Her name is Nopparat Arpornsuwan, but she asked us to call her “Yong.” Standing on a Seattle street corner with tears welling up in her eyes she tried to explain why the brown apron folded up and in her backpack is so precious to her. “Is this true? Or [am] I still sleep? Is [this] my dream?” she said. And then the tears took over. “I didn’t think that I would have the chance to be here.” Her day shift, 8 hours of training with baristas at the Starbucks Reserve® Roastery and Tasting Room in Seattle, was about to begin.

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“At that moment it’s ahhhh ... ooooh ... so beautiful this Roastery store,” Yong said. Yong’s journey to the corner of Melrose and Pike began 14 years ago in Thailand, when she needed a part-time job and applied at Starbucks in Baan Chart, a tourist area called Khaosan. “Actually, before, I’m not a coffee lover,” she explains. “Thai people, we love to drink sweet.” So when her new boss at Starbucks Thailand combined chocolate with coffee, she became a believer. She honed her craft as a barista and later became a store manager. “And then I develop[ed] myself up and up and up,” she said. Her eyes wide and her hands ready to cheer right there on the corner. That’s because this year, in an epic showdown of coffee mastery in Hong Kong where more than 2,000 Starbucks baristas competed and 600 people observed, Yong won the <a href="/coffee-talent-and-passion-take-the-stage-at-barista-championship/"> 2016 China and Asia Pacific Regional Barista Championship </a> . “I didn’t think that I would be the winner in Thailand,” Yong said. “To be the Coffee Ambassador in Thailand!” Her coffee knowledge, customer service and ability to create memorable moments through storytelling propelled her on an adventure she never imagined possible. After winning in Thailand, she was invited to Sumatra, Indonesia to learn about the coffee bean’s journey from farm to cup. And then, for earning top honors, Yong was awarded a three-week coffee experience in Seattle, including time at the Starbucks Reserve® Roastery and Tasting Room. “When I go back to Thailand, I think I will share a lot of information, a lot coffee knowledge,” she said. She tied her apron on and got to work behind the coffee bar, beaming.

I love the moment that I hand off my drinks to [the] customer. And when I do the latte art and they then feel...oooooh!!! At the moment I feel I make customer[s] smile. So, it make[s] me proud. -Nopparat "Yong" Arpornsuwan, 2016 China and Asia Pacific Regional Barista Champion

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2016 Barista Champion Nopparat "Yong" Arpornsuwan recently traveled to Seattle to fulfill a dream - training at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery & Tasting Room.

Visit to Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Seattle a dream come true

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There’s no question that Leslie Wolford’s passion for coffee is limitless. Her enduring love of roasting and brewing has led to a long and remarkable career as a Starbucks partner (employee), where she’s directly influenced the coffee-drinking experience of customers around the world. Leslie is one of a few gifted people who spend countless hours discovering and perfecting the flavor profiles of Starbucks® coffees. To put it simply, Leslie tastes your coffee before you do, and your daily cup is all the better for it.

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Leslie’s journey with Starbucks began in 1991, when she started out as a barista in Downtown Seattle. Back then she worked at the first Starbucks® store to feature an espresso bar, and from there a lifelong fascination grew. “I wanted to know everything I could about coffee,” she says with signature enthusiasm, and she tackled that goal head-on. Over the years Leslie has filled many roles, from green coffee loader, to roaster, to her current position as senior coffee quality development specialist, where she uses her master tasting skills to help cultivate the Starbucks Reserve® portfolio. “I’ve been with the company 25 years,” she says, “and every day I learn something new about coffee.”

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It takes dedication to build a 25-year career. After learning all about beans in her early days with the company, Leslie spent five years learning the craft of roasting coffee. During her early tasting years, she tasted up to 600 cups in a single day. She has played a key part in several Starbucks innovations, including the creation of the inaugural <a class="post-fragment-link" href="https://1912pike.com/our-rarest-christmas-coffee-ever/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Starbucks Reserve® Christmas 2015.</a> Recognizing the subtle, unique flavors and best expressions of each coffee requires time and patience, but Leslie has never lost her excitement for the work.

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An abiding love for coffee is the key building block for such a successful tenure with Starbucks, but relationships are also at the heart of everything Leslie does. As a pioneer in the industry, people often look to her for insight and guidance, and she’s more than happy to share. When asked to describe the best cup of coffee she’s ever had, she says she doesn’t remember the particular coffee so much as moments spent listening to her grandmother tell stories over a cup. For Leslie, drinking coffee is about making connections with the things she loves the most. It’s about craftsmanship and time spent with her colleagues, family, and friends. No wonder she loves her job, and no wonder Starbucks loves Leslie.

Favorite Coffee: Starbucks coffees are like my children, there are no favorites! Home Brew Tip: Invest in a good grinder. Recent Coffee Drinks of Interest: The Red Eye (espresso and drip coffee) and craft coffee cocktails. Hobbies Outside Coffee: Cooking, backpacking, wine, music, spending time with family. Best Thing About Coffee: The aroma, hands down!

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Meet Leslie: 25-year Starbucks partner, coffee enthusiast and undeniable pioneer in the coffee industry.

Meet the Starbucks coffee expert who tastes your coffee before you do

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From planting and maintaining coffee trees to harvesting and selling

The remote Indonesian island of Sumatra produces some of the most unique coffees in the world. With intense flavors and full body, Sumatran coffees are found in some of our most treasured blends. They’re also bold enough to stand on their own. We wouldn’t be able to bring you incredible coffee from Sumatra without the incredible women who make it all possible. They handle the majority of the planting, growing, harvesting and transportation of coffee.

“[They not only] raise the coffee, but they maintain the coffee trees. They control the quality and harvesting and then selling the coffee. The husbands have a specific role: preparing the land, grow the seed, cutting the grass...that’s it. So the most important things [are] usually done by [a] woman,” said Yuliana DolokSaribu, a farmer training specialist at ECOM North Sumatra Farmer Training Center.

According to Starbucks coffee supplier Sam Filiaci, women are responsible for around 70 to 75 percent of the work on the farm.

Without the [women], the coffee would not be produced probably, and the economic well-being of all the people that sell coffee to Starbucks would not be nearly as beneficial to everybody. - Sam Filiaci, Starbucks coffee supplier <img alt="" class="" src="https://stories.starbucks.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/sumatra-women-02-1.jpg" />

From planting coffee to harvesting it, learn about the integral role they play in Sumatra's coffee industry.

Women are the Backbone of Sumatran Coffee

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Barrier-breaking women making a difference in the coffee industry and their communities.

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Visit to Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Seattle a dream come true

Meet the Starbucks coffee expert who tastes your coffee before you do

Women are the Backbone of Sumatran Coffee