Coffee People: Matthew Deyn

Coffee people.
The Better Coffee Standard defines it precisely: everyone whose life and work are bound to coffee, at every stage of the coffee circle — including those working under coercion, economic dependency, or without pay. Their families. Those who keep them standing.

The industry never stops talking about coffee. It rarely stops to talk about the people behind it. Red Ink Coffee exists, in part, to change that.

Coffee People is a series of portraits. Four questions — their voices.

Who are you and what do you do in coffee?

I'm Matthew, originally from Lincoln in the UK. Thanks to the coffee industry, I have worked abroad in Australia, Prague and the Cayman Islands, after having developed my barista skills working in London's dynamic and thriving specialty coffee scene from a young age. Currently I am a production lead at a specialty roastery in East Anglia, UK. Recently I have also started an online coffee project called Fuente.Coffee with a coffee trader based in India — a platform focused on transparency in how coffee is traded and on creating new connections and opportunities across the industry.

Tell us about a moment in your work with coffee that you're genuinely proud of.

A moment I'm genuinely proud of is when I was selected as a Re:Co Symposium Fellow for World of Coffee Budapest after consulting and working alongside a local cocktail bar to educate their staff, starting a mobile coffee bike business and building my skills and understanding of roasting. To anyone who hasn't been to a World of Coffee event, it is an extremely coffee-fuelled and enjoyable experience where you can really accelerate your connections and understanding of the industry.

What's one problem you see in your part of the coffee world — and why does it matter to you personally?

One problem I can see in my part of the coffee world — in the roastery — is to do with sustainable growth of a business and creating scalable systems that can be passed onto anyone. Tools like Cropster are great but I think we can over-complicate looking at too many data points sometimes. In my day job I am currently working to extract years of accumulated experience into a standardised roasting framework, inspired by the HACCP principles. I think that if AI tools are harnessed correctly, we can be much more effective. This problem matters to me because I don't believe in hoarding information — especially at work. Sharing it often helps you understand the core fundamentals needed to be an effective team member much more deeply, hopefully leading to more memorable experiences for the customer or client.

What would you change if you could — and what would better look like for you?

In general, I believe that more transparency across the board is needed in the coffee industry — to help incentivise the next generation of coffee professionals, improve outdated methods, systems and ways of thinking, and help drive sustainable business. For me, better looks like an industry where transparency is a foundation, not an afterthought.

You are coffee people. Tell us.

Four questions. Any language. Any format.

1. Who are you and what do you do in coffee?
2. A moment you're genuinely proud of.
3. One problem in your part of the coffee world — and why it matters to you.
4. What would you change — and what would better look like?

Include a short bio and a photo from your work environment. Send your answers to redinkcoffee@thebettercoffee.org