"I was a baby barista and became the store coffee master, which means I got to wear a black apron instead of a green one,"
"I thought I really liked coffee, but I knew nothing."
"The 'funnest' part," he said, "was putting on a hazmat suit and mixing the flavors into the coffee beans. You had these really toxic chemicals like synthetic hazelnut and caramel, and I'd have to pour them into a bucket with the beans and shake it up."
"I didn't have a job, so I didn't know how to present myself to people."
Mark McKinney began his coffee career working as a Starbucks barista and became a store coffee master. He moved to a production roaster where he ground, packed, and mixed synthetic flavors while wearing protective gear. At 22 he relocated to Paris to study biology and worked at early specialty venues and a co-roasting facility to refine his craft. He later competed in the French Barista Championship and rebranded himself as a coffee freelancer while seeking new opportunities at trade shows.
Read at Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine
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