Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

Today we talk with Coffee Masters Champion, Agnieszka Rojewska! She is the multi-time Polish Barista champion, Latte Art champion, and now Coffee Masters champion, a trainer, consultant, and all around inspiration! In this conversation we chat about her packed completion schedule, pushing yourself outside your comfort zone, her experience as a cafe owner and manager folding in lessons from competi...

Warmth, hospitality, community, kid songs...this episode has it all! Today we get the chat with the founder of Pinhole Coffee, JoEllen Depakakibo! JoEllen's shop, Pinhole Coffee, is an amazing little cafe nestled in the Bernal Heights neighborhood of San Fransisco. For four years now she has been living her dream of owning a coffee shop that is also conduit and hub for art and community. We talk a...

It is often the little things that we allow or that escape our attention that will ruin the specialty experience for our customers in our shops. Today we discuss ways that we create unnecessary roadblocks to customers having a truly great experience in the cafe and what to do about it.  We give you a framework to use in rooting out issues and cover some of the main points that are likely hiding in...

"We got slammed!",  "Today was intense!", "It was crazy!" ...If you have ever said this then today's episode is for you. In the cafe we all experience rushes differently based on how well prepared we are. A  sudden pop of business or sustained time of having a line out the door can be either the time to shine or to shift into survival mode. A rush is one of the most critical times for your busines...

I love recommending great books! In this episode we talk about 6 books that I think are critical to your professional development. They cover everything form hospitality, coffee knowledge, operations, management, personal growth, and vocational calling and should be a part of your library. I want to do more episodes like this so keep an eye and ear out for tools focused episodes and a "Round 2 " o...

What role does delivery of flavor, knowledge, and consistency play in giving your company the depth and soul needed to truly execute on a high level of quality over the long haul? Is specialty coffee scaleable? How do we think and act in order for our businesses to succeed long term?  Great questions that we get answers to and more as we welcome Cosimo Libardo, Managing Director of Toby's Estate C...

It's Founder Friday!!! I am honored to have David Schomer of Espresso Vivace join us on the show as his company celebrates it's 30th year. Since it's founding in 1988 Espresso Vivace has been home to David's groundbreaking and paradigm shifting experiments with espresso coffee and drink presentation. His work has been foundational and formative in the lives of countless professionals around the wo...

Changing things in the shop can either make things better or make things worse. Of course you need to have a good idea or solution, but, once you have that, it is all about HOW you go about implementing the change. Today I am presenting to you some guidelines, A workflow of sorts, that will help you make changes that stick and actually build rapport in the process.  We have all been a part of a sh...

Hey! Coffee Fest Baltimore 2018 was fantastic and I got to visit and chat with three fantastic people for this KTTS episode. What are people looking for at an event like this? What are the things you, as a coffee retailer should be pursuing and focusing on as you go out to acquire knowledge and build your business? How can you cultivate confidence and stay motivated even though you are brand new t...

Tasting coffee gives us a window into where the coffee came from and what it's potential can be. Those who work in green buying and sensory analysis are tasked with tasting the truth of a coffee and deciding how it will turn up on retail shelves the world over.  Today we are talking with 2014 U.S. Cup Tasters Champion, Amanda Juris to explore green buying, cupping, sensory analysis, and how our de...

We all want to find the right job, right? For many of us though  we end up having to settle on something that does not quite fit and end up feeling stuck. How can we take the first steps in the direction of a career that is perfect for us? What is involved in taking charge of and setting the direction for your career? Today to help us make the critical decisions that lead to happiness at work we a...

Clean and well functioning equipment is definitely one of the keys to the shop! Problem is that we tend to lose those keys and end up with problems that could have been prevented with some basic attention to regular maintenance. To talk with us about best practices and key areas to invest time, attention, and resource into we have Tom Ritz, Owner of Workhorse Customs in Portland, OR.  Tom brings u...

It's Founder Friday!  Today we get to chat with one of the key players in the Seattle coffee shop scene, Jill Killen. For the past 16 year she has run coffee shops and has been dedicated to serving and investing into her staff and the community through them. We talk about her start in coffee, how she became the owner of three different shops, the passion and moxie that drove here (and still drives...

Good authority changes lives and can change the world! It all starts with with how we show up for the people we lead and the way we facilitate both theirs and our growth in a people-first culture. In the current climate where being a boss or having authority is rightfully met with skepticism, having the road map and the tools to build a new way of being a leader is critical. Today we talk with Jon...

Do you want to be awesome at your job? Of course! We all do. Today we will be discussing the foundational principles and focuses that will get you there and grow you even further if you're there already. I am thrilled to welcome to the show, the host of the Awesome at Your Job Podcast, Pete Mockaitis. Pete is an incredibly talented career coach and his show has featured hundreds of professionals a...

The Origin Trip. A pinnacle moment for any barista and a regular part of business for roasters and importers. As "The Origin Trip" has become a more fashionable, marketable, and regular occurrence in specialty coffee there are questions and tensions come up. What is the true value of an trip to origin? How does it benefit the farmer? Is it worth the expense involved? Are we really advancing coffee...

Ya'll! We're going on a European coffee trip! Co-Founder of European Coffee Trip, Ales Pospisil joins us on the show today. We get to talk about traveling and exploring Europe's specialty coffee scene, what they look for in when visiting cafes, the most crucial elements of great shops, the current coffee trends across Europe, what role hospitality and story plays in the coffee bar, and tips for ho...

It's Founder Friday! Today we are talking with Kristian Hedborg, the Founder of Alkemisten Kaffebar in Gothenburg, Sweden. In this interview we get to hear about how Kristian went from restaurant management school, to co-owning a cafe at 22, then founding his own cafe, Alkemisten, 3 years ago. We discuss his drive to follow his dreams, how he got his amazing staff, leadership lessons, the importan...

We all want to educate the consumer. Education has gotten a bad rap due to some of our awkward attempts to force information on people in less than ideal times and settings. Enter the consumer coffee class. In this episode we talk about why putting together a class for your customers is the perfect way to create a more informed consumer, a more loyal customer, and a more energized staff. All this...

Rita Kaminski and Ant Walach are the founders of Snowdrift Coffee and Workspace in Roscoe, IL. In this episode we talk all about their approach to training, philosophy on learning, advice they have for other trainers, why is necessary to make mistakes and how their collective 30 years of professional coffee experience has influence what they have created at Snowdrift. Enjoy!   LINKS: WWW.SNOWDRIFT...

We all will be leaders in our careers. In the cafe there are positions that hold various levels of power and influence. We can either use this power for the good of those we lead or we can use it destructively. Too often we see the abuse of position in a shop and even more often we see a general apathy toward pursuing the proper use of power that gives rise to dysfunction and sets the ground work...

Leading and developing your staff depends on how well you understand what gives rise to their behavior in the cafe. Today we talk with Behavior Analyst, Beth Garrison and will discuss the basics of behavior analysis, the 5 behaviors of a healthy team, the role environment plays in encouraging or discouraging behavior, and more! Links: www.shapingdevelopment.com www.operantcoffee.com www.abainterna...

This year we got to learn from some of the best owner/operators around in the Founder Friday series. In this episode we go through from the beginning and listen in to some key points made by each of our superstar guests. Looking back at the kind of lessons and insights we heard, I am just amazed and grateful to be in an industry so rich with generous and talented people making a difference in spec...

Well 2017 is pretty much in the bag and it has been a year filled with great guests, great topics, insights, information, inspiration, and tools to help us grow. In this episode we go over some of the best lessons learned this year. It is all arranged according to the arc of a coffee career. Starting with lessons for beginning baristas, getting promoted, moving on, being a great boss, serving your...

There are a ton of factors that influence the flavor of coffee. Some of the most significant factors happen during the roasting process. Todays guest, Rob Hoos is author of the book Modualting the Flavor Profile of Coffee, a book that breaks down and explores those elements inherent in the roasting process. In this episode we talk about the book, his perspective on the roasting industry, the relat...