The Crew
Andrea, Owner
Andrea has owned and operated Spella Caffè in Portland, Oregon, for over 17 years.
Chelsea, Roastery Manager
Chelsea moved to Portland in 2021, joining us from Baltimore, Maryland. A life long coffee-lover, Chelsea is a natural at roasting and can be found rocking out with Rosie (our roaster) to 60’s psych rock; R&B; emo pop-punk, and everything in between. When she’s not roasting, Chelsea loves to indulge in creative and artistic pursuits, as well as enjoy the vast amount of outdoor activities Portland has to offer.
Francisco, Operations Manager
Francisco comes from a history of public service and advocacy. He is a longtime customer of ours. Francisco has a unique and sophisticated sense of style and humor. Some of his passions include thrifting and his collection of vintage clothing, Mid Century Modern furniture, and rare books. We are fortunate he is our Operations Manager, and that he keeps the daily needs met internally, and also services our partners in the community.
DS, HR & PR Communications Director
DS (short for Debbie Sue) is friendly and energetic and a long-time customer of Spella- since the cart days! DS has a distinguished career not only in coffee but in leadership, business, marketing and communications. DS, her husband, and 7-year-old daughter, and 2 dogs established an urban foodie forest in 2020 with 30 fruit trees, and dozens of quail. She wears many behind-the-scenes hats but you can visit her on Mondays at Alder Street Caffè!
Austin, Caffè Manager (Alder Street)
Austin comes to Spella with a wealth of knowledge and experiences around coffee. He placed second in Peet’s Coffee’s company-wide barista competition (He is exceptionally good at drink execution and milk foam). Austin is authentic and grounding, a Portland native whose other career is as a mental health counselor. He loves hiking, playing video games, and tinkering with a well-loved La Pavoni espresso machine at home.
Julia, Accounts Manager (in Training)
Julia was born in Portland and has lived here her whole life. She's worked in the food and beverage industry within the city since she was nineteen and enjoys it immensely. Outside of making coffee, she loves taking photos for her photography business, reading for her book club, knitting, snuggling with her cat, and indulging in the rich food and beverage culture that Portland has to offer. We are thrilled she has decided to grow into the role of Accounts Manager over the next six months!
Rossalina, Roaster Extraordinaire
Rosie has been with Andrea for 15 years and is an amazing, long-time staff member of the Spella Caffè Roastery. She can handle 5.5 kilos or approximately 12-pound batches of green coffee beans at a time and helps develop the signature flavor found in Spella’s espresso. Rossalina loves dancing with Spella’s human roasters who lovingly manage and maintain her well-being and mental health. She is happy, loved, and cherished in her home in inner SE Portland where she fills the air with warm, roasted coffee aromatics.
Spella Alumni
Allegra
Maika
Tasha
JJ
Chiara, Marketing Manager
Chiara first worked for Spella in early 2010 when the espresso cart was still open. She fell in love with the manual espresso machine and the espresso Andrea made her. Originally born in Puerto Rico, she grew up in Tucson and spent some years in the Washington mental health field as a Peer Support Specialist and support group facilitator. Her joys include desert expeditions with her canine companion Leo, cooking at a women’s shelter, and collaborating with friends on art projects.
Sophie
Rachel
Jon & Chelsea
Sommer