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.
Amélie is a perfect example of someone who treats everyone with kindness, respect, and sincerity. She is a comforting presence to everyone in the industry locally, and that reputation shows up globally as well. She conducts her business with grace and humility, while also being real and human. She is compassionate and focuses on being inclusive to those around her rather than fighting to the top. She has gotten to “the top” because she’s maintained her truth throughout her career!
As the director of sales and education, she has scaled Dessert Oasis Coffee Roasters greatly and it doesn’t go unrecognized within the company and state wide. She has brought opportunities to Detroit for the home brewer, regular customer, and coffee industry folks by hosting Detroit Coffee Week. This provided opportunities to roasters, techs, baristas, etc. It was incredible. She deserves to be recognized for the work she’s done, never pointing at herself but lifting up others around her!
Nominated by Emily Potter.
How many years total have you worked in the coffee industry?
18
What was your first coffee job?
You could say my first coffee job started long before I ever earned a paycheck. As a kid, I’d spend summers at my grandparents’ donut shop in Florida, pouring cups from a glass pot for the regulars, most of them retirees from the nearby communities who always seemed to have room for one more refill. That was my first glimpse into the ritual of coffee and the people it brings together.
But if we’re talking “official,” my first real job in coffee came years later, when I started working for Biggby Coffee in the summer of 2008.
Did you experience a life-changing moment of coffee revelation early in your career?
In 2014, after years of traveling and working between different Biggby locations when I was back home in Michigan, I walked into Dessert Oasis Coffee Roasters in Rochester, MI. I wasn’t having the best day, and it must have shown, because the guy behind the counter asked how I was doing. It was a simple question, but it was genuine.
Instead of brushing it off, I told him the truth, the truth that I hadn’t been getting paid at my job and that it had just been a rough time. That guy was Kevin Williams, now VP of Personnel at DOCR, listened and then said, “Well, why don’t you work here?”
Long story short, I did start working there. While it may not have been a full coffee revelation, it was my first glimpse into what true hospitality can look like and what it can offer people in our industry. I *very* quickly realized how much I didn’t know about specialty coffee and from that point on, I was eager to learn something new every day, I still am.
Is there a person or persons who served as your mentor early in your coffee career? How did they impact you?
Early in my career, I remember standing across the bar on busy Saturday evenings, running drinks to a bustling café, and watching Matt Bolchi pour rosettas in a way I just couldn’t wrap my head around. His latte art pushed me to keep chasing excellence in every cup.
At the same time, listening to Nate Hamood talk about origins, varietals, processing methods, and the producers behind them—I didn’t understand much back then, but it was mind-blowing to me. Nate’s leadership has always stood out to me, he’s kind and always respectful, yet powerful. He leads by example and he continues to inspire me every day.
What is your current role in coffee?
My current role is the Director of Sales and Education with Dessert Oasis Coffee Roasters. I am also in the process of opening a café, Washed Up Coffee, with my incredible partner Emily Potter. Very busy, very thankful to be surrounded by coffee folks everywhere I go!
What facet of the coffee industry has changed the most during your career?
As I’ve been reflecting on these questions, it’s become clear just how many men were integral to my growth in those early years. I’m incredibly thankful for their guidance and leadership. At the same time, there were so many moments when I wanted to look to women in leadership and locally, there just weren’t any I could turn to.
Now, in my current role, I’m fortunate to be surrounded by powerful and passionate women and non-binary folks doing incredible work, both within our workplace and across the industry. It’s inspiring to see the leadership and impact that exists right here, and it’s a reminder of how important representation and mentorship are for the next generation.
What still surprises you today about coffee, or gives you joy?
What gives me the most joy in coffee is being surrounded by people who share the same goal: using coffee as a way to connect with others. I love chatting with producers, roasters and consumers, near and far, and discovering that we all share a connection through the same fruit. It’s amazing to see how something can have such an impact on our livelihoods, daily rituals, and connection.
I also love that there’s always something to learn. Whether some like to admit it or not, there’s always a new skill to pick up, a perspective to consider, or a way to grow within our world of coffee. That constant opportunity for learning keeps things exciting and humbling, and it’s part of what makes this work so rewarding.
What’s something about the coffee industry you’d most like to see change?
The thing I’d most like to see change in the coffee industry is the “race to the bottom” in the wholesale coffee world. While my perspective is specific to my current role, it’s through the lens I see daily. Whether it’s cutting corners on equipment, offering large amounts of free coffee, paying less for green, or reducing support, these practices undervalue the work, care, and expertise that go into every cup. Specialty coffee deserves to be respected and uplifted in a way that reflects the collective effort of everyone involved, from producers to roasters to baristas and everyone in-between.
What is your most cherished coffee memory?
I have so many…
Do you make coffee at home?
Yes, my most cherished part of the day. Every morning, sitting on the couch with my partner Emily and our 5.5 year old daughter, Daphne. We sip our coffee brewed from our Fellow Aiden. The most delicious batch brewed coffee, consistent every single time.
What is your favorite song/music to brew coffee to?
When I get time behind the bar, I’m usually playing a 90’s R&B playlist and queuing up Erykah Badu every other song.
What is your idea of coffee happiness?
Coffee happiness is sitting in our red chairs, sipping coffee in the sunshine outside of Milwaukee Caffe on a Saturday morning in Detroit with Emily.
If you could drink coffee with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?
I’d do anything to have a cup of coffee with my Grandma Dolly. My first sip, at 3 years old, from my sippy cup, came from her.
What’s one piece of advice you would give someone getting their start in the coffee industry today?
Never be afraid to admit when you don’t know something. Leave your ego at the door. Engage, ask questions and never stop asking questions. There is always something to learn. Show up in the local community. If there is something you like, don’t just complain about it, do something to change it.
The Sprudge Twenty feature series is proudly presented by Pacific Barista Series.
