Q&A: Michael Gaviña

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By Dan Bolton

Michael Gaviña is the incoming chair of the National Coffee Association. He is a fourth-generation executive at F. Gaviña & Sons, Inc. (FGS), responsible for pricing raw materials and managing inventory. A Coffee Quality Institute Q grader, he joined FGS in 2002 as a buyer. He is also c.f.o. of DF Roasters since 2015. He is a member of both the Specialty Coffee Association and the Roasters Guild.

Michael is the great-grandson of José Maria Gaviña, who left Spain in 1870 to start a coffee business in Cuba. The company later moved its operations to the United States and has prospered in Los Angeles where it is now one of the largest coffee roasters in North America. Gaviña found his passion for coffee spending summers learning about the family business from his father Pedro Gaviña. He earned a bachelor’s degree and an MBA in 2007 from Loyola Marymount University where he serves on the university’s board of regents.

STiR: Trade relationships, treaties, restrictions on travel, and barriers to entry of foreign goods are topics of concern for the entire coffee supply chain. Regulatory considerations involving food safety seem to have abated. Share your view of the role for NCA in these discussions and potential hot-button concerns.

Michael Gaviña: There’s more happening in the world of coffee than ever before – and safety is still part of the mix, just in a different way. Coffee is facing some deeply complex issues.  On the trade front, for example, NAFTA talks are a good example of the uncertainty that can result for the coffee industry.  We’ve informed US government negotiators about our issues, but our concerns are part of a larger agenda.  These negotiations have the potential to hinder coffee trade between Canada, the US, and Mexico.

In fact, safety issues are still on our agenda, but in a different way.  The focus on the last several years has been on shaping regulations.  Now, the focus is on implementation – the steps that roasters must take to train their staff, for example, or the risk assessment that coffee importers must perform.  In the latter case, we worked with our sister organization GCA (Green Coffee Association) to develop a practical tool – a template – to help importers make that assessment. 

And, new developments bring new challenges.  We were all chagrined last year when a recall of cold brew took place.  Cold brew is a low-acid preparation that requires safety considerations that will be unfamiliar to traditional coffee companies. We’re working with a team of volunteers and experts to develop a resource kit for cold brew safety. This type of work will continue.

STiR: NCA has dutifully informed its members of onerous findings such as emissions that cast a negative light, but more recently the health benefits of coffee are finding positive media attention based on sound scientific evidence. How do you view this opportunity and how should NCA take advantage?

Gaviña: With respect to emissions, we believe that they can be safely managed without harm. This isn’t just our opinion – we did our homework. NCA closely collaborated with a team of technical experts and toxicologists, which resulted in a new research paper that is currently in the process of publication. We’ll have more information available early this year, along with some specific tools to help roasters.  This is another example of how we are supplementing our policy and lobbying work with concrete resources for business.

In terms of coffee and health, this is a really exciting time for our industry. It seems like there’s more good news every day – studies show it can help prevent liver disease, reduce the risk of diabetes, and improve cognitive function (just to name a few). And, coffee drinkers live longer.

But there’s also a lot of confusion out there. We need to cut through the noise and deliver accurate information, without hype. Our goal is to give people the facts they need to make the right decisions for themselves. Just last year we launched, for our internal use, a database in which we are compiling relevant research studies – so we can quickly access that information and analyze it as the body of literature grows.  This builds on our health website – Coffee and Me – which is a consumer-facing platform.

This year, we’ll be exploring some new ways to leverage these opportunities to build awareness and connect with consumers. We’re continuing to develop our website, blog, and social platforms, with the focus on building more comprehensive and accessible digital resources.

STiR: Colombia seized the moment last July in hosting the first World Coffee Producer’s Forum in Medellin where it adopted a country-wide sustainability mandate. NCA is on the record advocating sustainable practices from seed to cup. Which initiatives in which NCA is involved hold the greatest promise?

Gaviña: NCA can have the greatest impact when we do things that fit our role as an association. When it comes to regulations and science, we are proud to lead the way.  We’re also comfortable to follow the lead of others when that makes sense with respect to our mission and resources.  When it comes to sustainability, we’re most powerful as a forum, convener, and a communications channel, to support the incredible work being done by others. We are in a unique position to bring people together from across the supply chain, and facilitate important conversations about where we can go from here.

Last year we had over a million visits on our website from consumers seeking advice about brewing, storing, or grinding coffee.  One of our objectives this year is to develop consistent messaging on sustainability, so we can encourage those consumers to learn more about sustainability and make informed choices. 

This is similar to the motivation behind NCA’s Sustainability Showcase and our new Coffee Gives Back Charity Program, which will make its debut at the NCA convention in March.  We will be celebrating and honoring the organizations that are working to support those farmers that may be struggling.  Here again, we feel we can be most effective by bringing attention and recognition to those doing such work, rather than simply creating one more program.

STiR: China is a great potential source of arabica as the world enters a 50-year period of decline. The country is both a huge market and supplier. It will host its first coffee forum at the Yunnan Coffee Exchange this January. The country is not officially a member, but it is aligned with the International Coffee Organization as an observer. NCA has cordial and long-standing relationships with Brazil and Colombia and major producers worldwide; what is the official position on China?

Gaviña: Coffee is a global commodity, and today’s world is completely connected. We’re seeing unprecedented growth in markets around the world, especially in countries that did not traditionally consume coffee, like China. International coffee culture is flourishing. One of NCA’s top priorities at the next ICO meeting in Mexico City is to meet with our counterparts from China, and discuss how we can best work together going forward.

STiR: Organizations advance only if they evolve. Will you shed light on the recent reorganization of NCA’s staff and structure?

Gaviña: Scientific and technical matters are more important than ever before. And coffee is complicated.  As I’ve already mentioned, we are adding to – enhancing – the work we do for our members by creating a new emphasis on the development of practical, technical, and scientific resources that they can use to address immediate problems.

This is how we are evolving – and why we’ve created a new science role on staff, one that will be a readily accessible, cost-effective on-demand resource for our members across many fields, including toxicology, epidemiology, chemistry, and biology.

Ultimately, our goal is to keep moving forward so we can better serve the needs of the coffee industry and our members. We’re making a lot of changes, but our core values remain the same:  we are stronger together and will continue to bring the industry together to strengthen each other.