Meet Mané Alves:

A native of Lisbon Portugal, Mané has worked in the Wine and Coffee Industries for the past 18 years. In 1985 Mané relocated to the Alexander Valley in California where he worked as a winemaker and viticulture specialist. In 1990, he moved to Vermont where he began working in the specialty coffee business as a coffee cupper and coffee research analyst.

In January 1995, Mané created Coffee Lab International, an independent coffee and beverage laboratory and consulting firm supporting the coffee industry through product development, quality control and sensory analysis. In January 2002, he started Vermont Artisan Coffee & Tea a new concept in local coffee: roasting, distribution and sales.

Mané is an active member of the Specialty Coffee Association of America (S.C.A.A.) whose mission is to develop a common forum for coffee excellence and sustainability through education and cooperation. Mané is a current member of the Technical Standard Committee.

Recently, Mané was elected to the Roasters Guild Executive Council whose goals are to achieve a level of standardization for the Roasters as a profession in the United States, to create educational programs designed for Roasters and to promote a vehicle of resource and communication between Roasters.

Fluent in five languages, Mané has traveled extensively to coffee producing countries throughout Central, America, South America and Asia where he speaks and teaches seminars in their native languages on coffee production and quality standards. The pages on the Coffee Lab International Site "Where is Mané?" are used by local Vermont school districts to educate their students about different countries and cultures.