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WMitro

Male

Charlotte

United States

Profile Information:

What is your position in the coffee industry?: barista, barista trainer, coffee grower, home barista, coffee enthusiast
Where are you located? ( City and Country ): Charlotte
How many years have you been in the industry?: 3
If you are a barista or shop, are you interested in a barista exchange with another coffee shop/barista?: yes
Tell us more about your coffee shop or barista skills.: I was a barista at Dilworth Coffeehouse for two years and then late 2007 began to work at the actual roastery. I continue to practise my barista skills, thus never ending my knowledge of the coffee world.
What cities or countries are you interested in traveling to?: Anywhere.
About Me:: My name is Will and I was introduced into the world in the year 1988. When I am not brewing coffee at work, I am probably outside playing disc golf or in class. I am currently in school trying to obtain a degree in horticulture to benefit my desire to work on a coffee farm someday. My favorite coffee is Guat and my favorite espresso would be a northern Italian style.
Website:: http://www.dilworthcoffee.com/

Comment Wall:

Jason Dominy

Bout time. Slow poke.

Jan 13, 2008
Jason Dominy

Thats weird, Sandy said you got fired. Hmmm, I guess its cool if you still work with us.... ;-)

Jan 18, 2008
Jason Dominy

Have a good weekend Mr. Mitro. And practice, practice, practice.....

Feb 22, 2008
Brady

Hey Will. Good to see you.

So, a hort major, eh? Where do you think a guy living in these parts could find a few coffee tree seedlings? I've heard that they do ok outdoors in our area and have a couple of places in the yard that need understory trees. The organic Sumatra I planted never germinated, maybe a city roast was too dark?

Mar 11, 2008
K-SAKI

I'm not entirely sure what you mean.... I have nothing but good things to say about seattle, did you even read my blog before commenting?
Starbucks is inevitable. Chain shops will always be around, but at the same time, just because a shop is "indie" doesnt mean they serve good coffee...
There are a handful of great coffee shops in Seattle:
vivace, victrola, stumptown, zoka..........
I dont know who you've been talking with, but they clearly had no direction on their trip.

Mar 12, 2008
Brady

No, that was just a joke (albeit a pretty lousy one). I did not plant roasted coffee beans, and am actually a reasonably competent gardener. I am seriously looking for seedlings though. I've heard that there are some mature specimens at the zoo in Asheboro. If all else fails, I may try propagating from one of those, though they might kick me out for that...

Have a good evening. See you Friday?

Mar 12, 2008
K-SAKI

well, i named four in my last comment. Another one would be caffe Vita. They werent anything to particularly boast about, but you might as well hit it up while you're in the area...
You could also do Hines by the public market. I didnt go to it personally, but I think they just showcase beans from other shops like vivace.
word.

Mar 12, 2008
K-SAKI

nah. its cool. I wasnt upset, just really shocked.
peace out.

Mar 14, 2008
Shawn Steiman

Heya Will,

The grapevine speaks true. I have an MS in hort and almost a PhD. As I type, I'm on a farm in Maui where I spent the day with the Maui Coffee Association talking about coffee in the field (shade, pruning, fertilizing...). I regularly give talks to farmers across the state on hort-related issues concerning coffee.

I have started a consulting business that has a coffee-ag aspect to it. I plan to help not only HI farmers but those in other countries as well.

My adviser is the extension specialist assigned to coffee, cacao and kava. He's a true horticulturist (I just pretend at it). His job is all about hort in the field. Although, with me around, I get a chunk of his coffee duties. :-) So, yes, there is much a coffee-hort person can do. :-)

Lemme know if you need more info,
Shawn

Mar 24, 2008
abhishek

Hey,
I was checking you profile, and I find that there is no answer to the comment you had posted on my page, while I clearly remember posting it here.
I will briefly put the coffee industry in India. Coffee industry in India could broadly be decided on three parameters; Geography-Most of the coffee is grown in South and consumed in decreasing degrees while going north., Cafes- Like the IT India has directly jumped into the Specialty Coffee scene, ironically taking the sacred cue from Starbucks.So, we have Starbucks copy cats , who serve either as bad as SBucks or worse than them, Tea Vs Coffee- Till date Coffee is seen as an elite beverage, and the beverage of choice is Tea, more so ever CTC.
We have probably two small batch roasters in the entire country and hundreds of industrial roasters who supply coffee to Mcdonalds, Subway and other chains. We have arguably no specialty coffee outlet serving the coffee the way it should be.
I aspire to start one such cafe this year. I am fighting it out.
Cheers!!!
P.S. Next time I would check twice if my comment has been posted or not.:)

Mar 24, 2008
Pablo Castaneda

I can help you with your interest regarding a visit to a plantation. I have plantations in Guatemala and I have the know how in order to make all of these happens. You only need to tell me how many people , your budget (like $1500.00 per person) , it depends how much you want to do and how long indeed. go to www.kafesguatemala.com , I can tailor your trip indeed. I have the contacts, I'm from Guatemala and I will be your personal guide if this is a serious proposal indeed. Let me know if you are interested. Best regards

Pablo Castaneda
kafes Guatemala

Mar 24, 2008
Shawn Steiman

I've done it just by being here and being active. I reckon that would be tough for you. The other strategy I'm looking into is to find the companies that need tree-hugger coffee horticulturists and convince them they need a knowledgeable coffee guy to help their direct-trade farms.

There's also NGOs that use coffee guys and I've been asked by a number of farms here to be their farm manager. I imagine the larger Hawaii farms are always looking for good horticulturists to work with.

Really, this is a question you need to ask me in a year or so... :-)

The question I would ask is where do you want to work and what do you want to do, exactly? Then, figure out who needs that service. That's how you'd find a job. :-) I know you're not actively looking for a job but finding enough info for your scholarship may just require some creative thinking. :-)

Mar 24, 2008
Shawn Steiman

Well, I can't predict the future but coffee is still expanding in Hawaii. I reckon there may be opportunities for you when you graduate. Definitely keep in touch. I plan to stay here and keep my hand on the pulse of the industry.

Have in undergrad! It can be a definitive point in life.

Mar 28, 2008
franky

man, that is the coolest tattoo, please to meet ya.

Apr 9, 2008
Jen Boelts

ask to see Sasha Kings tatoo of the bottomless.

Apr 9, 2008
Jonathan Jarrow

The black and gray in your tattoo is fucking incredible. Who does your work??

Apr 15, 2008
Jonathan Jarrow

That's excellent. I'm impressed with how well he does with the reflections on the portafilter.

Apr 15, 2008
Lauren Rue

Not to overkill, but that is an amazing piece of art you have there....it has inspired me to add to my collection.

Jun 27, 2008
Troy Lucas

I've been scouring the web for coffee related ink for those of us that feel the need. Yours is incredible! Besides portafilters, have you seen any other sick stuff out there. I can't seem to find tons but want to make an addition soon.

Aug 31, 2008
Zechariah White

Dude. Nice tat. Check out mine! Yeeeeah.

I know a guy that owns a coffee farm in the DR. Shouldn't be hard to arrange a visit.

Dec 2, 2008
Ali

Hey if you're serious about getting a trip together, and it's not some crazy astronomical budget ( I work in cafes after all..) keep in touch with me! And you know... I can't take TOO much time off of work...

Dec 8, 2008