Our staff: meet the people of The Roasterie

DANNY O’NEILL, BEAN BARON

President/Owner

Danny O'Neill is the Bean Baron at The Roasterie. Danny started The Roasterie in November 1993 in the basement of his home in Kansas City’s Brookside neighborhood.

But it really all began in Costa Rica, where Danny was an exchange student his last year of high school. While visiting, he spent several weeks picking coffee beans, and that was when his passion for coffee ignited. Since then, Danny has made hundreds of trips touring different segments of the coffee industry and finding premier coffee bean estates.

Danny has become a sought-after expert in the ever-growing coffee industry. He has judged cupping and barista competitions all around the world since 1995. In April 2001, he was awarded Super Taster status on the Specialty Coffee Institute Sensory Aptitude Test.

Danny is a past President of the Specialty Coffee Association of America and serves on a number of advisory boards for local companies and associations. He is currently on the Board of Trustees at Park University, the Board of Regents at Rockhurst University, and the Board of Directors for FastTrac.

"STORMIN’ NORMAN” KILLMON, BEAN BROWNER

Master Roaster

Norman Killmon is a seasoned coffee veteran. Before the specialty coffee boom of the ’90s, before coffee shops became coffeehouses, before the average person on the street knew what an espresso was, Norm was in the coffee trenches.

All the coffee “book smarts” in the world can’t match more than 45 years in the coffee business. Norm knows coffee, he knows the industry, and he knows history like few others.

An expert roaster and excellent cupper, Norm resigned from his former company, with 26 years vested, to join Danny in 1995 in his quest to make the best coffee in the world.

CARLA O’NEILL, DREAM BEAN

Café General Manager

Born in Lebanon, Carla O’Neill graduated from The American University of Beirut with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and served as Marketing Director for the distributors of Volkswagen and Audi in Lebanon.

Carla moved to the United States in December 2000, and two years later she followed her nose to The Roasterie. She has added a lot of pizzazz to the staff, managing everyday operations and customer service for The Roasterie Cafes. She is passionate about keeping customers happy and informed every day.

PAUL MASSARD, BEAN HUNTER

Green Coffee Buyer

Paul Massard was born in Barranquilla, Colombia and grew up in Naples, Florida. Paul discovered his passion for the coffee business during his college days at The University of Miami, working as a summer intern at First Colony Coffee and Tea and then Coffee Resources. Later Paul went to work for the family business at J&R Stone Crafters while earning an MBA from Florida Gulf Coast University. But ultimately, he couldn’t resist the powerful allure of coffee, and lucky for us, he found his way to The Roasterie.  Since joining The Roasterie, Paul has received his Q Grader Certification, been invited to multiple Cup of Excellence competitions throughout the world, as well as competed in the finals of the U.S. Cup Tasters competition.

In his free time Paul enjoys spending time with his family, traveling and exploring all that Kansas City has to offer.

STACY BARTER, SPACEY BEAN

Executive Assistant

Before joining The Roasterie in 2003, Stacy managed retail hardware stores and worked in accounting for Coca-Cola Enterprises. Born and raised in Independence, Missouri, she now lives “in the country” in Buckner, Missouri with her husband and spends her free time chasing their young twins.