Carly (Cherry Love Cupping Subscription ): Coffee Insurrection Hero Chapter #90

Published by Tanya in Coffee Insurrection Hero · 27 November 2024
Tags: Coffee_Interview, Specialty_Coffee, Cherry_Love, The, Netherlands, Europe

1. Introduce yourself: Who are you, where are you from, where do you work, and what’s your job?

Hi, I’m Carly! I grew up near Sacramento, California, but spent most of my coffee career in the SF Bay Area, working on Blue Bottle’s sourcing team for about five years. Two years ago, my husband and I decided to move to Europe, choosing the Netherlands simply because it felt like the right place for us. It was the first time I moved somewhere just because I wanted to live there, not for work or school, and it’s been an amazing decision.

During our transition, I did some consulting and fun educational content creation, but I knew I wanted to create an experience that made coffee education more approachable and fun. That’s how my business, Cherry Love, came to life. It’s an educational cupping subscription filled with mystery coffees, sensory activities, and insights from expert guest educators.

2. When and why did coffee become important to you?

My love for coffee began during a college trip to Uganda, where I met a family starting their coffee farm. They asked me to bring their green samples back to the U.S., so I carried their sample around to roasters in LA and, not knowing anything about the coffee industry, even called the FDA to try to figure out how to import it myself. That journey led me to my first cupping at Handsome Coffee Roasters (later acquired by Blue Bottle). I was quite excited about sourcing, and the impact the specialty coffee market can have on producers. Soon after, I left my job in adoption casework to dive into coffee full-time.

3. Do you remember the first coffee you had that was more than “just a cup of coffee”?

Definitely, that coffee from Uganda!

4. What’s your favorite thing about going to work in the morning?

I love that each Cherry Love box is like a sensory playground. It’s exciting to curate coffees and themes that highlight important industry topics while making comparative cupping approachable and fun! Brainstorming ideas, collaborating with talented people, and seeing it all come together in a product that people enjoy at home is incredible. It still feels surreal that I created this little box that people love and enjoy.

5. What’s your favorite brewing method and why?

Since cupping is my comfort zone, I usually tend to keep things pretty simple with a Kalita Wave pour-over, trying to achieve a similar brew ratio. Otherwise, I like to go for an extraction method that really brings out whatever that particular coffee has to offer.

6. Which is the best coffee you’ve ever tasted?

When I started on the sourcing team at Blue Bottle, we worked with some absolutely incredible coffees from Yemen through Mokhtar Alkhanshali at Port of Mokha. It’s tough to pinpoint one coffee as the best I’ve ever tried, but my memory of those coffees is still so strong. They were tropical, incredibly sweet, punchy, and really unlike anything else we were working with at that time. There was a lot of effort put into that coffee release, and it made headlines for being the “$15 cup of coffee,” which, at the time, seemed wild to people. I have really fond memories of being a part of that release.

7. Is there a country of origin that you tend to favor coffee from? Why?

I feel a close connection to coffees from Burundi because they’re delicious and sort of a miracle, considering how complex and tricky it is to export coffee from Burundi due to its political turmoil and logistical challenges. I had the chance to visit in 2019, and we visited the first-ever women-owned washing station in the country while they were just starting to depulp their first few batches of coffee cherries. They were singing, dancing, and celebrating, and it was such a magical moment to witness!

8. Suggest a roastery to check out (not one you work at or use at work).

Definitely check out Paso Paso if you haven’t already. They’re a farmer-owned roastery in Hannover, run by Bram De Hoog, who has a lot of experience in green coffee. I think this business model really challenges the status quo and gives producers active oversight in the way it’s roasted and sold, which is something I think the roasting market could use a lot more of.

9. What’s the most important thing you’ve learned while working in the business?

Ask questions and stay open-minded to change when presented with new information! Also, if you’re thinking about doing something or starting something, don’t spend too much time weighing your options and debating it or worrying about how it might not work or how it might feel silly at first. Just do it!

10. How do you see the specialty coffee scene in 10 years?

I think the next decade will bring a lot of research and attention to more climate-resistant species than Arabica. I think it’ll be important to stay open-minded to new varieties, species, and processing methods that aren’t the super sparkly, high-acidity, perfectly clean washed coffees buyers love today. We’re already seeing the effects of climate change in coffee, especially in weather patterns, so I think it’ll cause a lot of turbulence in the market, and it’ll be interesting to see where things stand in 10 years.

11. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I do think we’ll stay here in Europe, and I would love to grow Cherry Love into the go-to way for people to learn about coffee at home. I’d also love a storefront someday to host events and have a fun gathering place for people!

12. Any last words? Any tips or suggestions for someone wanting to start this path?

Taste coffees side by side any chance you get. And don’t be afraid to ask questions. Most coffee people are kind and quite generous with their knowledge! 😊