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
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!
The best espresso machines in the world!
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:
Links:
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!
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!
The best espresso machines in the world!
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:
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!
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:
Links:
Subscribe to Roast Magazine!
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
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:
296: Holistic Barista Training w/ David Castillo of Go Get Em Tiger , Los Angeles
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!
The best espresso machines in the world!
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:
Related Episodes:
057 : SOP’s FTW! Success through Standard Operating Procedures
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!
The question of who to promote to available positions is one that coffee shop operators wrestle with a lot. As with any hiring decision, we can make great choices based on solid reasons or we can make a choice we will regret later that was based on shaky reasoning. One of those not so great reasons to promote someone is that they are "next in line"
Today on Shift Break we will explore the idea of "next in line" promotion, why it may not be a great idea, and what to do to make the best decision for your baristas, the customers, and the cafe.
Related episodes:
172 : Why Tracking Performance is a Must!
Blog: Good Communication is “For Here”
232 : Rebuilding your Staff with Excellence w/ Dave Stachowiak
301 : Hiring and Training for Excellence
278 : Making great Hiring Decisions
Visit our awesome Sponsors!
Elevated batch brew and so much more!
The best espresso machines in the world!
Today we get to chat with 2004 U.S. Barista Champion and legend, Bronwen Serna! Bronwen has been a practicing Coffee Professional since 2000, a Professional Barista, Roaster, and Barista Trainer, a Certified Instructor and Assessor with the Specialty Coffee Association. Her love of coffee precedes her experience, where she manages to frequent many coffeehouses all over the world and became a Barista after having drunk many cups of coffee and inspired by a trip to Italy.
What has driven her all these years has been her love coffee and people. Bronwen is currently working with Counter Culture Coffee in LA, as she continues to build excitement and knowledge for clients and coffee professionals in the Specialty Coffee scene.
This is quite a special episode. I have known Bronwen since the early 2000s. Having both grown into our careers during the same era of specialty coffee and in the same professional barista community I have witnessed first hand Bronwen’s dynamic and inspiring impact in the industry and it is a tru privilege to welcome her to the podcast to share her story and wisdom with the KTTS audience!
In our conversation today we will be exploring Bronwen’s early years in coffee, and by default the early years of the 3rd wave that she was helping to shape. We talk about training, education, hospitality, business models, and how all these things have developed and what she believes are the timeless truths that contribute to a thriving community and career in coffee.
I hope you enjoy this episode and that it helps you mindfully pursue building a great future coffee history with what you presently set your hand to.
We cover:
Links:
Visit our amazing Sponsors!
Boy do we have a Founder Friday for you! Today we get to talk with the founder of MadLab Coffee in L.A., Andrew Sinclair.
Andrew has been in coffee for over a decade going from an enthusiast to barista, head barista, manager, then owner and operator all before he started MadLab in 2015.
Mad Lab’s mission is to love people a whole lot more, instead of a whole lot less and to push everyone that encounters our coffee, to be the person they needed when they were younger. These mantras are the compass for how they present themselves and practice business with their everyday customers and thier partners that become our friends and family.
In today’s conversation we will be exploring Andrew’s unique path into the coffee world and the peaks and valleys that mad him and his company what they are today.
This is one of the most encouraging, passionate, and genuine interviews to date and serves as a real dose of inspiration to put integrity and people at the center of all we do.
We cover:
Links:
Related Episodes:
045 : Simple, Powerful Hospitality w/ Philip Turner
232 : Founder Friday w/ Blew Kind of Fanny Lou’s Porch
129 : Founder Friday w/ Casey & Jeremy Miller of The Mudhouse, St. Louis, MO
075 : Founder Friday w/Jill Killen of Cloud City Coffee, Seattle Washington
107 : Kyle Glanville & Charles Babinski of G&B Coffee and Go Get em Tiger
Visit our amazing Sponsors!
Looking out into the world of specialty coffee and the sheer number of complex problems both locally and globally that need to be addressed, it is easy to get overwhelmed. The question of, How can I make a difference? Is often left unanswered because the opportunities for contribution seem too small. Or we try to answer the question in with unsustainable efforts that fizzle out and make us worry of trying again.
Today on Shift Break we will be talking about how small steps toward a goal can bring about massive change and bring consistency to how we walk out our values in our daily business for the benefit of all our staff, customers, and the greater community.
Related Episodes:
Sustainability Series #1 : The Farm
Sustainability Series #2 : Importing & Roasting
Sustainability Series #3 : The Cafe
Sustainability Series #4 : Consumer
Visit our awesome Sponsors!
Elevated batch brew and so much more!
The best espresso machines in the world!
Consumers. What we assume to be the end of the value chain in coffee, may in fact be the the beginning. In reality, as we will learn today, coffee is more a circle than a straight line, and in many ways it begins and ends with the consumer.
How we serve, market to, and communicate with the consumer, literally shapes the industry through curating the demand that we then supply.
The question for all of us who have influence in creating the expectations, and therefore the demands and behaviors of consumers, is, how do we build guide them to options and habits that create long term sustainability?
With the help of some of the most incredible and influential people we dive deep into the world of the consumer to discover what makes them tick, what part we play, what makes sustainability movements sticky, how to create a narrative and supply options that encourage mass change through local effort, how farmers are creating direct to consumer models, and where we can start in our own businesses to create sustainable change.
As we end the series on this episode I hope you take these ideas and find a way to start applying them as soon as possible. The road to sustainability is being built by many hands around the world working together for a common goal.
Let's make sure we join hands with them.
Our Guest for this episode include:
Guest Links:
Show Links:
Related Keys to the Shop Episodes:
Remember!
As we have explored all that has gone into the product of coffee and the many ways that sustainability can be achieved in farming, Importing, and Roasting. Now we come to the place where coffee's potentially is ultimately on display. The cafe.
Next to the farm, the cafe has been the focus of much of our sustainability efforts, and with good reason. The cafe is hands down the most wasteful link in the value chain in product, materials, energy, and even in potential as businesses often cannot sustain themselves longer than a few years.
In this episode we will be talking with some brilliant minds whose work and ideas have created seismic shifts in the way coffee shops can view and pursue sustainability in an accessible and effective ways.
As we talk about everything from shifting our mindsets, zero-waste initiatives, and energy saving innovations --to navigating social pressure, communicating values to customers/staff, and committing to small steps and building simple systems, I believe this episode will stoke your desire to start or continue your own shop's sustainability efforts.
Our Guest for this episode include:
Guest Links:
Show Links:
Related Keys to the Shop Episodes:
Remember!
Sustainability is a collaborative effort that relies on solid networks, relationships, and communication. This is mainly the responsibility of importers and roasters whose job it is to provide connection, accurate representation, and to realize the potential of the now harvested coffee and the farmers who grow it.
While providing these platforms to those they serve, importers and roasters must also look out for the stability and sustainability of their own businesses in order to make progress long-term.
In this episode we will be talking with some seriously inspiring importers and roasters to discuss their practices, perspectives, accomplishments on what it means to be holistically sustainable.
From commited importing relationships, balancing the needs of roasters and farmers, and exploring the roasters role in the value chain -- to roaster cooperatives, creating values based culture, and navigating supply challenges, there are some incredible points and actionable insights in these conversations.
I hope this inspires you to take consistent action, even in small ways, to add to the positive momentum!
Our Guest for this Episode include:
Guest Links:
Show Links:
Download the Free PDF Program Guide
Series Link:
Related Keys to the Shop Episodes:
Remember!
Visit www.biocaf.com for more resources on sustainability!
Visit www.keystotheshop.com for hundreds of episodes focused on helping you and your coffee business thrive!
Follow @keystotheshop on Instagram!
Welcome to the Sustainability Series from Biocaf and Keys to the Shop!
To kick off this series we will be exploring sustainability where all the potential of a coffee and the foundation of our industry is concentrated. The farm.
How we define and understand sustainability here creates a ripple effect that impacts every action we take along the value chain.
As we explore sustainability on the coffee farm we will be discussing everything from organic production, farmer cooperatives, and climate change - to legacy, genetic/crop diversity, and organic production. All of this with the aim to create clarity on the issues and highlight the movements currently making positive change that we can be inspired by, work along side of, and support in their big for sustainability on the farm.
Our Guest for this Episode include:
Guest Links:
Show Links:
Download the Free PDF Program Guide
Series Link:
Related Keys to the Shop Episodes:
Remember!
Visit www.biocaf.com for more resources on sustainability!
Visit www.keystotheshop.com for hundreds of episodes focused on helping you and your coffee business thrive!
Follow @keystotheshop on Instagram!
How do we gauge the markets our coffee shops serve? On top of being engaged in our own local ecosystems we must also pay attention to large scale trends as they influence the perception and habits of our customers. The SCA and NCA have recently teamed up to produce a robust, first of its kind report called, "The National Coffee Data Trends Break Out Report" that is free to the public and chock full of very useful and actionable information.
Today we will be discussing many of this reports findings and how they impact our shops with the SCA's Katie Von Der Lieth!
Katie von der Lieth is a Research Program Manager at the Specialty Coffee Association and Coffee Science Foundation, where she supports and grows the coffee research program. Prior to joining the SCA, Katie earned master’s degrees in International Agricultural Development and Agriculture Resource Economics from the University of California, Davis. She also helped design and teach an undergraduate course about coffee and has conducted small-scale coffee research projects in Brazil and Ecuador.
In this conversation we will cover:
Links:
Related Episodes:
Visit our amazing Sponsors!
Exciting news! On Wednesday, September 22nd, Keys to the Shop along with Biocaf, will be releasing a 4 part narrative series focused on exploring sustainability all along the value chain.
Throughout the series will be talking to 20 of the most inspiring farmers, roasters, managers, importers, thinkers, and academics to both understand what real sustainability looks like, and how their ideas and work is making an impact.
We will be focused on:
Through this journey of arranging, conducting, compiling, and editing these interviews into their final form, this much is clear - This is just the tip of the iceberg.
I hope that what you hear is surprising, encouraging, educational, and ultimately inspires you to dive deeper yourself into how you and your company can continue to pursue and refine what it means to be a sustainable specialty coffee industry.
You can download a PDF program guide that highlights all of the guests that are featured on the series.
A huge and humble thank you to my friends Jesse Hartman of The Coffee Podcast and Kojin Tashiro for their priceless help on the storyboarding and editing respectively.
This series will be release in total on Wednesday the 22nd at 12am EST
Visit Biocaf for more valuable content on sustainability and be sure to tune in on Wednesday the 22nd for the Keys to the Shop Sustainability Series!
Baristas are obsessed with it! The question we have to ask is, why?Most of us don't need to get people interested in latte art. In fact many of you probably wish your baristas would focus on other things. Contrary to what we might assume, baristas that gravitate toward latte art are not trying to avoid work so much as they are compelled by what latte art offers.
Today we will be talking a little about why, if we want staff to engage holistically with the cafe, we will make all work like latte art.
Related episodes:
248 : The 5 Elements of Resourcing your Team
172 : Why Tracking Performance is a Must!
162 : Discussing “Baristastainability” w/ Jenna Gotthelf of Counter Culture Coffee
047 : Mastering Latte Art : Some of the worlds best latte masters weigh in!
Visit our awesome Sponsors!
Elevated batch brew and so much more!
The best espresso machines in the world!
Ideally, the nature of your relationship with your wholesale customers is less like a transaction and more like a partnership. How do we approach caring for those who have decided to serve our coffee in a way that is true to our values, supports their success, and creates growing trust and mutuality? In this episode these questions and more are answers as we talk with the Partner Program manager for Cat and Cloud Coffee, Marc Gessler!
Marc has been in coffee now for 7 years. Born and raised in Santa Cruz, he began his career at Verve and after following the progress of Cat and Cloud he landed a job as a barista and quickly moved into working in the wholesale partnership program. Marc now leads this program that seeks to build authentic and values based relationships with all the people who partner with Cat and Cloud.
In this conversation we will talk a bit about Marc's own journey into coffee, then dive into the work he does in supporting all the Cat and Cloud wholesale partners on a day to day basis, how they manage challenges, and continue to improve their standards and communication.
I love the passion Marc brings that absolutely resonates with what I know about the whole team over there at Cat and Cloud. You are sure to gain some very valuable insight that you can apply to your wholesale department after listening to today's episode.
We cover:
Links:
Related Episodes:
246 : Selecting a Wholesale Coffee Provider
133 : 5 Keys to Successful Wholesale w/ Sarah Richmond
233 : A Conversation w/ Anthony Ragler, Black and White
235 : 4 Tips for Training your Staff
191 : Retraining your Staff on new Standards
Visit our amazing Sponsors!
If you want to do well in competition you have to study the rules. Without this you are flying blind and will probably get a less that stellar result for your effort. The same thing is true for your career.
Today on Shift Break we will be talking about the importance of learning the "rules" as it applies to your professional journey in coffee and why doing this will give you a much better chance of success.
Related episodes:
Visit our awesome Sponsors!
Elevated batch brew and so much more!
The best espresso machines in the world!
There is a lot of information available to us through our POS systems that show us the numbers behind the business. Owners and managers read these numbers to get a sense of not only how the business is doing, but also to get an idea of where it needs to go and what decisions need to be made to make that happen. So it is quite important that we have a sensible way to approach and use the data so the conclusions we come to and actions we take benefit the business long term.
Today I am so pleased to be talking with Mark Calhoun and Jim Strarcev of PerfectCube!
After they sold their financial technology business to Charles Schwab, Mark and Jim pivoted to the retail space by opening a gelato shop. They ultimately wanted to learn the retail business so they could create a better software solution for mom-and-pop stores and small franchises.
The result is PerfectCube, an online platform that allows small retailers to easily track their performance and even forecast the near future. In the space of a few minutes, users can get a read on sales, inventory levels and other important metrics. PerfectCube can assess what hours of the day have the highest sales and which individual products sold fastest, not just today, but last week, last month and last year.
Mark and Jim give a great work shop at Coffee Fest trade shows called -Real Number in Your Cafe- and today they are going to be discussing with us their path to retail, approach to the numbers, and how owners and operators should be managing the metrics to make the best choices for how they run their cafes.
We cover:
Links:
Related episodes:
009 : How to Approach Data and Metrics w/ Simon Ouderkirk
170 : Why your Inventory Counts w/ Albert Amar and Pierre-Francois Rio of SwiftCount
172 : Why Tracking Performance is a Must!
184 : Making Great Business Decisions w/ Dave Stachowiak
Visit our amazing Sponsors!
If your shop does not have specific standards for the products your serve and the way you serve them, then you are leaving a lot of the success of your coffee shop up to chance. Question is, how do you go about setting standards? Where do the parameters come from?
In today's Shift Break we will be discussing an equation for how to set up the basics of your cafe's quality standards in a fashion that is informed, practical, and flexible.
Related Episodes:
Visit our awesome Sponsors!
Elevated batch brew and so much more!
The best espresso machines in the world!
These are the two most important and intensive processes in the cafe yet they often are the most rush and poorly thought through. The preparations we make and the actions we take when hiring and training staff will and does create a ripple effect that is felt by everyone who interacts with your business for years to come.
Maybe more than ever, a proper focus on hiring and training with excellence is the key to creating resilience and sustainability in our coffee shops. Strong investment in the beginning helps alleviate issues down the road.
Today we will be going through a detailed presentation I delivered at Coffee Fest that dives into some very practical advice to equip you to bring on, and care for well, the right people for your coffee shop and customers.
We cover:
Related Episodes:
Visit our sponsors!
New York City is undoubtedly one of the coffee capitals of the world. With a seemingly endless number of options to choose from, it is hard to stand out and create something that makes people notice and even hard to keep their attention and patronage. Birch Coffee in NYC was founded with the intention to level up the hospitality and customer service one can expect in a coffee house and has been busy building and making this a reality since 2009. Today on Founder Friday we get to talk with the Co-Funder of Birch Coffee, Jeremy Lyman!
Jeremy Lyman is the co-founder of Birch Coffee, a New York City-based coffee company. Since its first store opened in 2009, the company has grown to become one of New York City's premiere and most loved independent coffee shop chains. With more than a dozen locations throughout the city, the focus of Birch is on customer service.
Service is something Jeremy believed was lacking in the Specialty Coffee industry and being that both he and his partner Paul are consumers first and worked in bars and restaurants for years before, they realized that this was what was necessary to stand out in the industry. In order to grow the company, he has overseen the development of not only a high level of service, but methods in which to hone and develop those skills amongst his teams.
Jeremy, Paul, and their team have also figured out creative ways to stand out. From eliminating wifi and introducing conversation starters to designing extraordinarily unique napkins, they have caught the eye of the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and Forbes who have paid specific attention to these differentiators.
In this conversation we will not only her the story of Birch Coffee’s founding and growth but we will also be hearing about Jeremy’s journey as an owner through the years as he owns up about hard lessons, values, the impact of vulnerability, and what we considers the most valuable thing owners can focus on at any stage of their cafes development.
I loved this talk and was greatly moved by Jeremy’s honesty and candor. I hope you enjoy this episode but more than that I hope it helps inspire you to new levels of personal and professional excellence.
Links:
Email: Jeremy@birchcoffee.com
Related episodes:
177 : Founder Friday w/ Jonathan Pascual of Taproom Coffee and Beer in Atlanta, Georgia
228 : Cracking the Leadership Code w/ Alain Hunkins
181 : Organizational Self-Knowledge
145: Founder Friday w/ Red Rooster Coffee Roasters co-founder, Haden Polseno-Hensley
Visit our sponsors!
At work there is unnecessary difficulty and then there is just…necessary difficulty. The trouble is that sometimes we can blur the line between the two and generally will default the thinking all difficulty is to be avoided or is a sign of something wrong with the system, ourselves, or the people we lead.
On this Shift Break I channel my inner old man (kinda) as we will be discussing the necessary difficulty of work and how to avoid blaming others, and why embracing hard work as a blessing and not a curse can change you and your business.
Interested in consulting services? Reach out to : Chris@keystotheshop.com
Listen to these episodes next:
Visit our awesome Sponsors!
Elevated batch brew and so much more!
The best espresso machines in the world!