Our roastery is led by Jessica Keenan who joined as Managing Director in 2021. Jessica spent her childhood traveling and living, primarily, in Southeast Asia, awakening a deep interest in culture and food customs.
Jessica has spent her career working with coffee and specialty foods across the United States. Jessica joined the Ascension team from Allegro Coffee, a subsidiary of Whole Foods Market, where she spent thirteen years, serving as Allegro Coffee’s Director of Sales. Travelling to coffee farms around the globe affirmed her dedication to supply chain sustainability; from ensuring future job and food security for coffee producing partners to living wages for baristas.
“As consumer awareness around specialty coffee increases, we have a unique opportunity to connect communities of producing partners directly with our own, validating the interdependence of the human experience and creating investment in a shared future.”
A certified Q Arabica Grader, Jessica oversees green coffee purchases for Ascension as well as managing the coffee roasting division of the organization. With the Ascension brand, Jessica is thrilled to be a part of something special in the North Texas market and have a direct impact on a locally based organization known for a deep commitment to quality. Jessica and her husband Jason live in Fort Worth with their two children, three dogs, and a cat.
Samples are pulled from every roast and cupped or evaluated for quality by our QC team, including our in-house Q Arabica grader. We evaluate every coffee prior to shipping out and verify it meets our strict sensory standards. We flush our products with nitrogen, an inert gas, to preserve freshness.
By utilizing this common method for slowing the staling process, our packaged coffee stays fresh and delicious for 120 days.