West Hartford, CT – October 2, 2023 – Dana Borque, a coffee roasting apprentice at J.René Coffee Roasters, the beloved and celebrated coffee roastery located in West Hartford, CT, earned first place at the highly-competitive US Roasters Championship Preliminary Round this past weekend in Kansas City, MO.

The US Coffee Championships Roaster Competition is renowned for its rigorous standards and fierce competition, attracting the most skilled roasters from across the nation. Roasters receive a green (unroasted) coffee and submit two pounds of roasted coffee for judging. Competitors must also prepare and deliver a presentation detailing their approach to roasting that particular coffee.

This was the first round of the 2024 Roasters Competition. Dana's impressive performance secured his position in the qualifying round of the competition to be held in early 2024, where he will compete for a spot in the finals.

Dana’s achievement is a testament to J.René Coffee Roasters’ commitment to coffee excellence. Dana has been training under José René Martínez, one of Connecticut’s most credentialed coffee roasters and owner of J.René Coffee Roasters. The company takes great pride in nurturing talents like Dana, who contribute to the elevation of the coffee industry as a whole.

“It has been a great joy to mentor Dana. His natural talent for roasting coffee is evident, but what is equally important is his commitment to the craft,” says Martínez. “Dana is constantly experimenting with new roasting techniques, challenging industry standards, and working to ensure our coffee remains remarkable. His performance at the USRC Preliminary Round is a reflection of his ongoing dedication and roasting skills.”

Before joining the J.René Coffee Roasters team, Dana leveraged his 13 years of craft brewing experience as an owner at Firefly Brewing, previously located in Bristol, CT. As a graduate of UCONN’s Nutrition & Food Science program and the American Brewers Guild Apprenticeship Program, Dana possesses an extensive sensory knowledge and skillset, all of which apply to roasting coffee. Additionally, Dana continues to teach as an adjunct professor for Sacred Heart University's Brewing Science Program.

"Changing careers is never an easy thing, so I couldn't be more grateful to the team at J.René for such a warm welcome. I think it says a lot about their dedication to quality and teamwork that we were able to guide this process to ultimately produce a competition-winning coffee,” says Borque. “Though I've only been roasting for a few months, J.René Coffee is founded on the concept of excellence, and has the years of experience and talent to back it up."

Dana’s accomplishment is a triumph for the entire J.René Coffee Roasters team. To prepare for the competition, Dana relied on the talents of the company’s specialty coffee professionals including Marie Engel, Anne Mercer, Taki Tanaka, and Allan Flores, as well as Rob Rybick, President of Geissler’s Supermarkets and professional Q-grader, for roasting feedback, sensory perceptions, and competition advice.

J.René Coffee Roasters has been a cornerstone of specialty coffee in the region for nearly two decades. This award not only highlights Dana's talent but also reinforces J.René Coffee Roasters' unwavering passion for specialty coffee in Connecticut and beyond. It marks a moment of great pride for the entire J.René Coffee Roasters family and the coffee community in Connecticut.

For media inquiries, please email anne@jrenecoffee.com. To learn more about J.René Coffee Roasters, visit www.jrenecoffee.com.

Dana Borque, Roasting Apprentice, Triumphs in US Roasters Competition Prelims