Marie Franklin Joins Seattle’s Caffè Umbria as Development Director

Marie Franklin. Photo courtesy of Caffè Umbria.

13-year-old Seattle-based roaster and retailer Caffè Umbria has appointed Marie Franklin to the position of director of strategic development, where she will lead the company’s training and education team, and manage the company’s wholesale account representatives in the Northwest.

“The expansion of our training department further strengthens our ability to meet the needs of our wholesale customers and our cafes,” Jesse Sweeney, one of Caffè Umbria’s three founding partners, said in a company announcement this week. “Marie Franklin’s comprehensive knowledge of coffee and SCAA standards will greatly benefit Caffè Umbria and our customers.”

Franklin comes to Caffè Umbria after serving as the director of global sales for green coffee importer Sustainable Harvest. Prior to her work there, she helped grow numerous other coffee companies, including Portland-based Portland Roasting and Torrefazione Italia, the influential roastery and retail brand purchased as part of a deal with Starbucks in 2003. The native Oregonian is a past Cup of Excellence jury member, a member of the SCAA Education Committee and a board member for the Oregon Coffee Board.

Caffè Umbria recently opened a retail outpost in Ballard, joining two other cafes in Seattle and Portland, and the company’s Seattle roasting headquarters.