Karl is the CEO of Diedrich Roasters LLC located in Ponderay ID,  Karl has been in an active Industry leader in the food and beverage industry for over 40 years at a General Management level.  In addition to his global business outlook and perspective he brings a vast knowledge in process engineering, business and product development, customer service, and strategy development to the coffee,  beverage and cocoa Industry. He has worked for global companies such as ALFA LAVAL a Swedish multinational Group and served as President and Member of the BOD of the Probat Group of Companies including Probat Burns, Inc servicing the North American Market from 1989 to 2016.

He has a Master’s Degree in Engineering and Business Administration.

Over the years Karl has demonstrated effective leadership skills in improving the bottom line of the various Companies he managed. He has a superior record of achievement in the financial operational and engineering transformation with a focus and emphasis on bottom-line results.

Part of his technique and strategy in achieving these goals include major acquisition of companies to enhance the synergy for a more impactful growth in the revenue stream. Karl has an excellent understanding of the global business environment in the various disciplines related to Systems, Plant Design, Process technology  and Implementation.

He is very familiar with the North American Coffee and Confectionery Industry. As a Member of the NCA, SCAA and RG he is a recognized speaker at Industry events and is known for his ability and willingness to collaborate and educate by sharing his knowledge and information . Some of the topics of focus include “Roasting Technologies”, “Mitigating Environmental Emissions” from Coffee Roasting Facilities, and the impact of Thermal Dynamics during roasting including the Heat transfer in the operation and application of various roasting technologies and roaster designs.

He promotes and advocates the need for sustainable solutions in today’s conflicting environment of businesses and facilities within the coffee and cocoa engineering field of operations.

Over the years Karl has been recognized as an effective leader in the market providing a full range of services and disciplines including education ,and consultancy to major corporations and privately held coffee and cocoa  processors supporting them in site selection, design, construction, and start-up of their facilities.

Phyllis Johnson is the co-founder and president of BD Imports, an award-winning green coffee importing company, focused on responsible sourcing of specialty coffees.  In 2020 she founded, The Coffee Coalition for Racial Equity, (CCRE) a non for profit that seeks to build racial equity in the coffee industry.

Phyllis’ work in social responsibility has won numerous awards including, Responsible Business of the Year, Diverse Supplier of the Year and Barbara Jordan Award for Women’s Leadership.  

Phyllis is a pioneer in the women in coffee movement with over two decades of experience.  She led the formation of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance Chapters in East Africa and led initiatives around the globe helping to ensure that women are acknowledged and paid for their work.  She has consulted for the United Nations International Trade Centre and spoken at the World Trade Organizations and United Nations on the need to include the voices of women.

Phyllis holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and a Master’s in Public Administration degree from the Harvard Kennedy School. 

Phyllis has served on numerous industry boards, a speaker, and published author, who’ve written about the inequities in the coffee trade. She is an advocate for what she believes works and adding more diverse voices to the conversation. Phyllis lives in Georgia with her husband Patrick, and they have three adult children, Marcus, Matthew, and Maya.

Experienced Executive Director with a demonstrated history of working in the hospitality industry. Strong business development professional skilled in Negotiation, Corporate Social Responsibility, Business Planning, Operations Management, and Sales.

Eileen Schwab and Tony Tausch’s professional lives started at the University of Cincinnati where Eileen did research in molecular genetics and Tony was doing clinical research in obesity and hypertension in children. This just goes to show that your true passion in life isn’t necessarily what you went to school for.

In 1994 they traveled to California where they visited many diverse coffeehouses and witnessed the power of cafes to break down social barriers and bring together all members of a community. When they returned home to Cincinnati Tony got a part-time job at a new coffee roastery followed by another job at a more established roasting facility and cafe.  At that time the coffee bug truly bit.

In 1996 Tony and Eileen purchased the Coffee Emporium which was established in 1973 and is the oldest family-owned coffeehouse in Ohio. At that point, Coffee Emporium had a single location. In 2002 they opened a second location in the historic Over the Rhine neighborhood in downtown Cincinnati. Since then, they have expanded their operations to include a roasting haus co-located with their warehouse and a commercial kitchen.

Tony and Eileen believe in investing in relationships from seed to cup by buying coffee directly from farmers to ensure that they receive top dollar for their hard work and quality coffee. They have developed friendships with the farmers and take pride in working with such dedicated, hardworking people. They prioritize working with women in the coffee industry because of their ability to provide economic and educational opportunities to enrich and advance their communities. Like Angèle Ciza, the Kalico owner in Burundi, says, “If you want to develop Burundi, you develop the women.” The coffees are roasted in small batches using two Diedrich Roasters. An IR-12 and a CR-35.

Coffee Emporium has been selected “Best Overall Coffee House,” “Best Eastside Coffee House” (the original location in Hyde Park), and “Best Central/Downtown/OTR Coffee House” by Cincinnati’s City Beat magazine for the last 12 years in a row. This recognition, which is based on votes from the community, is proof that the people of Cincinnati value and appreciate the hard work of the Coffee Emporium team members.

Launtia has over 30 years’ experience in the coffee and cocoa industry focusing and delivering results in applying her skills in areas such as: Marketing & Business Strategies and Campaigns, Corporate Communications, Product Positioning and Branding, Business and Product Development, Sales and Key-account Management.

Her volunteer work and leadership role in the coffee and cocoa industry includes serving as the Chair for the SCAA’s Lectures Committee, Roasters Guild Executive Council member, Board Member of the Confectionery Industry Council, NCA Coffee Summit, Ambassador for the SCAA Re; co Symposium, Board of Directors of the IWCA, including President of the IWCA Board of Directors for two years. In this role she was a speaker at the 2010 International Coffee Organization’s World Coffee Conference in Guatemala on Social Sustainability.

Launtia began her career in her home country of Jamaica with Jamaica Food Products which later became Cadbury Foods Jamaica LTD. She expanded her commercial experience working with International Shipping Ltd., a subsidiary of Grace Kennedy Ltd. She became President of the Taylor Gentles Group (TGG) where she led the strategic design and implementation of projects for clients spanning the coffee and cocoa industries including Probat, Inc.

Launtia has lived in Jamaica, Costa Rica, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and the US.

The Taylor Gentles Group are industry consultants for the Coffee & Cocoa industry. Providing full-service consultations, TGG can increase your footprint in the marketplace. TGG offers facility concepts, project engineering, coffee processing solutions, marketing plans, procurement strategy & management, and plant design.

Renée Espinoza manages the education programs for Firedancer and can assist clients in the design and development of their training programs for specialty coffee.  

Espinoza is an Authorized SCA Trainer; holding the professional level certificates in Barista Skills, Brewing and Roasting. Renee was co-chair of the first Professional Development Committee for the SCAA.  She has extensive experience in events restaurant and café management as well as the creation and implementation of employee training programs. 

Renee is also a past board member of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance and current Founder of the newly formed US Women in Coffee Association which is a US chapter for the IWCA.

Danna is a trader with Sucafina with a focus on buying East African specialty for the North American market.  She started in the industry as a trader in 2014 after graduating from Tulane University in New Orleans, LA.  

She is currently based in Brooklyn, NY.  Her favorite coffee origin is Kenya. She is interested in all things sustainability-driven in the coffee industry (carbon footprint, processing methods, packaging, etc) and how to incentivize more sustainable practices in coffee.