Erna is known as the first dedicated “Specialty Coffee” importers/brokers in the US … in fact she coined the term Specialty CoffeeSpecialty coffee was a term devised to mean higher levels of green coffee quality than average "industrial coffee" or "commercial coffee". At this point, the term is of... ...more! Here bio reads, “After several years in the bay area Erna took a part time job as an executive secretary at a coffee and spice company. In addition to keeping the extensive “position book”, taking dictation, and handling correspondence for the president of the company, she was called upon to deal with odd lots of coffee, and sell to the “small trade”.” In other words, there were small Italian roasters still remaining in the Bay Area, and the salespeople did want to deal with them and their demands for better quality coffee from specific origins. (Erna passed away in 2019)
