Wonkblog hires Ferdman from Quartz

The following was announced Tuesday by Washington Post national economy and business editor Greg Schneider, deputy editor David Cho, morning news editor Renae Merle and assistant business editor Ryan McCarthy:

The Washington Post is thrilled to announce that Roberto Ferdman is joining Wonkblog to write about consumer business, the economics of food, Latin American development and immigration. Roberto comes to us from Quartz, where he has emerged as an original and entertaining writer on a wide variety of topics.

Raised in Puerto Rico (though his family now has a home in the Washington area), Roberto graduated from Brown University with a degree in applied math and economics. He had internships at Estudios Tecnicos, an economic consulting firm in San Juan, and at Barclays Capital in New York before moving into the media world. He helped develop a digital strategy and online presence for the Cooking Channel, managed the Food2.com blog, and worked in several production jobs for film and commercials before joining Quartz in early 2013.

What really caught our eye with Roberto is his range. He can analyze the problems with Argentina’s plan to purge its reserves of U.S. dollars, then turn around and explain how Pabst Blue Ribbon became a billion-dollar brand. And follow that up with a breakdown, using charts, of how America fell out of love with orange juice. He also has a lot of thoughts about digital strategy, which we’re eager to incorporate into the planning for Wonkblog’s evolution.

Please join us in welcoming Roberto, who will move down from New York, take a long-planned trip then start at the Post on June 9.