Cherry Coffee Roasters believes education is the path to finding a perfect espresso experience. Or to create any great coffee experience. “We never stop learning, or striving to perfect our coffee process,” explains founder and owner Lauren Fink. “Our belief is that you can’t outgrow your coffee skills, you can only get better.” Likewise, the need for better coffee education applies to the customer as well. “We are excited to see so much emphasis upon education at the NOLA Coffee Festival. Customers don’t walk in knowing everything about coffee. Our staff takes time to explain and answer questions. We feel it is very important to help a customer better understand what they actually like in coffee. We frequently help them to expand their flavor palette, or at least learn that any flavor option is possible in coffee.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Cherry Coffee Roasters to the 2023 NOLA Coffee Festival,” comments co-founder Jim Currie. “Lauren is a mentor to many coffee professionals in Louisiana and her energy for a great customer experience is contagious. The Cherry Coffee Roasters Espresso Bar team are baristas at the top of their game. We hope their approach to customer service gets shared with other coffee shop managers during the educational programs at NCF. Lauren has agreed to be a speaker for multiple classes.”

Fink came by her own coffee education honestly: she taught herself the old fashioned way – through trial and error. “Like any barista, I had to learn to make a great cup of coffee. That process really took a long time and a great deal of effort” advised Fink. “ I used a scientific method to isolate variables and changed one thing at a time until I had mastered the nuances of intentional coffee making.” Fink and the Cherry Coffee Roasters staff take great joy in seeing a customer’s eyes light up upon discovering a new level of coffee quality. “Specialty coffee can do that for people. There is a WOW moment that can be life changing when you discover what great coffee tastes like. I discovered that for myself in Portland twenty years ago. I had the good timing to live there as the revolution of 3rd wave coffee was taking place. I brought that passion with me when I moved to New Orleans and have spent the past decade training baristas to see the fun in making great coffee.“

Sarah Courtney leads the barista team at Cherry Coffee Roasters and is serving on the barista planning team for NCF. Director of Roasting and Sourcing, Alexis Tewelde has taken the lead roaster reigns as Fink has been delegating key duties to emerging leaders on her staff. “We see specialty coffee as a craft profession. There is as much art in coffee extraction as there is science. Given the matrix of variables, the learning process in coffee is virtually never ending and we find that very exciting.” New Orleans can find a luxury coffee experience at Cherry Coffee Roasters and the NOLA Coffee Festival is pleased that their approach to coffee luxury will be part of the 2023 event.

CONTACT:
Lauren Fink

COMPANY:
Cherry Coffee Roasters

WEBSITE:
cherrycoffeeroasters.com

ESPRESSO BAR:
4875 Laurel Street, NOLA (Uptown)

PHONE:
(504) 875-3699

EMAIL:
[email protected]