James Winter

James is a key part of the Nordic Approach sales team, supporting customers across the Nordics. Originally from Wellington, New Zealand, he brings over a decade of experience in specialty coffee, with a background in roasting, production, and customer-facing roles. He now works closely with roasters to help them find coffees that fit their needs, production setup, and long-term goals.

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Role and responsibility

His work centres on working closely with roasters, supporting buying decisions and helping customers plan their coffee needs over time. This includes ongoing dialogue with customers, as well as contributing to how coffees are positioned in relation to availability, delivery, and scalability.

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Approach and ways of working

With a lot of experience as a roaster, a central part of the work is understanding how coffees function in a roastery setting, and how they integrate into existing production and product ranges. This includes a focus on practicality: how much is needed, when it can be delivered, and whether it can scale with the customer’s business over time.

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Experience and background

James has worked in specialty coffee for over 12 years. His background includes seven years at a Norwegian roastery, working across production roasting, training, and sales, as well as experience from a coffee company with responsibility for coffee quality and development. His experience spans a wide range of roles, including roast production, scheduling, equipment calibration, barista training, and project work related to product presentation and retail.

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Industry exposure

Has worked across multiple markets and visited several coffee-producing countries, including Ethiopia, alongside experience from coffee markets across Europe.

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Perspective

James approaches coffee from a practical and production-oriented perspective, with a focus on how coffees fit into a roastery’s workflow and product range.

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“How much did I use last year, when can it be delivered, and can it scale with the business? Those are the questions that matter.”

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He also highlights the importance of aligning coffee selection with a company’s identity, where roasting and product decisions support a clear and consistent profile.

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“A great coffee is one that is representative of a roastery's identity in roast style and taste preference.”

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Education

Holds a Bachelor’s degree in Acting from Toi Whakaari – New Zealand Drama School.