Todd Carmichael

Todd Carmichael was born in Spokane, Washington, and ran his first marathon at age 15 before earning a business degree from the University of Washington on a distance running scholarship. After working in accounting for Ernst & Young, he and his business partner J.P. Iberti co-founded La Colombe Coffee Roasters in Philadelphia in 1994, growing it from a third-floor walk-up into a defining force in America's third-wave specialty coffee movement.

Beyond coffee, Carmichael has built an unusual second career as an adventurer. In 2008, he became the first American to trek solo across Antarctica to the South Pole on foot, claiming the world speed record at 39 days, 7 hours, and 49 minutes. The journey raised thousands of dollars for Orangutan Foundation International, and the resulting documentary, Race to the Bottom of the Earth, aired on National Geographic Channel. His Travel Channel series Dangerous Grounds took viewers deep into coffee-growing regions around the world.

Carmichael contributed to Esquire magazine's "Eat Like a Man" blog and wrote for the Huffington Post on environmental and animal rights issues. He stepped down as La Colombe CEO and now leads Loftiwater, a water-focused venture, and co-founded Rebel Beverage Labs — a new product company developed in partnership with Kraft Heinz.