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Coffee and a Chat with Diana Fisgativa, Old Spike

We’re thrilled to finally feature Diana in our Coffee and a Chat series. Diana is the Head Roaster at Old Spike and has been a valued part of the DRWakefield community for many years, sourcing coffee from us and championing sustainable, high-quality coffees at every step. Her journey into coffee is as fascinating as it is inspiring—one that took her from Colombia to the UK.

Dive into Diana’s journey, her approach to coffee, and her love for the industry in this Coffee and a Chat!

Hey Diana! 

Tell us about you and your current role at Old Spike:

I am the Head Roaster. What does that mean at Old Spike? I oversee the daily production, make sure we have the coffee we need, plan the day, profile new coffees, control quality, and communicate with marketing about everything related to our coffees—from flavour profiles to projects at origin. I am also in charge of maintaining our beautiful Giesen A30, keeping it spotless and functioning 100%.

But I haven’t mentioned the part of my job that I enjoy the most: sourcing. I am the green buyer, which means tasting new coffees, discovering different varieties and species, and learning about how they were produced—by whom, and where. In summary, I source, roast, and cup!

We know you have an interesting history in Coffee. Can you share a bit more about that?

I am not sure if it’s interesting, but I think it’s unusual. While many people join the industry very young, often as baristas, I came to the industry quite late. I had so many different jobs before landing in coffee—from journalism (I have a degree in it) to hospitality, services, marketing, and retail.

When working at Whole Foods, I discovered coffee roasting through their subsidiary company, Allegro Coffee Roasters. I was curious about coffee but lacked confidence and my English was poor. Thankfully, the person in charge gave me the push I needed. I started as a production assistant nine years ago, cleaning, packing, and grinding tons of coffee. Things evolved, I learned a lot, and in 2021 I became Lead Roaster at Allegro UK.

But after the pandemic, the roastery closed and I was made redundant. It wasn’t difficult to find another job, I found one as a Head Roaster at Perky Blenders, a family business in East London where I could apply everything I learned in Allegro, but on a small scale. Working there was great, professionally and personally, because I worked with incredible people with a level of humanity that is difficult to find. I feel very grateful for that.

Now, I’m with Old Spike, a roastery I admired for its Impact programme and ethos. And here I am—a year in!

What does a typical day look like for you?

Dusty and heavy! (it is true) My day starts by checking the production plan and weighing the green coffee. Thankfully, I have help with that because the bags are heavier than me.

Before roasting, I cup either production samples or offer samples from suppliers. Morning cuppings are the best—your mind is rested, your palate is clean, and your state of mind is key for sensory exercises. So, I do my cupping and I start the roasting day. I try to organise my schedule to dedicate some afternoons to have meetings, do the “desk” job, go to cuppings, and roast samples. I juggle with the time, so I don’t have the opportunity to get bored.

What were you doing before becoming a roaster, and how did you transition?

I had a difficult start in London. I moved here in 2012, just after the financial crisis, after closing down my restaurant in Valencia, Spain. With no money, I was in survival mode—working as a cleaner, then in hospitality at a busy Covent Garden restaurant for a couple of years. At the same time, I freelanced for a Colombian newspaper, but balancing both jobs was unsustainable and sadly I had to choose.

After a couple of years working in the restaurant, I became a retail worker at Whole Foods, where I started as a grocery team member, filling shelves and doing customer service. I began to be curious about the Supermarket’s coffee section since (back then) they had a hot air coffee roaster, an old Java Master. It was the first time I saw the process of roasting coffee, and I found it fascinating despite the roastery being very basic. I asked my Team Leader to allow me to take care, a couple of hours a day, of that particular section (that was no-one’s land); and he accepted. Then I started to look after the orders and the maintenance and learn about different origins, but on a very basic level, everything was managed from the USA. A year later, Allegro Coffee Roasters moved all their coffee operations to the UK in London. The rest is history.

Has your background as a freelance writer shaped your perspective or approach to coffee?

Being a journalist is part knowledge, part vocation. I think my journey as a journalist made me who I am now as a professional, regardless of the field I work in. I am curious, I like to ask questions, I observe in silence, I like to contract the information that I receive and I like to find out more than I am given.

For a couple of years, I wrote for Perfect Daily Grind, a website dedicated to Specialty Coffee, and yes, writing about coffee shaped my perspective on the industry. I had the opportunity to talk with many producers and coffee professionals from Latin America. From them, I learned about their work, struggles, and longings and how different it is. The image on this side of the world is different from reality.

People often pay a lot of money for a cup or a bag of coffee only for its flavour; and the rest is secondary. I struggle to understand this, especially in a world where we continuously talk about sustainability (in all regards). I have a huge respect for the producers around the world. Agriculture work is very challenging if not the hardest, and the environment is clearly in crisis. So, for me, a cup of coffee is beyond having good flavours in a cup. It is far more.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I could speak for hours about this… I do Scuba Diving. It is my hobby, motor, and my therapy. It has been the only constant thing during the last 20+ years of my ever-evolving life. I am part of a Diving Club in London, and we travel regularly overseas or to the south coast of England. Yes, I dive in cold dark waters, but it’s great.

I am training to be a higher-level open-water instructor. Currently, I am a certified assistant Instructor, and I am very involved in the club. The underwater world is alien and mind-blowing, and its beauty is beyond anybody can imagine. Being underwater makes me feel calm and privileged but also small and sometimes sad for seeing what we are doing to the Oceans.

How do you approach sustainability and the environment in your personal life as well as business?

Great question. I think our attitude about sustainability and the environment becomes a way of living rather than a bunch of actions that we can or want to do. But for me, all it starts with information. We can’t change what we don’t know, and we can’t believe everything that we hear. I try to have different perspectives on a topic to understand its impact socially, economically and environmentally. Of course, we can’t have all the information about everything (that would be a superpower), but with a bit of conscious and critical thinking, we can make better choices about the products that we consume and the practices that become our habits.

As a coffee buyer, I try to understand more about where it comes from and how its supply chain impacts the world in a year or a hundred years’ time. I won’t be alive by then, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care.

What’s your favourite coffee origin you’ve visited, and why does it stand out?

I wish I could share a long list of countries, but I have visited only a few: Nicaragua, India and, of course, Colombia. My favourite? without a doubt, India. It amazed me how beautifully wild it is. I recently visited the South of the country, and I was surprised by how dense the shade is and how profoundly green the area is. I loved how people working the land are conscious about the symbiosis between the environment and the coffee. Every insect matters, every bird, every crop around coffee. Many people asked me how different it is from Colombia. I think it is very different, not in a good or bad way, but different for many reasons: the geography, the culture, the resources and their coffee heritage.

I got lucky enough to see the project of an Indian producer, SICC, in which they are exploring species different to Arabica to face climate change. To me, this is a visionary approach that I haven’t come across in coffee, and an added commitment to sustainability, respect for the environment, and the inclusivity of community was truly inspiring and most definitely mind-blowing.

India

Being from Colombia yourself, how does Colombian coffee differ from the rest of the world?

Yes, definitely. Colombia has a coffee culture that no other country has.  Also, it is a unique country in terms of biodiversity and geography, so we have a blessed land to grow coffee. For me, even an average coffee from Colombia differs from the rest of the world because it is smoother and very aromatic. Maybe I am talking from the emotions, one of my earliest memories is the delicious sweet smell of coffee made by my Grandpa every morning.

Specialty coffee changed the panorama for many growers; fortunately, younger generations are now interested in producing coffee. On top of this, nowadays, Colombian coffee is characterised particularly by innovation in processing and varieties. No one is doing what Colombian producers are doing, thanks to their experience and knowledge and thanks to the cultural component that makes people from Colombia get out of their comfort zone and do their best to excel, especially in these times of environmental challenges. Sustainable? I don’t know, but they are facing the situation the best way they can: with creativity and ingenuity.

If you had one day in the city you’re from, how would you spend it?

Waking up early in the morning to go to the Monserrate and see from there how the city open its eyes. Monserrate (named on behalf of the Virgin Mary of Monserrat) is a mountain in the middle of the city, at 3150 masl. Have breakfast there and come down to the centre of the city. Explore La Candelaria, Visit the Museum of Gold, walk by 7th Avenue, feel the city, and see the street artists (and support them!). You can’t miss having lunch with Tamales in La Puerta Falsa, the best Colombian Tamales in the world (even Anthony Bourdain was there!). Visit the coffee shops and feel the most Latin American vibes in El Chorro de Quevedo. All this is possible in one day, but it resumes my young years in Bogotá.

Do you have a mantra you live by?

Life is short. Work for living, don’t live for working. 

How do you take your coffee?

I love the good filter made in a Kalita or an V60 but if I want to add milk, (why not?) I am a classic old dog and I use my beloved Italian Cafetiere, which has been with me for many, many years.

What is your favourite origin, coffee varietal and processing method?

I love coffees from Rwanda, for their sweet herbal notes. Coffees from Myanmar always surprise me, and those with floral notes are my favorites. I particularly love washed coffees. A clean flavour of a good wash is priceless. In my opinion, and I know many people disagree with it, a good coffee doesn’t need a complicated process method.

A favourite variety? I love Pink Bourbons (who doesn’t?) but we know now that it is not a Bourbon. Chiroso is another variety that I always enjoy. So, for justice and love for my motherland, I will add another favourite origin to my list: Colombia!