Victor's Story
Victor Alfonso, known in the coffee community as BaristaVic, comes from a traditional coffee-farming family and grew up deeply connected to the origin of Panamanian coffee. In 2015, he began his professional journey as a barista, and in doing so found his true calling in life: to showcase the coffees of his region to the world while fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation for every cup he serves.
Bringing Origin to the City
In 2018, Victor founded Spot Café in Río Sereno with the goal of introducing the public to extraordinary coffees produced right at origin. Later, in 2024, he opened a new location in Panama City, a second space dedicated to promoting specialty coffee culture in an approachable, welcoming way.
Since 2023, he has been part of iCoffee Solutions Panamá, where he works as a barista and consultant. In this role, he guides producers, roasters, coffee shops, labs, and emerging baristas through project development, equipment selection, extraction optimization, and roast profile creation.
Aillio in the Consultancy Workflow
Aillio Bullet roasters have become a cornerstone of this work. Victor has supported numerous clients in adopting the technology, observing firsthand how precise roast control empowers them to elevate quality, craft custom profiles, and increase business profitability.
For his personal projects, he uses an Aillio Bullet R2 Pro to develop and roast Spot Café’s house espresso, as well as small, high-specialty microlots and seasonal selections sold under his personal brand, BaristaVic.
Education and Community Impact
Together with iCoffee Solutions, Victor has developed workshops, live demonstrations, and roast-focused events, including outreach activities for producers in coffee-growing regions, and hosting Panama's first-ever roasting competition held in partnership with Aillio.
For BaristaVic, mastering the roast means understanding coffee’s true potential from origin and honoring the effort of every individual along the value chain—helping producers, roasters, baristas, and entrepreneurs showcase everything extraordinary hidden inside a Panamanian coffee bean.