Coffee People at CoffeeFest NYC 2026 Part 4
We visit with the guests of CoffeeFest NYC as part of the Roastar coffee packaging booth in March 2026. Featuring John Wilt, Brianna Stefano, and Miguel Flores Burgos.
Full video posted below, or watch and/or listen to Coffee People on:
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Hey everyone, new podcasts featuring Kissing Rock Coffee, Cambio Roasters, and Dr. Gregory Marcus, Associate Chief of Cardiology for Research at the University of California, San Francisco, coming soon. Until then, enjoy these interview shorts from last month's CoffeeFest NYC filmed in the Roastar booth.
MIGUEL FLORES BURGOS, LIST + BEISLER COFFEE
What: Green Coffee Trader
Where: Miami, FL
Find online: https://www.list-beisler.coffee/us/index.php
What they order: Black drip coffee
List+Beisler has been a coffee company since 1901.* That's a long time. They've been in the United States since 2018. Our guest Miguel joined in 2022. Nearly 80 years after the company developed and defined the cupping process (1940s).
Despite not being immortal (watch the podcast), Miguel also has a long history with coffee. He was born and raised in Honduras, where his father had a coffee farm. He knows the challenges and risks a farm faces. He saw how hard it was for farmers to find importers to sell their coffee, and he questioned why. Now, he's on the other side of the desk where he can see both sides and work to mitigate risk across the aisle.
Some key takeaways from the pod:
- The c-market is changing. There are beginning to be limits on how much coffee (of a certain quality) is available. The reasons for this are multifaceted, but climate change and corporate ownership are two of them.
- The role of a green coffee trader is all about relationship-building and developing trust.
- No basketball scouts stopped by my house when I was growing up. I didn't make the NBA. Apparently, height, athletic ability, and skill are prerequisites.
- Trade shows are important because they allow both sides to come together (in theory). These events exist for a reason.
- Sustainability comes from how well a business is run, in addition to green practices. Farms should be run like businesses, but like coffee shops, sometimes passion and tradition get in the way! Finding balance is key. Being critical about what a farm grows and what the market is asking for is important.
- Is what you're doing in demand, or is it a passion project?
- I judge restaurants by the toilet paper in the bathroom.
*Originally, the company was List + Heineken
PRESENTING SPONSOR
This show is supported by Roastar coffee packaging. Refreshed from the salty SoCal air near the World Of Coffee convention. Their team is ready to create some sweet packaging, brah.*
BRIANNA STEFANO, BREWING WITH BRIANNA
What: Coffee Consultant + Professor + Collaborator
Where: Hartford, CT
Find online: https://www.brewingwithbrianna.com/ • @coffeeinconnecticut • @brewing_with_brianna
What they order: I mean...she is the Cortado Queen of Connecticut.*
Brianna Stefano has at least three current jobs—coffee consultant, coffee roaster with Ovelle Coffee, and Adjunct Professor at the University of Bridgeport. That doesn't include her efforts with Coffee In Connecticut or co-parenting Dodger and Pixel, her and her partner's two dogs.
Her current focus as a consultant is to enhance the available coffee education in Connecticut, where the coffee community and culture is booming. It is a lot of work. When asked how she finds balance, she said she looks to support others. That is her comfort zone. It grounds her and keeps her on task.
Supporting Brianna is her partner, Ryan,* who has been there as she's grown into new career options. She's long wanted to have a stake in a business. Now is that time.
*I didn't know there was another Ryan out there, but now that I do, I'm comfortable saying that our place is at home with the dogs.
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JOHN WILT, MAIDEN COFFEE ROASTERS
What: Owner/Operator
Where: Asbury Park, NJ
Find online: https://maidencoffee.com/ • @maidencoffee
What they order: An Americano halvsie.
John and his partner Alyssa were at CoffeeFest NYC to feature their new single origin coffees, and to promote their new refill program. Though primarily a wholesale roaster, their new program may attract a wider audience by offering a steep discount for customers returning to refill the Roastar-manufactured tin cans. In John's experience, the biodegradable or recyclable options didn't seem to be resonating with customers. This type of offering better matches their ethos to keep sustainability simple.
Sustainability is an overused term that has too many meanings to different audiences. It can be hard for customers to associate the term with a specific action, rendering it ineffective. At Maiden Coffee, a core value is simplistic sustainability. Anyone and everyone should be able to understand how to perform the action and what the impact is. The tin can is a common recycled good, making it an ideal product for MCR because they aren't also tasked with trying to educate customers on new forms of recycling or composting.
John purchased Maiden Coffee Roasters three years ago with an SBA loan. The process took about nine months. He was working in restaurants and sample roasting in his home on the side. Getting out of the restaurant was the initial driver, but he has always had an interest in coffee. Long-term plans for the business include having a farm that grows their coffee beans.
Listen to John and Alyssa reflect on three years in the business on their Actually Good Coffee Podcast by clicking the button below.
COFFEE PEOPLE UPDATE
We're getting back to a new normal. After the drive back to Oregon from World Of Coffee in San Diego, CA, we've relocated (again). This time to Portland, OR, where we hope to be settled for a while. I'm sitting on a new couch with Quito Whiskey, which, until a mattress arrived yesterday,* was the only furniture in the house!
We have a lot of new content coming out this summer, and we'll be expanding our horizons with guests from outside the coffee industry that have a vested interest in coffee. For example, our upcoming interview with Dr. Gregory Marcus (UCSF Head of Cardiology) focuses on his medical studies examining the impact of caffeine from coffee on the heart. Plus, more in-person shows, collabs, and merch on the horizon.
Be sure to check out all of our Coffee People Are Sexy gear in our online shop.
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