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Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

A coffee podcast providing coffee shop owners and leaders, with insights, inspiration, and the tools you need to grow and advance your coffee business or coffee career. We learn from experts both in and outside the coffee industry as they deliver specific, practical, and actionable advice about ownership, optimization, profitability, barista work, employee culture, management, scaling, leadership, personal development, and anything else that will help you achieve success in the coffee shop.
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Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
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Now displaying: October, 2021
Oct 31, 2021

Making a decision on an espresso machine can come with a lot of stress and uncertainty. With so many different options, configurations, styles, and promises made by manufactures it is hard to know that you will be happy with what you end up with. On top of that, will it be able to serve the needs of the business? Really it boils down to wants, needs, and the balance of the two. Today we are going to be exploring some very important mindsets to help you make the right decision for your situation with our guest, Chad Little of La Marzocco! 

Chad Little handles sales and business development in the midwest for La Marzocco USA. 

In the coffee world Chad has worn many of hats from technician and educator with Counter Culture Coffee, business developer and manager at Ipsento, along with a host of other roles in the world of fine dining and other coffee outfits since the late 90’s. For five years Chad was also an owner/operator of an audacious restaurant called Arbor in Logan Square.

Professionally Chad enjoys helping people bridge the gap between knowing what they like and knowing what they want; and beyond that helping connect the dots for people who want to make a difference or be part of a solution, but don’t know how or where to start. In addition, he uses these skills as an advisory board member for a workforce development and entrepreneurship organization for disadvantaged young people based in Chicago, called Workforce High and Meta 24. 

 

In this episode we cover:

  • Early career and finding his guiding values
  • Prioritizing people
  • Serving people through the user experience
  • Listening to the community 
  • Common misconceptions of espresso machines
  • Learning the right things to consider
  • Balancing wants and needs 
  • Being decisive and a decision matrix 
  • Over and under estimation 
  • Humility’s role and growing intelligently 

 

Links:

www.lamarzoccousa.com 

chad@lamarzzoco.com 

 

Related episodes:

089 : La Marzocco USA General Manager, Andrew Daday : Leadership, Innovation, service, heritage

042 : Supplying and Selecting Equipment w/ Steve Rhinehart: Prima Coffee

128 : Terry’s Top 10 w/ Terry Ziniewicz : Best practices for how not to kill your espresso machine

240 : What to do before your Build your Bar

 

Visit our amazing Sponsors!

www.prima-coffee.com/keys

www.pacficfoodservice.com

www.coffeefest.com

 

Oct 28, 2021

"We are the only coffee shop in our town that serves this!" I will bet that you have thought or said this, or some version of this phrase, yourself as you have planned or run your business. Being the only one to have something is exhilarating at first, but then it tends to fade as the thing we thought would be our defining differentiator, becomes more available and common. 

Today on Shift Break we will be talking about why exclusivity is a bad strategy and what we need to spend our energy on instead if we want to build a lasting and truly unique business. 

Related Episodes:

 

215 : Communication and Marketing Master Class w/ Spencer M. Ross, PH.D.

 

 

Interested in consulting or coaching? Reach out! chris@keystotheshop.com

 

Visit our awesome Sponsors! 

Elevated batch brew and so much more!

Ground Control Cyclops Brewer

 

The best espresso machines in the world!

www.lamarzoccousa.com

 

 

 

Oct 24, 2021

Have you ever wondered how you can get your staff energized and highly invested in the success of your business? This is one of the struggles that a lot of coffee shop owners have. Turns out the best solution for this challenge is to give your staff a real stake in the outcomes of the business and trust them like partners. Today we will be exploring Open Book Management and The Great Game operating system with Great Game coach and trainer, Larry Chase! 

Since 1997 Larry Chase has been a craft brewer leading teams at some of the nations best breweries. All along the way he has studied finance eventually becoming a long time board member of the Brewers Association as the Treasurer and Finance Chair. His career has taught him how to break down complex topics into simple terms to train bring understanding to staff. He is now taking his decades of experience in both finance and leadership and helping businesses achieve success through Open Book Management as a Great Game of Business coach. 

On today’s show we will be talking with Larry about this operating system and it power to involve, activate, and engage staff in impacting the core financial levers of your business.

I find this way of management very promising for coffee shops and Larry does a masterful job of walking us through the what, why, and how of

Larry teaches, supports and coaches businesses wanting to build a lasting healthy culture and empower employees to make positive financial impacts on the business.

 

We Cover:

  • Open book reporting vs Open Book Management
  • Creating great work cultures
  • What makes up OBM?
  • Tapping into peoples desire to learn
  • Financial literacy
  • Unlocking employee innovation
  • Line of sight to impact the business
  • The importance of reward
  • Servant leadership
  • How to take the first steps
  • The learning curve of implementation
  • Involving others

Links:

www.greatgame.com

Larry Chase email: lrjchase@gmail.com

 

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 : Simon shows us how we should be thinking of numbers and their relation to our shops, baristas, and businesses

304 : Inside the Coffee Data Trends Breakout Report w/ Katie Von Der Lieth of the SCA

 

Visit our amazing Sponsors!

www.prima-coffee.com/keys

www.pacficfoodservice.com

www.coffeefest.com

 

 

Oct 21, 2021

This Founder Friday is such unique success story!  What started as a dream between two best friends (one an actor, the other a classical opera singer) has now been a 7 year coffee journey that is easily the most important and rewarding performance of their lives. From a humble garage to now an award winning roastery with 4 cafes and countless culinary collaborations, we will be diving into the story of Mostra Coffee with co-founders Jelynn Malone and Beverly Magtanong.

Jelynn Sophia Malone is a Filipino-American entrepreneur, businesswoman, philanthropist, actress, TV host, producer, wife, and mother of 2 beautiful daughters. She is a co-founder, owner, and acting Chief Marketing Officer for Mostra Coffee, With over 15 years of marketing experience in Hollywood, Jelynn has been instrumental to the growth and international success of Mostra Coffee. She is dedicated to creating positive change that uplifts entire local and global communities. 

Beverly Magtanong is a Filipino-Canadian-American entreprenuer, businesswoman, philanthropist, wife and mother of 5 children. She is a founder and co-owner of Mostra Coffee, As a classically trained opera singer with no prior business or coffee experience, Beverly is inspired to empower others to find their true, authentic selves, and make intuitive and empathic entrepreneurship the norm.  

Mostra Coffee is a specialty coffee roaster located in San Diego, CA and the recipient of the international and coveted 2020 Micro-Roaster of the Year award by Roast Magazine. 

They have been featured on Forbes, Us Weekly, Buzzfeed, Gear Patrol, Huffington Post, Conde Nast's Bon Appétit, as well as ABC, NBC, FOX, KTLA, ABS-CBN, TFC, Alaska Airlines and Google Talks at Google HQ.  

Mosta is focused on providing an excellent experience for their customers through the tireless pursuit of perfecting their craft and being the beauty in humanity. 

I hope you enjoy and are inspired by the Mosta Coffee story!

We cover:

  • From entertainment to coffee
  • Philippines and the Mission of Mostra 
  • First steps t launch Mostra in a garage 
  • Genesis of their first retail space
  • Dialing in their quality through feedback
  • Cold brew, beer pioneers
  • Creating the first brick and mortar retail experience
  • R & D  and utilizing early versions
  • Interview and hiring process
  • Being and spreading goodness through authenticity
  • Navigating growth and planning the future
  • Perspective and the magic needed to say no 
  • Harmonious partnerships 

Links:

www.mostacoffee.com

Mostra Coffee on Instagram

Mostaland 7th year Celebration

 

Related Episodes:

284 : Founder Friday! w. Jackie Nguyen of Cafe Cà Phê | Kansas City, MO

Special! “Thinking Differently” Series | Filipino Coffee w/ Ron Dizon of Teofilo Coffee!

256 : Founder Friday w/ Varat Vichit-Vadakan of Roots Coffee Roaster in Bangkok, Thailand

 

Visit our amazing Sponsors!

www.prima-coffee.com/keys

www.pacficfoodservice.com

Oct 21, 2021

Confrontation and difficult conversations are things we tend to avoid. One of the outcomes of this is an increasingly passive-aggressive style of management that seeks to take care of the issue without having to face it. 

Today on Shift Break we will be talking about this common issue in coffee shops and how we can reframe confrontation and do away with passive aggressive management for good. 

Related episodes:

125 : Confidence in Conflict w/ Kwame Christian : A framework for Compassionate Curiosity

165 : The Art of Deep Listening w/ Oscar Trimboli

067: 6 Truths about Power

221 : Building your People Program w/ HR Consultant Dana Goodwin

 

Visit our sponsors!

Interested in consulting or coaching? Reach out! chris@keystotheshop.com

 

Visit our awesome Sponsors! 

Elevated batch brew and so much more!

Ground Control Cyclops Brewer

 

The best espresso machines in the world!

www.lamarzoccousa.com

 

 

Oct 19, 2021

Few things are as essential to the global barista community as Barista Magazine. For 16 years they have been "Serving people Serving Coffee"  and advancing the knowledge, craft, and profession of the barista with every issue. Barista Magazine gives a platform and voice to the vibrant and amazing people who make amazing coffee and today we get to talk with the founders, Sarah Allen and Kenneth Olsen, All about how it started, grew, and their perspectives on the growth of the industry they have been faithfully reflecting all these years.  

Sarah Allen, the editor-in-chief and co-founder of Barista Magazine, has been a driving force in the international barista movement from its outset, writing thoughtfully and compellingly about the barista craft, as well as contributing numerous stories on the subculture of baristas to multiple magazines and newspapers.

Sarah has worked in a variety of editorial positions in her 20 years of professional publishing experience, as a staff writer for The Oakland Tribune in the San Francisco Bay Area; as a staff writer for The Oregonian newspaper in Portland, Ore.; as a freelance writer for such publications as WebMD, The Los Angeles Times Magazine, and The Hollywood Reporter; and as the Editor of Fresh Cup Magazine.

She holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore., and a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of California in Davis, California.

Publisher Kenneth R. Olson has more than two decades of experience working as a writer and editor for both mainstream and specialty coffee publications. Kenneth’s work has appeared in a number of publications, including academic journals, Oregon Humanities, and The New York Times.

Kenneth holds a Master’s degree in Communications from the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and a Bachelor’s degree in History and Communications from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington.

I am old enough to remember when Barista magazine first came out only 6 years into my own career in coffee and what an impact it made. I have known Sarah and Ken for a good portion of that time and so getting to interview them here on this show feels truly magical. 

I hope you enjoy this conversation!

We cover:

  • Beginning at the perfect time
  • Creating and curating the first issue
  • Highlighting baristas and connecting the community
  • Listening as essential to serving well
  • Providing tools, education and lifting up the barista
  • Accessibility of information
  • Global spread of barista culture
  • Rise of barista in producing countries
  • Providing clear learning pathways 
  • Why there is no “right” answer
  • How owners can meet barista's needs right now

Links:

www.baristamagazine.com

Instagram @baristamagazine

 

Related Episodes:

306 : A Conversation w/ 2004 U.S. Barista Champion, Bronwen Serna!

305 : Founder Friday! w/ Andrew Sinclair of MadLab Coffee, Los Angeles, CA

294 : At Origin Roasting Revolution w/ Luis Fernando, founder of Amor Perfecto!

252 : Founder Friday w/ Klaus Thompson of the Coffee Collective, Denmark

 

Visit our amazing Sponsors!

www.prima-coffee.com/keys

www.pacficfoodservice.com

www.coffeefest.com

 

 

Oct 14, 2021

This question gets brought up often when people are discussing their plans to open a coffee shop. The answer, as you might expect, is not as easy as saying yes or no. Ultimately we need to explore what is behind the question. Why is it being asked and how can you answer it for yourself. 

Today on Shift break I will be giving you my perspective on this question in hopes that it encourages you to pursue the best paths of preparation for the coffee journey ahead. 

Related episodes:

283 : 5 Bad Reasons to Open a Coffee Shop

269 : What to Focus on after you Launch

258 : Prioritizing your Mental Health in the New Year w/ Dr. Lara Pence

253 : Mindsets that Sabotage Success

 

Interested in consulting or coaching? Reach out! chris@keystotheshop.com

 

Visit our awesome Sponsors! 

Elevated batch brew and so much more!

Ground Control Cyclops Brewer

 

The best espresso machines in the world!

www.lamarzoccousa.com

 

 

 

 

Oct 12, 2021

Italian coffee has shaped how the world understands coffee and cafe culture. These days there is a movement to take the traditional Italian way of of getting a coffee and elevate the quality and the experience making it a truly specialty coffee experience. At the heart of that movement is Aroma Caffe todays guest, Alessandro Galtieri. 

Alessandro has owned and operated Aroma Caffe since 1994 and has been a coffee professional since 1991. As he ran the cafe he began to shift it into a beacon of progressive specialty coffee amidst the traditional coffee culture landscape of his city of Bologna, Italy. 

Alessandro is the 2018 and 2019 Italian Brews Cup Champion and 3rd place finisher in the 2019 World Brewers Cup. He has published several books/ manuals on professional barista work and training, is a certified SCA trainer, and is tirelessly working to serve his customers the best quality and to make them happy through coffee. 

In today's conversation we will be covering his beginnings in coffee, becoming an owner, the challenge of shifting to specialty, and his vision for the future of Italian coffee culture.

We cover:

  • Learning under older traditional Italian baristas
  • The road to owning his own bar
  • Changing the business model to specialty coffee
  • Training and educating both baristas and customers
  • Experiencing resistance  to new ways from traditionalists
  • What makes Italian coffee culture? 
  • What is the future of Italian coffee culture
  • The most important behaviors of a barista
  • How loving our coffee helps its sustainability
  • Constance and temperance 

Links:

Aroma Caffe on Instagram @aromacoffeelove

Website: https://www.ilpiaceredelcaffe.it

Alessandro's Brewers Cup Routine

 

Related episodes:

198 : The Evolution of the Coffee Shop w/ Prof. Jonathan Morris

205 : Inside Caffe Florian, the World’s Oldest Coffee Shop ! | Venice, Italy

019 : 10 Reasons to Love the Customer w/ Chris Deferio

299 : 5 Rules for a Successful Coffee shop

Blog: The Customer of Tomorrow

Visit our amazing Sponsors!

www.prima-coffee.com/keys

www.pacficfoodservice.com

www.coffeefest.com

 

 

Oct 8, 2021

How coffee is processed after harvest has an incredible impact on the final quality in the cup. Today we have the luxury of choosing form  a wide variety of processing techniques. Whether you are a roaster or a farmer, understanding what these methods contribute to the coffee as well as their impact on the environment, and the industry is critical. 

On this episode of RoR from Roast Magazine, we will be discussing post-harvest processing methods from a scientific, philosophical, and practical perspective with guests, Siva Subramanian and Byron Holcomb of Olam Food Ingredients.

 Siva Subramanian is Vice President & Head of coffee Innovation, Olam Food Ingredients (OFI).  He has 27 years of extensive experience in the food industry working in multiple countries including India, Singapore, and the United States.  Prior to joining OFI, Siva worked with Hindustan Unilever at the Global R&D center in Bangalore, India Siva holds degrees in Chemistry, Chemical Technology & Food Technology from the University of Mumbai, India.  Currently, Siva is leading a team engaged in creating new processing techniques to enhance the aroma, flavor, and taste of coffee & creating novel food ingredients.

Byron Holcomb is the Specialty Coffee Manager, Olam Food Ingredients (OFI. Byron likes to say he is a strong generalist in coffee but not an expert at any one part of coffee. In 2009 he competed as a barista with coffee from his own farm in the Dominican Republic.  He was a coffee buyer for Dallis Bros Coffee in NYC for a few years before moving to Brazil to manage a couple farms in Sul de Minas. There he tried to bring better post-harvest management to the operation. At least one of the farms made it into CoE the 5 years he was there. Recently he received the QP3 certification. For the last few years he is based in Guatemala City supporting the Specialty business in Olam/ofi. 

We cover:

  • How processing has evolved
  • What happens in the washed, natural, and honey process
  • The illusion of sweetness
  • Role of stress, microorganisms, acids, metabolites, and sugars
  • Mechanical harvesting impact on flavor
  • Why honey process is not ideal
  • How much does processing contribute to the bean’s true terroir? 
  • What methods are most scalable and sustainable?
  • How roasters can make mindful selections to support farmers and serve customers well 
  • Experimental processing, quality, and marketing
  • Pendulum of experimentation

Links:

www.olamspecialtycoffee.com

www.asic-cafe.org

 

Subscribe to Roast Magazine!

www.roastmagazine.com

 

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

Oct 7, 2021

It seems like we as an industry want two conflicting things. On the one hand we want baristas to create excellent drinks and to come to work with the mentality that they will not just be on autopilot and phone it in. On the other hand, we have a tendency to believe that the right configuration of recipes and equipment will solve the problem. 

Today on Shift Break we will be discussing why machines and recipes cannot replace people in providing the kind of quality we seek, and how, ultimately, we need to take ownership over creating  the environments where quality can achieved. 

Related episodes:

298 : A Trophy, or Atrophy?

296: Holistic Barista Training w/ David Castillo of Go Get Em Tiger , Los Angeles

025 : Mastering the Art of Training w/ Dave Stachowiak : Coaching, Leadership, education , and how to communicate your coffee and barista knowledge so it sticks

248 : The 5 Elements of Resourcing your Team

 

Interested in Consulting? Reach out! Chris@keystotheshop.com

 

Visit our awesome Sponsors! 

Elevated batch brew and so much more!

Ground Control Cyclops Brewer

 

The best espresso machines in the world!

www.lamarzoccousa.com

 

Oct 4, 2021

Our coffee shops are the sum total of many different small and large things. When business gets going it can be easy for some of the simpler and more nuanced elements of running a coffee bar to fall by the wayside. The impact these have over time can be and is felt by both your staff and your customers. 

Today you and I will be covering ten ways you can upgrade how your employees and patrons experience your cafe. These will be practical/physical changes as well as mindset shifts. As you listen, I would challenge you to select one or two of these and really create an initiative to implement them in your shop long term. As you go through the whole list I believe you (and everyone else)will see some remarkable changes.

We cover:

  • Bathrooms
  • Bar cleaning
  • Condiments
  • Seating area
  • Aromas in the shop
  • Service standards
  • Prioritizing feedback
  • Upgrading and maintaining
  • Focusing on your work

Related Episodes:

057 : SOP’s FTW! Success through Standard Operating Procedures

Spiders

299 : 5 Rules for a Successful Coffee shop

128 : Terry’s Top 10 w/ Terry Ziniewicz : Best practices for how not to kill your espresso machine

253 : Mindsets that Sabotage Success

Fix the Small Stuff! : Management, Morale, Coffee Bar Culture

 

Visit our amazing Sponsors!

www.prima-coffee.com/keys

www.pacficfoodservice.com

www.coffeefest.com

 

 

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