Issue 127: January | February 2025
From the Publisher
The founder and publisher of Roast magazine, Connie Blumhardt has spent 25 years in magazine publishing and has worked in the coffee industry for the last 20 years. Connie brings the same passion and commitment to this industry journal that is present within the roasting community.
With each issue, Connie brings insight and inspiration to the pages of Roast with this column.
Connie Blumhardt, Publisher
This January marks the 21st year of publishing Roast magazine. Over the years, much has changed, but one thing has remained constant: the incredible team that powers all the amazing work Roast produces. I can’t say it enough—the Roast team is second to none. We are a small but mighty group that never stops striving to make the Roast brand and the entire coffee industry a better place. That’s what makes this announcement so difficult.
With this issue, we are saying goodbye to not one but two amazing Roast staffers: Beth Winburne, our circulation manager, and Claire Harriman, our business development director.
Beth joined the Roast team in 2005—19 years ago! Many of you may have met her at our trade show booth over the years. She has helped us grow from a brand-new trade journal into a trusted industry publication, launch our own trade event, and publish and distribute six books—all with a steady hand. Beth’s calm demeanor and steadfast presence have been essential to Roast’s success.
Claire joined our team in 2016, and for eight years, we’ve benefited from her direction, motivation, outstanding editing skills and knack for getting things done. Claire’s creative vision and leadership have inspired us all. She has worked hand-in-hand with our advertisers, building meaningful relationships that will last for years to come. Among her many contributions, Claire spearheaded impactful projects like The Book of Roast.
Our subscribers love Beth, our advertisers love Claire, and our entire team loves them both. Beth and Claire, your contributions to Roast have been invaluable. Your passion, hard work and positive energy have left a lasting impact on our team, our readers and me. Thank you for your years of dedication to Roast. You will both be missed more than you can imagine.
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