Teodora Pitiș, Romania
SLOANE COFFEE
Please tell us a little about yourself:
I am the founder and manager of Sloane Coffee Roastery, in Bucharest, Romania. I started working in the specialty coffee industry in 2014 and fell in love with it's people and the power it has to connect us across borders, generations or social backgrounds. In 2016 I started the roastery aiming to connect the local scene to the global market and I am very pround of the vibrant Romanian specialty coffee scene we created in these past years. This is my first time competing on the world stage. I decided to compete to be able to be a better leader to my team, stay connected to the forefront of coffee inovation and prove myslef that my accomplishments are only limited by how big I allow myself to dream.
What are you excited to do while you are in Jakarta?
Experience the local culture, food and bars and get inspired by everyone I meet.
What are your interests outside of coffee?
I am in love with everything that tickels the senses, my country and my people. I love reading, going to museums, concerts and theater and spending quiet time with my family and in nature. I get excited about design and every form of human creativity. I have a cat named Senna after the F1 driver who is not happy with all the traveling coffee allows me to do.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank?
My team for keeping my vision alive and running 2 coffee shops and a roastery without my guidance while I trained and my family and friends who are very proud of me even though they still don't really understand why we travel halfway accross the globe to compete in who makes better coffee. I am especially grateful to all the farmers, producers and green traders that allow me to represent their coffees and work, I am forever humbled and honored to be a link in your chain. I am thankful to all the coffee professionals whos research, knowledge, passion, products or attitude towards coffee and hospitality inspired and educated me. To all the other competitors, past and present, your work pushes a whole industry to be and do better. And not least, I would not be here without my training partner Manos Mamakis, who besides being a great proffesional to debate ideas with has done the hardest job of all which is offering me the moral support in all those moments of discouragement, fear and anger.
