Anna Nordström: Coffee Insurrection Hero Chapter #33
Published by Tanya in Coffee Insurrection Hero · 24 November 2021
Tags: Era_of_We, Anna_Nordström, Sweden, Interview
Tags: Era_of_We, Anna_Nordström, Sweden, Interview
1- Introduce yourself: who are you, where are you from, where do you work and what’s your job.
I am Anna Nordström, and most of all I am a passionate coffee lover, from Sweden.
I work for the coffee roasters Löfbergs since 1998. I have already held different job positions in the company, from purchasing departments to my current job: to provide specialty coffee education through trainings. Currently, I’m also part of a new amazing project called Era of We, that aims to re-shape the future of coffee, while bringing happiness to the community.
2- When and why did coffee become important to you?
If you don’t do you are a bit odd. Here, drink coffee is almost a must to fit in the society, and for many people it’s the reason why they start to drink (and enjoy) coffee in the first place.
When I was attending university, I started to really enjoying coffee; but the passion for coffee started coincided with the beginning of my career at Löfbergs. At that time I was in the purchasing department, and part of my job was the quality control of coffee: one of the main part of my job involved cupping… you can imagine why this is the moment when I really discover my passion for coffee.
3- Do you remember the first coffee you had that was more than “just a cup of coffee”?
Thinking about it, I realize that my fist cup that was more than “just a cup of coffee” didn’t actually involved a cup of specialty coffee. I was in Italy, back then, seated outside a coffee shop. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the baristas were quite good looking… the coffee was good, topped with some nice foamy warm milk on the top.
So what I remember is more the moment than the coffee itself: it was a Fika – a coffee moment that I will never forget!
4- What’s your favorite thing about going to work in the morning?
The smell of coffee! But, of course, also the people, the sharing of knowledge, the trips and all that’s constantly new, different almost every day: new crops, new taste profiles, new adventures. I am always changing, traveling and learning. Before Covid, I used to travel a lot to visit customers and others Löfbergs roasters; to do trainings and to attend coffee events. And all of this, is going to come back soon, I’m sure of it.
5- What’s your favorite brewing method and why?
I would for sure say that I love filter coffee, and lately my choice of dripper is always the Clever dripper or Kalita. It gives you a very round and balanced taste, what I really love to find in a cup. Always paired with paper filters, that give you a clean taste and a recipe that’s always easy to replicate.
6- Which is the best coffee you ever tasted?
Easy: Ethiopian Guji , South of Ethiopia… an heirloom from Ethiopia that was simply amazing.
7- Is there a country of origin that you tend to favor coffee from? Why?
They all have their best season, and for sure I prefer the coffee that is a fresh crop, and I’m always waiting for the fresh coffee that’s on the boat. Plus, it also depend by the time of the day: usually I prefer in the morning softer notes, more chocolaty; while in the afternoons I look for something more fruity. And after a meal, I often look for a coffee with a nice, round body.
8- Suggest us a roastery to check (not the one you working at/you use at work).
9- What’s the most important things you’ve learnt while working in the business?
That the more I learn, the less I know: it’s a constant learning. and I’ve gained a great respect for the work in the field.
10- How your work and the specialty coffee world are coping with Covid and the new challenges for hospitality?
New cupping routines, the whole training had mode to more online. Less travels.
In the whole industry, became a change. A.
Luckily in Sweden we were among the few countries that never had a lock-down, so we were able to still open the coffee shops but many customers were furloughed or worked from home, and that’s wahy the sales was very affected anyway. What really changed was the whole coffee industry, that basically had (at least for the past year) to switch to an “online” mode. There was an increase in the e-commerce, training and classes were held online; there were less travels, no coffee festivals, new cupping routines… everything completely different.
11- How do you see the specialty coffee scene in 10 years?
I think that it will be more developed, becoming a more important part in the coffee industry. In my opinion, in only a few years, it will happen what already happened with wine: a boom of the specialty coffee industry (that has already become a mature business), and the whole coffee industry will become more differentiated.
12- Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I see myself in a sunny coffee farm. I would love to go to Colombia, so why not?!
13- Any last word? Any tip or suggestion you wanna share with someone that want to start this path?
I’ve got just some few suggestion, simples but to me really important. Be curious, try, and never stop learning. Test yourself and your knowledge a lot, enjoy cupping and blind-test. A lot of people are just replicating what authorities are saying. Don’t do it: get your own opinion. Dare. Think different.
It’s like what happens with food: you can prepare something in many different ways and, as long as you have a good product to start with, you’ll have a good result.