Welcome to The Sprudge Twenty Interviews presented by Pacific Barista Series. For a complete list of 2025 Sprudge Twenty honorees, please visit sprudge.com/twenty.
Affectionally known to some as a “walking encyclopedia of coffee,” (Florence Fabricant, food columnist for The New York Times, 1993), George Howell’s mission in the coffee industry is simple—empower consumers to appreciate and seek out the finest coffees available. In his career, he’s gone to lengths to ensure his products are the highest quality, comparing fine coffee to that of the best wine, not only for his consumers, but for the producers he directly sources from around the world. Through his travels to multiple coffee-producing countries (including Colombia, India, Sumatra, Brazil, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico, and Peru) George combined his expertise with the knowledge of the roasters and brewers to emphasize precision and care from foundational techniques, like growing and direct sourcing, all the way to packaging and pouring the perfect cup. His company was the first to freeze raw green coffee, paving the way for long-term storage and allowing great vintages to outlast their seasonality.
Throughout the past 50 years, George has gone to origin to meet with farms and their communities in an effort to develop relationships and improve infrastructure. He’s built genuine relationships with quality producers throughout the world, allowing him to develop a competitive and fair direct trade policy. The policy includes paying a fair price—defined by the producer, as well as the buyer—based on a sliding quality scale created to incentivize the highest possible standards. During his time creating models of economic sustainability for coffee farmers, George created and co-founded the Cup of Excellence. This program, which is still maintained to this day, was designed to help break the commodity and price cycle in the specialty coffee industry. In 2004, he created George Howell Coffee, and by 2007 Howell was awarded the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe’s highest honor, the Better Coffee World Award.
The beginning of George’s story can be marked as an avid coffee drinker in Boston who was tired of stale, light roasted coffees. To resolve his frustration, George opened his first cafe in 1975, The Coffee Connection, located in Cambridge’s Harvard Square. For 19 years, his expertise and persistence grew The Coffee Connection to 24 company-owned stores, pioneering coffee as a noble beverage worthy of being in the same league as fine wine. In 1994, George sold The Coffee Connection to Starbucks Coffee Company to maintain family time and pursue his true love: identifying, roasting, and discovering the highest quality coffees possible. Just two years later, the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) awarded him the Lifetime Achievement Award for having raised specialty coffee quality standards through the Massachusetts-based company. He has also worked for the United Nations and the International Coffee Organization as a coffee quality consultant and, to this day, runs multiple successful coffee cafes in Massachusetts.
Nominated by Christina Berlinguet
How many years total have you worked in the coffee industry?
50
What was your first coffee job?
As founder and president of The Coffee Connection.
Is there a person or persons who served as your mentor early in your coffee career?
Erna Knutsen.
What is your current role in coffee?
President of George Howell Coffee (2003-present)
What facet of the coffee industry has changed the most during your career?
Diversity and quality.
What still surprises you today about coffee, or gives you joy?
Discovering new exquisite coffees and travel to origin.
What’s something about the coffee industry you’d most like to see change?
CVA, and the return of flavored coffee from the 80’s dressed as infused.
Do you make coffee at home? If so, tell us how you brew!
Yes. I use an EK43 and Ratio 6 for consistency.
What is your favorite song/music to brew coffee to?
Never made that connection!
What is your idea of coffee happiness?
Drinking a sweet, clean, and complex coffee, peaking around 120F into a myriad of connected coffee-fruit-floral notes (they can be subtle!) and perfectly harmonized without sharp edges.
What’s one piece of advice you would give someone getting their start in the coffee industry today?
Good luck! A time of crisis with consumers on hold as the US staggers in uncertain times. Hold off.
The Sprudge Twenty Interview series is presented by Pacific Barista Series. For a complete list of Sprudge Twenty honorees and interviews, please visit sprudge.com/twenty.
