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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: May, 2022
May 31, 2022

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

 

 

 

May 26, 2022

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

 

 

May 26, 2022

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:

 

Visit our amazing Sponsors!

www.groundcontrol.coffee

www.pacficfoodservice.com

May 26, 2022

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: chris@keystotheshop.com

May 26, 2022

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: chris@keystotheshop.com

May 26, 2022

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: chris@keystotheshop.com

May 26, 2022

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. 

 

May 20, 2022

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

 

 

May 20, 2022

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: chris@keystotheshop.com

May 20, 2022

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: chris@keystotheshop.com

May 20, 2022

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: chris@keystotheshop.com

May 20, 2022

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:

 

Consulting and coaching: chris@keystotheshop.com

May 19, 2022

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

 

May 16, 2022

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

 

 

May 13, 2022

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.keystotheshop.com

Consulting and coaching: chris@keystotheshop.com

May 13, 2022

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.keystotheshop.com

Consulting and coaching: chris@keystotheshop.com

 

May 13, 2022

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:

 

www.keystotheshop.com

Consulting and coaching: chris@keystotheshop.com

 

 

May 12, 2022

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

 

May 10, 2022

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

 

May 5, 2022

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

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Custom branded mobile apps for your shop!

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May 3, 2022

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!

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www.pacficfoodservice.com

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