Caravan, meet the team, staff, Team

Meet the Team - Victor Reyes III

Maybe you can’t claim that coffee is the lifeblood of modern civilization, but it’s got to be close.  Coffee fuels the vigor and imagination of about 200 million US coffee drinkers each and every day, and it is without a doubt, America’s favorite beverage.  It’s perfect for a quiet conversation with a friend, and a good cup o’ Joe might be the only pleasure in the 12-hour day of a healthcare worker.  And strangely enough, coffee changes lives. 

Victor Reyes and his family left Central Florida and arrived in Newberg about seven years ago.  Victor’s wife, Megan, had a nursing job in town, and Victor was fulfilling the role of stay-at-home-dad with three young kids.  At this time, Victor was extremely “coffee-challenged,” and was nursing a life-long soda habit. He wanted to change this routine and needed a new go-to beverage.  His friend back east, who happened to be a coffee roaster, naturally suggested that he give coffee a try.  

Try it he did, and he liked it.  But Victor wanted to know more about how to select and prepare coffee, so his very wise friend suggested that he visit a high-quality coffee shop in the area.  Victor wandered into the Caravan tasting room where he met Kat Stauffer, the tasting room manager.  Victor and coffee were about to have a wonderful new relationship.  “The attitude of the staff was great.  They were friendly, and helpful,“ putting a new coffee drinker at ease.  “It was a really nice experience.”

He enjoyed the coffee he was served, but he also noticed the environment.  He thought, “It looked like a great way to work.”  Victor was also considering some sort of part-time work outside of the home at the time.  Just by some coincidence, not long after his visit to Caravan he saw that there was a part-time job opening.  Coffee steps in again.  He got the job, working as a barista.  His work expanded quickly.  Management gave him a 30-day trial-by-fire opportunity, which he passed successfully, and made the shift from barista to production.  Today, Victor is Caravan’s Lead Roaster.  

Meanwhile, his wife is a hero in her own right, working on the hospital front lines during the pandemic.  And with three kids at home, living in a big old country house, there isn’t a lot of time for hobbies.  Doing home repairs and remodeling are part of the job for Victor, though he will adamantly state that his most highly developed building skill is home demolition.  He does manage to maintain his coffee-connection. To Victor, coffee is more than just work.  “There’s so much to learn about it.”  He’s always looking for articles and information to assist his profession, but also, just to satisfy his curiosity, and love, of coffee.  Who knows what life-influencing ideas he’ll find next? 

-Doug Verigin

 

 

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