our crew
Andrea, Owner
Andrea has dedicated himself to learning all that he could about coffee and fine dining — and he studied with some of the best. He apprenticed with Kevin Knox and Paul Songer of Allegro Coffee in Colorado for many years, and considers the time that he spent training with these industry veterans to be paramount to his personal process of figuring out what he loved (and what he wanted to avoid) in the business of roasting and making coffee. He has owned and operated Spella Caffe in Portland, Oregon for 21 years.
Chelsea, Roastery Manager
Chelsea moved to Portland in 2021, joining us from Baltimore, Maryland. A life long coffee-lover, Chelsea is a natural at roasting and can be found rocking out with Rosie (our roaster) to 60’s psych rock; R&B; emo pop-punk, and everything in between. When she’s not roasting, Chelsea loves to indulge in creative and artistic pursuits, as well as enjoy the vast amount of outdoor activities Portland has to offer.
Francisco, Operations Manager
Francisco comes from a history of public service and advocacy. He is a longtime customer of ours. Francisco has a unique and sophisticated sense of style and humor. Some of his passions include thrifting and his collection of vintage clothing, Mid Century Modern furniture, and rare books. We are fortunate he is our Operations Manager, and that he keeps the daily needs met internally, and also services our partners in the community.
DS, HR & PR Communications Director
DS (short for Debbie Sue) is friendly and energetic and a long-time customer of Spella- since the cart days! DS has a distinguished career not only in coffee but in leadership, business, marketing and communications. DS, her husband, and 7-year-old daughter, and 2 dogs established an urban foodie forest in 2020 with 30 fruit trees, and dozens of quail. She wears many behind-the-scenes hats but you can visit her on Mondays at Alder Street Caffé!
Austin, Alder Street Caffé Manager
Austin comes to Spella with a wealth of knowledge and experiences around coffee. He placed second in Peet’s Coffee’s company-wide barista competition (He is exceptionally good at drink execution and milk foam). Austin is authentic and grounding, a Portland native whose other career is as a mental health counselor. He loves hiking, playing video games, and tinkering with a well-loved La Pavoni espresso machine at home.
Julia, Accounts Manager
Julia was born in Portland and has lived here her whole life. She's worked in the food and beverage industry within the city since she was nineteen and enjoys it immensely. Outside of making coffee, she loves taking photos for her photography business, reading for her book club, knitting, snuggling with her cat, and indulging in the rich food and beverage culture that Portland has to offer. We are thrilled she has decided to grow into the role of Accounts Manager over the next six months!
Rossalina, Roaster Extraordinaire
Rosie has been with Andrea for 15 years and is an amazing, long-time staff member of the Spella Caffè Roastery. She can handle 5.5 kilos or approximately 12-pound batches of green coffee beans at a time and helps develop the signature flavor found in Spella’s espresso. Rossalina loves dancing with Spella’s human roasters who lovingly manage and maintain her well-being and mental health. She is happy, loved, and cherished in her home in inner SE Portland where she fills the air with warm, roasted coffee aromatics.