Numbers tell a story, but not the whole story. Though the number of times someone purchases an item on your menu may indeed mean that they prefer it to other options, what data cannot tell us is whether or not customers who generate those numbers are truly enjoying what they receive or are they quietly tolerating it.
Today on Shift Break we will be talking about the need for cafes to fill in the details that numbers alone cannot and why our main focus should be to be connected to the customer experience in the real world of the shop over and above the digital record of their experience on a graph in the office.
If you are a cafe owner and want to work one on one with me to bring your shop to its next level and help bring you joy and freedom in the process then email chris@keystothshop.com of book a free call now:
https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min
Listen to related episodes:
Everything you need for back of the house operations https://rattleware.qualitybystainless.com/
The best and most revered espresso machines on the planet: www.lamarzoccousa.com
Yolima Taborda Rojas is the founder of Paisa Coffee and a native Colombian and daughter of coffee farmers. Her dream has always been to share the love she has for coffee with the world. I believe the best cup of coffee is achieved when both farmers and roasters work together to improve quality and add value.
Yolima was born and raised on Finca la Vega farm, which is currently one of Paisa's partner farms. At Paisa Coffee they have some of the most special coffees to offer to the world. Coming straight from origin gives Yolima the opportunity and honor to speak on behalf of her family and neighbor farmers to share with coffee roasters what they want to show and what they have to offer through long-standing relationships with coffee farmers in Colombia
We cover:
Links:
https://www.paisacoffee.net/about
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Each one of our shops tell many stories. The story of our own arrival as owners, the story of the coffee and the efforts it has taken to get to a finished product, the story of our community and customers and the parts they play in shaping their world and shop itself. A coffee shop is at once a reflection of the people and a light that guides us to the future. Today we are going to hear the story of one such shop, whose owners have had quite an adventure as writers of and participants in their coffee shop story.
Don Niemyer is the co-owner with his wife, Carissa, of Story Coffee Company in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Today you’ll hear how Don and his wife, along with their two daughters, moved into a 99 square foot Volkswagen Rialta and lived in it for 4 years, traveling the nation visiting coffee shops and getting insights and inspiration for their dream of opening something that would be compelling and elegant, yet simple and with minimal debt. In 2015 they built and opened a Tiny House Coffee shop where customers are served inside as opposed to only at a walk up window and to this day it’s the only one in the world that they are aware of.
Working with Robin Pasley of Pasley Commercial Interiors, they created a design that was named “Most Beautiful Coffee Shop in Colorado” by Architectural Digest Magazine and has been featured in books such as “101 Things to Do in Colorado Springs before you Die”.
Story Coffee has been featured in other national magazines such as Fresh Cup and Barista Magazine, and Don has written for Barista Magazine, detailing their adventures around the nation in a series called The Rialta Coffee Tour which is still available at BMAG online.
Don and Carissa are constantly chasing the idea and practice of simplicity, and today we’ll talk about how they work that principle into their business, and into their lives.
In this conversation we cover:
Enjoy!
Links:
https://www.storycoffeecompany.com/
https://www.facebook.com/storycoffeecompany/
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Thank you to our amazing sponsors!
Get the best brewer and tool for batch espresso, iced lattes, and 8 minute cold brew! www.groundcontrol.coffee
The world loves plant based beverages and baristas love the Barista Series! www.pacificfoodservice.com
Coffee shop owners, do you ever feel as though the entire world is on your shoulders and that one mistake will send the whole business crashing down? The pressures and expectations that cafe operators face drive many to pursue unrealistic standards for themselves and others, which tends to multiply mistakes vs the intended avoidance of them.
Today on Shift Break we will be talking about why it is ok that you, and other leaders in the shop make mistakes, and how the work of creating the complex and rewarding world of a coffee shop actually thrives on us embracing a pursuit that includes imperfections.
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grace
positive
If you are a cafe owner and want to work one on one with me to bring your shop to its next level and help bring you joy and freedom in the process then email chris@keystothshop.com of book a free call now:
https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min
Listen to related episodes:
Everything you need for back of the house operations https://rattleware.qualitybystainless.com/
The best and most revered espresso machines on the planet: www.lamarzoccousa.com
Today we will be talking about several essential tools that a manager needs to employ in their daily and weekly schedule to care for the cafe, the team, the business and, of course, themselves. Owners, it is your responsibility to make sure you are tangibly supporting and resourcing manangers with the time and tools they need. This is a start.
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Get the best brewer and tool for batch espresso, iced lattes, and 8 minute cold brew! www.groundcontrol.coffee
The world loves plant based beverages and baristas love the Barista Series! www.pacificfoodservice.com
One of the most critical parts of leadership in a cafe is how you invest in developing those you lead. Depending on how it is done, evaluating and assessing performance can either inspire and encourage, or it can deflate and discourage.
Today on Shift Break we will be talking about how to think about and conduct assessments through a values framework that recognizes both the technical and relational aspects that make up the job of barista.
If you are a cafe owner and want to work one on one with me to bring your shop to its next level and help bring you joy and freedom in the process then email chris@keystothshop.com of book a free call now:
https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min
Listen to related episodes:
Everything you need for back of the house operations https://rattleware.qualitybystainless.com/
The best and most revered espresso machines on the planet: www.lamarzoccousa.com
Learning to roast and hone one's skill in the craft is a difficult task. Add to that the pursuit of competition and leading an entire department of a to U.S. coffee business and you have yourself one very talented coffee professional.
Today I am thrilled to interview the new U.S. Roasting Champion, Eduardo Choza!
In our conversation we discuss Eduardo's journey on coffee, approach to roasting, the competition experience, how he leads and teaches, and the drive for representation in coffee that fuels his career.
Links:
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Get the best brewer and tool for batch espresso, iced lattes, and 8 minute cold brew! www.groundcontrol.coffee
The world loves plant based beverages and baristas love the Barista Series! www.pacificfoodservice.com
Too many times we confuse giving feedback with lecturing our staff which easily shuts down the person we were intending to communicate with. Feedback is critical to your culture but, As past guest and friend of the show,Tom Henschel has said, "Feedback is not a lecture, it is a conversation.
Today on Shift Break we will be breaking down this statement, what it means, and how to apply it in your cafe.
If you are a cafe owner and want to work one on one with me to bring your shop to its next level and help bring you joy and freedom in the process then email chris@keystothshop.com of book a free call now:
https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min
Listen to related episodes:
Everything you need for back of the house operations https://rattleware.qualitybystainless.com/
The best and most revered espresso machines on the planet: www.lamarzoccousa.com
Developing the wholesale arm of your coffee roasting company boils down to the value can you offer your potential customers. Beyond the coffee itself, your wholesale customer needs assistance in their own coffee journey and your company, specifically the reps, need to be able to be equipped to deliver that help. At the heart of what makes a wholesale program successful is relationships. Todays guest has been doing this now for 13 years and walks the talk of delivering value through services and relationships with wholesale coffee clients with one of the nations best roasters.
Honor Forte has been the Director of Wholesale at Olympia Coffee since 2011. He has worked as a Barista, Delivery Driver, and Trainer at Olympia Coffee, in addition to working in coffee on the East Coast from 2009 until 2011. He also serves as a Head Judge and Competition Committee member at the US Barista Competitions since 2013.
In our conversation we discuss how Honor developed as a coffee professional to focus on sales, what it took to get clients and grow partnerships long term, what makes a good sales rep, and what you need to know to take the next step in building your own wholesale program either from the ground up, or to the next level.
Links:
Olympia Coffee Roaster : https://www.instagram.com/olympiacoffee/
Honor Forte IG: https://www.instagram.com/honorforte/
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Thank you to our amazing sponsors!
Get the best brewer and tool for batch espresso, iced lattes, and 8 minute cold brew! www.groundcontrol.coffee
The world loves plant based beverages and baristas love the Barista Series! www.pacificfoodservice.com
Welcome to another episode in the live from Coffee Fest interview series!
This is a series of 4 conversations with presenters on the show floor at Coffee Fest NYC.
The topics range from how to connect with community, running a successful mobile coffee operation, getting your coffee into grocery stores, and how to approach roastery workflow and architecture.
Links:
Asia Bites Consulting" Sara Vettori
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Sponsor:
How many times have we fallen prey to assumptions about one another in the cafe that end up creating needless strife and hold back progress at maybe the most critical point in the supply chain? Answer, too many times to count. We create these characterizations and generalizations at our own peril and wonder why there is toxicity in the coffee shop.
Today on Shift Break we will be talking why this type of thinking from both owners and baristas is so common and what we can do about moving past it to actually work together for a more positive coffee culture.
If you are a cafe owner and want to work one on one with me to bring your shop to its next level and help bring you joy and freedom in the process then email chris@keystothshop.com of book a free call now:
https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min
Listen to related episodes:
Everything you need for back of the house operations https://rattleware.qualitybystainless.com/
The best and most revered espresso machines on the planet: www.lamarzoccousa.com