"I just want to make coffee!" That thought has crossed all our minds at some point in our barista careers. In fact I remember clearly being reprimanded for my hyper-focus on the espresso machine at the expense of pretty much everything else. In reality, there are tasks and areas of the shop that require excellence just as much as the coffee we serve Today on Shift Break we will be talking about how we can foster a mindset of excellence toward the things we hate so the whole cafe is cared for and we get to keep doing what we love.  Related episodes: 085 : How we Ruin the Specialty Experience 307 : 10 Simple ways to Level Up your Coffee Shop The Impact of Absence The Currency of Urgency Working Clean : Tips for keeping the bar looking and working well while you work   Reach out for one-on-one consulting and coaching!  Book a 90 minute consulting Call now!   Visit these amazing sponsors! The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com   Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co  

In the shop we serve people the product of our own training and understanding. We also sell them ideas of what coffee can be and our customers will frequently be frustrated at the gap of quality between the shop and their kitchen. This is where consumer coffee classes come in. Before the pandemic we were already seeing a rise in consumer education, but now it has truly gone from novel pursuit to an absolute necessity. I believe every shop should have some form of coffee class for their customers to help equip them to brew your roasted coffee well and also to deepen their appreciation for what you do every day.  In this encore episode from January of 2018 (the infancy of this show) we dive into this topic and I give you 7 tips for how to set up and conduct great coffee classes.  Please listen to the related episodes below for more on the importance of consumer education!   Related episodes: 092 : Tony “Tonx” Konecny of Yes Plz : Consumer Accessibility, roasting, 3rd wave, subscription 297 : Making Coffee Education Fun w/ Suneal Pabari of Leaderboard Coffee 349 : Talking About 21st Century Coffee w/ Kenneth Davids 333: Bridging the Professional and Home Barista Gap w/ Lance Hedrick of Onyx Coffee Lab 035 : The Consumer Revolution w/ Kevin Sinnott Sustainability Series #4 : Consumer BLOG: The Customer of Tomorrow Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com

It's Founder Friday once again and I am thrilled to shine a light on someone who has built their business on a heart for people, relationships, and an offering of accessible quality coffees. Today we are talking with the founder of Drip Coffee NYC, Nigel Price! Nigel left a career in finance to pursue opening his own coffee shop. Once he was immersed in the industry he realized there was much more to doing this successfully than just having a good business would prepare him for. He spent 10 years working in great coffee bars learning and growing his perspective, skills, and concept. He launched Drip Coffee Makers NYC 3 years ago as a focused mobile multi-roaster cart popping up all over the city. From there he opened his first brick and mortar in 2020, thrived in the pandemic, and now has a fleet of 4 stores and a growing community of committed customers and fan across the city and the industry.  Nigel has a calm and clear passion for people and coffee that has been at the heart of Drip and it's success and today we are going to hear the story of how this all came to be along with some very important insights into entrepreneurship that you will be absolutely key to your own success and fulfillment in coffee.  We cover: Starting in coffee from finance Early false assumptions The real challenge of running a shop Prioritizing relationships Paying dues and Finding your voice Starting as a pop up multi roaster shop From mobile to brick and mortar Dealing with transition from barista to operator It’s about the people and their experience What the future holds Related Episodes:  145: Founder Friday w/ Red Rooster Coffee Roasters co-founder, Haden Polseno-Hensley 108 : Founder Friday w/ Dorian Bolden of Beyu Caffe in Durham, NC 305 : Founder Friday! w/ Andrew Sinclair of MadLab Coffee, Los Angeles, CA 194 : Encore Episode! Leadership in the Cafe: 10 Steps to being a People First Leader | Aired January 17 2017 314 : The 6 Essential Qualities of Coffee Shop Leaders Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com 

"We don't speak Starbucks" I cannot tell you how much damage phrases like this have done over the years. More than just creating hostility at the register with customers who don't speak the same "coffee language" as us, it also sets the stage for more hostility and misunderstanding with customers whose culture, language, or abilities are literally different from our own.  In today's shift break we will be discussing the importance of fostering a desire to serve through understanding and how we can overcome language barriers of all kinds with the right mindset and resourcing.  Related episodes:  122 : How to be a Cash Register Hero : 6 Essential Skills 282 : How to Listen to your Customers 165 : The Art of Deep Listening w/ Oscar Trimboli 196 : Understanding Customer Preferences w/ Peter Giuliano Up-selling and Hospitality: Helping Customers Make Good Decisions Reach out for one-on-one consulting and coaching!  Book a 90 minute consulting Call now!   Visit these amazing sponsors! The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com   Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co  

The system works exactly the way it was designed to work...and it needs to be broken. This is the goal of a new model of coffee trade introduced by Andy and Nanelle Newbom through their company Torque Coffee.  Andy and Nanelle Newbom are life long coffee professionals who have been foundational in helping establish the standards for transparency and excellence we know today. With their iconic roastery and retail company Barefoot Coffee they helped pioneer Direct Trade, Andy was a founding member of the Barista Guild, and they both have been work in roasting / importing companies since then where they are consistently pursuing equity and systemic change for an industry who's distribution of value is drastically lopsided.  Recently they have launched a new model of trade based the idea of what they call "Proportional Pricing" with their company Torque Coffee.  In this model they seek to give to break the system and replace it with a framework that pays the farmer a set percentage of the coffee's retail value upfront. It really is a great idea and in today's conversation we will get the inside scoop on how this came about, how it works, and what you can do to adopt this model in your roastery.  We discuss: Iterating models to address the issues Leaching value from farmers Double standards The Torque model: Proportional Pricing Starting at the ceiling You don’t have as many coffees as you think Building the system and relationships needed Taking the risk off the producer unintentional impacts on producer Play to pay sucks The practice of tracking all your costs   Links: www.torquecoffees.com Instagram @torquecoffees Related episodes: Sustainability Series #2 : Importing & Roasting 335: A Better Business Model for Coffee Farmers w/ Thaleon Tremain of Pachamama Coffee 328 : Relationships and Resiliency w/ Xavier Alexander of Metric Coffee 294 : At Origin Roasting Revolution w/ Luis Fernando, founder of Amor Perfecto! 288 : The Truth behind Cheap Coffee w/ Karl Weinhold Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com

Welcome to part two of a live series of interviews conducted on the show floor of Coffee Fest Chicago in June of 2022! In these interviews I sit down with stellar presenters and lecturers to dig deep into a range of relevant and important topics that will help make you and your coffee business better.  Today we will be talking with Marissa Childers, co-founder (along with Ethan Darla) of Tanbrown Coffee, a roastery dedicated to re-writing the narrative about Asian coffee and Asians in coffee. In our chat today we dive into the topic of the current narrative regarding asian coffees and other marginalized origins, and how roasters and shops can help make a difference through highlighting the nuances and complexities those origins have to offer. To learn more about Tanbrown visit: www.tanbrown.coffee Instagram @tanbrowncoffee     Next we get to talk with Jess Gulino who wears many hats at La Terza Coffee. One of her focuses is in branding and helping shops create expressions that resonate with customers and the shops values. In this chat we discuss lots of relevant questions you might have when approaching branding and Jess helps us guide us to more clear understanding of what may be right for you.  Learn more about La Terza Coffee here: www.laterzacoffee.com  IG @laterzacoffee Finally we get to have a conversation with the great Tony Dreyfuss who, along with his father, founded the iconic Metropolis Coffee in Chicago! In this discussion we cover what goes into an effective training program and Tony gives us insight into how they have honed their own program from nearly 20 years of experience.  Learn more about Metropolis Coffee here: www.metroploliscoffee.com @metropoliscoffeeco Be sure to tune in to listen to part 1 of this series if you have not already!    HEY THERE! If you are looking for resourcing, clarity, inspiration, and just a really fun experience then I would suggest attending Coffee Fest Trades Shows!  You can get 50% off your registration by using the code KEYS when registering you and your team at www.coffeefest.com

Welcome to part on of a live series of interviews conducted on the show floor of Coffee Fest Chicago in June of 2022! In these interviews I sit down with stellar presenters and lecturers to dig deep into a range of relevant and important topics that will help make you and your coffee business better.  Today we will be talking with Luke Waite of The Lev Co and Pomelo Coffee Consulting all about how roasting operations can increase profitability and clarity around their mission.  Learn more about Luke's work here: The Lev Co Pomelo Coffee Consulting Next we chat with Kris Christian who is the founder of Chicago French Press. In our conversation we discuss her story of building a business to make coffee more accessible, black entrepreneurship, and the need for resourcing to continue to see that sector of small business thrive.  Learn more about Kris and Chicago French Press here: Chicago French Press IG @chicagofrenchpress Lastly we get to sit down with Mark Calhoun and Jim Starcev of Perfect Cube. Mark and Jim have been on the show before to talk about data and metrics and in this interview we focus on how and where businesses can get started on the right track to financial tracking and health.  Learn more about perfect cube here: www.perfectcube.co 302 : Data’s Roll in the Success of your Shop w/ Mark Calhoun and Jim Starcev of Perfect Cube   Be sure to tune in to part 2 of this series where we talk with another three wonderful coffee minds at Coffee Fest! HEY! If you are looking for resourcing, clarity, inspiration, and just a really fun experience then I would suggest attending Coffee Fest Trades Shows!  You can get 50% off your registration by using the code KEYS when registering you and your team at www.coffeefest.com    

In coffee, we like to see ourselves making progress and we check our state against certain metrics and goals that we believe, once reached, will transform our business and as bring satisfaction. Today on Shift Break we will be discussing vanity metrics and why some of the feedback and status we seek through them will more likely lead to stress and fear, than joy and fulfillment.  Related episodes:  317 : Encore Episode: Death by Comparison Who you are & What you Do Your Peers are not your Customers 253 : Mindsets that Sabotage Success   Reach out for one-on-one consulting and coaching!  Book a 90 minute consulting Call now!   Visit these amazing sponsors! The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com   Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co  

Communicating, educating, and training boils down to how well you can connect with people to walk with them through information and transformation. If you want to be effective in these areas you need a whole lot of genuine passion and a desire to not just teach, but also to learn. Not many people in the industry embody this as much as today's guest, Michael Tan.  Michael is a 13 year industry veteran who rose up in the ranks from barista, manager, trainer, even opening his own coffee shop for a time. These days Michael is hosting events and educating scores of baristas in Malaysia as the wholesale trainer for JWC in Kuala Lumpur.  In our conversation today we get to trace Michael's journey in coffee with an emphasis on the lessons he has learned in communication, training, and customer education. We also discuss the importance of language, humility, context, and always learning.  Enjoy! We discuss: Rising as a barista Conducting tastings Learning to teach and inspire The importance of language Early mentors Developing training presence and content Relating to your culture and context Ownership experience KISS concept of training 3 P’s of wholesale training Passion and staying grounded Soft skills in coffee   Links: JWC Roastery Malaysia Instagram: @mike.talks.coffee   Related Episodes: 332: Founder Friday! w/ Iman Kusumaputra & Putri Yulandari of Kopikalyan, Jakarta, Indonesia 246 : Selecting a Wholesale Coffee Provider 133 : 5 Keys to Successful Wholesale w/ Sarah Richmond 339 : What Good Barista Training Produces 336: A Cafe Leadership Masterclass w/ Selina Viguera of Blue Bottle Coffee Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com  

It happens in cafe all over the world. Baristas are hired on a trial basis to see if they are a good fit for the business. On the surface, this practice seems logical and, no doubt, may yield some positive results. But...I believe the practice of trial basis hiring brings with it more negative results than positive.  On this Shift Break I will go over some of my thoughts on why trial basis hiring may be a bad idea and what you might want to practice instead.  Be sure to visit the links below to learn more about good hiring and training practices.  Recommended episodes: 301 : Hiring and Training for Excellence 278 : Making great Hiring Decisions 018: Hiring, Culture, and the Future of your Shop 235 : 4 Tips for Training your Staff 130 : Anne Nylander | Training Principles for Specialty Coffee Professionals 296: Holistic Barista Training w/ David Castillo of Go Get Em Tiger , Los Angeles   Reach out for one-on-one consulting and coaching!  Book a 90 minute consulting Call now!   Visit these amazing sponsors! The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com   Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co      

Many shops make sense on paper but in practice there is something missing. There are lot's of unseen barriers to progress and success in your shop that get in the way of the best plans no matter how you rearrange the staff, equipment, hours, ingredients, etc.  Today you and I will be chatting about five barriers to progress that are present in a ton of cafes around the world and how once addressing and removing them will not only throw the doors to progress in your business but will bring you and your staff to the next level of fulfillment in your work.  We cover Building trust credit Leadership Perfectionism Assumption Follow through How Dave Ramsey helps us manage well Perfectionism Cliques Related Episodes:  Building Trust-Credit Motivating Staff Through Culture 291 : What to do if Your Baristas Wont Listen to You 248 : The 5 Elements of Resourcing your Team 244 : Top 10 Ways to Lose Employees Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com  

I have heard many times from owners that they need to be the best barista in the shop. The idea is that if they are not, then the staff will not respect them and it would compromise their leadership. As you might guess, this is a bit misguided. In this shift break we get into the details of how to think about your skill level in the work you oversee vs the work that your role as a leader requires you to do and why knowing the difference will save you from putting all your effort into areas that do not produce the kind of return you want to see.  We discuss Why we thing we need to be the "best" What our staff really needs The reasons for knowing your role Coaching and supporting the team Related Episodes: Should You be Behind the Bar Right Now? 248 : The 5 Elements of Resourcing your Team 121 : Working from Your Strengths w/ Strengths Finder Guru, Lisa Cummings 235 : 4 Tips for Training your Staff 194 : Encore Episode! Leadership in the Cafe: 10 Steps to being a People First Leader | Aired January 17 2017 Reach out for one-on-one consulting and coaching! [email protected]    Visit these amazing sponsors! The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com   Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co    

What are some of the qualities that potential employers most value in a barista and why are they important? Today you and I will chat about the answers and how they make a significant difference in how you are perceived and how you find fulfillment in a job. These are not just qualities that let you stand out in a sea of applicants but they are traits that maximize your opportunities in your coffee career. Certainly we could talk about far more than six but these are truly foundational and led to you developing many other traits that create magic in the cafe.   Be sure to take time to listen to the related episodes below, follow @keystotheshop on Instagram and Subscribe!  We discuss: Dependability  Work ethic Flexibility Communication Self awareness  Curiosity  The relationship between bosses and staff Mutuality and magic   Related episodes: 243 : Encore Episode! “The Sleepwalking Barista (Owner)” 314 : The 6 Essential Qualities of Coffee Shop Leaders 031 : Essential Advice for New Baristas : Tips to help you successfully navigate and thrive in your new coffee career 021: How to Leverage you Performance Review : 7 Tips for how Baristas can the Most out of the Review Process  301 : Hiring and Training for Excellence Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com    

We all hate when a shift is slow. It can feel demoralizing, boring, and frustrate even the best barista. What if these times on the bar are not all bad though? What if instead of seeing these times as a waste, we saw them as an opportunity.  Today on Shift Break we will be talking about the slow bar shifts that we dread and how to use them to grow our knowledge, skill, and maturity as coffee professionals.    Related episodes: study the rules 056 : The Sleepwalking Barista In Praise of Long Term Imperfect Employment Hard work is hard Laziness & the Most Important Decision   Reach out for one-on-one consulting and coaching! [email protected]    Visit these amazing sponsors! The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com   Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co    

Operations management is a distinct from cafe management. At a certain point in your coffee business’ growth it become necessary to have someone whose job it is to manage managers and oversee the operations of the retail shops. This is a critical role that is as much about leadership as it is about decisiveness and and systems. Today we will be learning all about what goes into being a successful operations manager with Ryan Fisher of Erewhon Market, L.A. Long-time coffee professional with experience and knowledge throughout the entire coffee supply chain. Creative and passionate with an extensive network built through a decade of competing, serving, and judging competitions globally including the Cup of Excellence, US Barista Competition, and Cherry Roast.  He has been at the helm of several shops as a manager as well as the Operations Manager for the famed goodboybob Coffee Roasters. Currently he is the Coffee Program Director for Erewhon markets in L.A. In our conversation today we go through Ryan’s evolution as a leader in the cafe and then as an operations manager and all that he has learned along the way. I guarantee you will walk away from this conversation with some awesome insights for your own management journey! We cover: Biggest lessons from the early years The difference between manager and operations manager Leading through crisis and change What makes a great operations manager Dealing with tension in the cafe Learning and applying lessons to your management practice What to expect when you first begin this role Practicing good communication and self awareness   Links: www.workinglunch.coffee www.erewhonmarket.com Related episodes: Creative Avoidance : Thoughts on Long-game Management 158 : A Management Masterclass w/ Jon Felix Lund, VP of Operations for Coava Coffee Roasters / Portland, OR 105 : Leadership & Management Masterclass w/ Maria Cleaveland 028 : Why it’s Ok to be the Boss w/ Bruce Tulgan : A guide to defining and fighting the under management epidemic in your cafe so you can be the manager your staff need 013 : Leadership & Management Master Class w/ Eva Attia : Leadership | management | hiring | career 012 : Lauren Airola of Onyx Coffee Lab : A Journey Into Management & Back 336: A Cafe Leadership Masterclass w/ Selina Viguera of Blue Bottle Coffee 141 : The 27 Challenges Managers Face w/ Bruce Tulgan   Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com    

It's time to go back to an amazing episode of Founder Friday that teaches us about the power of taking risks and listening to what your heart is saying about your business. Back on episode 43 we interviewed Kathy Turiano of the multiple Good Food Award winning and roastery in Rochester, NY, Joe Bean Roasters. Joe Bean was founded in 2005 and has gone through several transformations but has always served the community through coffee and stayed true to their values in the process.  In this episode you will hear all about their origins and their first transformation and I hop you will be encouraged by Kathy's example, wisdom, and insights so you too can find the courage to make a move in the right, but maybe scary, direction for your own coffee shop.  Please do also listen to episode 207 where Kathy comes back to talk about hope is difficult times around the pandemic and what their latest and current iteration is.  Links: www.joebeanroasters.com 207 : Hope in Difficult Times w/ Kathy Turiano of Joe Bean Coffee Roasters   Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com  

How long does it take to see a change take root in you coffee shop? Well, turns out it all depends on how long you have been operating and how large the company is. When we don't take the dimensions of our business, trying to make a shift  or just keeping things on the right path can be very daunting.  On today's Shift Break we will be talking all about the turning radius of your cafe and how to prepare for and navigate it effectively for its size.  Related Episodes: Scaling Values Before you Expand Making a Decision Pipeline 318 : Why Your Shop is Key to the Success of Coffee 181 : Organizational Self-Knowledge 080 : Changing things in the Cafe : A workflow for Refinement   Reach out for one-on-one consulting and coaching! [email protected]    Visit these amazing sponsors! The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com   Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co    

As long as it has been around, coffee has always attracted creative and artistic people. Whether it is the coffee shop serving as community gathering spots or just the coffee itself inspiring expression, coffee fuels art, music, culture, and human connection. Today we are going to be talking with an artist whose music career has been focused on covering the truth of these subjects and whose own discovery of specialty coffee has helped shape his work, mindset, and mission. We are having a conversation with hip hop artist, Propaganda! Propaganda grew up in a working class black family and lived in a predominant Latino neighborhood of LAThere was a sense of multiculturalism from the very beginning and Prop saw how one personʼs problem could very similar to that of another person. For Prop, music is way to create conversations about substantial entities that impact us on a daily basis and to see how faith can help guide us along the way. After he graduated college with degrees in illustration and intercultural studies, he taught high school for six years and had a hand in founding two charter schools in LA, one of which had a focus on the arts. 2007 he resigned from teaching to pursue music full-time and began touring as a solo artist. He joined the Humble Beast family and unveiled a series of four albums that put his music on the map. Prop fell in love with coffee while on tour and has since been a coffee entrepreneur, enthusiast, and advocate even producing 2 Sprudgie award winning coffee focused songs, "If Coffee was a Man, and "Calibrate" This is a wonderful and deep conversation about music, cultural authenticity, courage, and the cup of coffee that brings us together.  We cover: Finding art and music Motivations and going full time Discovering coffee and waking up the pallet Elegance and complexity of art and coffee Connecting culture to coffee Coffee as the heritage of POC Bringing POC into the coffee space Authenticity and overcoming the fear of being you Shop spaces representing culture The importance of collaborations and lifting others up Links: www.prophiphop.com Red Couch Podcast Hood Politics Music Video "Calibrate" If Coffee was a Man   Related Episodes: (seriously listen!) 337: Founder Friday w/ Diana Martinez of Cafe Calle, Los Angeles 284 : Founder Friday! w. Jackie Nguyen of Cafe Cà Phê | Kansas City, MO 310 : Founder Friday w/ Jelynn Malone and Beverly Magtanong of Mostra Coffee 348: Founder Friday! w/ Benito Burmudez of Cafe Unido, Panama City, Panama! 199 : Founder Friday w/ Mario Jimenez of Banana Dang Coffee, Oceanside, CA 289 : Founder Friday w/ Ochen Simon Eidodo of Chariots Coffees, Uganda! 279 : Founder Friday! w/ Daniel Brown and Nephthaly Leonidas of Gilly Brew Bar 236 : Founder Friday! w/ Meil Castagna-Herrera & Curtis Herrera of Cafe Corazon! 183 : Exploring Diversity w/ Phyllis Johnson 116 : Understanding Gentrification w/ Dr. Stacey Sutton 338: A Conversation w/ Martell Mason of The Sepia Coffee Project, Detroit, Michigan 089 : La Marzocco USA General Manager, Andrew Daday : Leadership, Innovation, service, heritage   Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com  

How do I motivate and inspire my baristas? I get asked this question a lot by owners and managers desperate to see excitement and vibrancy in their cafe culture vs aone of slow, uninterested, and minimal participation and engagement.  Today on Shift Break we will explore 4 steps you need to walk through in order to inspire your staff and make the dream of that vibrant engaged culture a reality.  Recommended episodes: 055 : Personal Growth & Development w/ Jared Truby, Cat & Cloud Coffee 293 : Thoughts on Defining Professionalism 059 : Founder Friday w/ Joshua Boyt, Metronome Coffee 248 : The 5 Elements of Resourcing your Team 243 : Encore Episode! “The Sleepwalking Barista (Owner)”   Need advice? KTTS Consulting: [email protected]    The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com   Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co    

In order to have a profitable and consistent coffee shop you need to track and keep your data in order. Whether is labor, expenses, or COGs- spreadsheets are an essential tools to help you build a stable business.  On today's episode we sit down with frequent guest of the KTTS podcast, Maxwell Mooney of Narrative Coffee to talk about his top pieces of advice for using making and using spreadsheets.  Maxwell has been in coffee for well over a decade as a barista, manager, and competitor who then turned entrepreneur with the launch of Narrative Coffee. First he had a cart, then a wonderful brick and mortar, and now a second location. In these five years of operating, growing, and refining Narrative, Maxwell has been guided by his values for quality, hospitality, and community, all supported by systems.  In this conversation we cover:  Is a spreadsheet right for the job? Tracking costs COGs, Labor, expresses, and rent Accounting for waste and labor in cost Appropriate sample size for data Projections Taking the first step with spreadsheets   Links: Maxwell's Spreadsheet UpFlip Interview www.narrative.coffee IG: @narrative.coffee   011 : Founder Friday w/ Maxwell Mooney, Narrative Coffee : hospitality / building relationships / coffee quality 038 : Founder Friday / Narrative Coffee Part 2 w/ Maxwell Mooney : His experience after opening his first brick and mortar COVID-19 Focus w/ Maxwell Mooney, Narrative Coffee, Everette, WA   Related episodes:  302 : Data’s Roll in the Success of your Shop w/ Mark Calhoun and Jim Strarcev of Perfect Cube 009 : How to Approach Data and Metrics w/ Simon Ouderkirk :  330 : Establishing Systems in Your Coffee Shop 057 : SOP’s FTW! Success through Standard Operating Procedures   Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com    

It feels like we need to constantly be growing and producing something new or else we risk looking like a failure, or that we lack ambition. The idea that we always need to be expanding and taking on new things is a flawed one that often submarines our chance at finding fulfill ent fro what we do.  Today on Shift Break we will be talking about how sometimes we need to sacrifice productivity for the sake of our health and why appropriate growth is better than constant growth.  Related episodes: Doing What You Want -vs- Doing What is Needed Scaling Values Slowing down your Response Time Grass Roots Improvement: Tapping into the power of your staffs observations and ideas Accurate Reflection : A very important end of year challenge and encouragement to the Keys to the Shop community The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com   Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co    

Brewing a great cup of coffee is what we all strive to do daily. Over the years, our own understanding of how to do this well has grown as the body of literature and content regarding brewing science has increased. Most recently one such resource has been published from someone who has applied their expertise and scientific rigor to the subject of brewing coffee, thus creating one of the most thorough treatments on the subject to date.  On today's show e are talking with the author of the new book, "The Physics of Filter Coffee", Jonathan Gagné ! Jonathan Gagné is a scientific advisor at the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium in Montreal, and adjunct professor at Université de Montréal. He completed his Ph.D. in astrophysics in 2015 and moved to the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, D.C. for a 3-year postdoc as a Sagan Fellow. He came back to Montreal to start a second postdoc at the Institute for Research on Exoplanets before he was hired by the Planetarium. Jonathan's expertise is focused on brown dwarfs, young stars, exoplanets, and stellar associations. He uses various telescopes throughout the world to carry his research, from the Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic in Québec, the Infrared Telescope Facilities in Hawaii and Gemini-South in Chile. In his free time, Jonathan is also passionate about coffee brewing and has dived deeply into all many aspects of how physics affect coffee preparation for pour overs and more recently espresso. He maintains a blog of his findings and understanding of coffee physics at coffeeadastra.com, and he is the author of the book The Physics of Filter Coffee. This is a wide-ranging conversation that addresses many of the key elements that impact our brewing and how we can apply practical solutions to create wonderful coffee both at home and at at scale in the shop We cover: Motivation through frustrated brewing Beginning his experimentations in coffee Studying the most significant aspects Relying on the community and their experience Applied physics in how water moves through coffee Building and refining you mental model Accounting for the variability in coffee’s behavior Tracking your brews What shops can do to improve extractions at scale Different way of thinking about batch brew Coffee freshness and extraction Recommendation for appropriate bicarb levels in water for brewing Recommended tools to assess your coffee quality Links: Jonathan's Blog : www.coffeeadastra.com Jonathan on IG: @jgagneastrocoffee Buy the book! The Physics of Filter Coffee   Related episodes: 347 : Brewing Coffee and a Career w/ U.S. Brewer’s Cup Champion, Elika Liftee 333: Bridging the Professional and Home Barista Gap w/ Lance Hedrick of Onyx Coffee Lab 286 : Coffee Roasting Best Practices w/ Scott Rao 148 : Exploring the Ground Control Brewer w/ Eli Salomon   Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com  

How do we get customers to buy coffees they will like? This is more or less the question I was asked by a client recently in regards to bean purchases and I feel it also speaks to other decisions the coffee shop customer will make in beverage, food, etc.  Today on Shift Break I will give you the answer I gave my client on how to help customers find beans they will like. From there we will talk about my philosophy and approach on up-selling as an important feature of hospitality vs an opportunistic grab for revenue.    Related episodes: 227 : Connecting with Hearts and Minds 092 : Tony “Tonx” Konecny of Yes Plz : Consumer Accessibility, roasting, 3rd wave, subscription 122 : How to be a Cash Register Hero : 6 Essential Skills Blog: Spiders and Customer Service   The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com   Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co    

How specialty coffee has evolved, understood, and enjoyed has changed greatly over the past 50 years. Today get to talk someone whose career has not developed in parallel with the coffee industry but has been instrumental in advancing some of the best aspects of it. I'm thrilled to have bene able to sit down with the great Kenneth Davids! Kenneth has been involved with coffee since the early 1970s and has published three books on coffee, including the influential Home Roasting: Romance and Revival, now in its second edition, and Coffee: A Guide to Buying, Brewing and Enjoying, which has sold nearly 250,000 copies in five editions. His latest book, 21st Century Coffee: A Guide, is an unprecedentedly thorough survey of specialty coffee in all of its aspects, authoritative yet engaging. Ken’s workshops and seminars on coffee sourcing, evaluation and communication have been featured at professional coffee meetings on six continents. He is Professor Emeritus of Critical Studies at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco. In 1996 he was awarded a Special Achievement Award for Outstanding Contributions to Coffee Literature by the Specialty Coffee Association of America. One of our industries most influential people. Kenneth’s work has shaped multiple generations of coffee enthusiasts and professionals and in this sense an hour conversation is woefully insufficient to give you even idea of the breadth and Kenneth’s journey and work but here we are and I can honestly say it was true honor to speak with him and to feature his wisdom and perspectives on this show. We cover:  Goals of his new book The new challenges of writing about coffee Honesty and authority of information How Kenneth went form cafe owner to coffee writer Mere communication vs delivering depth of understanding Consumer community and its evolution Starting Coffee review The gap of accessibility and need to building the middle What shapes consumer tastes today Incentivizing accessible excellence Using information to draw people in vs push away Communicating flavor How naturals chawed things The hope for coffee’s future Links: Buy Kenneth's new book!  https://www.kennethdavidscoffee.com   Related episodes:  Sustainability Series #4 : Consumer 069: Hosting Consumer Coffee Classes : 7 Guidelines 035 : The Consumer Revolution w/ Kevin Sinnott 242 : A Conversation with James Hoffmann   Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com      

Management absolutely means you have the opportunity to affect change in the coffee shop. It also mean you have a responsibility to make sure the current operation is running smoothly and that the basics are taken care of. Often we favor the change over the stewardship and that is where we can get in trouble.  Today on shift break we are going to be chasing about the difference between what you want, what is needed, and how doing things in the proper order can and often does allow for both.    Related episodes:  229 : 7 Tips for New Managers 226 : The Art of being Indispensable at Work w/Bruce Tulgan   Visit our Sponsors!!! The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com   Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co    

It's Founder Friday! We are traveling to Panama to learn about one of the greatest cafes and roasters, Cafe Unido through a wonderful conversation with its founder, Benito Burmudez.  Inspired by the idea that Panama has some to of the world's best coffees, the first Café Unido opens its doors in 2014 in the city of Panama with a clear goal: provide a space for Panamanians to learn and appreciate coffee grown by different local producers, their distinct terroirs, regions, micro lots, varietals and processes while at the same time giving back to coffee growing regions. Over the years they evolved from a single shop, to nine stores, seven in Panama City, one in Boquete, and a new store in Washington DC. Benito had previously opened and run a successful restaurant, Maito, prior to Unido and is also a Panama Barista Championship 2nd place finisher. Since founding the company he has been tirelessly promoting the celebration and deeper understanding of the coffees of Panama to the world.  Today we will be talking all about this journey, what has made it successful, the lessons learned, and much more... We cover:  How Restaurant experience helped Staying motivated through tough times Working to win over locals to a new flavor of coffee Being flexible and not snobbish about coffee Training system and structure Delegation and investing in understanding  Culture and values at scale The biggest mistake in growing the business  Allowing for the brand’s evolution and how to judge success  Exploring the depth and variety of Panama coffee Expansion to the states  Links: https://cafeunido.com Instagram: @cafeunido Related episodes: 294 : At Origin Roasting Revolution w/ Luis Fernando, founder of Amor Perfecto! 335: A Better Business Model for Coffee Farmers w/ Thaleon Tremain of Pachamama Coffee 332: Founder Friday! w/ Iman Kusumaputra & Putri Yulandari of Kopikalyan, Jakarta, Indonesia 061 : You Don’t Know Beans about Brazil w/ Kelly Stein, Coffea Podcast 289 : Founder Friday w/ Ochen Simon Eidodo of Chariots Coffees, Uganda!   Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com

Welcome to the 10th episode of the Rate of Rise Live Series! In this interview we are talking with Green Coffee Buyer and Director of Coffee at Huckleberry Coffee Roasters, winner of the Roast Magazine Macro Roaster of the year award. The RoR Live Series is a project in partnership with Roast Magazine taking the popular RoR series on Keys to the Shop and to the SCA 2022 Global EXPO in Boston where we have some live face-to-face interviews with 10 of the coffee industry's brightest minds Kevin has spent well over a decade in specialty coffee. Beginning as a barista at Chinatown Coffee in D.C. he then moved to Guatemala where he assisted a small coffee growers’ cooperative with processing, roasting, and packaging coffee and forging relationships that he maintains to this day. For the last 8 years Kevin has helped Huckleberry Roasters develop, grow, and refine their coffee program through values and relationship based sourcing and all this at scale.  In this conversation we will be diving into Kevins role with the company and the journey of growth and development while maintaining long term sourcing relationships and quality.  We cover:  Kevin's approach to sourcing  Growth and keeping grounded Huckleberry's culture and its impact on green buying Feedback's role in guiding the roastery  Overcoming challenges in logistics and supply Long terms farmer relationships Care for the people and work culture at Huckleberry Links: www.huckleberryroasters.com Instagram: @Huckleberryroasters   Subscribe to Roast Magazine! (Use code "ROR" to get $5 bucks off your subscription)   www.keystotheshop.com Consulting and coaching: [email protected]

Welcome to the 9th episode of the Rate of Rise Live Series! In this interview we are talking with specialty coffee and roasting luminary, Scott Rao!   The RoR Live Series is a project in partnership with Roast Magazine taking the popular RoR series on Keys to the Shop and to the SCA 2022 Global EXPO in Boston where we have some live face-to-face interviews with 10 of the coffee industry's brightest minds Scott Rao has been in the coffee business for over 25 years as a cafe owner, roaster, consultant, and author. The Coffee Roaster’s Companion and Coffee Roasting: Best Practices have influenced a generation of roasters and shaped the global roasting vocabulary and conversation. Scott’s popular Instagram account @whereisscottrao offers expert-level tips and discussion about coffee brewing and roasting. Today we are chatting with Scott about the abundance of technological advances in roasting and how to approach adopting these tools and innovations in a way that serves your goals.  We cover:  Innovative technology up til now Controlling outcomes via technology vs brewing methods How better brewing and extraction tech has changed roasting  Working with what we have Controlling coffee’s body Best practice for achieving consistency The technologist vs artisan approach How to choose and adopt innovative tech Links: www.scottrao.com Instagram: @whereisscottrao Subscribe to Roast Magazine! (Use code "ROR" to get $5 bucks off your subscription)   www.keystotheshop.com Consulting and coaching: [email protected]

Welcome to the 8th episode of the Rate of Rise Live Series! In this interview we are having a great talk with Kat Nolte-Ferguson of Sucafina Specialty! The RoR Live Series is a project in partnership with Roast Magazine taking the popular RoR series on Keys to the Shop and to the SCA 2022 Global EXPO in Boston where we have some live face-to-face interviews with 10 of the coffee industry's brightest minds After earning a degree in accounting and spending a few years in rural Africa, Kat been exploring coffee from every possible angle: from barista to trader; from stock lot to microlot; from craft to commercial – she has experience the spectrum one specialty and is focused full time at Sucafina where she has dedicated her career to improving economic opportunity for African smallholder farmers. Kat is also a Chair on the SCA's Sustainability Advisory Counsel. In today's conversation we get to discuss some of what Kat actually presented on during expo related to supply chain risk mitigation for coffee roasters.  We cover: Helping roasters understand the world of logistics Why do roasters have to understand the market and supply chain Cost, price, and buying green The main topics pithing the supply chain that impact your roastery Where do you start with price risk management?  Flexibility and having contingency plans for all your origins  Amount of risk inherent in relationship focused sourcing Blend's role in stability that serve everyone  Links: www.sucafina.com   www.keystotheshop.com Consulting and coaching: [email protected]

In the wake of tragedy and heartbreak we find ourselves looking for ways to heal and make sense of the chaos around us. The recent violence, racism, and evil that took place in the U.S. took place in spaces where people should not need to worry about their  safety. Spaces similar to the coffee shops we run and work in everyday.  As we wrestle with the incomprehensible pain and senselessness of these events we find ourselves taking stock of our own communities and spaces and struggle to find ways to make a difference.  Today I wanted to offer a short note on our role as providers of sacred spaces that are made for the beautiful humans that we get to work with and serve. How it does make difference and how we our we can lean into kindness and loving each other well through what we do as a part of the way we build a better future.   

Brewing a great cup of coffee is like crafting a career in coffee, it take intentionality, consistency, and a humility that keeps in mind the end goal of all your efforts. These are some of the qualities that make today's guest, Elika Liftee, not just a brewing champion, but an example of professionalism we can all be inspired by.  Elika is the Director of Education at Onyx Coffee Lab, where he leads a team of educators in training in-house baristas, wholesale partners, and the public. He's been the reigning US Brewers Cup Champion since 2020, finishing 3rd in the World Brewers Cup during that time.  In this conversation we get t talk with Elika about his career, lessons learned through experimentation, and how he has developed his current approach to teaching, training, and brewing a great cup of coffee. We cover: Falling in love with coffee Exploring management and finding teaching  The difference between management and teaching Codifying and customizing the training program  Discovering how people learn Experimenting with brewing and his favorite methods Dialing in hospitality + judge/ customer preferences  Discovering and using the Melo drip and “flat” everything  Dialing in coffee across the cafes.  Consistency and what are forgiving and not forgiving coffees? Advice for brewing amazing coffee Links: Instagram @elikaliftee Onyx Coffee Lab https://www.mk-ceramics.com/pages/mk-dripper   Related episodes: 296: Holistic Barista Training w/ David Castillo of Go Get Em Tiger , Los Angeles 339 : What Good Barista Training Produces 188 : Founder Friday w/ Jon Allen of Onyx Coffee Lab 012 : Lauren Airola of Onyx Coffee Lab : A Journey Into Management & Back   Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com    

Welcome to the 7th episode of the Rate of Rise Live Series!  The RoR Live Series is a project in partnership with Roast Magazine taking the popular RoR series on Keys to the Shop and to the SCA 2022 Global EXPO in Boston where we have some live face-to-face interviews with 10 of the coffee industry's brightest minds In this interview we are having a wonderful chat with Will Frith all about the current rise of Asian coffee.  Will Frith is a long time industry veteran with a broad range of experience as a barista, roaster, trainer and educator, and entrepreneur. He has been researching and working in the growing specialty coffee industry in Vietnam since 2012 and is the founder of the co roasting space Building Coffee in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Will is passionate advocate for Asian coffee and presented on this subject during the SCA expo. In our conversation with him we dive into the current rise of asian coffee in the industry and what we need to understand in order to support it and experience the wonderful variety it offers.  We cover: What has led to the current surge in asian coffee Specialty robusta Alienation / Differences in cultural preferences  Learning about emerging processes  Local ecosystem of specialty  How roasters should approach these coffees Sustainability connection  Most common questions and concerns The key of branding and connecting the consumer Links: Building.coffee Bel: Will's Coffee and Wine Bar   www.keystotheshop.com Consulting and coaching: [email protected]

Welcome to the 6th episode of the Rate of Rise Live Series! In this interview we are talking with industry veteran, green coffee expert, and author of the new book "Green Coffee",  Chris Kornman! The RoR Live Series is a project in partnership with Roast Magazine taking the popular RoR series on Keys to the Shop and to the SCA 2022 Global EXPO in Boston where we have some live face-to-face interviews with 10 of the coffee industry's brightest minds Chris Kornman is a seasoned coffee quality specialist, writer and researcher, and the Lab & Education Manager at The Crown: Royal Coffee Lab & Tasting Room. He has extensive experience traveling in and purchasing coffees from East Africa and South America. Chris came up in coffee at the beginning of and through the 3rd wave coffee movement and has been deeply involved in many different facets of the green coffee trade through its many evolutions.  Today we are going to be discussing the world of green coffee buying, trade, and insights into how to approach it in a practical and ethical way.  We cover: Green buying and what's shifted over the years Density as an accessible measure of performance  What we need to be aware of now in varieties  Misconceptions of coffee based on origin Focusing on the people as a framework for sourcing Connecting to customer preferences in spite of ourselves Misconceptions about green buying  Humility and respect for the farmers Links: Buy the book! www.roastmagazine.com/greencoffee The Crown: Royal Tasting Room Subscribe to Roast Magazine! (Use code "ROR" to get $5 bucks off your subscription)   www.keystotheshop.com Consulting and coaching: [email protected]

Hey! It is the 5th episode of the Rate of Rise Live Series! In today's conversation we sit down with the Roastmaster of Caffe Amouri Nicki Amouri to talk about really getting a grip on roast curves!  The RoR Live Series is a project in partnership with Roast Magazine taking the popular RoR series on Keys to the Shop and to the SCA 2022 Global EXPO in Boston where we have some live face-to-face interviews with 10 of the coffee industry's brightest minds Nicki Amouri is a Licensed arabica q grader, SCA certified roaster and barista as well as an SCA certified trainer. She is the Roastmaster and green buyer at Caffe Amouri in Vienna, VA where she also teaches roasting classes.  Nicki Presented some great information during the latest Roast Summit on the most curve and so I wanted to sit down with her to talk about how we should be approaching and utilizing the roast curve to best dial in our coffees for our customers.  We cover: Corolating taste to the curve Feedback and making adjustments Typical things that roasters get hung up on What to focus on to make a difference  Dialing in to your roaster Remaining agile as you become more settled in The excitement of the unknowns Links: www.caffeamouri.com Nicki's presentation at the Roast Summit Click here tp watch video of this interview on Roast magazine's YouTube channel!    Subscribe to Roast Magazine! (Use code "ROR" to get $5 bucks off your subscription)   www.keystotheshop.com Consulting and coaching: [email protected]

For this 4th episode of the Rate of Rise Live Series! This time we sit down with one of my favorite roasters, Anne Cooper of Equilibrium Master Roasters to learn how to teach others to roast! The RoR Live Series is a project in partnership with Roast Magazine taking the popular RoR series on Keys to the Shop and to the SCA 2022 Global EXPO in Boston where we have some live face-to-face interviews with 10 of the coffee industry's brightest minds With over 25 yrs working in the coffee industry, Anne is an Australian Roaster who has gained extensive experience in many areas of the coffee industry as Barista, Café Owner/Manager, National Barista Trainer & Assessor, Head Roaster/Roasting Production Manager at both a National & International level. A certified Q Grader she regular judges competitions worldwide. With her consulting company, Equilibrium Master Roasters, Anne continues to develop her extensive roasting skills & knowledge with exposure to a wide range of roasting companies & machines and various roasting techniques / industry relevant processes & protocols – she is really passionate about passing on skills & knowledge to the next generation of flame keepers. In this conversation we dig into how a roaster should approach teaching someone to roast. If you have an apprentice roaster or are thinking you may want to train up some help then this episode will be very insightful.  We cover: Keys to building a curriculum Realistic time frames and structure Education, communication, teaching decisiveness  Learning to teach and tasting unrealized potential Patience and building confidence Creating a learning environment What we can get wrong about education    Click here tp watch video of this interview on Roast magazine's YouTube channel!    Subscribe to Roast Magazine! (Use code "ROR" to get $5 bucks off your subscription)   Links: Equilibrium Master Roasters: www.eqmr.com.au   www.keystotheshop.com Consulting and coaching: [email protected]

For some reason we tend to think people can read our minds. When we communicate generally but expect specific results we are setting ourselves and everyone else up for a  lot of tension and confusion.  On today's Shift Break we will dive into the idea of communicating and resourcing your baristas and managers to fulfill specific expectations and using due dates to help give structure to directives and projects.  Related Episodes: 330 : Establishing Systems in Your Coffee Shop Communicate, Duplicate, Repeat : Key habits that make information stick 301 : Hiring and Training for Excellence 025 : Mastering the Art of Training w/ Dave Stachowiak : Coaching, Leadership, education , and how to communicate your coffee and barista knowledge so it sticks Blog: Good Communication is “For Here”   Looking for guidance, clarity, and solid solutions for your coffee business?   Visit our Sponsors!!! The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com   Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co  

We take for granted the kinds of interactions and connections we make in the course of our daily professional barista lives. An incredible variety of people with unique and interesting stories and perspectives pass through our doors daily. Coupled with the story of coffee itself, this business is a rich and fascinating one. Those are the motivations that led today's guest, Celeste Wong into the coffee industry and inspired her to start The Girl in the Cafe.  Originally from New Zealand, Celeste is has held top positions in leading artisan cafes all over the world for over a decade. Since migrating to the UK, she has been listed as one of London’s top five Baristas in The Financial Times and noted for her excellence in a plethora of other publications. With an Honors degree in Commerce & Design she is also an actress, with notable success in her roles in front of the camera, including her last feature-film becoming the highest grossing independent film of the year in New Zealand that won multiple awards internationally. Celeste produces and curates social media content for her own platform and other brands.  She writes and consults on a range of services for cafes and lifestyle brands.  In this conversation we get to experience the arch of Celeste's career from coffee as a job, then coffee as a career, -to the epiphany that led to her starting and growing The Girl in the Cafe.  There are some wonderful insights here and I hope you enjoy! We cover: Beginning her coffee career in cafes Learning from serious professionals Love hate relationship with coffee Developing The Girl in the cafe platform Goals and personal lessons Reflecting coffee to consumers with empathy Finding your voice Memorable insights gleaned form the show Desire for the industry Links: www.thegirlinthecafe.co.uk Instagram: @The_girl_in_the_cafe   Related episodes: 206 : The Emotional and Social Impact of the Cafe Space w/ Noa Berger 242 : A Conversation with James Hoffmann 024 : Chermelle D. Edwards, The Coffeetographer : Documenting Art and Culture Through the Lens of Specialty Coffee : Barista Culture, Consumer Experience, Movements in coffee culture 257 : A Conversation w/ Morgan Eckroth of MorganDrinksCoffee! Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com    

For this 3rd episode of the Rate of Rise Live Series! We are talking with the always thought provoking, Karl Wienhold, Author of the book, Cheap Coffee! The RoR Live Series is a project in partnership with Roast Magazine taking the popular RoR series on Keys to the Shop and to the SCA 2022 Global EXPO in Boston where we have some live face-to-face interviews with 10 of the coffee industry's brightest minds Karl Wienhold is a consultant, researcher and organizer of postcolonial rural development. He is dedicated to trying to better understand and undo extractive economic power structures that have oppressed people and degraded ecosystems to enrich others since colonial times. He studies coffee, microeconomics, agroforestry, circular economies, and is the author of the challenging and important book, "Cheap Coffee". In our chat we dig into lots of topics- mostly challenging- but some encouraging. All Inspiring action.  We cover: The power difference in the supply chain Treating symptoms vs finding solutions The role marketing plays Incentive structures Conflicts of interest Autonomy, Charity, and efficiency Grace for growth   Click here tp watch video of this interview on Roast magazine's YouTube channel!  Subscribe to Roast Magazine! (Use code "ROR" to get $5 bucks off your subscription)   Links: www.cheapcoffeebook.com    www.keystotheshop.com Consulting and coaching: [email protected]

Welcome to Rate of Rise Live! Episode #2 brought to you by Roast Magazine!  I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to partner with Roast during the SCA 2022 Global EXPO in Boston to have some live face-to-face interviews with 10 of the coffee industry's brightest minds. In this episode we are sitting down with Owner of Little Waves Coffee, Durham, NC, Areli Barerra Grodski!  Areli Barrera Grodski is an immigrant from Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. She moved to San Antonio at 6 years of age and then to Cherokee, NC at 10. It is here where she was introduced to coffee as a community space and to her husband and business partner, Leon Grodski Barrera. She has been working in coffee since 2009 as a barista, coffee shop owner, roaster, and green coffee buyer. She proudly owns three shops called Cocoa Cinnamon and a roastery called Little Waves Coffee Roasters in Durham, NC. Areli is also the Recording Secretary and Board Member of the Coffee Coalition for Racial Equity.  Little Waves is the most recent winner of the prestigious Micro-Roaster of the Year Award and in this conversation we chat with Areli all about her and her husband Leon's journey in beginning, growing, and learning through Little Waves Coffee.  We cover: Bootstrapping and the uphill battle with a cart The range of challenges and emotions in entrepreneurship The mission behind Little Waves Surviving the pandemic How she defines success Applying values to daily work Open heartedness and growth  Representation in coffee Subscribe to Roast Magazine! (Use code "ROR" to get $5 bucks off your subscription)   Click here tp watch video of this interview on Roast magazine's YouTube channel!  Links: www.littlewaves.coffee   www.keystotheshop.com Consulting and coaching: [email protected]  

Welcome to Rate of Rise Live brought to you by Roast Magazine!  I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to partner with Roast during the SCA 2022 Global EXPO in Boston to have some live face-to-face interviews with 10 of the coffee industry's brightest minds all about specialty coffee, roasting, risk management, teaching roasting, roast curve, inspiring stories of entrepreneurship and much more! We are kicking off this series of interviews with the venerable Peter Giuliano! Peter Giuliano is the Executive Director of the Coffee Science Foundation and the Chief Research Officer Specialty Coffee Association and one our industries best thinkers.  Recently the SCA presented their new definition of "Specialty Coffee" based on attributes to recognize a wider range of specialty expressions and this is exactly what I chawed with Peter about during the EXPO.  We cover:  History of defining specialty coffee Establishing the new definition according to SCA Inclusivity and diversity in flavor, preparations, etc. What is “good” and “bad”? interchangeability, uniqueness, and blends What changes for how roasters approach coffee as a result How coffee shops help in celebrating diverse ways to be specialty Subscribe to Roast Magazine! (Use code "ROR" to get $5 bucks off your subscription) Links: SCA's New Definition Peter's past episode on KTTS about Customer Preferences   www.keystotheshop.com Consulting and coaching: [email protected]    

After a rush, an event, or any situation where there is tension and the need to perform well as a team (pretty much any time) there are always a lot of thoughts and emotions that people have. Unfortunately we tend to simply carry on as though it never happened and thus lose out on a lot of positive growth and development that can result from debriefing.  On today's Shift Break we will be talking about the importance of debriefing as a team and how it creates better performance, communication, culture, and consistency in the coffee shop.    Related episodes: 229 : 7 Tips for New Managers The One-on-One : How one meeting can dramatically impact your coffee shop’s culture and morale. 028 : Why it’s Ok to be the Boss w/ Bruce Tulgan Shift Break: The Agreement Tips for Conducting Great Staff Meetings   The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com   Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co  

Accurately tasting coffee can be a daunting task. Add to that the pressure of competition or just the daily work of the bar, and being focused, confident, and at ease while dialing in or making flavor determinations seems all but impossible. These are all however attributes that today's guest possesses and has honed over their career to be able to remain cool and taste coffees like a champion. Today we are talking with the 2022 U.S. Cup Tasters Champ, Julien Langevin! Julien Langevin is the production roaster for Coffee By Design in Portland, ME. Langevin only just began learning how to roast after working for about four years as a barista in different iterations, and taking a brief hiatus from the industry to try his hand at being an electrician. His first real job was at Starbucks and worked through various shops in Portland while achieving his Bachelors of Fine Arts. After graduation he began to go to SCA events, acting as a volunteer and a sensory judge for the Barista competition, and then competing in the Nashville Cup Tasters qualifier in 2020. After a two and a half year separation from said community, Langevin found his way back to coffee somehow and is now the current 2022 US Cup Tasters Champion.  In this conversation we will get to learn about Julien's career path, tasting techniques, and hear words of wisdom for aspiring tasters and coffee professionals! We cover: Journey and challenges in coffee career Techniques for tasting Grounding yourself  Tasting when nervous vs relaxed Focus, Flow state, and visualization Preparing for competition  Doing what you can where you are Links: Instagram @Julientheperson Related Episodes: 048 : How to taste coffee w/ U.S. Cup Tasters Champion, Steve Cuevas! 297 : Making Coffee Education Fun w/ Suneal Pabari of Leaderboard Coffee 078 : Exploring Green Buying and Sensory Analysis w/ Amanda Juris 037 : Chocolate & Coffee w/ Brian Beyke : Understanding Craft Chocolate   Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com  

Some of the reasons we do not take the next step to delegate management or take the next step in our business is because we feel we are not ready. It seems embarrassing to not have it all together when you've over authority to someone like a manager and you want to wait till you have a perfect system and suite of resources to hand them. Problem is that you will likely never truly be "ready". On top of that, you may be robbing them, and yourself, of the benefit that comes with working through and imperfect context.  Today on Shift Break we are going to be talking about why what you think is messy can and often is something beautiful for your business and the people who work in it.  Related episodes: 261 : The Basics of Managing Managers Hiring for Future Leadership Why "Next in Line" promotion Might be a Bad Idea 330 : Establishing Systems in Your Coffee Shop 267 : The Power of Delegation Visit our Sponsors!!! The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com   Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co  

Our industry is one focused on creating memorable experiences for guests of our shops. Being detail oriented is part of our hospitality to people because we know that when all those little things come together, they deliver a real impact.  This is what driven today's guest throughout his illustrious career working for some of the worlds most prestigious hotels and Restaurants to deliver these experiences.  Nicolas Simon caught the hospitality bug upon graduating from one of the top business schools in France. From there, various experiences with Byblos Saint-Tropez, Four Seasons Paris, then Geneva and Plaza-Athénée defined his all-around profile in the industry, from F&B operations to finance and marketing. He was also the managing partner of three restaurants (two of them being awarded a Michelin star within the first year of operation), before being appointed Alain Ducasse’s Director of Operations North America and moving to New York City 14 years ago. In November 2016, Nicolas became the co-founder and CEO of Wilcuma – a full-service hospitality workshop that offers services such as consultancy, management, and real estate, and also has a portfolio of proprietary concepts planned for development and operation Fueled by his passion for hospitality and executing at the highest levels, Nicholas has set his sights on the coffee world with the opening of the new El Condor Coffee Roasters in the West Village, NYC. El Condor seeks to create a transcendent and comfortable all-day cafe experience that delivers quality, consistency, and genuine connection.  We cover: Beginnings in hospitality Growing as a manager and leader The critical role of operations Philosophy on service and caring for guests Entering into the coffee industry The vision and goals of El Condor Advice for how to approach hospitality and systems for accountability Links: www.elcondor.coffee www.wilcuma.com Related Episodes: 030 : Casey Underkofler : Matching Your Service to Your Quality : How to Manage and Control the critical details of service so both the experience and product are excellent 330 : Establishing Systems in Your Coffee Shop 301 : Hiring and Training for Excellence 188 : Founder Friday w/ Jon Allen of Onyx Coffee Lab   Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com  

Welcome to this special edition of the Founder Friday series! We have an incredible collection of interviews from some of the world's best coffee shop operators and entrepreneurs. Within each interview are gems of wisdom that help us move ourselves and the industry forward.  In this special edition of Founder Friday I went back into the archives to mine those gems from past guests around a specific topic, -hospitality and meeting people where they are.  Our industry of specialty coffee has worked hard to build itself up and now we see a mammoth effort to help welcome people into what we have built.  In this episode we will here form four past guests: Matt Chitharanjan and Namrata Asthana of Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters in India Dorian Bolden of Beyu Cafe in Durham, NC Daniel Brown and Nephthaly Leonidas of Gilly Brew Bar in Stone Mountain, GA Andrew Sinclair of Madlab Coffee in Los Angeles, CA Each of these past Founder Friday guests brings a unique take and perspective on what goes in to hospitality and meeting people where they are. From accessible brewing, staff and self care - to friendly service encounters, values, and connecting beyond the  transaction, I think this episode will deliver a concentrated dose of wisdom to help inspire us all.    Related Episodes:  171 : Founder Friday w/ Matt Chitharanjan and Namrata Asthana of Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters in India 225: Encore Founder Friday! Dorian Bolden of Beyu Caffe, Durham, NC 279 : Founder Friday! w/ Daniel Brown and Nephthaly Leonidas of Gilly Brew Bar 305 : Founder Friday! w/ Andrew Sinclair of MadLab Coffee, Los Angeles, CA 045 : Simple, Powerful Hospitality w/ Philip Turner 085 : How we Ruin the Specialty Experience   Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com

It's one thing to make decisions when you work alone, but quite another thing when you work with others and your decisions have far reaching impact on different employees, leaders, and departments. What e and to do is force change into existing processes without regard for the wake those decisions leave behind.  In today's Shift Break we will be talking about building a decision pipeline that takes into account all the people and relevant down stream departments that this one, seemingly small decision, will affect.  Related episodes: 080 : Changing things in the Cafe : A workflow for Refinement 330 : Establishing Systems in Your Coffee Shop Blog: Accountability goes both Ways   Visit our Sponsors!!! The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com   Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co  

Morgan Eckroth is the new U.S. Barista Champion! Part of the point behind competition is setting the stage for conversation around ideas ranging from social issues to the hands on craft of coffee. In both these areas there are far reaching implications for what the industry latches on to and is inspired to continue developing. On such theme is merging high-end experiences with accessibility in mind. Morgan Eckroth, known for her social media platform Morgan Drinks Coffee, has plenty of experience with connecting with an audience and in her presentation for USBC this year, leaned into the idea that specialty can be and should be experienced by more than just judges at the highest level of coffee.  Morgan is a barista and content creator, having worked in the specialty coffee industry for 5 years. With over 5 million followers across TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, she shares her love for coffee through comedic customer service sketches, vlogs about her job, and educational videos. Morgan also released a line of coffee in collaboration with Wrecking Ball Coffee in December 2020 and is working to continue creating a link between baristas and their customers through a shared love for coffee and a dash of humor. Today we get to sit down with Morgan and hear all about her innovative approach to the competition and all the ups and downs on her journey to victory in Boston. We cover: Deciding to compete after years of life change Preparation for USBC and crafting a theme Innovation and challenges High level Accessibility  Choosing the coffees  Break down of beverage creation Goals and inspirations Advice to other competitors and shops Links: www.morgandrinkscoffee.com Related Episodes: 257 : A Conversation w/ Morgan Eckroth of MorganDrinksCoffee! 099 : The Barista League w/ Competition Founder Steve Moloney 298 : A Trophy, or Atrophy? 173 : 5 Areas of Focus for Retailers 296: Holistic Barista Training w/ David Castillo of Go Get Em Tiger , Los Angeles   Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com  

As new processing methods become more popular and prominent, roasters must pivot and adjust how they approach them in order to get the best possible result. Processes like honey and pulped natural present unique challenges for even the most veteran roasters. The good news is that there is a growing family of best practices that will help you see success and consistency while embracing the new and emerging methods on the market. To help us sort through this topic we turn to none other than Mike Ebert of Firedancer Consultants. As the founder of Firedancer Coffee Consultants, Mike is dedicated to helping clients create a personalized strategy to ensure long-term success. He works primarily with roasters, producers and retailers, drawing from his extensive experience in all facets of the specialty coffee supply chain to guide clients in reaching their potential. Ebert is an Authorized SCA Trainer; holding the professional level certificates in Green Coffee, Sensory Skills, Roasting and Brewing. He has had a hand in many positions up and down the supply chain and continues his volunteer work with the Specialty Coffee Association’s Education Advisory Council as Co-Chair of the Education Content Committee. In our conversation we cover: Then challenge Pulp natural and other processes present Mistakes we make when roasting new processes Knowing your roaster and being vigilant  Frame work for earlier success  Taking into account the unique sugar changes Rate of Rise How learning new methods can help with old ones Shifting our minds to innovate new metrics   Subscribe to Roast Magazine! Use code "ROR" to get $5 off   Related Episodes: RoR #1: A Conversation w/ Anne Cooper of Equilibrium Master Roasters RoR #2: Exploring Quality Control w/ Spencer Turer of Coffee Enterprises RoR #3: Making Contingency Planning a Reality w/ Andi Trindle Mersch of Philz Coffee RoR #4: Practical Thermal Dynamics w/ Candice Madison of Royal Coffee / The Crown Oak RoR #5: Time and Color in Roasting w/ Morten Munchow of Coffee Mind” RoR #6: Buying Less and Doing More w/ Ever Meister RoR #7 Illustrative Sample Roasting w/ Mike Ebert of Firedancer Coffee Consultants ROR #8 How Post-Harvest Processing Impacts Flavor w/ Siva Subramanian and Byron Holcomb of Olam Food Ingredients RoR #9 Inside the Roaster’s Tool Kit w/ Kat Melheim of Black and White Coffee and The Coffee People Zine RoR #10 : What Your Broker Wishes You Knew w/ Scott Merle of La Minita Coffee RoR #11 : Exploring Scent w/ Sandra Elisa Loofbourow RoR #12 : Inside Coffee Packaging w/ Ever Meister