Welcome back to The Sprudge Twenty interview series! The Sprudge Twenty is an annual initiative by Sprudge presented in partnership with Pacific Barista Series that honors and amplifies 20 extraordinary individuals in the global specialty coffee community. You can view this year’s Sprudge 20 honorees here, and catch up on all our interviews to date.
Seidy Selivanow deserves to be recognized in Sprudge Twenty for her impact as a barista competitor, educator, mentor, and co-founder of Kafiex Roasters. Seidy has represented her community on the national stage, placing 8th at the 2024 U.S. Barista Championship and 7th in 2025, while also using her platform to teach and mentor coffee professionals in both English and Spanish. Her work extends far beyond competition. She is a Coffee Fest educator, teaches Introduction to Cupping at World of Coffee events, supports producer education, mentored the Mexican Roasting Champion in preparation for the World Coffee Roasting Championship, and has traveled to Chiapas, Mexico, as a resident speaker at the Women-Powered Coffee Summit. Seidy’s work is rooted in excellence, generosity, and a genuine desire to create more opportunities for people to learn, grow, and feel connected through coffee.
Nominated by Matthew Selivanow
Explore all our Sprudge Twenty features in the archives.
How many years total have you worked in the coffee industry?
8
What was your first coffee job?
Co-owner of Kafiex Roasters & Barista.
Did you experience a life-changing moment of coffee revelation early in your career?
I have had two life-changing moments of coffee revelation.
The first one came after we opened our first location in 2018. At that time, I did not know how to make espresso or latte art, and I was still learning how to prepare pour-overs. Everything was new to me. As I learned, I started to understand that coffee could be so much more than just a beverage.
Coffee meant connection. It meant conversations, community, and getting to know people from so many different backgrounds. I loved that something as simple as preparing a cup of coffee could create a meaningful moment in someone’s day. That made me fall in love with the process and made me want to keep learning and growing.
I also began to understand how many hands are behind every cup of coffee. Producers, pickers, processors, exporters, roasters, and baristas all play a part. Knowing that made me feel a responsibility to do the best I could and to honor all the work that came before the coffee reached me.
My second moment came in 2019, when I volunteered at the US Barista Championship qualifiers in Sumner, Washington. I did not even know coffee competitions existed, but volunteering at a coffee event sounded interesting.
I spent the day bussing for the baristas who were competing. I watched them bring their own menus, scales, equipment, carefully chosen outfits, and stories they were ready to share while preparing coffee. I had never seen coffee presented with so much intention.
I remember leaving that day with one word in my mind: empowerment. I wanted nothing more than to be on that stage one day. I wanted the opportunity to share coffee, talk about my Mexican roots, empower others, and create space where people could see themselves represented and feel proud of who they are and where they come from. In 2022, I finally began competing. Stepping onto that stage was more than reaching a personal goal. It was the beginning of using my voice with purpose. I was no longer only watching others share their stories. I was standing there sharing mine, representing where I come from, honoring the people behind the coffee, and showing others that there is space for them too.
Is there a person or persons who served as your mentor early in your coffee career? How did they impact you?
I have been very fortunate to have three incredible mentors throughout my coffee career.
My first mentor was definitely my husband, Matthew. He was the person who first taught me how to make coffee and how to properly steam milk. Over the years, he has also taught me so much about roasting, from sample roasting to understanding what is happening during a roast and why.
We have both grown so much since we started in 2018. A lot of our journey has involved teaching ourselves, making mistakes, asking questions, and continuing to learn together, but so much of my foundation in coffee is thanks to him. He gave me the knowledge and confidence to begin.
Another very important mentor in my life is Nathanael May. He was one of my sensory judges during my first national competition in 2022. Since then, we have worked together, become very close friends, and truly become family.
Nathanael has continually pushed me to become a better barista and to take my coffee career to the next level. Every year, he has helped me improve my technical skills, encouraged me to step outside of my comfort zone, and reminded me to have the courage to pursue my dreams, even when they feel intimidating.
Last, but certainly not least, is Lem Butler. Sometimes I feel like Lem believes in my dream as if it were his own. He came into my life during a Barista Championship qualifier in 2024, and we have worked together ever since. He has also become family to me.
Lem encourages me to keep growing while never forgetting why I do what I do. He reminds me that the small things matter, how we treat people, how we make them feel, and the intention we bring to every moment.
These three men have each shaped me in a different way. They have taught me, challenged me, supported me, and believed in me. They are a huge part of the reason I have had the courage and ability to stand on a national stage, share my story, and continue becoming the person and coffee professional I know I can be.
What is your current role in coffee?
Co-owner of Kafiex Roasters and barista educator (Coffee Fest, SCA, Women Coffee Powered Summit, Level Up, Barista Camp).
What facet of the coffee industry has changed the most during your career?
The facet of the coffee industry that has changed the most during my career is the level of experimentation and technology we now see throughout the entire coffee chain.
There are so many new tools, pieces of equipment, and techniques available. What excites me most is what is happening at origin. Producers are experimenting with fermentation, co-fermentation, processing, and environmental control in ways I never imagined when I first started. We are now seeing coffees where very specific flavor profiles can be developed at the farm level, and that is incredible to me.
I feel like we are finally beginning to see coffee elevated and appreciated for how complex it truly is. We still have a very long way to go, but I love the direction the industry is moving.
Coffee should be seen as something worth appreciating and paying for. People should be able to recognize the nuances of a region, a variety, or a processing method. They should know the producer who grew it, the roaster who developed it, and the barista who prepared it. Every person along the chain should receive recognition and feel proud of the work they contribute.
For me, all of this experimentation and innovation is not only about creating exciting flavors. It is also helping people understand the value, skill, and humanity behind every cup.
What still surprises you today about coffee, or gives you joy?
What still surprises me and gives me the most joy about coffee is the people.
Coffee has allowed me to build connections with people from all over the world. With technology today, I can be on WhatsApp with producer friends in different countries, stay connected to what is happening on their farms, travel to visit them, and dream together about a better future for coffee.
I also find so much joy in watching people discover coffee in a new way. It could be a new barista joining my team at Kafiex and discovering for the first time that coffee can taste like pure flowers, or a customer asking what brew ratio I use, which beans they should choose, why I recommend them, and how they can improve their brewing at home. Those moments remind me that there is always more to discover and more to share.
At the end of the day, the answer is people. Coffee brings together people from different countries, cultures, and backgrounds, all because of one small bean.
During my first USBC national routine, I said, “Coffee became my connection not only with people in this country, but with many others around the world. Coffee has that power.”
I still believe that today. Coffee has the power to create friendships, open conversations, cross borders, and help us dream about something better together. That will always bring me joy.
What’s something about the coffee industry you’d most like to see change?
There are two things I would most like to see change in the coffee industry.
The first is how people perceive and value coffee. We do not need coffee every morning or every day. We want it. Because of that, I believe we should be more willing to pay what coffee is truly worth.
That means respecting the price a producer sets based on their labor, innovation, knowledge, investments, improvements, and the quality they are bringing to their farm. It means allowing roasters to set prices that help their businesses remain profitable and pay fair wages. It also means understanding why a coffee shop needs to charge enough for each cup to support its team, educate its baristas, and operate responsibly.
There are many different levels of coffee, and that is okay. Not every coffee has to cost the same, because not every coffee requires the same amount of work, risk, skill, or investment. I would love to see consumers become more curious about those differences and more comfortable paying for quality and sustainability throughout the entire chain.
The second change I would like to see is for producing countries to have greater access to their own exceptional coffees, education, equipment, and representation on international stages. I want more people from producing countries to have the opportunity to experience the quality they are creating and to feel proud of where they come from and what they have.
I grew up in Mexico drinking instant coffee and not really knowing what specialty coffee was. I had to move to the United States to discover this side of the industry. Here, my team and I have access to incredible equipment, education, and brands that many coffee professionals in Mexico can only dream about using.
I began competing because I did not see many people like me on that stage, and I did not see Mexican coffee represented in the way I believed it deserved to be. I like to believe that my deeply personal storytelling routines have helped make an impact, and that we are doing the same through Kafiex.
We are a small team from a small city with a very big dream, standing beside some of the best coffee professionals in the country. I want others to see that and believe there is space for them too. I want people from producing countries to know that their stories, their coffees, and their voices belong on the world’s biggest stages.
What is your most cherished coffee memory?
This is a very difficult question because I have so many cherished coffee memories.
Traveling to origin for the first time, and honestly every time since, has been unforgettable. I believe coffee farms are some of the most beautiful places in the world. My first competition is also very special to me. I had only one month to prepare, and the dreamer in me truly believed it was the best routine and the best coffee ever presented. It was not, and you can still find it on YouTube, but the confidence and courage that version of me had were priceless. I think about her often.
Receiving the call that Kafiex had been named Roaster of the Year was another dream come true. Teaching my first classes, especially when I have the opportunity to teach in Spanish, has also brought me so much joy. I love watching people discover coffee for the first time, and I think my passion is very obvious when I teach because I truly love what I do.
But my most cherished coffee memory takes me back to Córdoba, Veracruz, and having coffee with my dad.
While I was studying culinary arts in Mexico City, I would travel home to visit him. We would go to the same restaurant and coffee shop, drink two or three Americanos, eat dessert, and talk about my dream of one day owning my own restaurant.
At that time, I had no idea what my life would become. I could never have imagined that one day I would build not only a restaurant, but an entire roasting company, two cafés, and a wholesale program in a country that was not even my own.
Those conversations with my dad were simple, but they held so much hope. We were dreaming together before either of us knew how far that dream would go. Today, every time I think about what Kafiex has become, I think about those Americanos, those desserts, and the young version of myself sitting across from my father, dreaming about a future she could not yet see.
That is probably my most cherished coffee memory, because in many ways, it is where the dream began.
Do you make coffee at home? If so, tell us how you brew!
Hardly ever, to be honest. I spend so much of my time around coffee at Kafiex. When I do, I keep it very simple. The only coffee equipment I have at home is a Moccamaster and a Baratza grinder.
What is your favorite song/music to brew coffee to?
This is another hard question because I have so many favorite songs to brew coffee to. Music is very important to me, especially when I am creating a competition routine, because it helps me build the feeling and emotion I want to share.
I would probably choose some of the songs from my USBC routines, like “Radiolatina” by Sussie 4, “Daikiri” by Simon Grossmann, “Ese Camino” by Julieta Venegas, and “1999” by FranBroon.
They all bring me back to a different moment in my journey. Some make me feel focused, some emotional, and some just make me want to move while I am brewing. For me, coffee and music are very connected. They both have the power to create a feeling, tell a story, and bring people into a moment with you.
What is your idea of coffee happiness?
My idea of coffee happiness is sharing coffee with the people I love, especially when it is a coffee grown by one of my favorite producers, like Julio Quiceno or Sam Ronzon.
But if I could create the perfect coffee moment, I would be in Tulum, Mexico, my favorite place in the world. I would be enjoying a beautiful cup of coffee while watching the sunrise, listening to the birds, and sharing that moment with someone I love.
For me, coffee happiness does not need to be complicated. It is a beautiful coffee, a beautiful place, and the people who make life meaningful.
If you could drink coffee with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?
This is an easy answer for me. I would drink coffee with my mom.
She passed away when I was a child, so we never had the chance to sit together and share a cup of coffee. I know she drank it every morning, and thinking about that makes this question feel both happy and sad.
I like to believe she is always with me and that she is proud of everything I have done, the family and business I have built, and the woman I have become.
I hope that one day, somehow, I will finally get to sit with her and share an endless cup of coffee.
What’s one piece of advice you would give someone getting their start in the coffee industry today?
Have the courage to keep pursuing your dreams, even when the path feels difficult or uncertain.
Learn to love both the good moments and the hard ones, because they will all become part of your story. Celebrate the wins, but do not be afraid of mistakes, rejection, or failure. Use those moments as fuel to keep learning, growing, and moving forward.
Sometimes the dream will take longer than you expected, but that does not mean it is not meant for you. Keep showing up, stay curious, and believe that you belong in this industry.
The Sprudge Twenty feature series is proudly presented by Pacific Barista Series.
