Neil’s path into coffee was anything but traditional. After graduating from Florida State University with a writing degree in 2002, he moved to New York City to pursue a career in publishing. A few years later, realizing corporate life was not the right fit, he traded his publishing job for a minimum wage position as a barista at a local coffee shop and discovered a passion that would shape the rest of his career.
Since then, Neil’s coffee journey has taken him around the world and across nearly every corner of the specialty coffee industry. Over the years, he has worked as a community organizer, barista competitor, competition coach, educator, coffee roaster, and operations manager. He also served as a primary author of the Specialty Coffee Association’s Level One Barista Curriculum.
In 2010, Neil relocated to Seattle, where he continued building his experience with several local coffee companies before joining StoneX Specialty Coffee. He is a certified Q Grader and authorized SCA trainer specializing in barista and brewing education.
Outside of coffee, Neil is an avid competitive pinball player and maintains that his excellent cupping abilities may have something to do with his famously curly hair and its ability to capture coffee aromas from the surrounding environment.