Our Board

Tim Taylor, Pedestrian Coffee, USA - Board Chair

In 2009, Tim Taylor founded Chicago's Ipsento Coffee — a farm-to-table coffee roasting and retail operation. He has since sold the company and now remains in the coffee sector as an independent contractor. Tim has been working in specialty coffee since 2007 when he began importing coffee directly from producers. Tim's vision has always involved sourcing exceptional coffees from quality-minded producers who receive sustainable pay premiums for their efforts.

In 2011, Tim served on his first Cup of Excellence jury and has been committed to serving on juries and bidding on auction lots ever since.

Noelia Villalobos, Asociación de Cafés Finos de Costa Rica - Vice Chair

Noelia Villalobos is the Executive Director of the Specialty Coffee Association of Costa Rica and of Sintercafé (International Coffee Week, initials in Spanish) since 2009. Both associations work hard to promote production and consumption of specialty Costa Rican coffee, in and out of Costa Rica. Sintercafé is an annual event recognized worldwide which incorporates both sides of the coffee value chain. SCACR has coordinated COE since its beginnings in Costa Rica, being also the in-country partner for CQI and the WCE counterparty. Noelia holds a Master's degree in Promotional Marketing from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid.

Maryna Gray, Bean Box, United States - Board Member

Maryna Gray is a founding partner and the Director of Coffee for Bean Box, a leading direct-to-consumer brand for Specialty Coffee experiences at home. Since 2014, Gray has run all coffee selection, curation, and purchasing operations; grown a nationwide network of more than 40 coffee roasting partners; and personally curated over 1,200 unique coffees. In this role, she oversees all coffee-related content development—from packaging to marketing—and her curated coffee experiences reach hundreds of thousands of consumers every year.

Gray sees her professional mission as bridging the gap between the refined palates of the coffee industry and the burgeoning demand for Specialty Coffee among a broad consumer audience. Her products are designed to increase the national appetite for Specialty Coffee, and make the world of high-end coffees relevant, accessible, and fun.

Gray earned her B.A. from Amherst College in 2005, with a major in Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought. She lives and works in Seattle, WA.

"Before I moved to Seattle, I enjoyed coffee, but I didn't appreciate it, and I certainly didn't understand what I was drinking. Now, a decade later, I'm in deep, but I still remember what it was like to discover the impact that coffee has: first the personal impact— as part of your routine, your buying habits, your culture, your palate, your lifestyle— but then all the global, environmental, human impacts. My involvement with the ACE and the COE program was crucial in helping me understand the extent and power of that impact, and it's changed how I think about my own consumption, and what our business is doing/can do/should do, within the wider coffee industry.

I know that what the ACE can accomplish ultimately relies upon coffees finding buyers, consumers who want to drink that coffee, recognize the difference, and understand why it's worth their time, money, and attention. So much of my work at Bean Box has involved utilizing technology, creativity, and my own personal experience, to help more coffee drinkers discover what Specialty Coffee is all about— to understand all those impacts for themselves and feel motivated to do more with that knowledge. I'd be excited to use what I've learned to help ACE with their mission, broaden their scope and name recognition, increase the footprint of their coffees across the U.S., connect with more buyers, from importers to roasters to consumers, and help more coffee drinkers see all the positive impacts their cup of coffee can have on the world."

Raphael Braune, Comandante, Germany - Board Member

I am one of the founders and Senior Vice President of COMANDANTE Grinder Technologies and of German specialty coffee pioneer SUPREMO COFFEE located in Munich, Germany as well as Finca Dona Elsa in Costa Rica.

My original background is in marketing and graphic design.

I have been working in Specialty Coffee since nearly two decades and been involved with ACE almost just as long. I have served on numerous COE juries since 2008 and this year our Lab served as GCC. I love coffee and truly do believe in the Cup Of Excellence program. I would be happy to support the board and help promote ACE & COE around the globe to get more people involved!

Silvio Leite, Association of Coffee Producers of Bahia - Board Member

Silvio Leite is a renowned coffee expert, producer, and consultant with decades of experience in quality control, processing, and specialty coffee promotion.

Current Roles
- Coffee producer in Piatã, Bahia, Brazil (Terroir Piatã) since 2019.
- CEO of Agricoffee Ltda & Sweet Bahia Café Ltda.
- President of the Centro de Comércio de Café.
- Honorary President of ABCD Café.
- Former President & board member of BSCA since 1992.

Career Highlights
- Began his career in 1977 in coffee quality control.
- Worked in Switzerland as a Quality Control Specialist (1989–1991).
- Led post-harvest processing & trading at AgriBahia (1992–2007).
- Founded Agricafé & Agricoffee, later creating Sweet Bahia Café.

Key Contributions
- Cup of Excellence (COE): Co-founder, head judge since 1999, shaping global specialty coffee competitions.
- BSCA: Developed quality certification protocols, promoting Brazilian specialty coffee worldwide.
- SCA: Helped establish the 2004 cupping protocols.
- Cecafé: Key role in international recognition of Brazilian washed Arabica.
- Piatã & Bahia Specialty Coffee: Launched the Bahia Specialty Coffee Competition (2000), uncovering Piatã’s unique terroir.
- Três Corações Coffee Company: Led initiatives promoting specialty coffees from women growers and Indigenous producers.

Specialty Coffee Production
Since 2019, he has been producing high-quality coffees in Piatã (Chapada Diamantina), managing farms such as São Benedito, Passagem de Pedras, Sakura, Beira Rio, and Marcolongo, while supporting smallholder farmers in Piatã and Mucugê.

Scientific Contribution
Co-author of a research paper on coffee fermentation, published in *Food Bioscience* (Dec 2024).

Satoshi Ito, Wataru & Co., Ltd., Japan - Board Member

Satoshi Ito graduated from the University College of Cariboo in 2000 with a business degree. His career started with Wataru in 2000. He has developed relationships with specialty coffee exporters/producers over the world and contributed to the expansion of specialty coffee. He is a specialist of international trade. He has done logistics of Cup of Excellence coffee nearly 150 times (almost all competitions). He also serves as a committee member of sustainable coffee association of Japan.

He has over 20 years of coffee business experience and has served on Cup of Excellence juries 2 times. He is 45 years old and the General Manager of the Import Department of Wataru & Co., Ltd.

David Griswold - Board Member

David Griswold, founder and former CEO of Sustainable Harvest Coffee Importers, brings over 30 years of experience in the specialty coffee industry. He pioneered the Relationship Coffee Model, championing transparency and sustainability in global supply chains. With ACE and Cup of Excellence, David hopes to expand their reach to more producing countries and support farmers through best practices, training, and mentorship. He also brings expertise building international partnerships and grant funding to support coffee-growing communities.

Anne Valdez - Board Member

Anne earned her bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Central Florida. She began her career in coffee in 1986 working for Barnie's Coffee and Tea, over the years her expertise in coffee has involved all aspects of specialty coffee from seed to cup.

She has been a fourteen-time judge for the Cup of Excellence, three-time judge for the Best of Panama, three-time Rainforest Alliance Cupping judge, a regional barista judge and a SCAA craft roasting instructor. She is currently the president of Amrita Certified Pure, owner of Florisbella Coffee Consulting and managing director for Lucky Hills Coffee.

Having lived in Brazil for sixteen years she is fluent in Portuguese and has an understanding of working with different cultures.

Peter Jones - Board Member

Peter N. Jones is an emerging figure in the coffee industry based in Boulder, Colorado. With a deep-rooted passion for specialty coffee, Peter has spent over two decades refining his expertise as a roaster, business owner, green buyer, educator, and mentor.

His innovative approach to sourcing, building long term partnerships, and commitment to sustainability and equity have earned him recognition among his peers as a voice in coffee quality and ethics. As a dedicated advocate for the craft, Peter actively contributes to industry forums and workshops, shaping the future of coffee with a blend of tradition and forward-thinking practices.

Geoff Watts, Quality Engineer at Azahar Coffee Company, USA - Emeritus

Geoff Watts is the Quality Engineer at Azahar Coffee Company. He has served as an official judge in over 30 international coffee competitions and was a pioneer of the Direct Trade approach to coffee sourcing, which uniquely suits him for his position with ACE. Mr. Watts is the past-chair of the ACE Board and a member of the Executive Committee.

Susie Spindler, Founder, USA - Emeritus

Susie Spindler was instrumental in the development of the Cup of Excellence® (COE) program and the Founder and Executive Director of The Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE). Susie expanded CoE and ACE to include programs in more than 10 countries with members from over 50 countries and is now an executive advisor focused on strategic planning. Spindler began her coffee development career before “specialty” was a term and coffee was rarely identified even by country of origin. Her career focus has always been to build marketplace support for high quality farmers. She holds an undergraduate degree in the social sciences and a graduate degree in international marketing and managemen.