Counter Culture Coffee
Provides Scholarship for Unique Learning Opportunity
Media Contact:
Jeff Levine
Communications Manager
845-451-1372
j_levine@culinary.edu
Hyde Park, NY – Kelsey Woodworth, an applied food studies major at The Culinary Institute of America,
is in Central America for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn all about coffee from the plant to the cup. Woodworth earned the all-expenses-paid trip from Counter Culture Coffee, a Durham, NC-based indie coffee roaster. Joining Woodworth in Honduras
from March 8–13 is Matthew Waldron, operations manager at the on the CIA’s Hyde Park, NY campus.
“The CIA is really good at offering awesome opportunities,” says
Woodworth, one of more than 30 CIA students who applied for the scholarship. “This
is a fantastic and generous opportunity—a chance to study abroad and go to places
I have never been. I am going to be a human sponge and soak up every part of this
beautiful experience.”
Woodworth and Waldron are participating in each step of the coffee
production process at origin—from harvest to export—and learning about the benefits
and challenges of building long-term coffee relationships. Topics on the trip include
coffee botany, organic agriculture, processing, contemporary challenges and opportunities
for farmers, the structure of coffee cooperatives, milling and exporting, and Honduras’s
socio-political history as it relates to the coffee industry.
Other participants on the trip include several Counter Culture
Coffee wholesale customers and employees.
“While our educational focus will be on the intricacies of the
supply side of the coffee industry, we’ll also be learning about the culture of
the coffee producers we’re visiting—food traditions notably included,” says Lydia Troxler Iannetti, Counter Intelligence
manager for Counter Culture Coffee. “I expect that the culinary knowledge and passion
from the CIA student and staff member will enrich our conversations and contribute
to a well-rounded group dynamic.”
Upon returning from Central America, Waldron will be sharing
what he learned with CIA students in the Beverages and Customer Service course in
the dining room of the Apple Pie Bakery Café. Counter Culture Coffee, which has
an ongoing relationship with the college, will be a presenter at the CIA’s annual
beverage symposium on April 13.
Photo Caption and Hi-Res Image
The Apple Pie Bakery Café at The Culinary Institute of America. Café Manager Matthew Waldron and CIA student
Kelsey Woodworth are in Honduras on a trip sponsored by Counter Culture Coffee
to learn all aspects of coffee production. Counter Culture Coffee is served at
the The Apple Pie Bakery Café. (Photo credit: CIA/Phil Mansfield)
About The Culinary Institute of America
Founded in 1946, The Culinary
Institute of America is an independent, not-for-profit college offering associate
degrees in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts and bachelor's degree majors
in management, culinary science, and applied food studies, as well as certificates
in culinary arts and wine and beverage studies. As the world's premier culinary
college, the CIA provides thought leadership in the areas of health & wellness,
sustainability, and world cuisines & cultures through research and conferences.
The CIA has a network of 48,000 alumni that includes industry leaders such as Grant Achatz, Anthony Bourdain, Roy
Choi, Cat Cora, Dan Coudreaut, Steve Ells, Charlie Palmer, and Roy Yamaguchi. The CIA also offers
courses for professionals and enthusiasts, as well as consulting services in support
of innovation for the foodservice and hospitality industry. The college has campuses
in New York, California, Texas, and Singapore.
About Counter Culture Coffee
Since 1995, Counter Culture
Coffee has been dedicated to finding and bringing to market the most delicious coffees
in the world. The North Carolina-based roaster sources its beans from farmers with
whom they build long-term relationships, and offers coffee at the peak of freshness
and flavor. The company's vision is to pursue coffee perfection by developing partnerships
dedicated to environmental, social, and fiscal sustainability throughout the coffee
supply chain—from farmers to consumers—and by creating cutting-edge coffee people
through their Counter Intelligence coffee education curriculum. Counter Culture
Coffee is served in the country's top restaurants and coffee shops, and is also
available at specialty grocers and online—with subscription options—at .
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