How do you brew great coffee at home? That question is probably one of the most searched and asked questions that has unleashed what seems like a never ending stream of educational platforms, curated lists, videos, and blogs. It is honestly both exciting and overwhelming. The new question might actually be, "how do I make sense of all my options to make great coffee at home?" That is where today's guest, Justin Piercy of Daddy Got Coffee steps in to help.
Justin Piercy is the former sound engineer, family man, coffee enthusiast, and now full time home coffee education professional behind the popular, fun, and approachable platform, Daddy Got Coffee. His work has a lot to do with creating clarity for viewers to find what works for them to enjoy the coffee they buy at our roasteries and, in turn, this helps those home enthusiast become more discerning customers of the cafe.
In this interview we explore not only Justin's own story of how he came to champion home coffee education, but also how home coffee as a category has influenced cafe culture and why it has been a force for good.
We discuss:
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Want a beautiful coffee shop? All your hard surface, stone, Tile and brick needs!
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Let's face it, the look, feel, and functionality of the physical coffee shop will always be an important part of showing hospitality to our guests. The issues we are faced with is one as old as time. We meticulously set up our spaces when we first open, get busy, and then slowly allow them to fall apart. We don't notice it so much because we are busy with other things, but the customers notices, and taken together, it has a dramatic impact on everything we put our hands to.
Today on Shift Break we will be discussing the importance of taking very good care of your coffee shop. The space itself is a sacred one. The first place we encounter the truth of marketing claims about quality, community, specialty, excellence etc.
In this new year lets determine to focus on keeping our shop as a way of keeping our promises and the first basic step in showing the hospitality we say we want to offer.
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INTERESTED IN CONSULTING AND COACHING?
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
of book a free call now:
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Thank you to out sponsors!
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
It's that time of year where we are collectively setting our sights on both the past and the future. What will this next year of 2025 hold for you and your coffee shop? The answer to that question is that your tends to be made up of the things you focus on most. So if we want to increase our chances of experiencing good things, we need to increase our focus on what good things we would like to see.
Today you and I are spending some time together to focus on 7 words / areas that I believe are worthy of your focus in the New Year. Take these words and think on them, ponder and meditate on how to bring them into your personal practice, your communication and training of staff, and your cafes operations.
If you can meaningfully integrate these things into the fabric of your organization in 2025, you will definitely have a good year.
We discuss and explore:
Links:
Want a beautiful coffee shop? All your hard surface, stone, Tile and brick needs!
The world loves plant based beverages and baristas love the Barista Series! www.pacificfoodservice.com
Every Coffee Fest we get to sit down with some very cool presenters to chat about their businesses, area, of expertise, and insights that will help you run a better cafe. The last show of the year took place in Minneapolis, MN and was a wonderful time of sharing, community, and value. Even though my equipment decided (after 8 years of service) to die on the spot of my first interview, we got to catch up with two presenters over Zoom and have some very helpful conversations.
Today we are presenting to you my interview with Jaime Becker-Finn of Makwa Coffee and Frederick Dubose of Sun Bean Coffee!
We start with Jaime Becker-Finn
Jamie Becker-Finn is the founder and owner of Makwa Coffee, a community centered craft coffee shop that opened in Roseville, MN in 2022. Jamie is a descendant of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and named the shop after her clan - "makwa" is the Ojibwe word for black bear (pronounced "muck-wuh"). In a sea of suburban chain stores, Makwa Coffee is proud to be a unique and values-driven space where queer folks, Native folks, and the entire community is welcomed.
In addition to running the shop, Jamie is an attorney and is also wrapping up eight years of service in the Minnesota House of Representatives, where she chaired the House Judiciary Committee. Jamie grew up on the rez near Cass Lake and goes home often. She loves her people, her dogs, live music, books and soccer.
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Next up we have Fredrick Dubose
After dedicating over 20 years to mentoring and supporting young people, Fredrick recognized that creating a physical space where the community could gather and engage was the next step in his mission to foster connection and growth. This vision became a reality when he opened SunBean Coffee Shop.
His experience in youth work taught him the value of creating safe, inclusive environments where people can thrive. SunBean became that space for not only young people but for the entire neighborhood. Fredrick saw an opportunity to continue his mentorship by hiring local youth, offering them not just employment but life skills, a sense of responsibility, and a platform to contribute to their community.
SunBean is a local institution known for its welcoming atmosphere and positive impact.
His coffee shop has become a space for conversation, creativity, and collaboration, hosting community events and offering a venue where people from all walks of life can connect.
Fredrick’s transition from youth work to business ownership is a testament to his belief that community service and entrepreneurship can go hand in hand, each reinforcing the other to create lasting change."
Links
INTERESTED IN CONSULTING AND COACHING?
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
of book a free call now:
For this last Founder Friday of 2024 we are featuring a story that I believe really embodies the spirit of entrepreneurship that fuels so many coffee shops. From a cart in the pandemic, to a thriving cafe and catering business, Thrd Coffee, Lead by Raoul Adwan, has shown what is possible when you build with passion and focus.
Raoul Adwan is a Chicago native of Mexican and Bolivian descent who turned a passion for coffee into a thriving business.
Raoul launched his venture during the pandemic with the help of a stimulus check, starting off with a single coffee cart offering street-side brews.
What began as a humble pop-up operation quickly gained traction, and within four years, Raoul’s business expanded to a brick-and-mortar location (currently in the works for his second shop) , complemented by multiple carts equipped with top-tier coffee gear.
Today, Raoul leads one of Chicago’s top coffee catering operations, serving corporate spaces and buildings across downtown with full-service coffee bars.
His innovative approach and commitment to quality have positioned his business for rapid growth, with projected 2024 sales of over $600K and total gross revenue (starting from 2020 to now) hitting $1.15M. Raoul’s journey is a testament to entrepreneurial spirit and community-driven success.
Links:
Related episodes:
Want a beautiful coffee shop? All your hard surface, stone, Tile and brick needs!
The world loves plant based beverages and baristas love the Barista Series! www.pacificfoodservice.com
Labor cost is probably the number one most worried over metric in the cafe. Of course, like any other metric that signifies the health of the business, your labor cost needs to be something you pay attention to and control. But the way many cafes approach labor cost can be akin to sawing off the branch they sit on. Short term gain, long term detriment. In a time where the need for talent acquisition and wages are on the rise, it is time we take a fresh look at ways to grow and maintain profitability.
Today on Shift Break we will be talking about ways to view your labor cost in light of the whole business, how to prioritize your focus and energy, and why your investment into labor may not need to be as tightly controlled as you have been led to believe.
Related episodes:
INTERESTED IN CONSULTING AND COACHING?
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
of book a free call now:
https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min
Thank you to out sponsors!
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
Music and coffee seem to just go together. If you are into one, the other is not far behind. Both coffee and music inspire and create community that fuel's our lives.
Today's guest began his coffee journey as a full time touring musician and was immediately hooked. His journey took him from e-commerce and pop-ups, to now his own brick and mortar store. Today we are chatting with Acey Slade of the weird and wonderful, Cat Fight Coffee!
Catfight Coffee was formed in 2020 by career musician Acey Slade (Dope, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Til Lindemann of Rammstein) and his wife Meiling (a Taiwanese native) when both saw their respective careers put on hold due to Covid Lockdown. Acey, having had a previous background in the coffee industry and Meiling having a successful career in beauty industry.
They put their experience to work and Catfight Coffee was born as e-commerce business.
Today Catfight Coffee is available in over 80 retail outlets across North America. Roasting and distribution in the UK will begin in early 2023 as will the first retail outlet in Asia.
We cover:
Links:
https://www.catfightcoffee.com/
Want a beautiful coffee shop? All your hard surface, stone, Tile and brick needs!
The world loves plant based beverages and baristas love the Barista Series! www.pacificfoodservice.com
There is no doubt about it, having a training lab is a wonderful asset to have for elevating the quality of your training...until it isn't. Truthfully, much like any tool, it depends on how it is used and whether it is part of a bigger picture.
Today on Shift Break we will be talking about the good and the bad of training labs. You don't necessarily need one, but if you do have a lab or are wanting to create one, then this episode will help you create it and use it in a way that produces more than just classroom knowledge, but real world skill.
Related episodes:
505: Maintaining Excellence in the Everyday Work of Coffee Shops w/ Maxwell Dashwood
SHIFT BREAK: Minding Our Business
SHIFT BREAK: Detail Oriented Staff Starts With You
You Need to Prioritize In-House Training!
INTERESTED IN CONSULTING AND COACHING?
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
of book a free call now:
https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min
Thank you to out sponsors!
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
Ideas are like green coffee seeds. They are bundles potential cultivated by earnest hands that are then received by others who take them and develop them further. The final rendering of that seed can and does often result in something beautiful.
This is how I think of mediums like podcasts, videos, and, of course, books.
Today I want to share with you 5 books that I believe speak to areas of our lives and businesses that will bring inspiration, perspective, comfort, and growth. They are all special and I hope you take the time to dive into one or all of them sometime soon so you can see what grows from the seed of those ideas in your life.
Links:
Related episodes:
Want a beautiful coffee shop? All your hard surface, stone, Tile and brick needs!
The world loves plant based beverages and baristas love the Barista Series! www.pacificfoodservice.com
The title of today's episode sounds like a no brainer, but you may or may not be surprised to know that it is way easier than you think to be this way when traIning baristas. It is not something that we set out to do, but is born from a confluence of insecurities, myopic focus, passion, and assumption. I say this as someone who has certainly lived it and wants to help you avoid making the same mistake.
Today on Shift Break we will be talking about how you can approach training in a way that lessens or avoids entirely the things where you are perceived as a jerk, in favor of being seen as an advocate and resource for success. It can be done!
Related episodes:
INTERESTED IN CONSULTING AND COACHING?
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
of book a free call now:
https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min
Thank you to out sponsors!
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