Back in 2018 at a Coffee Fest in Baltimore I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing Stephen Zinnerman, owner and founder of (along with his wife Natasha) The Coffee Enthusiast: A Brewing Company (TCE).
Back when we first met on the show floor, he was just starting TCE and since then they have experienced A LOT of growth both in their family and in the business, especially on the roasting side. Through the challenges, late nights, iterations, and lots of giving and receiving from the specialty coffee community TCE has emerged as a known and established industry presence that promotes connection and great coffee experiences.
On top of running TCE Stephen has recently joined the roasting team at Counter Culture Coffee and is also a board member of The Coffee Coalition for Racial Equity
Stephen’s background outside of coffee is higher education, where he has worked for over 10 years in different areas, from University Housing to Environmental Research & Education. He is a graduate student, studying Environmental Policy & Management with a concentration in Environmental Sustainability.
Stephen is one of the most dedicated, hardworking, and (not surprisingly) enthusiastic people you can meet and it has been a pleasure to follow his progress over the years and now to get to have this conversation exploring his journey 3 years later.
In this interview we discuss:
- Starting small and getting feedback
- Beginning to focus on roasting
- Learning to listen and serve
- Creating something to give his kids
- Continuing to learn and invest in yourself
- Taking action as an individual
- Showing appreciation
- Taking on a commercial coffee roasting position while running TCE
- The hard work of commercial roasting
- Advice on how to learn and grow
Links:
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