We’re featuring Espresso Workshop as our La Marzocco Roaster in Residence this January, and we’ve been sipping on their single origin Costa Rica Las Lajas Black Honey espresso coffee – we definitely recommend you stop in for a taste at our Auckland showroom. We’re giving a complimentary bag of the Las Lajas with every home machine purchased this month, and we’d love for you to visit us for a machine demo. You’ll even be able to make yourself a coffee to try out these delicious beans with notes of sponge cake, cane sugar, and cherry.

We recently shared an interview with Foundation Roaster and owner, Andrew Smart, where he spoke about the origins of Espresso Workshop and the coffee we’ve been enjoying.  This week we would like to introduce you to one of the women behind it all.

Meet Cris Fuzaro, Head Roaster and Roastery Manager at Espresso Workshop. Cris is a proud Brazilian, turned Kiwi, who has 17 years of coffee industry experience working on either side of the globe.  Cris has been an integral part of Espresso Workshop’s growth, joining EW in 2011.  She has worked through many roles in the business, Barista, Café Manager, Trainer, Assistant Roaster, culminating in her current role which she has held since 2016.  It would be fair to say Cris’ journey has been intertwined with Espresso Workshop’s journey.

As a young girl watching her chocolatier Auntie at work, Cris learned that producing amazing artisan products required a mix of art, science, and intuition.  Heavily influenced by her Brazilian roots, this early inspiration developed into a deep passion for coffee.  Over the years, she has garnered a deep appreciation for the process of discovering and coaxing flavour from coffee.  Fascinated with the industry and its ever-changing nature she enjoys learning and understanding more about this intriguing product, and the relationships that evolve within the industry.