Who We Are

Nora founded The Chain Collaborative in 2014 in order to invest in local leaders as they developed and implemented community projects in coffee regions around the world. She holds a master’s degree in Sustainable Development from the Graduate Institute at School for International Training, where she focused her studies on gender in development and food systems. She is part of the Creator’s Group for the Coffee Sustainability Program of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) and is currently an Authorized SCA Trainer for the program. Under the banner of TCC and in collaboration with other industry colleagues, she consults on a number of projects, has written for several coffee magazines and blogs, and has taught at a variety of educational institutions. She speaks English and Spanish.

Currently based in Costa Rica, Tessa’s role is to oversee our community-led development and industry-wide initiatives, as well as managing the organization’s internal operations. After being exposed to NGO work for several years, Tessa’s passion for unpacking the colonial power dynamics of development grew, as did her interest in seeking more transformational and collaborative solutions -while working alongside TCC, she co-founded a youth-led community library in Nicaragua-. Tessa graduated Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. from Barnard College with a double major in Political Science / Spanish & Latin American Cultures. She also holds an M.S. in Community and Organizational Leadership from the University of Wisconsin.

Camila is a coffee quality specialist with communication background. Based in Quito, Ecuador, she holds a B.A. in Graphic Design & Communication from San Francisco de Quito University and has more than 20 years of experience in these fields. She started her journey in coffee in 2014, when she founded Botánica -a café, training center and quality lab- and after working in different roles, she specialized in coffee quality and education. She is a Q Arabica Grader and is currently completing the Assistant Instructor Program in the Coffee Quality Institute. Working closely with producers, sourcing and processing Ecuadorian coffee, encouraged her to learn more about sustainability and get involved with community-led development initiatives in the coffee sector. She is fluent in Spanish and English.

Carolina is a researcher and communications specialist with previous experience as a journalist. Based in Madrid, Spain, she holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Rey Juan Carlos University and a master’s degree in International Relations from Queen Mary University of London. A personal interest in sustainability led her to investigate coffee farming communities in the Canary Islands and northern Argentina, which launched her into a research and communications career in the coffee sector. She has been playing a supportive role in a number of the below consulting assignments for the past two years, most active in desk research for topics related to decarbonization, coffee market trends, and digital solutions. She is fluent in English and Spanish.

Elisa is the Creator of Digital Coffee Future, an interactive online space where any coffee stakeholder can share their knowledge and discuss tools for digitalizing the coffee value stream. She is also the Founder and Lead Consultant of Expressing Origin, a consultancy whose mission is to support coffee stakeholders to digitalize their value chains, and tech providers to improve their solutions. Before fully dedicating herself to a career in coffee, Elisa deepened her understanding of the application of digital solutions in Ghana and worked in Colombia in the sustainable development arena, where she first entered into contact with the coffee industry. Elisa joins The Chain Collaborative as a Lead Consultant on several assignments throughout the year. She holds an MSc in Food Policy from the City University of London and a BSc in Food & Agriculture from the University of Gastronomic Sciences. She speaks Italian, English, and Spanish.

Itzel is is an environmental activist and a founding member of Colectivo Rokunin, one of the 2021-2022 Community-Led Incubator participants. She has developed and implemented projects with rural communities in Veracruz, Mexico on topics of gender equality and family rights. As a past participant, she is now responsible for leading TCC’s Alumni Network. She is also the Program Manager of Bean Voyage Mexico, where she is responsible for farmer relationships, and supply chain management. She is an engineer in Horticulture by training and has a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture.

Ana Sofia is a coffee and marketing specialist based in Nicaragua. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Marketing from Keiser University Latin American Campus in Nicaragua and a Master’s degree in Coffee Economics and Science from Università degli Studi di Udine in Italy. She also holds the SCA Sustainability Foundation certification and the Coffee Quality Institute’s Q-Processing Level 1.

Ana Sofia comes from a coffee-growing family and has worked in the specialty coffee industry in Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Mexico, and briefly in Peru. She has been involved in the coffee value chain development in these countries, leasing with working with farmers, roasters, and different stakeholders across the industry. Her experience spans production, relationship building, marketing, and communications in coffee, and more recently organic spices from Nicaragua and Honduras. She believes in the power of education to transform communities, especially those where coffee and our food are grown. She speaks Spanish and English.

After pursuing degrees in Economics and French Literature in Toronto, Canada, Janina delved into the investment sector before embarking on a quest for knowledge with an MBA in London, UK, where her fascination with coffee came to life. In 2015, driven by a desire to immerse herself in the world of coffee, Janina returned to her home country, Ecuador, and opened JAE CAFÉ Design, a specialty coffee shop dedicated to showcasing locally-produced coffee. Motivated by a commitment to making a positive impact, this year Janina joined the TCC Program Fellowship. She speaks Spanish, English, and French.

Livia is a graduate student of sustainable development, a social worker, and a long-time barista based in Tacoma, Washington. Her initial exposure to coffee was through her family—her mother was born and raised on a coffee farm in Brazil, and she fell in love with coffee from a young age. While pursuing her undergraduate degree, she worked with community-led grassroots organizations supporting immigrants, refugees, and farmworker communities while also working as a barista. Her work is a constant effort to combine her two passions of social work and coffee, and she believes that agricultural issues are a means through which we can promote community development, autonomy, and solidarity. She holds a B.A. in social work from the University of Washington, Tacoma and is currently pursuing an M.A. in sustainable development practice from the School for International Training. She speaks English, Portuguese, Spanish, and French.

Sara Lucía is an engineer with a Master’s Degree in Coffee Economics and Science from the University of Trieste in Italy, and the founder of Anteruna Café & Chocolate. Coming from a hardworking farming family, her passion for coffee, cocoa, and social projects has been the driving force behind her career. She has experience working in coffee companies, as well as an active involvement in volunteering, both in the coffee sector and community projects, which has strengthened her commitment to sustainable development.

Ben joined The Chain Collaborative board in 2015 as the founding board member. He began his work in coffee in 2005, starting 1000 Faces Coffee as a roasting and importing company. Ben is a graduate of UC Berkeley, where he focused on ecosystems and western philosophy. He has traveled extensively throughout the coffee lands, making over 20 voyages to different coffee-producing countries in his more than 15 years working in coffee. He lives in Los Angeles and currently works for Frinj Coffee and 49th Parallel Coffee.

Stephanie advances inclusive economic opportunities by helping the private sector integrate sustainable development into business decisions. Currently a Senior Solutions Manager at Abt Associates, she brings 13 years in advisory services, research, and cross-sector partnerships. She is also a Board member for The Chain Collaborative, helping coffee communities combat intergenerational poverty and marginalization on their own terms. Stephanie has an MA from Tufts University and a BA from Wellsley College. She speaks Spanish, Portuguese, and English.

Adam is a husband, father of two girls, and loves working in the world of specialty coffee. With a diverse professional background spanning nearly two decades, his experience includes co-founding a coffee roasting business, building affordable housing, managing urban infrastructure reconstruction projects in Afghanistan, co-founding and leading a non-profit start-up in Nicaragua, and serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras. Driven to support people who co-create meaningful cross-cultural connections and inspire sustainability, he joined the Chain Collaborative board in 2024. He is a fluent Spanish speaker with a BA in Theology from Boston College and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from UCLA.

Hillary is a coffee professional currently based in Berkeley, California. She has worked at almost every link in the coffee supply chain, from sowing coffee seeds in a nursery to making drinks as a barista. She has worked for two small coffee roasters and for Equal Exchange outside Boston, Massachusetts. Her relationship with The Chain Collaborative began in 2017 as a volunteer with their local leader partners in Nicaragua and Ecuador, where she did everything from training a coffee cupper, to analyzing soil samples, to helping process coffee. She currently works as a Sales Manager for Primavera Coffee Importers. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History, Religious Studies, and Government from the University of Texas at Austin. Her coffee drink of choice is a light roast brewed in a V60…usually at least two a day!

Beamlak has experience working as Green Coffee Export Manager, Logistics and Documentation Supervisor and Coffee Quality Control Specialist. She is currently working as the Project Coordinator on the Advisory Team for IWCA Ethiopia. She has a MSC in International Business and an MBA in Impact Entrepreneurship. Being raised in a family that has worked in the Ethiopian Coffee industry for decades, Beamlak is interested in learning how to bring origin country perspectives to international coffee dialogues and how to design gender-inclusive and sustainable operational systems in coffee businesses.