Meet the 2023 SCA Canada Chapter Committee
SCA members in Canada cast their ballots in the 2023 elections to select their new leadership.
Today, we are pleased to welcome the SCA Canada Chapter’s new committee:
National Coordinator: Sam Mazzella
Education Coordinator: Nelson Teskey
Marketing Coordinator: Alison Ensworth
Communications Coordinator: Venice Vallegq
Community Coordinator: Alex Maiso
Competitions Coordinator: Josh Hockin
Voting took place only for the Competitions Coordinator position. All other coordinator positions were uncontested— with only one nominee per position— and therefore there no voting was necessary for those positions.
Special thanks to all nominees who put their name forward in this election and thanks to SCA members for their commitment to the SCA Canada Chapter. We urge the community to please continue to support the committee in their upcoming two-year term.
We wish the new committee every success with the continued development of the local coffee community. As a reminder, you can learn more about the roles and responsibilities of each position.
Contact the SCA Canda Chapter at hello@scacanada.coffee
Meet the SCA Canada Chapter Committee
Sam Mazzella
National Coordinator
Good day,
I have been a senior trader at RGC Coffee for 12 years. Importing and selling sustainable coffees is my passion. I have travelled to origin extensively and continue to encourage well-being at the farm level through vetted relationship projects.
I am the president of the East Coast Coffee Madness event, a non-profit company that gives a voice to the entire coffee supply chain. Our last event saw 2,500 people over two days in Montreal. We hosted and sponsored the 2019 cup taster's event.
I am a certified arabica Q Grader (since 2019) and have judged/organized competitions in the past.
My love for specialty coffee is still very strong - I hope to be an effective leader as Canada's national coordinator and will represent the SCA as best as I can. I travel often and can attract some big sponsors to fund the events our community craves!
On a personal note, I am fluent in 4 languages including french and spanish and still love visiting coffee houses with my spouse and 2 children every weekend.
Thank you for your time,
Sam Mazzella
Nelson Teskey
Education Coordinator
I'm a coffee professional of 20+ years with a background in roasting, buying, and training. Education has been a huge part of my career, and i am an Authorized SCA Trainer teaching Roasting, Sensory skills and Green Bean Analysis. I am also a Frequent SCA volunteer, having both judged and competed. I hold Q certification and work as Assistant Director of Coffee at Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Inch.
Teaching has fueled my love for coffee. I have many ideas to push education forward for professionals and future professionals. It would be a dream realized to put these ideas into action with SCA.
Alex Maiso
Community Coordinator
After completing my sociology degree at the University of Calgary in 2021, I moved to Vancouver with my partner to pursue a career in coffee. After attending a few local events, I noticed that people working in coffee here were really feeling a lack of community with each other post pandemic so I started the Vancouver Coffee Club which now has over 100 members and growing.
When I’m not behind the bar, I’m usually volunteering at local competitions, attending meetups, or visiting the many wonderful cafes around the city!
I am extremely passionate about the coffee community here in Vancouver, and increasingly excited about the larger community across the country and even North America as a whole.
Alison Ensworth
Marketing Coordinator
Alison has worked in the coffee industry for 15+ years as a barista, marketing coordinator, event planner, competition volunteer / judge, photographer, and content creator — falling in love with the community more and more each year. Highlights include serving as host and panelist for the Strong Women of Coffee Barista Bootcamp, assisting in planning and execution of the inaugural Beanstock Coffee Festival, organizing classes and events at Espressotec, and photographing coffee competitions in her role as Marketing Coordinator for SCA Canada 2021-2023. She eagerly welcomes more opportunities to engage, support, and grow within the Canadian coffee community, hopefully serving another term as SCA Canada's Marketing Coordinator and Photographer!
Josh Hockin
Competitions Coordinator
Hello! I’ve been a part of Canadian coffee competitions since 2008, first as a competitor. After winning the Canadian Barista Championship in 2011 I retired from competing to try judging, eventually becoming a head judge for both the Barista Competition and Brewers Cup. I’ve worked to grow the profile of coffee competitions in Canada as a member of the Prairie Coffee Collective. From 2014-2017 we hosted many coffee competitions in Western Canada. As the Canadian SCA chapter was being formed, I ran for the National Coordinator position, and ultimately won. In my term we put on Barista Championships, Brewers Cups, as well as Cup Tasters, Latte Art, and Coffee in Good Spirits competitions throughout the country.
Venice Vallegq
Communications Coordinator
Venice (she/her) has been an active member of the Canadian coffee community for 5+ years. She has been a familiar face in the SCA-Canada events through volunteering, judging, and helping execute the competitions through the competition sub-committee.
She also recently had the opportunity to represent Canada in the World Latte Art championship in Milan, Italy, this past June. Being able to experience the behind-the-scenes to being a competitor themself, she sees the importance of curiosity, passion, and innovation in our community.
By taking on the role of the Communications Co-Ordinator, she aspires to further connect, build, and inspire the Canadian coffee community she loves!