"Founding Father"
Specialty Coffee Assoc. of America

"Founding Father"
The Roasters' Guild

The Schoenholt family has been championing the ideals of specialty coffee since clipper ship days. Donald Schoenholt, the current head of the house, learned his trade at his father's knee, cupping at age eleven, and roasting at fourteen. His credentials include a lifetime of background in all facts of coffee culture. He has been a force for good on the American coffee scene for over 40 years now.

Don has authored hundreds of articles and monographs on coffee subjects, many of which have appeared in the prestigious Tea & Coffee Trade Journal, where he has served as Gourmet Editor for over 25 years. He has contributed of his erudition and expertise to several books on coffee, as well as to numerous governments, private corporations, museums educational institutions and media.

Specialty coffee has become news as it changed the way Americans think about coffee. The people behind the ideal have become the focus of news too. Gillies and Schoenholt have been the subjects of articles in Associated Press Newsfeatures, The New York Times, The Sunday News Magazine, USA Today The Times of London, The Tokyo Shimbun and virtually every trade magazine in the specialty food and coffee fields.

Donald has been profiled in several books on coffee including Mark Pendergrast's Uncommon Grounds (Basic Books, 1999), and Tim Castle's The Perfect Cup (Aris Books, 1991). Mr. Schoenholt has appeared on numerous TV and radio programs both in the US and abroad. His stature in the trade is such that his name is generally preceded by phrases as, "The father of America's coffee renaissance," and "The gourmet coffee guru."

Mr. Schoenholt, "Founding Father" of the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) the world's largest coffee trade group, served as Founding Chairperson of the U.S. Specialty Coffee Task Force, and Founding Chairperson of The Roasters' Guild, the SCAA affiliated coffee people dedicated to the craft of roasting fine coffees. Don has served on scores of industry boards and committees including Chairing the Forward Planning Committee of the New York Coffee Roasters' Association, and as a founding member of the SCAA Coffee Tasters Arbitration Panel. He is listed in several Who's Who publications.

Donald is the recipient of peer recognition including the SCAA award for Outstanding Contribution to the Association (inaugural award year). He was also first recipient of the SCAA Mose Drachman Award for excellence. He holds the Coffee Brewing Center's "Gold Cup", and the Coffee Kids Award, for "Significant efforts on behalf of children and families in coffee growing communities throughout the world." In addition, Don has been honored as international Tea & Coffee Man-of-the-Year.