About Songer & Associates

Songer and Associates are product-oriented coffee specialists, testers, and tasters that go beyond information and advice to achieve bottom line results. We consider all aspects of the coffee product pipeline from sourcing to roasting to marketing. Unlike most consultants we've worked for decades in both retail and wholesale sectors of the coffee industry where day to day costs and profitability matter.

With the coffee market in a state of flux — changing consumer requirements on one end and changing supply aspects on the other — coffee roasters and retailers must develop products that can meet or go beyond consumer expectations, and green coffee producers have to find the market segment that most highly values their product. We're committed to helping you meet these challenges.

Paul Songer

Paul has been in the specialty coffee business for over 25 years. He began his career at Allegro Coffee Company, a pioneering wholesale specialty roaster in Boulder, Colorado, where he did pretty much everything from repairing and installing espresso machines to cupping, writing technical manuals, and conducting training with sales staff, customers, and internal sensory panels.

In 1998, Songer took the position of Director of Coffee Operations at Coffee Analysts, an independent lab specializing in the sensory, chemical, and physical analysis of coffee. This led to further independent research and a certificate of sensory analysis at the University of California at Davis. During this period he was a judge for one of the initial barista competitions (then sponsored by Torani Syrups).

He serves as Head Judge for Cup of Excellence (a producing-country based coffee competition) and works as an independent consultant on technical and sensory aspects of coffee.