The People Behind the Perfect Cup

At Melitta, we want every cup to be perfect. That’s why we’ve built a team with over 140 combined years of experience. We have individuals who are experts in all things coffee: quality, innovation, roasting, production and manufacturing. Not to mention our four Q graders, who taste hundreds of cups of coffee every week, ensuring our advanced technology and artisan craft come together perfectly every time.

Our Quality Team

Mark Kiczalis

QA Manager

35 years in the coffee industry with Melitta, Nestle and Hills Bros. Coffee

  • HACCP Certified/Internal Auditor
  • Food Safety Specialist
  • Product Development
  • MBA in Industrial Management

Amy Johnson

Assistant QA Manager

5 years in the coffee industry with Melitta

  • Licensed Q Grader
  • Food Safety Specialist
  • HACCP Certified/PCQI
  • Trained in Coffee Quality/Roasting Controls

Our Q-Graders

Dan Pabst

Coffee & New Product Development Manager, B2B

16 years in the coffee industry with Melitta

  • Licensed Q Grader
  • Authorized SCA Trainer
  • Member, SCA Global Education Committee: Brewing
  • Inventor, “Cold Coffee Brewing System and Method” (US Pat #10,492,509)

John Knightly

Green Bean Analyst

Over 20 years in the coffee industry: coffee roasting, blend development, as well as barista training

  • Licensed Q Grader
  • Green Coffee Analyst
  • Blend Development Specialist
  • Master Coffee Roaster

Amy Johnson

Assistant QA Manager

5 years in the coffee industry with Melitta

  • Licensed Q Grader
  • Food Safety Specialist
  • HACCP Certified/PCQI
  • Trained in Coffee Quality/Roasting Controls

Mary Charlton

Green Bean Buyer

4 years in the coffee industry with Melitta

  • Licensed Q Grader
  • Cups 25 – 50 cups daily for product quality assurance
  • Private Label Coffee Specialist
  • Member, NCA and SCA

Melitta Green Buyers

Ken Mushinskie

Green Buyer

Licensed Coffee Grader for the New York Board of Trade for 31 Years

  • Served as a Member of the Board of Directors of the Green Coffee Association
  • Chairman of the Standard Type Committee
  • Co-chairman of the Activities Committee and Arbitrator for the Green Coffee      Association
  • Co-authored “The Coffee Quality Guide

Mary Charlton

Green Bean Buyer

4 years in the coffee industry with Melitta

  • Licensed Q Grader
  • Cups 25 – 50 cups daily for product quality assurance
  • Private Label Coffee Specialist
  • Member, NCA and SCA

Roastery

Vincent Tagliaferro

Roastery Facility Manager

35 years experience in food processing, with Melitta, Kraft and ConAgra

  • HACCP Certified
  • Design for Six Sigma/Lean Manufacturing Certified
  • Bachelor of Engineering

Tim Taglang

Manager Coffee Production

27 years experience in the coffee industry with Melitta, Millstone and Fres-Co Systems

  • Package Engineering Specialist
  • Coffee Package Quality Control experienced
  • FSSC Trained HACCP auditor

Jeff Bridges

VP Operations

33 years in manufacturing with 23 years experience in the coffee industry

  • GFSI, FSSC22000, HACCP, Lean Manufacturing, OSHA experience
  • Quality & Safety Trainer
  • MBA Dartmouth

B2B Partner Support Team

Michelle Ryan

B2B Account Coordinator

25 years Customer Service experience

  • Order Flow Specialist
  • Customer Liaison for Production, Logistics and Accounting
  • Master Data Expert SAP, BPCS, JD Edwards, One Network, Amazon Verndor Central, EDI

Mike Barnhardt

National Account Manager, B2B

15 years in the coffee industry

  • Certified Barista
  • Specialist in Private Label and Branded Coffees
  • Restaurant and Foodservice Coffee Expert
  • Brewing Equipment and Beverage Solutions Professional

Ron Rineer

Business Development Manager, B2B

15 years in the coffee industry

  • Retail and Foodservice Coffee Specialist
  • Private Label, Contract Manufacturing and Toll Roasting Coffee Expert
  • Coffee Innovation Driver
  • MBA Widener University, PA
  • Co-authored “The Coffee Quality Guide”