Meet Francesco Calderaro: Director of Account and Channels Development
After working in the travel industry for ten years in Italy, Francesco moved to Boston to earn his Master's Degree in Business Management and pursue a new career in wine where he covered various positions, including Inventory Manager, Purchasing Manager, Sales Manager, and Brand Manager.
After nearly a decade in the wine industry, Francesco transitioned from wine to coffee where he worked for four years as the New England Sales Manager for a global Italian coffee company. In 2017, he decided to make the move "from global to local" by joining the Fazenda team in the role of Director of Account and Channels Development. He lives on the North Shore in Massachusetts with his wife and two children.
After nearly a decade in the wine industry, Francesco transitioned from wine to coffee where he worked for four years as the New England Sales Manager for a global Italian coffee company. In 2017, he decided to make the move "from global to local" by joining the Fazenda team in the role of Director of Account and Channels Development. He lives on the North Shore in Massachusetts with his wife and two children.
What is your favorite coffee to enjoy at home right now and how to do you make it? I alternate between Fazenda's Mexico and Guatemala and I most enjoy them brewed with a Hario pour over.
What led to a career in coffee? What are you currently doing in your role at Fazenda? After a career in the wine business, I landed a job with a global coffee company. The switch was very easy and I never looked back. Now, I can finally drink and enjoy all the wines I collected during those years! In my current role, I manage sales throughout the North-East.
What led to a career in coffee? What are you currently doing in your role at Fazenda? After a career in the wine business, I landed a job with a global coffee company. The switch was very easy and I never looked back. Now, I can finally drink and enjoy all the wines I collected during those years! In my current role, I manage sales throughout the North-East.
What advice might you have for someone who is interested in working in or learning more about the coffee industry? It's an extremely competitive industry with very long selling cycles. However, once you get to the point of opening an account, you will then be rewarded by a long-lasting business relationship with that customer. The coffee business brings together the roaster and the customer and forms a level of business-friendship that you rarely experience in any other industry.
What is one of the most interesting aspects of coffee (fun fact, something you've learned along the way, etc.)? That no matter how good/bad or cheap/expensive your coffee is, in the coffee industry you succeed if you are devoted to your customers and establish a solid relationship based on trust and respect. I also enjoy very much training staff members. I get an inexplicable pleasure when I teach people a new set of skills and when I see satisfaction of understanding in their faces.
Where are you from? I'm from Palermo, Italy. I moved to Boston in 1999.
What are your hobbies? Definitely cooking and traveling!