Quality Assistant, North America

As a coffee bean importer, we have embarked on a journey to discover, develop, and deliver great traceable coffees. And we welcome you to join us. We work together with coffee farmers, cooperatives, and exporters to provide roasters with traceable green specialty coffees.

Based on our HQ in Amsterdam – with offices in Minneapolis and Addis Ababa – Trabocca is a growing organization with lofty goals. We offer a fun, flexible, trusting, and extremely collaborative work environment.

The Quality Department of Trabocca has the purpose of reducing risk, driving customer confidence, and working on continuous improvement, to deliver the needed products to the roaster, according to product specifications and within set regulations.

We are a part of Tradin Organic and Acomo N.V. with headquarters in Rotterdam. Acomo is an international listed company active in the worldwide sourcing, processing, trading, packaging, and distribution of natural food products and ingredients. Acomo is listed on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange (Euronext: ACOMO).

For our Trabocca office in Minnesota, USA, we are looking for a:

Quality Assistant

Job description and summary
The Quality (QA) Assistant – Sample Administration and Product Quality is responsible for the sample administration and everyday work in the quality department and cupping lab and performs quality control tasks. The QA assistant works under the supervision of the Quality Team Lead USA. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the administration of incoming and outgoing samples, sending of samples to customers, maintenance of our sample library, maintenance of the cuppinglab, and green grading. The QA Assistant is in close contact with traders, couriers, and customers.

Who are you?

• Administration of incoming and outgoing samples, including sending of samples
• Measuring physical attributes such as moisture, density, and water activity
• Ensure the lab is clean and ready for use
• Set up and clean-up of cupping
• (Part-time) sensory evaluation
• Follow up with couriers on parcel status
• Roasting coffee samples
• Maintain sample library
• Requesting (re)samples from warehouses
• Green grading (visual analysis) of samples
• Cleaning and maintenance of hardware assets

What we ask?

• Minimum of 1-year relevant working experience or in a similar role

• Works under guidance and with clear guidelines
• Contacts within the own department, with the sales department, with the logistics department.
• Guidance on instructional communication with external partners
• Executes procedures, identifies, and proposes alternatives
• Relies on senior colleagues to provide accurate solutions for issues
• Execution of quality control internal lab with clear guidelines
• Execution of quality control administrative tasks with guidance
• Coffee knowledge (roasting, sensory evaluation) is strongly encouraged
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, Spanish is a plus
• Experience in implementing quality systems, supplier control, and customer service is a plus
• Proficient use of Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Access and ERP systems)
• Knowledge of risk assessment (Food Safety and Organic) is a plus
• Strong attention to detail, stress-resistant, a positive attitude, and a flexible self-starting person
• A professional image for customer orientation.

Where you will be working

Trabocca sources and trades specialty-grade green (raw) coffee on a global scale, with an emphasis on coffees from Ethiopia, Kenya, Peru, Colombia, and Brazil. This position is based out of the Minneapolis office. It is conveniently located near 35W in South Minneapolis. 

The QA Assistant will have frequent contact with the global Trabocca team, in addition to suppliers, customers, and service providers.

Our company is rooted in passion, integrity, and sustainability for organic. And for everyone involved in it. We are a global, multicultural, purpose-oriented company, aware of our impact on people, food, and the environment.

For us, it’s about working together, being responsible and entrepreneurial while having a blast doing it. It’s a dynamic, fast-paced environment supported by 40 years of expertise in the business. And still, we don’t stay stuck in our old ways – we encourage our employees to embrace our values, bring ideas to the table, and go for it!

We foster an inclusive, balanced, open environment to support and develop your work and skills while you make a real difference.

We build bridges and create strong bonds across the entire supply and people chain, internally and externally. From the beginning – organic and beyond.

Our offer

• A challenging and exciting role in a rapidly growing international company
• Position of 25-30 hours per week
• A workspace conveniently located near 35W in South Minneapolis.
• Good working conditions and a pleasant and dynamic work environment
• An informal but professional company culture of team spirit with a can-do attitude

Interested?

Apply via the ‘’apply’’ button!

Work Environment/Physical Demands

All work is performed in an office environment. Work can be repetitive.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice

An Equal Opportunity Employer

EOE M/W/VET/DISABLED