Submissions have now closed for the 2024 class of the Sprudge Twenty, but before we announce this year’s nominees, there’s one more interview from 2023 we’d like to share: Marcus Young of Goodboybob Coffee Roasters. Watch this space for a 2024 announcement in the coming days.
From the moment I met Marcus, he was among the most encouraging coffee professionals I had ever met. He is constantly uplifting, encouraging, and connecting people together in this industry for the overall good and the individual good. It’s funny because he flies under the radar quite a bit when it comes to the hype in the industry, yet almost everyone knows him and has positive things to say. He is also a loving father, husband, and professional, always open to sharing his knowledge with others and wanting to see good things done in the coffee industry and the world.
Nominated by Erica Escalante
What is the quality you like best about coffee?
The people are pretty incredible. No matter where in the value chain they work, I’ve found folks working in coffee to be kind, creative, passionate, and are generally dedicated to making the world a better place. Working in coffee, I find I am constantly learning and becoming a better person. That happens because of my peers, colleagues, and mentors.
What was your first coffee job?
In the early 1990s I worked at one of the first Starbucks cafes in San Francisco, this was shortly after the non-compete with Peet’s expired, and Starbucks was just moving into the City. That was a brief stint, but some of training was focused on cupping, discussing origin terroir, and discussions of flavor in espresso. It was just the hook I needed to come back to coffee many years later—where I worked as a store manager at Peet’s Coffee in Portland.
What is your current role in coffee?
Executive VP of Coffee.
Did you experience a “god shot” or life-changing moment of coffee revelation early in your life?
Before my career in coffee I managed a number of software projects during the era of dot com 1.0. One of my clients was a coffee roaster who was launching a social enterprise and self importing Guatemalan coffees. Our meetings were often focused around tasting coffees (rather than software which he was paying me for). Those sessions showed me how unique coffee could be, even from the same country.
His business was also focused on using coffee to support rural Guatemalan communities, and operating as a social enterprise fundraising tool for local non-profits. This balance of sensory experience and social impact was life-changing, and showed me that coffee could be so much more than what’s in the cup.”
What issue in coffee do you care about most?
I care deeply about two issues in coffee. My primary motivator is understanding and working to address the challenges of those who grow coffee—both farm owners, but also seasonal workers. Having spent time living and working amongst farmers in Rwanda and traveling extensively in coffee-lands has shown me first hand the challenges faced. The real battle is how to make the business more equitable—when there are so many systemic challenges facing everyone working in coffee. Low profit margins for retailers, slim margins for specialty roasters, importers and exporters feeling the pinch from financial institutions are just some of the challenges we as an industry face. I want to see baristas earn a comfortable living wage, I want coffee to be an accessible luxury for our customers, and I want coffee producers to thrive equally. This is the challenge that drives me.
Do you often make coffee at home? If so, tell us how you brew!
Yes! The ritual of making coffee at home is the best. Ideally I go right from bed to the kitchen to make a batch of coffee. The quiet moments weighing my coffee, filling the tank on my brewer, and then the noise and aroma of the coffee grinding are the perfect preview to my first cup. I brew using a Breville Precision Brewer. I like the silent and quiet moments.
What cause or element in coffee drives you?
Enjoying a coffee while traveling with producers, followed closely by the quiet and focused work at the sample roaster and cupping table.
Who inspires you in the world of coffee?
This is such a hard question! I’m inspired by so many folks working in coffee. Generally those folks who take a stand to make coffee more equitable are those who most inspire me. My mentor David Griswold, the founder and former owner of Sustainable Harvest has played a huge role in my career. We first met 20+ years ago while I was working at Peet’s and he was traveling with Fatima and member’s of the Soppexcca cooperative’s Las Hermanas women’s group (based in Nicaragua). I was immediately captivated by his model of relationship coffee and the investments he and his company made in farming communities.
I’m equally inspired by Asterie Mukangango, a Rwandan farmer and president of the Nyampinga cooperative. She is a force of nature, who has done so much to elevate her cooperative, improve the livelihoods of the members, and brought amazing coffee to the global market. When I first met Asterie I was in Rwanda working on behalf of a development project to benefit women farmers. I asked her about herself and her cooperative, and asked “what would be most beneficial to you and your cooperative?” She immediately responded that I should buy her a coffee washing station. I was floored, as this wasn’t even in my mind as we started working together on accessing markets and other activities. However, a little less than two years later, thanks to her persistence and the early successes of Nyampinga cooperative, I helped them source and purchase a Penagos depulper, which eventually was installed at their own coffee washing station.
If you could drink coffee with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?
I miss my friend Asterie Mukangango, and would like nothing more than to sit with her and a cup of coffee. To share Rwanda Nyampinga roasted by goodboybob coffee roasters would be honor.
Thank you.
The Sprudge Twenty feature series is presented in partnership with Pacific Barista Series.
