TIM McCORMACK has recently joined the Hotwire team, to head up our newly formed roasting division.  We are excited to have him on board and would like to welcome him to the Hotwire family!

Tim has more than twenty-five years of experience in the specialty coffee industry.  After ten summer seasons of digging on archaeological sites around the world – earning a degree in Anthropology, Tim went to work at the Starbucks Coffee roasting plant in 1979.  This was back in the era when Starbucks was a local Seattle business with five retail stores. 

During his eight years there, Tim learned to roast, blend, and taste coffee under the tutelage of the original Starbucks founders.  His responsibilities eventually included roasting supervision, coffee blend formulation, and quality control.  He also researched and developed promotional and training materials; trained production, wholesale and retail personnel; and purchased teas, herbs, spices and essential oils for the growing company.

When Starbucks was sold in 1987, Tim opted to join Caravali Coffees as Vice President.  He supervised the construction of Caravali’s roasting plant, purchased raw coffee, teas, and other materials; and supervised roasting, quality control, product development and other facets of production.

During his nine-year tenure at Caravali Coffees, Tim developed relationships with specialty coffee brokers in the U.S. and Europe and traveled to numerous coffee farms, mills, and export operations in Central and South America.  In 1992, Mr. McCormack was invited to address Sintercafe, the conference of Latin American coffee producers, held annually in San Jose, Costa Rica.  He has authored many articles in trade journals and coffee publications and given countless lectures and cupping demonstrations in the U.S. and abroad.

In 1997 Tim launched Zoka Coffeehouse in the Greenlake neighborhood of Seattle.  Zoka is a large community-oriented coffeehouse, featuring on-site coffee roasting, a bakery and a performance space for music and theater.  Tim helped supervise the design, construction and operation of the shop. 

Tim McCormack left Zoka in the spring of 2002 and subsequently pursued a career in coffee and tea consulting.  Last year he spent two weeks in Venezuela on behalf of the Coffee Quality Institute, conducting coffee tasting seminars and workshops for students and farmers in the western highlands of the country.  His devotion to gourmet coffee and the millions of people who toil in the trade is boundless.  His reputation as a master blender, roaster, and brewer of fine coffees and teas is renowned.  His passion for quality and excellence in culinary pursuits is unquenchable.  We are thrilled to have Tim working with us at Hotwire.