Verve at Yahoo!

Verve at

Yahoo!

Adding to the already impressive arsenal ofpossibilities at Yahoo!, the ever progressive BonAppétit team has taken a revolutionary stepforward once again.

A new partnership with Verve Coffee Roastersbrings forth a giant leap towards the goal ofcontinued sustainable, community-friendlyservices.

Verve, located in Santa Cruz, CA, is one of pioneeringlabels for not only delicious coffee beverages, butsupreme customer service and care in all aspects oftheir business.

Their business conducts most buying of coffee beansdirectly with farmers around the world to ensure fair andjust trade and treatment of farmers and their products.

Their employees travel 6 months of the year exploringthe world finding the best coffee for their guests.

It’s not hard to see why we partnered withVerve to bring Yahoo! fresh delicious coffee.Not only are their beverages worth athousand words, their business principlesclosely align with those of Bon Appétit.

Similar to our goals of sustainability andsuperior customer service, Verve also fightsto be the “seekers of truth” in providing thebest and most honest coffee on the market.

Our Partnership

Barista TrainingTo ensure that all the baristas are trained to provide the coffee drinks that Verve prides itself on, each employee has received one on one instruction with Verve team members at 6 training sessions held on the Yahoo! campus.

Barista TourAdditionally, team members went on anadventure-filled field trip to the headquarters ofVerve Coffee Roasters in Santa Cruz. At theheadquarters the employees experienced anInformative tutorial of how Verve buys coffee,sources it and seeks the truth about the coffeeindustry.

Barista Tour

Mastering the Verve process is important so we caneducate Yahoo! guests about the process behindtheir coffee. The team also learned the process ofroasting coffee beans; from raw to perfectly roasted.

cupping

The baristas-in-training learned about theart of “cupping”, a coffee-specific wayof consuming drinks in order to properlytaste and feel the differences betweendifferent beans. They trained their tastebuds to experience a multitude of flavorsand textures.

latte art

Another technique the baristas learned about wasthe art of latte designs. For Verve, the appearanceand design of the coffee is just as important as thedrink itself. No one wants to serve a product withouta polished final appearance, and a coffee drink isno different. Using special techniques for pouring thesteamed milk, the baristas ensure that the coffeelooks just as beautiful as it tastes.

Team Members

As long as Sean can remember he's been curiousabout coffee. So when he started working as a baristain 2004 he was hungry for knowledge about every partof the process - from seed to cup. That hunger lead himout of the cafe and into the roasting world.

In 2007 Sean moved to Santa Cruz to help open VerveCoffee Roasters. He wore many hats in theorganization, most notably, Head Roaster. After leavingVerve to explore other areas, Sean moved to Portland,Oregon and roasted for Heart Coffee. The Portlandweather and family ties eventually brought him back tothe Bay Area. Now, Bon Appétit has brought him backto Verve.

Sean WhiteCoffee Manager at Yahoo!

Amy Dansker cultivated a love of foodand beverage when she began working infine dining as a beverage programdirector after graduating from USCS. Amyjoined Verve Coffee Roasters in 2012,where she discovered the manysimilarities between specialty coffee andwine and spirits. As the BusinessDevelopment Manager at Verve, Amygets to expand and share her knowledgedaily with people who share her passionfor culinary experience.

Amy DankserBusiness Development Manager

Verve Team Members

Chris Baca has had a passionfor education his entire adult life. Originallyplanning on being a history teacher, hechanged his course when he got his firstcoffee job in 2001. As Head of BusinessDevelopment for Verve Coffee Roasters,he uses his educational drive to share hislove and knowledge of coffee with others.Chris is a Regional Barista, Brewer's Cup,and Latte Art Champion, and is a three-time United States Barista Championshipfinalist.

Chris BacaHead of Business Development

Colby Barr grew up farming in Northern California, where he learned therelationships between farmers, processors, buyers, and consumers. WithColby’s love of coffee and travel, and his experience in farming andsupply chain management, he naturally took on the position of GreenCoffee Buyer for Verve Roasters, which he founded with partner RyanO’Donovan in 2007. In this role, he travels the globe to discover anddevelop the finest coffees in the world, while co-managing the companyand its direction.

Ryan O'Donovan discovered a natural affinity for coffee and customerservice when he began working at local cafes during college in Chico,California. He expanded his education and obsession in the PacificNorthwest, working with some of the best roasters in the country andsample roasting at home to develop new and interesting coffees. As co-founder of Verve Coffee Roasters, Ryan leads product innovation andworks alongside Colby to drive company culture and brand direction.

Colby BarrCo-Founder

Ryan O’DonovanCo-Founder

Welcome Verve Coffee

Roasters to the Bon Appétit

Family!