high-traffic areas, Maya prefers to work closely beside her mother and stylist, Krista, ensuring she’s always at the heart of the action.

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First album: “Who Let the Dogs Out”
Favorite dessert: The Pup Cup from Salt & Straw
Best business trip? Paso Robles, exploring the wineries with my mom and dad.