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Meet Algrano

On a mission to balance the power dynamics in the coffee supply chain

Moving the industry

Every business idea starts with a problem to solve. We discovered our problem while travelling through coffee fields: Coffee producers don’t know who drinks their coffee. Do the harvested beans stay in Brazil, or go to Germany? Is it good or bad? Do consumers like it or not? 

When Algrano was born in 2015, we set out on a mission: to democratize the global coffee supply chain by connecting coffee producers directly with roasters online. While the mission is big, the beginnings were humble: Our very first shipment in December 2015 was a half-full container leaving Nicaragua with 4 coffee orders, shipped to Switzerland and Germany. 

Since then, Algrano has shipped several hundreds of (full!) containers of coffee from hundreds of growers in Latin America, Africa and Asia to hundreds of roasters in Europe. Our work is mainly background work: We assure the quality when the coffee travels, we are offering financing for roasters, and we are taking care of all the logistics – exporting, shipping, importing, warehousing and road transport is all on us. 

While shipping these containers, we discovered how much excel and phone calls are still involved in coffee trade. That is why in parallel, we developed the online platform that will bring the coffee industry into the 21st century. 

Join us, and move an industry by moving coffee – we are just getting started.

Meet Algranitos

Christian Burri
Product Manager

With a background in digital media and physics, Christian worked for a Swiss consulting company based in Santiago. Christian plans and manages the development of algrano’s online platform, and its marketing and communication activities.

Best coffee? Directly on the field, together with the producers.

Gilles Brunner
Chief Coffee Officer

Gilles has a background in International Relations and Development. Prior to founding Algrano, he's worked in sustainability at a large coffee trading company. At Algrano he now acts as Chief Coffee Officer, overseeing the trade and the operations.

Best coffee? A natural coffee from Joselino Meneguete at the Coffee Lab in Sao Paulo in 2013

Raphael Studer
CEO

During his PhD in economics, Raphael published academic articles on the modeling of human well-being. At algrano, he takes care of the well-being of the company: he is the CEO, heads the sales department, and is in charge of investor relations.

Best coffee? A sweet Aeropress in front of the surfvan shared with my family, overlooking the ocean

Florian Schaffner
CFO and Head of Data

Florian is Algrano's Chief Financial Officer and go-to person for anything related to data. He holds a PhD in Economics and has worked for major Swiss companies in the banking and insurance sector, focussing on Analytics, Machine Learning and Investment Performance.

Best coffee? A doppio in the morning, and a filtered coffee in the afternoon – brewed directly in Algrano's inhouse lab. Not quite over the fermented coffee (yet)!

Tom Booth
Head of Sales Europe

Tom has over 15 years experience in the UK coffee industry before joining Algrano in 2019. From cafe operations to training and heading up a sales team for a leading coffee roaster. Tom is our head of sales for Europe with all of the sales managers located across Europe reporting into him.

Best coffee? In the morning a flat white and in the afternoon a Chemex with a fresh and funky natural.

Eli Elisa Blaich
Sourcing Manager

With a masters degree in international trading and years of experience in the agricultural trading world across multiple countries, Eli possesses a broad range of knowledge across all aspects of international supply chains, trade finance and shipping. Coffee is her passion and she loves to connect to growers and their stories.

Best coffee? A filter coffee with tropical flavours made with love

Gert-Jan Eling
Head of Operations

Gert-Jan has a background in operations & logistics and worked previously in chemical, petrochemical, and mining industry. He is responsible for shipping coffee safely around the world to your doorstep.

Best coffee? A Chemex on a lazy Sunday morning.

Kees Olthof
Head of Product

With a degree in Artificial Intelligence and over a decade of experience in Ecommerce, Marketplaces, and Wholesale, Kees is passionate about leveraging technology to make a positive impact. At Algrano he works on the development of the marketplace to help build long-lasting relationships between coffee growers and roasters.

Best coffee? A simple Moka pot coffee in the morning that fills up the entire apartment with the smell of freshly brewed coffee.

Pablo García Jimenez
Head of Quality

Coffee has been Pablo’s passion since he was a teenager working in his parents’ restaurant. Curious about the coffee culture in different countries, he lived and worked in Australia, Norway, and now Switzerland. Before Algrano, he's been a barista, a roaster, a lab assistant, and a competitor. Now a Q Grader with lots of roasting experience under his belt, Pablo heads Algrano’s QC, bringing a meticulous approach to sampling, sensory analysis, and testing. He enjoys the constant aroma of coffee in the lab and collaborating with producers.

Best coffee? A Honey-processed Costa Rica with notes of green apple, cider-like, sparkling acidity, and long-lasting sweetness. Brewed with a Kalita.

Zmago Devetak
Engineering Manager

Curious, kind and funny, and with a background in Economics and Informatics, Zmago builds new features for the Algrano platform.

Best coffee? Filter coffee. Preferably at home, early in the morning.

Veronika Kečkéšová
Quality Manager & Sales Manager for Central Europe

Professional barista with a background in English language studies, Veronika makes sure that the green beans find their way to the right shelf, right file and the right person.

Best coffee? Filter, whatever place or setting. I enjoy it the most when there is no reason to rush.

Yannick Lauber
DACH Sales Manager

Yannick joined the sales team of Algrano and is responsible for the DACH region. He holds a BSc in International Hospitality Management from École Hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) and worked the last four years in customer relationship management in corporate banking.

Best coffee? A Cortado in the morning and an Espresso in the afternoon. Just perfect!

Emma Haines
UK Sales Manager

Emma is Algrano’s UK Sales Manager. She’s also an SCA AST for Green Coffee & Sensory, a resident trainer at the London School of Coffee, and founder of Caffeina Consulting. For the last 12 years, Emma has focused on specialty coffee training and inclusivity, a passion that got her involved with the SCA Equity, Diversity & Inclusivity Taskforce. Her experience spans the whole supply chain with a focus on sustainability and gender equity. Emma strives to drive change through education, whether working with cafés, roasteries, competitors, or coffee producers.

Best coffee? A bright and fruity Fully Washed on filter.

Elisabeth Volant
Western Europe Sales Manager

After a master of Geography of food and food cultures at the Sorbonne in Paris, Elisabeth discovered the world of coffee during an internship at a Parisian roastery. She then moved to Amsterdam and worked during 6 years as account manager at a coffee importer. She is responsible of the sales in the French and Spanish speaking regions.

Best coffee? A Chemex slowly savoured in the early hours of the morning when everybody else is still sleeping.

Henrik Möller
Northern Europe Sales Manager

Born and bred in the Swedish countryside, Henrik moved to the UK as a teenager. He discovered the love for coffee while studying for a BA in music business, and spent nearly a decade managing the wholesale team at a pioneering coffee roastery in London. Henrik now resides in Prague from where he is responsible for our Nordic clients.

Best coffee? Chemex on a lazy Sunday morning

Winnie Goede
Sales Manager Germany

Born and raised in Amsterdam, Winnie moved to Berlin six years ago. Coffee is only one of her many passions in the world of craft food and beverages. She tastes as much as she can weekly and organises events where people can come together and connect over a shared interest. She's even dabbled in nitro coffee production as a brewery assistant. It was Winnie's obsession with coffee as a product and her wish to learn more about where it comes from that landed her a role as a QC manager at a green importer. Winnie loves being part of coffee's full cycle, from the farm to how it's communicated to the end consumer, and is driven by making the supply chain better.

Best coffee? She likes 'em juicy.

Kosta Kallivrousis
USA Sales Manager

Based in Missouri, Kosta has worked in the US specialty coffee industry for over 12 years. He started as a barista and got involved in competitions, quality control, and roasting. In 2016, he became an account manager in green coffee, giving him a platform to gain knowledge about the supply chain and advocate for growers. His personal mission is to help build a channel where producers’ voices can be heard. In his downtime, you can find Kosta enjoying the company of his three little monsters or with his nose in a book.

Best coffee? The one that connects him with old friends, new ones and family.

Ty Beddingfield
USA East Coast Sales Manager

Ty’s coffee career dates back to 1994 when he worked at a neighbourhood cafe in North Carolina. Now living in Raleigh (NC), it’s safe to say he’s been everywhere and seen a bit of everything. Ty’s strengths are business development, strategy, operations and team building. All the roasters who have a chance to chat coffee with him can learn about much more than direct trade.

Best coffee? The one split in two.

Philip Hall
USA North Sales Manager

Chicago-based Philip has been in coffee for 13 years and spent the last five roasting and doing quality control, bringing the care that producers put into each lot to the forefront. He describes himself as a “coffee wizard and super nerd”, passionate about education and hospitality. Philip brings the same respect he had for coffee as a roaster to his new matchmaking role. He's excited to help roasters and producers form long-lasting relationships.

Best coffee? A floral Colombian with citric acidity and tea-like body. Pure elegance in a cup!

David Palazuelos
USA West Coast Sales Manager

Born in colourful Mexico, David has worked in many customer support roles over his decade-long coffee career. He’s managed a roastery in Arizona and is a great source of info on inventory and budgeting. Working from Calexico (CA), David wants to bring roasters and producers together, building communities and leveraging his bilingual and bi-cultural personality. In his down time, you’ll find David at a local coffee shop, brewery, or gym hanging out with folks and taking photos.

Best coffee? Probably a Washed Ethiopian on filter.

Vanessa Heringer
Producers Success Manager

Graduated in international relations, Vanessa has a solid background on the coffee value chain, with experience in sourcing, logistics, operations and trading. Coming from a producing family, she was born and raised in one of the largest coffee producing regions of Brazil, Matas de Minas. Very passionate about engaging with coffee growers and roasters, she is responsible for the Latin American producers success management.

Best coffee? An oversized mug of filtered coffee with a touch of milk

Addisu Dulacha Gobana
Producers Success Manager

Born to an Ethiopian family deeply rooted in coffee growing, Addisu has a strong desire to contribute to a sustainable coffee supply chain and be an advocate for sustainable agriculture. His expertise encompasses plant nutrition, soil fertility management, and coffee supply chain. Passionate about sharing his knowledge and experience, he is responsible for East African and Asian producers' success management.

Best coffee? Meticulously prepared Jebena coffee, it brings both delicious flavor and a sense of tranquility. As Addisu would say, "May you always have coffee and peace."

Giovanna Rocha
Operations Manager

Giovanna studied Social Sciences but has always worked in coffee, first exporting coffee in Kenya, and more recently coordinating specialty imports in Europe. She's passionate about quality and is also a Q-grader.

Best coffee? Any natural or prolonged fermentation on filter, lots of it. 

Ignacio Fernandez
Operations Manager

Licensed in Middle Eastern Studies with a Master's degree in International Commerce. Landed in Switzerland after working in Dubai, Madrid and UK. Some might say he has traveled more than a container. Passionate about international operations and music lover.

Best coffee? Cortado, por favor.

Michalina Baldyga
Quality lab assistant

Michalina has a background in Internal Security and Special Education, but her passion to coffee turned out to be stronger. It results in 7+ years of experience in coffee roasting. At Algrano she likes to makes things happen.

Best coffee? Uganda Bugisu, one more please.

Aldo Gulizia
Accountant

Aldo was born in Italy and moved to Switzerland. He holds MSc in Business Administration and gained experience in the fashion luxury business before to join Algrano. His interests are astronomy and fitness.

Best coffee? Ristretto after the lunch during a holiday in southern Italy.

Jon Kyte
Front-End Designer

Jon is a designer and front-end developer passionate about inclusive design and putting the user at the heart of what we do. Jon is responsible for the look and feel of the Algrano platform.

Best coffee? A flat white in a busy cafe whilst watching the world go by.

Eugenia Bertoni
UX/UI Designer & Front-end Developer

Eugenia enjoys taking complex problems and turning them into simple and meaningful user experiences. She also loves the logic and structure of coding and always strives to write elegant and efficient code.

Best coffee? A large cup of cappuccino served with a piece of chocolate

Hassan El Ashram
Software engineer

Born in Egypt, but grew up in Geneva. I have a Bachelor in Business Administration but became a software engineer out of passion. I love cinema, joking and traveling a little too much.

Best coffee? Iced coffee

Christoph Krenn
Growth Specialist

As Algrano's Growth Specialist, Christoph is at the forefront of addressing challenges linked to our expansion. Equipped with a foundation in software engineering and hands-on experience in Sourcing at Algrano, complemented by a post-graduate CAS in Coffee Excellence from ZHAW, Christoph offers a unique perspective on the coffee industry.

Best coffee? Flat White in the morning and a fruity filter coffee in the afternoon

Luiza Pereira Furquim
Head of Content

Luiza worked as a journalist in Sāo Paulo, Brazil, until 2016 when she embraced coffee as a career. She started as a barista, moved to the UK and soon got involved in roasting. She was a head roaster before joining Algrano's Sourcing team, and later moving to Marketing.

Best coffee? Industrial quantities of anything chocolatey and bright. Finca El Recuerdo's Anaerobic Caturra has a special place in her heart.

Mafer García Spiegeler
Marketing Manager

Mafer is a Guatemalan graphic designer with a background in international education and ESL teaching. At Algrano, she ensures everything marketing-related runs smoothly by structuring and tracking our efforts. Additionally, she also manages our social media channels.

Best coffee? A refreshing cold brew in hot tropical weather.

Christy Ma
Events Manager

Christy has a diverse background in marketing and operations across different industries, from coffee to food and financial services. She previously led the operations of a fast-growing coffee shop chain in Europe. At Algrano, she is responsible for making exciting events happen, spreading the word about the marketplace and helping more people hear about our mission.

Best coffee? A flat white in the morning at home with my family or a campsite-fancy Aeropress in nature.

The Algrano world

12 countries

of Algranitos origin

17 languages

spoken by the team

1 shared passion

that keeps us united

Meet the board

Mario Fontana

Mario was the Chairman of Swissquote Group Holding and Swissquote Bank. He was General Manager Financial Services worldwide and General Manager Computer Business at Helwett-Packard Europe & USA.

Adriaan Nühn

Adriaan is chairman of the supervisory board of JustEatTakeaway.com. Until 2008, he was CEO of Sara Lee International and chairperson of the executive board of Sara Lee/Douwe Egberts. 

Thomas Rauber

Thomas is the very first investor in Algrano and joined our board in 2023. He founded TR Invest AG in 2010 and is active as SME entrepreneur and startup investor. Thomas serves on various boards in banking, logistics and technology.

Sara Morrocchi

A political scientist with a drive for social impact, Sara is the founder and CEO of Vuna Coffee Consulting. With more than 15 years of experience in the industry, she has proven success in innovative design and delivery of supply and value chain solutions.

Fabio Magagna

Fabio has 15+ years expertise in the ICT industry in various roles such as entrepreneur, researcher, consultant or manager in a large corporate. At the moment Fabio is Global Senior Product Manager at YouTube/Google and active as a business angel with his company BetaFarm.

Thomas Uibel

Thomas is the Investment Director of Verium, an independent multi-family office in Zurich and an investor in Algrano. He brings a wealth of experience and is a board member of several Swiss startups, as well as an investment management background.

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