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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: 2022
Jan 29, 2022

Navigating our way through the coffee industry can be a daunting task. Especially if you want to make a difference. As you go you are confronted with many challenges that threaten your stability and test both your resolve and faith in the reasons you began the journey in the first place. Through it all though, there is a kind of wisdom, strength, and perspective that you gain if you use your experiences, good or bad, as opportunities to refine yourself, what you do, and why you do it. 

Today we are going to be talking with the co-founder of Metric Coffee in Chicago. Xavier is someone who has had all these experiences and more working in the heart of the specialty coffee world since the early 2000's as a barista, roaster and roasting manager, and now for the last 8 years founding and running his own roastery and cafe space along with business partner, Darko Arandjelovic. 

Metric Coffee was born from a common desire of both founders to create a better way for themselves and for those producers they represent as roasters. A Good Food Award winning company, Metric definitely roasts and sources excellent coffees, but the relationships and commitment they develop along the way with producers is a hallmark of what makes Metric truly special. 

In today's conversation we are going to hear Xavier detail his own beginnings in coffee, growing in skill but also restlessness, developing resiliency through personal and professional trials, and of course the values, mission, and motivations behind starting Metric Coffee.

This conversation gets deep and hopefully speaks to your heart and mind and gets you to see the world around you and your business in a clearer light. 

We cover:

  • Developing values early in life 
  • Learning as a roaster
  • The catalyst fo beginning Metric
  • Revelations via relationships
  • Using your position to build solutions
  • Developing resiliency through hardships
  • Personal responsibility and not blaming others
  • Why it’s not a race
  • Iterating the mission
  • Long term relationships 
  • Intuition and who to work with
  • Inspiration to pay it forward through business
  • Having a serving heart
  • Representing the coffee well in a cafe
  • Resourcing staff
  • Defining success 

Related Episodes: 

Sustainability Series #2 : Importing & Roasting

060 : Serving the Coffee Plant w/ Hanna Neuschwander, World Coffee Research

265 : Gaining Clarity on Transparency w/ Jonas Lorenz of The Pledge

020 Joe Marrocco : Transparency, Origin Knowledge,and Your Shop : How to approach and apply coffee origin information to enhance, not detract, from the cafe experience

288 : The Truth behind Cheap Coffee w/ Karl Weinhold

 

Visit our amazing Sponsors!

www.prima-coffee.com/keys

www.pacficfoodservice.com

www.coffeefest.com

 

 

 

Jan 28, 2022

Today we get to talk with a pillar and foundational member of the specialty coffee community, Phuong Tran of Lava Java

For 20 years now Phuong Tran has been the owner/operator of the famed coffee shop, Lava Java in Ridgefield Washington. There she discovered a passion for coffee that led her to not only craft the shop into a beacon of hight standards in the beginning of the 3rd wave of coffee, but she also became inspired to begin competing to in barista competitions as a way to improve. She won the U.S. title in 2005 and amidst the notoriety of the win simply continued to run a great cafe and teach coffee to her staff and through the SCA. 

I am lucky to consider Phuong a friend who I have known since back in 2006 or so. I have been inspired by her consistency, focus, values, and the simplicity with which she runs her shop and crafts her life. 

Today we get to explore her story from buying a business, discovering specialty coffee, and taking on new challenges - to competition, teaching, and advice to other owners from her extensive experience. 

I hope you really enjoy this one!

We cover: 

  • Beginning coffee as an owner 
  • Buying an existing shop
  • Learning the industry and taking on challenges
  • Changing and refining things at the shop
  • Establishing standards and finding specialty coffee
  • Motivation for Competition  
  • Winning the U.S. Title
  • Scaling to a 2nd location
  • Choosing simplicity
  • Self care and balance 

 

Links:

www.lava-java.com

 

Recommended Episodes:

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

Founder Friday! w/ Adam Obrátil of Industra Coffee, Brno, Czech Republic

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

232 : Founder Friday w/ Blew Kind of Fanny Lou’s Porch

 

Visit our awesome sponsors!

Ground Control : Revolutionary Batch Brew Coffee!

www.groundcontrol.coffee

 

The Barista Series: Best Plant Based Beverages on Earth!

www.pacificfoodservice.com

 

Jan 27, 2022

As we set out in our coffee journeys as either entrepreneurs or professionals within a company, we tend to seek out and cultivate groups of people around us who offer affirmation almost exclusively. Not matter what we are doing, the mindset we have and therefore the mindset we want other to have is to only offer positive and encouraging words. Trouble is that sometimes those words can cover up real needs that should be explored which makes some encouragement irresponsible. 

In today's Shift Break we are going to talk about this personal echo chamber and the need to pursue reality in the face of our own and others misguided desires to keep us far from it. 

Related episodes:

 

Visit our Sponsors!!!

Custom branded mobile apps for your shop!

www.espressly.co

 

The best espresso machines in the world!

www.lamarzoccousa.com

 

Jan 26, 2022

The smell of coffee is one of the great joys in this life. As professionals we take this important sensory aspect of coffee and build tools and protocols around it so we can fully and accurately assess a coffee's quality and ultimately serve something consistently wonderful to our customers. In order to do this we need to bring balance, calibration, and objectivity to the personal tastes and experiences we all bring to the cupping table. 

Today we on the Rate of Rise series from Roast Magazine we will be diving into this subject of scent and calibration with the author of the Jan/Feb 2022 Roast Magazine article "Exploring Scent", Sandra Elisa Loofbourow!

Sandra is the Director of Coffee Content for The Crown, a certified Q Grader and Assistant Instructor, and a Q Processing Generalist. She brings with her a depth of experience as a roaster, green buyer, and barista. Sandra is co-host of the bilingual podcast Cafetera Intelectual and chair of the Good Food Awards Coffee Committee.

In this conversation we cover:

  • Journey of honing her own sensory skills
  • The role of scent 
  • Passion guiding sensory pursuits 
  • Emotions and scent
  • Why this sense is underdeveloped
  • Consensus and price discovery
  • Bringing objectivity to personal experience 
  • How big does your circle of calibration need to be
  • How we are always calibrating
  • Le Nez Du Cafe
  • Having clear goals
  • First steps and resources to improve your sense of smell

Links:

https://royalcoffee.com/the-crown/

https://www.cafeteraintelectual.com

 

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

 

Jan 23, 2022

Everyone's favorite coffee culture commentator and meme lord, Alan Jarrar is in the house! If you are like me and follow the account "50%Arabica" on Instagram, you know full well that there is more to the funny content than what you see on the surface. There is a world of professional coffee experience and philosophy that fuels not just the great memes at 50%Arabica but now the great coffee being roasted by Alan and his partner Kalliope at Jokes Aside Coffee. 

Alan has been in coffee for the last ten years honing his craft as a coffee professional at various coffee bars and roasters in the Czech Republic where he has lead the bar, trained, managed, and roasted at a high level. 

He is a past competitor and is currently running Jokes Aside Coffee Roasters with his Partner, Kalliope who also owns Faine Coffee in Brno. 

After a successful first year, Alan and Kalli are in the midst of planning to open a new espresso bar in their home of Brno along with a production facility. 

In our conversation today we will get to hear how Alan found coffee, developed as a barista, then roaster, competitor, and eventually business owner and an influential voice in the industry. Many different subjects and ideas are covered here as we get under the surface of what it means to have a thriving career in coffee and to have a sense of humor along the way.  

We cover:

  • History of coffee in Brno
  • Alan’s entry in to coffee
  • Early impressions of coffee
  • Becoming a professional 
  • Learning to roast
  • Experience in competition vs real cafe work
  • Change of perception of the industry
  • Starting 50%arabica
  • Memes exposing the truth
  • Humor as a tool for openness and self care
  • Customer sophistication
  • Memes overcome our barriers to feedback
  • Starting Jokes Aside Coffee 
  • Lessons in being a business owner
  • Plans for the future
  • Advice for a great coffee career

 

Links: 

www.jokesasidecoffee.eu

@50%Arabica on Instagram

@JokesAsideCoffee on Instagram

 

Related episodes:

071: Taking a European Coffee Trip w/ Ales Pospisil

119 : Barista Training Masterclass w/ 2009 WBC Champion, Gwilym Davies

Founder Friday! w/ Adam Obrátil of Industra Coffee, Brno, Czech Republic

031 : Essential Advice for New Baristas : Tips to help you successfully navigate and thrive in your new coffee career

 

Visit our amazing Sponsors!

www.prima-coffee.com/keys

www.pacficfoodservice.com

www.coffeefest.com

 

Jan 20, 2022

We have to get the shop closed! Fast! Question is, at what cost? For most of us we engage in pre-close with an aggression that lies our stated commitment to hospitality. Customers are frequently put off by how we go about re-closing and we a frequently behind the eight ball with unrealistic expectation fueling our aggressive attitudes towards it. 

Pre-closing is crucial part of the day's work that can be done in a way that benefits the cafe the staff, and still allows for customers to enjoy their experience in the cafe when it is open. 

Today will be talking about pre-closing and principles related to doing it well. 

 

Related Episodes:

098 : Loving the Closing Shift : Problems, solutions, and philosophy on work

243 : Encore Episode! “The Sleepwalking Barista (Owner)”

259 : Solving Toxic Customer Service Culture

Blog: Spiders and Customer Service

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

 

Visit our Sponsors!!!

Custom branded mobile apps for your shop!

www.espressly.co

 

The best espresso machines in the world!

www.lamarzoccousa.com

 

Jan 18, 2022

When you have a trainer on staff there are specific responsibilities you have as a leader that will determine their success and how happy you are with their performance. Often we can set someone in a position and let them loose with little to no guidance. Of course this is a recipe for disaster and today we are going to be talking about how to provide structure for trainers hat you lead and also we will be talking to trainers about proper focus and mindsets going into the role.

When bosses come along side trainers and give structure, guidance, and leadership everyone has a better chance for satisfying work. 

We cover:

  • Job descriptions
  • Admin time
  • Focus on basics
  • Commissioning and following through on projects
  • Due dates and clarity
  • Getting lost in esoteric coffee knowledge

Related episodes:

248 : The 5 Elements of Resourcing your Team

261 : The Basics of Managing Managers

313 : Coffee Education and Training w/ Michael Phillips of Blue Bottle Coffee

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

 

Visit our amazing Sponsors!

www.prima-coffee.com/keys

www.pacficfoodservice.com

www.coffeefest.com

 

Jan 13, 2022

Customers have opinions that we disagree with. This is a forever truth of running a business. They have preferences and sometimes they will be disappointed in their experience and take to Yelp to voice their opinion. That can be very frustrating, especially if you feel you are doing everything "right". 

The temptation is to be defensive, fight, and essentially make the reviewer the enemy. Problem is that this approach, as cathartic as it may seem, shows insecurity and shuts down opportunity for growth and connection. 

Today on Shift Break we will be talking about how to adjust our perspective on critique and embrace the fact that we are here to serve the customer before ourselves. 

 

Related Episodes:

151 : How to Respond and React to Negative Feedback : 5 Step Process

165 : The Art of Deep Listening w/ Oscar Trimboli

307 : 10 Simple ways to Level Up your Coffee Shop

196 : Understanding Customer Preferences w/ Peter Giuliano

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

 

Visit our Sponsors!!!

Custom branded mobile apps for your shop!

www.espressly.co

 

The best espresso machines in the world!

www.lamarzoccousa.com

 

Jan 12, 2022

Community exists all around us. When we start a coffee shop we see the blossoming of community in our customer base, baristas bonding with one another, and then across the industry people of similar interests who are desirous to learn, grow, and connect make an effort to establish friendships. One of the ways these communities thrive is when people step up and organize. 

Today on Keys to the Shop we are going to re-listen to a great episode with Javier Alvarez and Joseph Gonzalez of Espresso State of Mind in NYC. They have been tirelessly and selflessly organizing throw downs, events, fundraisers, and all manner of efforts to enrich their community. This episode was recorded pre-COVID and from where I sit, having continued to see and interact with them, they have continued this effort even in spite of a global pandemic. 

We get to learn from Javier and Joseph the history of ESOM, the steps of faith required, planning, best practices for organizing, and their philosophy on community. 

I love these guys and hope that if you are wanting to organize your community that you will be equipped and encouraged by this encore episode!

Links:

https://espressostateofmind.com

 

Related Episodes:

How to host a Throwdown w/ Justin Shepard

Founder Friday w/ Jason Card

Mastering Latte Art: Interviews w/ the Best 

 

Visit our amazing Sponsors!

www.prima-coffee.com/keys

www.pacficfoodservice.com

www.coffeefest.com

 

 

Jan 6, 2022

Hiring baristas can bring a lot of uncertainty. It is because of this we tend to go for people who may not make great leaders but default to following. Problems come when it is time to appoint a manager or have people take on. more responsibility and you don't have any candidates that are right for the role. 

On today's Shift Break we will be talking about how we should be hiring for future leadership and why it makes sense for your coffee shop.

Related Episodes:

301 : Hiring and Training for Excellence

291 : What to do if Your Baristas Wont Listen to You

278 : Making great Hiring Decisions

018: Hiring, Culture, and the Future of your Shop

013 : Leadership & Management Master Class w/ Eva Attia : Leadership | management | hiring | career

314 : The 6 Essential Qualities of Coffee Shop Leaders

232 : Rebuilding your Staff with Excellence w/ Dave Stachowiak

Visit our Sponsors!!!

Custom branded mobile apps for your shop!

www.espressly.co

 

The best espresso machines in the world!

www.lamarzoccousa.com

 

Jan 5, 2022

Welp, KTTS is now 5 years old! In this time KTTS has aired 560 episodes and is closing in on 2 million downloads around the world and it simply feels surreal. I have been so blessed by the guests on this show, you the audience, and most of all, my biggest supporter, my wife. 

SO...on this episode my lovely wife Lynnsy takes to the microphone again to interview me about the journey over the past 5 years as well as getting to know a bit more about me and some of the things that make me tick. She has seen this thing take shape closer than anyone and it was really fun to get to talk with her about all of this.

Thanks, babe. You're the best. 

You guys are cool too. 

 

We cover:

  • How and why KTTS was started
  • What I have learned
  • How I've changed as a person
  • Favorite/most surprising episode
  • Tenacity and overcoming hardships
  • Dealing with fear and taking risks
  • The importance of story and discovery
  • Why my wife is awesome

Vote Keys to the Shop for best Coffee Podcast!

https://sprudge.com/vote

 

Related Episodes:

Bonus Valentine's Day Episode aka "My wife made me do it"

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

081 : Founder Friday w/ David Schomer of Espresso Vivace

315 : Growing and Connecting w/ Stephen Zinnerman of The Coffee Enthusiast!

242 : A Conversation with James Hoffmann

 

Visit our amazing Sponsors!

www.prima-coffee.com/keys

www.pacficfoodservice.com

www.coffeefest.com

 

 

 

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