Ronnoco’s Innovation Team Lands SCAA Certifications, Launches New Programs
ST. LOUIS, September 29, 2016 – The duo that form the innovation team at Ronnoco Coffee Co. in St. Louis have each been named Specialized Instructors by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), a title reserved for an exceptionally rare group of coffee experts.
Dan Janson, director of innovation and business development, and Dan Pabst, specialty coffee consultant, join a group of just over 100 specialized instructors from around the globe. This achievement is the result of completing the required coursework and instructing hours while demonstrating a robust knowledge and skill in the science of coffee.
“Coffee used to be a labor trade, and learning would involve some sort of apprenticeship,” Janson said. “Even just in the past year or so, it has transitioned into more of a formal education. The more education and experience you have, the more successful you can be in the coffee industry. This is why specialized instructors within the SCAA program are so important.”
As the leading global authority on coffee, the SCAA recently introduced this new certification as it continues to formalize its global educational curriculum. Both Janson and Pabst were invited to join this inaugural class of instructors because of the depth and breadth of their coffee knowledge.
Ronnoco hired Pabst last year to join Janson as part of an innovation team that would introduce exciting products to market. They have collaborated to launch two new programs at Ronnoco, starting with a new coffee product line called Black Ice. Black Ice is available as a cold brew coffee, an iced coffee, and a nitrogen-infused coffee served from a keg using Ronnoco’s patent-pending process. Nitro coffee has been around specialty coffee shops for several years, but Ronnoco is the first in St. Louis to make it available for broad distribution.
“Everyone is trying to execute a cold-coffee program, but it’s either not very tasty or it’s too difficult to execute,” said Janson. “We’ve solved both of those problems.”
The second program involves Ronnoco offering to loan and provide full maintenance on superautomatic espresso machines, the only machines of this kind being offered on a loaner program in St. Louis. This program is available to eligible businesses of all sizes and is meant to extend the reach of quality espresso throughout the Midwest. For more information on either the Black Ice or espresso machine program, call 1(800)-HAV-A-CUP.
Interview Opportunities
Dan Janson, director of innovation and business development, Ronnoco Coffee Co.
Dan Pabst, specialty coffee consultant, Ronnoco Coffee Co.
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