Q&A with Nicole Battefeld

What’s your experience/role in the coffee sector?

I’ve been working in the specialty coffee industry professionally for about six years. During this time, I’ve worked as a barista, roaster, and barista trainer. I’ve also competed in several competitions, including the German Barista Championship, and World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship. Outside of work and competing, I advocate sustainability and equality in the specialty coffee industry.

Why did you decide to work with MTPak Coffee?

There are many things we can do to work towards a more sustainable future. Coffee packaging has the potential to create a lot of waste or non-reusable products, so if we have the option to use recyclable or compostable materials, I think it is our duty to do so. As an MTPak Ambassador, I feel honoured to spread this message, and hope that more businesses will switch to MTPak packaging.

What do you think the modern coffee sector needs to focus on?

Spreading knowledge and raising awareness is a vital part of bringing about positive change in the coffee sector. It’s important that the wider public knows more about the work that goes into producing a single cup of coffee. The journey from bean to cup should be made transparent and easy to understand.

Tell us more about how you view coffee packaging, and what you think the sector should be focusing on going forward.

I find that the majority of packaging tends to be focused solely on design. While this is important for sales, the packaging also needs to be sustainable and maintain the freshness of the coffee inside.