Get to know Jolene!

Get to know Jolene from Mercon Specialty

Jolene has been interested in coffee ever since she can remember. She started as a Barista in 1995 working at a small drive thru in Seattle. Her love and passion for coffee grew from there. She has stayed in the industry for the last 25 years.

After graduating from Washington State University with a degree in Communications and a minor in business administration she continued to work in specialty coffee and has had various roles including 18 years in operations, from managing single store operations, to managing multiple units and working with licensed stores and food service businesses.

The last five years in coffee, Jolene has worked closely with producers in origin and creating opportunities for people working in coffee to visit and meet producers all over the world. She has had the opportunity throughout her career to travel all over the world to coffee producing countries in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Indonesia, Africa, Colombia and Guatemala. Jolene’s passion for coffee continues to grow every time she spends time in the coffee community at origin. Jolene is committed to social responsibility and sustainability in the coffee industry. She finds herself continuously reading and thinking about coffee and wanting to learn more, do better and give back to coffee communities.

Jolene currently resides in Lake Tapps Washington with her husband Steve and their three daughters Sara, Brooke and Chloe. In her off time she enjoys spending time in the outdoors from hiking, to being on the water, snow skiing and spending time traveling with her family. When she is not drinking really amazing coffee she enjoys a good IPA to the end day.