About Us

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.

Camila is a coffee quality specialist with a communications background. Based in Quito, Ecuador, she holds a B.A. in Graphic Design & Communications 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. Afterward, she worked in different roles throughout the coffee industry, specializing in coffee quality and education. While working closely with producers and sourcing and processing Ecuadorian coffee, she was encouraged to learn more about sustainability and get involved with community-led development in the coffee sector, which led her to TCC. Camila is a Q Arabica Grader and is currently completing the Assistant Instructor Program of the Coffee Quality Institute. 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. Alongside her role at TCC, she works part-time for Digital Coffee Future, supporting their communications efforts. 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. Expressing Origin focuses on other aspects of coffee sustainability as well. Before fully dedicating herself to a career in coffee, Elisa deepened her understanding of the application of digital solutions in Ghana, and has experience in Colombia in the sustainable development arena, where she first entered into contact with the coffee industry. Elisa joins TCC 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 an environmental activist and a founding member of Colectivo Rokunin, one of the 2021-2022 Community-Led Development Incubator participants. As part of the Incubator and beyond, she has been actively supporting project development and implementation in rural communities in Veracruz, Mexico, focused on gender equality and family rights, among other topics. Itzel is one of Alumni Network Leaders at TCC, and is also the Program Manager of Bean Voyage Mexico, where she is responsible for managing farmer relationships and supply chains. She is an engineer in Horticulture by training and has a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture. She speaks Spanish and English.

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.

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.

Becca Roebber has traveled, worked, and lived all over the world working primarily with cacao farmers and more recently coffee farmers. In 2015 Becca became the marketing director and COO of a bean to bar chocolate company located in Pike Place Market. Becca founded Rebel Rose Consulting in 2018 bringing together her passion for supporting women-owned businesses and her experience in business development. Becca received her MBA from Presidio Graduate School, which focuses on sustainable business practices and systems thinking.

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. He later lived in Los Angeles and worked for Frinj Coffee and 49th Parallel Coffee. Ben was a graduate of UC Berkeley, where he focused on ecosystems and western philosophy, two lifelong passions he continued to study until his passing. Throughout his career, Ben was fortunate to travel extensively throughout the coffee lands, making over 20 voyages to different coffee-producing countries in his almost 20 years of working in the sector. He left an indelible mark on all those who knew him, and we thank him for being one of the first people in the coffee industry to see the potential of The Chain Collaborative. May his beautiful light continue to shine from up above.

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. Stephanie has an MA from Tufts University and a BA from Wellesley 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 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.

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.