freda yuan
Head of Coffee at Origin Coffee Roasters
“Wanting to improve my tasting skills became a driving force for me to create a healthier life! ”
Tell us a bit about your current job.
I am the Head of Coffee at Origin Coffee Roasters, one of the leading specialty coffee roasters in the UK. I have been in this position for a year now. My main role is to curate the coffee menu for the company. This includes travelling to coffee-producing countries to source some incredible coffees and to create and maintain long-term relationships with the producers. Furthermore, I work with our roasting and quality control team to showcase the coffees at their best performance.
What and where did you study after school?
I did an English Literature degree at the university in Taiwan, and an MBA at Middlesex University in the UK.
How did you get from answer 2 to answer 1?
I had been working in hospitality for a really long time, mostly as waiting staff or managing the shop. I was working in a cafe in Melbourne and was blown away by their cafe culture. I love the idea of friends and families hanging out in a hub and enjoying good food and coffee together.
After returning from Australia to Taiwan, I worked in a down garment manufacturer and part of my job was liaising audits for factories. I didn’t particularly enjoy the office work, hence I sought another working holiday opportunity in the UK.
My initial thought was to open a similar Melbourne-style cafe in Taiwan once I had finished my working holiday visa in the UK. I didn’t have much experience in making coffee, so I decided to work in cafes in London and learn some barista skills to help me achieve my goal.
Eventually I was tired of serving people but I really enjoyed working in the specialty coffee industry, so I started to look for other opportunities within the supply chain. I have experienced almost all the jobs in the supply chain (everything but exporting.) After much trial and error, volunteering and socialising, I finally became the Head of Coffee for Origin Coffee.
How does your formal education feed into your present career (if at all)?
My formal education did support me to a certain degree. I am from Taiwan and my mother tongue is Mandarin. So you could almost argue that my degree supports me surviving in the UK. It is a really good tool and I have been using it to the maximum.
The MBA helps me to think bigger and ask more questions. The development is more personal but it also transfers to the professional level.
What things have you learnt outside of formal education that have been helpful to your career?
Learning the supply chain and brewing coffee has been my focus from the start. It is like another degree, but it is fun, with some hands-on experience. My learning style is kinaesthetic. Hence working as a barista and learning from the job gave me more than just sitting in the classroom.
Coffee is a very sensory thing. Similar to a wine sommelier, a big part of my job is to identify the positive and negative attributes of coffee then decide which coffee is good for espresso or filter coffee. Working on sensory skills are definitely something that is very crucial to my career.
Self-development is equally important for my career. I had depression and bulimia when I was living abroad in my 20s. It was after working in coffee that I slowly recovered from my condition. I’ve learned purging would burn my palate, which takes at least two weeks to recover from. That meant I wasn’t able to taste coffee properly. I started to learn more about my own condition and punished myself less. Wanting to improve my tasting skills became a driving force for me to create a healthier life!
As I mentioned, I have experienced most of the jobs in the coffee supply chain. Most of it was through direct employment, some through internships and volunteering. Every little experience counts! It gave me more insights into how the job works and sometimes it just didn't fit my personality and I would adjust my goal along the way until I found my favourite!
What are the really useful skills for someone in your job to possess?
Qualifications
Qualification is one of the keys to my career, though it is not essential to have a degree. I have many certifications in coffee. I mainly needed the certifications for my work visa in the UK so I need to prove to the government and the employer that I am irreplaceable and special!
Many people hold coffee certifications but it doesn’t mean it is their actual job, it might be useful for them or show they are up to the task. It depends on the reputation of the organisation of course, but also if the wider industry appreciates and recognises that particular qualification.
Talents
A really interesting thing you might notice in specialty coffee is that there are many competitions in the community. A little like a bartender competition, there are competitions such as Barista (making espresso, milk coffee, coffee signature drink), Brewing (brewing filter coffee), Cup tasters (coffee tasting in triangulation), Coffee cocktails, Latte art and roasting ... etc. These competitions happen every year. The competitors compete nationally, and the winner represents their country on the world platform during the World Coffee Expo.
I have represented the UK two times in the Cup Tasters championship (2017, 2018) and will be representing the UK again this October for the 2020 World Cup. One of my best marks was finishing 3rd in the 2017 World Cup. This is one of the most exciting competitions to challenge and identify the best coffee taster in the world. These achievements definitely increased my exposure to the coffee industry and led me to where I am right now.
What does an average day at work look like for you?
When I am travelling:
Most of the time, I travel to coffee-producing countries to source coffee, identify potential coffee-producing partners, negotiating the price and logistics with local producers or exporters.
The majority of the time, I will either be in the airport, traveling to the airport or sitting on the plane. Once I arrive, I might still have to take another form of transportation for a few hours (mostly car) until I arrive at the destination.
When I am in the UK:
I will write up the coffee stories that I source, work out the coffee-releasing menu for clients, work on purchasing strategy, and profiling and tasting the coffee.
What’s the best thing about your job?
Being able to travel across the world is something I had dreamt of, but never thought it would actually happen. Every country has its own unique culture, personality and cuisine, it's something that I love!
What’s your least favourite aspect of your job?
I will have to say travelling as well. It takes so much of my energy to fly through different time zones and the length of transportation is tough. Furthermore, because I fly so much, I miss a lot of the important parties and occasions, which can make me feel lonely.
What advice would you give to someone seeking a job like yours?
Other than basic coffee professional knowledge and tasting skills, having compassion and being good at organising and having a clear strategy at work is very important.