Paul
Gilles, Vice President of Operations
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Paul Gilles, lawyer turned entrepreneur, joined Portland Roasting after opening a specialty coffee chain in Fukuoka, Japan – the first of its kind in that city. As co-owner of Rosarian Coffee Company and president of East Meets West Company, he gained a thorough understanding of Japanese business and social practices and became fluent in conversational Japanese.
Paul’s role as Vice President of Operations allows him to use his international business management experience to oversee production, customer service, human resources, risk management, international business development and general administration duties at PRC.
Paul Gilles, lawyer turned entrepreneur, joined Portland Roasting after opening a specialty coffee chain in Fukuoka, Japan – the first of its kind in that city. As co-owner of Rosarian Coffee Company and president of East Meets West Company, he gained a thorough understanding of Japanese business and social practices and became fluent in conversational Japanese.
Paul’s role as Vice President of Operations allows him to use his international business management experience to oversee production, customer service, human resources, risk management, international business development and general administration duties at PRC.
Andres Castro, Quality Control Engineer
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Andres Castro came to Portland Roasting Company via Bogotá, Colombia, as an intern from the University of Washington, Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship. During his tenure at Portland Roasting Coffee, he has created, implemented and directed a coffee quality control system; researched, tested and wrote the Quality Control Manual; and developed and ran a coffee-tasting program for employees and key customers – among his other myriad of other duties. He became an invaluable part of the team.
Andres manages Portland Roasting’s green coffee buying and quality control systems. His specific responsibilities include tracking coffee usage and inventory, arranging and tracking pre-shipment samples, organizing, scheduling and analyzing coffee tastings while at the same time working with the purchasing manager to get coffee ordered. Finally, he is responsible for analyzing the coffee commodity market in order to predict timing of coffee purchases.
Andres Castro came to Portland Roasting Company via Bogotá, Colombia, as an intern from the University of Washington, Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship. During his tenure at Portland Roasting Coffee, he has created, implemented and directed a coffee quality control system; researched, tested and wrote the Quality Control Manual; and developed and ran a coffee-tasting program for employees and key customers – among his other myriad of other duties. He became an invaluable part of the team.
Andres manages Portland Roasting’s green coffee buying and quality control systems. His specific responsibilities include tracking coffee usage and inventory, arranging and tracking pre-shipment samples, organizing, scheduling and analyzing coffee tastings while at the same time working with the purchasing manager to get coffee ordered. Finally, he is responsible for analyzing the coffee commodity market in order to predict timing of coffee purchases.
Yeshi Tharchen,
Production Manager
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Yeshi comes to Portland Roasting via a long road, all the way from New Delhi, India. A Tibetan, Yeshi received his primary education in New Delhi where his family had emigrated to. He eventually earned advanced degrees in computer graphics and multimedia from the American Institute of Technology. His first job after college was assistant administrator at a Buddhist Monastic School. Here, his duties were wide-ranging and included accounting duties, preparing student reports, communicating with international school sponsors and teaching English to the monks. Another job took him to the movie industry where he worked as a production supervisor on a film called “We Are No Monks.”
His work history bodes well for his role as Production Manager at Portland Roasting, where Yeshi wears a lot of hats in his daily quest to make sure the proverbial trains run on time. His earlier positions at Portland Roasting as a production worker and production supervisor provided ample opportunity to learn how to run equipment and roast beans and to observe a smoothly functioning production line and warehouse operation.
When not overseeing the production line at Portland Roasting, Yeshi spends time with his wife, surfs the web, watches movies, plays guitar or listens to music. Occasionally, a home project will draw his attention as well.
Nathanael May, TrainerYeshi comes to Portland Roasting via a long road, all the way from New Delhi, India. A Tibetan, Yeshi received his primary education in New Delhi where his family had emigrated to. He eventually earned advanced degrees in computer graphics and multimedia from the American Institute of Technology. His first job after college was assistant administrator at a Buddhist Monastic School. Here, his duties were wide-ranging and included accounting duties, preparing student reports, communicating with international school sponsors and teaching English to the monks. Another job took him to the movie industry where he worked as a production supervisor on a film called “We Are No Monks.”
His work history bodes well for his role as Production Manager at Portland Roasting, where Yeshi wears a lot of hats in his daily quest to make sure the proverbial trains run on time. His earlier positions at Portland Roasting as a production worker and production supervisor provided ample opportunity to learn how to run equipment and roast beans and to observe a smoothly functioning production line and warehouse operation.
When not overseeing the production line at Portland Roasting, Yeshi spends time with his wife, surfs the web, watches movies, plays guitar or listens to music. Occasionally, a home project will draw his attention as well.
Nathanael remembers his first cup of “real” coffee - a dark Sumatra paired with freshly sauteed mushrooms. With a single sip, his transformation into a certified coffee nerd began. He has spent the last six years tasting, testing, and tamping every coffee he could get his hands on. His love affair with coffee only intensified as he worked his way through the coffee industry, with stops at Starbucks, Peet’s, and Java City.
He brings his passion for people and training to the Northwest, ignited at the Disneyland Resort, where he spent several years as a trainer with the Disney University. Almost nothing makes him happier than drinking a cup of coffee and watching Pixar movies. After teaching people about the ins and outs of steaming milk and pulling shots, Nathanael spends time with his wife and infant son, hiking, singing, and making video blogs.
Nathanael’s drink of choice is a double shot of espresso - ristretto, if you don’t mind.
Ryan Johnson, Roaster
EmailEclectic best sums up Ryan Johnson, a
member of Portland Roasting Coffee’s roasting team. An artist by
avocation, Ryan’s colorful resumé lists previous jobs as
community organizer, custom picture framer, carpenter, even a short stint
as a barista.
Ryan started his career at Portland Roasting in production. He then dabbled in deliveries, and now spends his time roasting, evaluating roast levels, cupping, and overseeing green bean management and roaster maintenance. A big coffee fan to begin with, his time at Portland Roasting has deepened his knowledge of coffee, particularly the global impact of coffee and the efforts it takes to bring greater justice to the growing communities. This has only fired up his passion to learn more. To that end, he has his sights set on taking a trip to a Farm Friendly Direct farm. Closer to home, his aim is to excel at the craft of roasting and cupping.
Straight-up double ristretto shots are a favorite for this self-described “Okie,” who migrated west from Oklahoma. He lives with his wife Elizabeth, and 4-year-old daughter, Nora. She is kept company by a chihuahua named Rosa and two cats. Ryan bikes “everywhere” and listens to copious amounts of music but not at the same time. He has also been known to DJ an event here and there.
Ryan started his career at Portland Roasting in production. He then dabbled in deliveries, and now spends his time roasting, evaluating roast levels, cupping, and overseeing green bean management and roaster maintenance. A big coffee fan to begin with, his time at Portland Roasting has deepened his knowledge of coffee, particularly the global impact of coffee and the efforts it takes to bring greater justice to the growing communities. This has only fired up his passion to learn more. To that end, he has his sights set on taking a trip to a Farm Friendly Direct farm. Closer to home, his aim is to excel at the craft of roasting and cupping.
Straight-up double ristretto shots are a favorite for this self-described “Okie,” who migrated west from Oklahoma. He lives with his wife Elizabeth, and 4-year-old daughter, Nora. She is kept company by a chihuahua named Rosa and two cats. Ryan bikes “everywhere” and listens to copious amounts of music but not at the same time. He has also been known to DJ an event here and there.
Nick Dodd,
Warehouse
EmailTen years of work in warehouses well prepared Nick for his current job as Portland Roasting’s production supervisor. His leadership ensures that all of our orders are filled on time and correctly. Without Nick, and the rest of the hard working production team, our product would not be possible.
His work background may be what led Nick to his current position, but it was his passion for reducing his impact on the environment that attracted him to Portland Roasting specifically. He loves working with a group of people that share his values and strong worth ethic, plus helping produce “the best cup of coffee known to man!”
When Nick isn’t running around the warehouse, he’s at home with his fiancé discovering fun facts about iguanas and dinosaurs, and playing the guitar.
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James Fairbrother, Roaster
James Fairbrother is the latest addition to the roasting team, where he says he looks forward to the chance to learn new things and to play with fire. The oldest of six kids, Fairbrother is at home amidst the hustle-bustle of the warehouse and roastery.
When not finely tuning the latest Portland roast, he is hanging out with friends, doing a little reading, a little writing and a lot of enjoying music, both live and recorded. He has been known to pick up a pool cue here and there and is an indiscriminate movie fan -- anything from the good to the awful (awful in the comedic sense, please).
Although is varies with his mood and the weather, his coffee order of choice is a "shot and a back."
