All Episodes

603: Innovation, Progress, and your Coffee Shop: Finding the Signal in the Noise

SHIFT BREAK! The Mindset of Working Clean

602: Renata Henderson | Cxffeeblack | Putting The Heart Back Into Coffee

SHIFT BREAK! "What's Next in Coffee"

601: Why Your Cafe Staff Meeting Might Be Doomed To Fail

600: Founder Friday w/ Sammy Piccolo of Prado Cafe | Vancouver, BC

SHIFT BREAK: Perspectives To Help Your Productivity

599: How To Raise Your Baseline Coffee Knowledge w/ Dylan Siemens | Head of Coffee Education at Cafe Imports

SHIFT BREAK! How To Keep Your Customers Excited

598: When To Quit

597: John Gordon: Developing Institutional Wisdom, Efficiencies, and True Expertise in Coffee

SHIFT BREAK! Don't Waste Your Presence

SHIFT BREAK: Making Leadership A Real Process

596: 7 Reasons Why You Have High Turnover

595: Founder Friday | Advocating for Independent coffee shops w/ Peter Dore-Smith of Kaffeine London UK

SHIFT BREAK! Fixing My Face: Why Optics Matter in the Shop

ROR #40 w/ Chris Johnson of Purefi Coffee Roasters, Spring Texas : Roasting Excellent Coffee With Purpose

594: Encore : Don't Get Stuck: Retraining Staff on New Standards

SHIFT BREAK: Cupping is Overrated

593: Why You Should Not Manage Gen Z

SHIFT BREAK! Become Immune to Fear-Based Coffee Marketing

592: The Criteria For The World's Best Coffee Shop

591: The Problem w/ Focusing On The Numbers vs The Guest Experience

SHIFT BREAK! Why You Need To Be A Content Creator

590 : Founder Friday! w/ Patti and Jesse Ventura of Lontra Coffee | Los Angeles, California

SHIFT BREAK! What We Lose When We Don't Listen

589: How Coffee Sets the Stage For Conversation w/ Actor + Director Grant Garry!

SHIFT BREAK! Time Management to Beat Overwhelm

588: Prioritizing the Right Things as Your Cafe Grows

SHIFT BREAK! Have We Made Coffee (and ourselves) Miserable?

587: How To Apply Insights To Your Coffee Bar

SHIFT BREAK: Cafes, We Need To Train Harder

586: How to Dial In Your Cafe

585: Founder Friday! w/ Tara and Martyn Knight of Southsea Coffee in Portsmouth, UK!

SHIFT BREAK! When Changing Things, Pay Attention to the Heart of the Business

584: Refining Your Retail w/ Retail Coach Wendy Batten!

SHIFT BREAK! Embracing the Meaning of Money

583: Unifying Teams Across Multiple Cafes

SHIFT BREAK! How to Think About Quality

582: Maximizing Existing Opportunities in Your Cafe

SHIFT BREAK! Maybe You Are Doing Enough For Your Baristas

581: Lessons From "America's Best Coffee House"!

SHIFT BREAK! How to Have Healthy Communication Between your Cafe's Departments

580: Four Cafe Leadership Mindsets to Adopt in the New Year

SHIFT BREAK! The Difference Between Numbers and Quality Numbers in The Cafe

579: How to Really Care For People in the Cafe

SHIFT BREAK! New Things are Overrated

578: Founder Friday w/ Matt and Elise Higgins of Origin Coffee Bar, Savannah, GA

577: What You Need to Know About Rural vs Urban Coffee Shops

SHIFT BREAK! Identifying Values on Shift

576: Financial Stability Using Profit First for Coffee Businesses w/ Kim Logsdon of Caffeinate Your Cash

SHIFT BREAK! Is Anyone Else Slow Today?

575: Celebrating Barista Culture w/ Steve Moloney of The Barista League!

574: Founder Friday! w/ Mackenzie Cohen of Kittitas Cafe in Kittitas, WA!

SHIFT BREAK! What Thankfulness Should Lead To: Thoughts on How Beliefs Inspire Action in the Shop

573: Myths Baristas Believe Part 2

SHIFT BREAK! The Urgent Need for Training in Today's Coffee Shop

572 : Understanding Water For Coffee w/ Maxwell Dashwood

Special Announcement From Chris: New Webinar "Principles for Cafe Success" launching Novemeber 5th

SHIFT BREAK! Get Your Cafe to Stand Out Without Losing Your Footing

Special! Interviews From Coffee Fest Orlando 2025! w/ Claudio Martinez (Golden Bush Coffee), Vanessa Jaramillo (Florida Coffee Culture), Maria Esther Thome-Lopez (Coffee Flock), and Katherine Morris (Cherry Coffee Shop)

571: Worrying and Other Deceptive Replacements for Good Leadership

SHIFT BREAK! How Does Your Staff Know They Are Doing a Good Job?

570: Myths Baristas Believe Part 1

RoR #39: Making Big Impact with Small Batch Roasting w/ Adrian Seligman Founder of Scandinavian Alps Coffee Roasters!

569: Founder Friday! w/ Hong Shin and Kenny Kuk of Haan Coffee Roasters in Orlando Florida!

SHIFT BREAK! The New Classic Cafe: An Era of Understated Excellence

568: The Keys to Espresso Machine Care w/ Jon Ferguson, Author of the new book "Coffee Under Pressure"

SHIFT BREAK! How Well Do You Know Your Business?

567: James Hoffmann on Cafes, Hospitality, and the Influence of Home Coffee

SHIFT BREAK! When To Break The Rules

566: The Problem With Systems

SHIFT BREAK! Don't Overwhelm Your Managers

565: Making Specialty Coffee Shops Special -or- (how to avoid closing 400 stores)

SPECIAL! Interviews from Coffee Fest LA 2025! w/ LaNisa Williams, Kat Padlan, Darell Baskin, and Seidy Selivanow

SHIFT BREAK! Why Won't My Baristas Engage Customers The Way I Want Them To?!

564: Why It's Not the Bricks, It's the Mortar! w/ Mike Cosentino of Big Peach Running Co.

RoR#38 : A Better Way to Think About Roasting Dark, w Erik Johnson of Thinkwell Coffee

SHIFT BREAK! Refreshing the Owner's Soul

563: Founder Friday! w/ Jared Linzmeier of Ruby Coffee Roaster

562: Encore Episode! The 10 Essentials of a Barista Manual!

SHIFT BREAK! Is That Character or Neglect?

561: How to Motivate Baristas

SHIFT BREAK! What Customers Value and How to Deliver It

SHIFT BREAK! Taking the First Steps Toward Change in the Cafe

560: Bio-Innovation and Securing the Future for Coffee Farmers and Their Land w/ Felipe Sardi of La Palma y El Tucan

559: Myths Coffee Shop Owners Believe Part 2

SHIFT BREAK! The Trend of Backwards Hospitality

558: Digital Natives and the Future of Coffee Shops w/Kosta Kallivrousis

557: Founder Friday! w/ Andre Chanco of Yardstick Coffee in the Philippines!

Shift Break! The Problem of Commiseration

556: Myths Coffee Shop Owners Believe Part 1

SHIFT BREAK! Considering the Future You When Making Decisions

555: 3 Ways to be Better Cafe Manager

Message From Chris: Explaining Key Holder Coaching Groups, Consulting, Coaching, and the Goals of KTTS Services

SHIFT BREAK! The Right Place for Creativity in the Cafe

554: Formal Education vs Real World Experience : Which is Better?

SHIFT BREAK! New Managers: Learning Before Changing

RoR #37 : Tariffs, Relationships, and Resiliency for Roasters | A Conversation w/ Steve Green of Mill City Roasters

553: Career Success, Hospitality, and Cafe Culture w/ Akaash Saini

552: Founder Friday w/ Kristen Redfield and Jenna Currier of Goldie's Coffee Roasters in Anchorage, Alaska!

SHIFT BREAK! Should You Remodel or Renew Your Cafe?

SPECIAL! Live from Portland Coffee Fest 2025! w/ Laila Ghambari, Ryan Jie Jaing, Emily Smith, and Sebastián Villamizar

551: Encore: Designing the Guest Experience w/ Doctor Lisa Waxman!

SHIFT BREAK! Better Than Bad is Not Good

550: Replace These Distractions and Watch Your Cafe Grow!

549: The Power of Great Consistent Work Over Time

SHIFT BREAK! What Should Coffee Cost a Customer?

SHIFT BREAK! Seasonal Staff

548: Cool Ideas For Customer Engagement

547: Founder Friday! w/ Jake Heenan, Founder of Burra Bristol in the UK!

SHIFT BREAK! Time Management For Managers and Owners

546: Tools That Every Coffee Shop Should Have

SHIFT BREAK! The Entrepreneurial Case For Stopping

545: Breathing Life Into Your Coffee Shop

SHIFT BREAK! Tips For Signature Drink Success

544: Love Coffee, Control Caffeine w/ 2013 WBC Champ Pete Licata of Caffeine Control Coffee

SHIFT BREAK! Don't Rush Your Customers

543: A Philosophy On Employee Turn-over

542: Founder Friday! w/ Nori and Tin Burmudez of Corridor Flow, Lomita, CA

RoR #36: Community and Continual Learning w/ Alex Jacob of Vital Coffee Roasters w/ Alex Jacob

SHIFT BREAK! You Need to Avoid This HUGE Training Mistake!

541: Repetition, Reminders, and Guidance

SHIFT BREAK! Why The Best Hospitality Starts With The Transactional!

540: The Good and Bad of Job Descriptions

SHIFT BREAK! Vendor Hospitality

539: Helping Regular People Enjoy Coffee w/ Matthew Bryce, Seven Sleepers Coffee Lab

SHIFT BREAK! Explaining the Manager's Landscape | A Framework For Leading Staff

538: The Most Important Things to Focus In The First Year (or any year)

SHIFT BREAK! Small Wins Build Trust

SPECIAL! Interviews from Coffee Fest NYC 2025: Antoine Franklin, Mo Hashmi, Caroline Bell, and Maria Sinatra!

537: Success as a Coffee Tech : Training and Relationships w/ Brady Butler W/ Trail Braze Coffee Academy

RoR #35: The Core 7 : Practical Disciplines for a Successful Roastery w/ Luke Waite | Pomelo Coffee Consulting

SHIFT BREAK! Two Types of Continued Education for Baristas

536: What It Means to Set Up Staff For Success

535: Founder Friday! 30 Years of Coffee! w/ Ana Burgos and Amanda Jones of Hyperion Espresso, Fredricksburg, VA

SHIFT BREAK! Don't Force The Wrong People To Do The Right Work

534: Encore! Helping Your Team Work Through Their Strengths w/ Lisa Cummings of lead Through Strengths!

SHIFT BREAK: Getting Over the Awkwardness of Leadership

533: Principles of Quality Control

SHIFT BREAK: The Myth of a Saturated Market

532: Start with Hospitality

RoR #34: Roasting for Different Cultivars w/ Rob Hoos | Rob Hoos Coffee Consulting

SHIFT BREAK! Why Following Through is the Key to Better Coffee Shops

531: Why the Rise Convenience Coffee is a Good Opportunity for Coffee Shops

530: Founder Friday w/ Aisha Bullard and Modou (MAD) Diongue of Original Drip in Dakar, Senegal

SHIFT BREAK! How To Get The Most From a Coffee Event

529: 10 Years of Coffee w/ Luke Adams of Standart Magazine

SHIFT BREAK! Holding Baristas (and Yourself!) Accountable

528 : Growing Yourself and Your Cafe Through Delegation

SHIFT BREAK! Adding Value in the Cafe

527: Thoughts on How to Approach Training and Onboarding

SHIFT BREAK! The Work of Offering Kindness in the Cafe

526: Founder Friday w/ Fount Coffee and Kitchen Owners, Shawn and Kristen Preissner and George and Katie Kilgore!

525: Encore: Focusing on What is Essential w/ Greg McKeown

RoR #33: The Other Kind of Sourcing Every Roaster Needs w/ Mark Kutrovski of Mirror Coffee Roasters

SHIFT BREAK! You Are Not a Third Wave Coffee Shop

524: Embracing Professional Development for Your Coffee Shop Team

SHIFT BREAK! Every Customer is a Judge

523: Encore: How We Ruin Specialty Coffee Experience

SHIFT BREAK! The Necessary Death of the Superstar Barista

522: Why Celebration and Specialization Make Coffee Better w/ Tim Williams of Fieldwork Coffee and The World Aeropress Championships

521: Founder Friday! w/ Bow Smith of Rowan Coffee, Asheville, NC

SHIFT BREAK! The Two Kinds of Margin You Need in the Cafe

520: Tips For Great Workflow and Bar Presence

SHIFT BREAK! Cortado Confusion

519: The World of Coffee People w/ Ryan Woldt of The Coffee People Podcast

RoR #32: New Season! Should You Pre-blend Your Green Coffee or Blend Post Roast? w/ Bryant Banker Scannell or Relative Coffee Co.

SHIFT BREAK: Don't Rely on Brand Identity

518: How to Run a Coffee Shop w/ Meaningful Hospitality

SHIFT BREAK: Back to the Basics

517: Culture and Connection Through Coffee Spaces w/ Armen Alajian of Arto Brick

SHIFT BREAK: The Delegation Dip

516: The Impact of Home Coffee Culture on the Cafe w/ Justin Piercy of Daddy Got Coffee

SHIFT BREAK: Keeping the Shop

515: 7 Areas to Pursue in the New Year

SPECIAL! Interviews from Coffee Fest Minneapolis 2024 w/ Jaime Becker-Finn of Makwa Coffee, and Frederick Dubose of SunBean Coffee

514: Founder Friday! w/ Raoul Adwan of Thrd Coffee in Chicago, IL!

SHIFT BREAK: Adjusting Our View of Labor Cost

513: Rock n' Roll, E-Commerce, and Opening a Coffee Shop w/ Acey Slade of Cat Fight Coffee!

SHIFT BREAK! The Good and Bad of a Training Lab

512: The 5 Non-Coffee Books You Need to Read!

SHIFT BREAK! How Not To Be a Jerk When Training Baristas

SHIFT BREAK! How Long Should it Take To Train a Barista?

511: The Art of Designing Unique Coffee Bars w/ Scott Magic of Magic Architecture

510: Advancing Equity in Farmer-Consumer Relationships w/ Ethiopia's Beamlak Bekele!

509 : Founder Friday! (Special 2 Part Before + After Episode w/ Nic and Krystal Tanaka of Kohiko Coffee House, Sugarland, TX!

SHIFT BREAK! Engaging in the Right Conversations (or how not to accept undue guilt)

508: Fighting Exploitation and Human Trafficking Through Coffee w/ Jenny Barber and Jake Jiron of Talitha Coffee Roasters!

SHIFT BREAK! With or Without Experience? Hiring the Best Baristas

507: How High-Level Systems Help Your Cafe Thrive w/ Preston Lee, The 30% Rule

SHIFT BREAK! Should You Up-Charge for Alternative Milks?

506 : Critical Workflows Every Coffee Shop Needs

SHIFT BREAK: The Best Way for Every Shop to Train Baristas

505: Maintaining Excellence in the Everyday Work of Coffee Shops w/ Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood

504 : Founder Friday! w/ Parviz Dadashov of United Coffee Beans in Azerbaijan!

SHIFT BREAK: Is Your Love for Coffee Sabotaging Your Success?

503 : 5 Coffee Industry Movements Your Shop Needs to Embrace

SHIFT BREAK: Finding Time for Change in the Cafe

502: Creating Meaningful Coffee Experiences

SHIFT BREAK: Why Your Shop Needs to Tell Stories

501: Teamwork, Mentorship, and Translating Coffee w/ 2024 Brewers Cup Champion of Turkey, Nida Fetullahoğlu

SHIFT BREAK: Want to be Effective? Don't Use Chat GPT

500! Reflections and The Role of the Coffee Shop in the Industry

499: Founder Friday! w/ Kenzel and Tio Fallen of Three Keys Coffee, Houston, TX

SHIFT BREAK : How to Design Cafe Station Responsibilities

498: 10 Small Things to Fix in Your Coffee Shop This Week

SHIFT BREAK: Hard Work is Hard | Part 2

497: Caught in the Middle: Answering Questions from Frustrated Management

Special Part 2 : Live from Coffee Fest LA! w/ Anna Gutierrez of Barista 22 and Sandra Elisa Loofborow of Loupe Coffee Consulting

SPECIAL! | PART 1 Coffee Fest LA! 2024 w/ Shanita Nicholas of Sip and Sonder + Elisa Hoyos and Leo Abularach of Picaresca Barra de Cafe

SHIFT BREAK: Don't Celebrate Unhealthy Wins

496: Hard Decisions and High Standards

Special Message: What is a Key Holder Coaching Group and Why Join?

SHIFT BREAK: Making Sense of Marketing Promises

495 : Encore Episode: Loving the Closing Shift: Problems, Solutions, and Transformational Mindsets

493 Founder Friday! w/ Rachel Lehman of Crema Coffee Roasters in Nashville, TN

SHIFT BREAK: Embrace Your Space

492: How to be The Best Coffee Shop

SHIFT BREAK: Focusing on the Whole, Not the Part

491: Graceful Exits: How to Sell Your Coffee Shop w/ Aaron Friedman

SHIFT BREAK: Setting Staff Up For Success

SPECIAL! | Coffee Fest NOLA 2024 w/ Turgay Yildizli of Specialty Turkish Coffee, Doron Petersan of Sticky Fingers Sweets and Eats, and Jonathan Riethmaier of Mammoth Coffee

490: 7 Vital Things to Include in Daily Shift Work

SHIFT BREAK: Reassessing Growth

489: Tips for Creating a Resilient Cafe

488: Founder Friday! Honoring Coffee's Root w/ Bartholomew Jones of Cxffee Black!

SHIFT BREAK: Are You Growing With Your Business?

487: How to Think Fast and Talk Smart in the Cafe w/ Matt Abrahams

SHIFT BREAK: Don't Give Up

486: Why You should Fire Your Landlord and Consider Owning Your Building w/ Paul Neal

SHIFT BREAK: Don't Manage by Crisis

485: Your Shop vs The Industry - How to Free Yourself From Dependency

SHIFT BREAK: Three BIG Hiring Mistakes (and how to avoid them)

484: Demystifying Mentorship w/ Dr. Ruth Gotian, Author of "The Financial Times guide to Mentorship""

SHIFT BREAK: Hiring based on Staff Preference vs Business Needs

483: Encore: 6 Essential Qualities of Coffee Shop Leaders

482: Founder Friday! w/ Rahul Reddy of Subko Coffee Mumbai, India

SHIFT BREAK: The Best Marketing Strategy

481 : Exploring Sensory Analysis Using "The Coffee Rose"/ Ian Fretheim, Director of Sensory Analysis at Cafe Imports

SHIFT BREAK: Stop Talking, and Start Doing

480: Focus on What Your Customers Love

SHIFT BREAK: Respecting Your Barista's Professional Boundaries

SHIFT BREAK: Why You Need Exit Interviews

479: Automation and the Future of Coffee Shops w/ Andre Eiermann, Eversys

478: Building Efficiencies Into Your Roastery w/ Scott Stouffer of Probat Coffee

SHIFT BREAK: When Numbers Lie

477: Inspiring the next generation of Coffee Farmer w/ Yolima Taborda Rojas of Paisa Coffee, Colombia

476: Founder Friday! The Story of Story Coffee w/ Don Niemyer of Story Coffee Co.

SHIFT BREAK: Owners, It's OK to Make Mistakes

475: Essential Tools for Cafe Management

SHIFT BREAK: How to Assess a Barista's Performance

474 : On Roasting and Representation w/ 2024 U.S. Roasting Champion, Eduardo Choza | Mayorga Coffee

SHIFT BREAK: Feedback is Not a Lecture

473: A Master Class in Wholesale Coffee w/ Honor Forte of Olympia Coffee Roasters

SPECIAL! Grocery, Community, Roasting, and Mobile Coffee | Live Interviews fromCoffee Fest NYC 2024!

SHIFT BREAK: Evil Owners and Lazy Baristas

472: Why Technical Skill as a Leader is Not Enough w/ Jonathan Raymond, Refound, Author: Good Authority

471 Founder Friday! Encore Episode w/ Emi Fukahori of Mame Coffee in Zurich Switzerland!

SHIFT BREAK: Beyond the Metrics

470: SPECIAL! Raising Barista Wages | KTTS x Valor Coffee Podcast Recorded Live at SCA Chicago!

SHIFT BREAK: Minding Our Business

469: Unremarkable Hospitality and Cafe Terroir

SHIFT BREAK: The Art of Letting Go

RoR #31 : Improve your Roasting Range by Focusing on the Fundamentals w/ Willem Boot of Boot Coffee

468: How to Be a Shift Lead

SHIFT BREAK: Embracing Problems as Blessings

467: How to Create Coffee Magic with Your Menu w/ Ryan Castelaz of Discourse Coffee, Milwaukee, WI

SHIFT BREAK: How to Fine Tune Your Coffee Bar

466: The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection w/ 2024 U.S. Barista Champion, Frank La, Be Bright Coffee

465: Founder Friday! w/ John Piquet of Caffe D'bolla in Salt Lake City, UT

SHIFT BREAK: Detail Oriented Staff Starts With You

464: Encore : Making Order Out of Chaos, Handling Groups in the Cafe

SHIFT BREAK: Managers, You Don't Need To Do It All

463: Tips on Having the Right Meetings

SHIFT BREAK: You Don't Want Loyalty

462 : What a New Children's Book Teaches About Mistakes in Coffee and Life w/ David Foster, Kiln Coffee Bar and Author of Jett Goes to Work With Dad

SHIFT BREAK : Trends You Can Ignore

RoR #30 : Challenging Dogma With Data w/ Coffee Roaster and Chemical Engineer Mark Al-Shemmeri

461: A Conversation With 2023 World Barista Champion, Boram Um, Um Coffee Co

Special Interview! Ian Williams of Deadstock Coffee talks about marketing staying true to your culture, and leading in hard times | Live interview from Coffee Fest 2023

SHIFT BREAK: How to Take Criticism as a Barista

Special Announcement: 2024 Key Holder Coaching Groups May be the Key to Unlock the Next Level in Your Business

460: What to Look for in a Manager

459 : Founder Friday! w/ Kymme Williams-Davis of Bushwick Grind Cafe in Brooklyn, NY

SHIFT BREAK : 2 Tips for Bar Design

458: Encore Episode! My Wife Interviews Me about My Career and How Coffee Brought Us Together

SHIFT BREAK: No Cell Phones

457: Finding Your Place in Coffee w/ John Luke Robertson | Kings Lane Coffee

SHIFT BREAK: Too Many Managers!

456: Competitions and What Makes a Good Barista w/ Scott Conary, Carborro Coffee / WCE Judge

455 : Founder Friday! w/ Nick Kassouf of Tru Bru Organic Coffee

SHIFT BREAK : The Scourge of Nitpicking Bosses

454: Creating a Vibrant Coffee Bar w/ Charles Babinski of Cafe 143 in Sydney, AUS

SHIFT BREAK: Questions Are Not Threats

453 : The Craft of Operations

RoR #29 : A Coffee Roaster's Career Journey, Leigh Wentzle, Cedar Coffee

SHIFT BREAK : Candid Advice for Baristas, Managers, and Owners

452: Championing the Customer Experience in Coffee w/ 3x SA Barista Champion, Winston Douglas Thomas of Cedar Coffee

SHIFT BREAK : Setting and meeting Standards in the Coffee Shop

451: Business Growth, Integrity, and Coffee Farmer Equity w/ Martin Mayorga of Mayorga Coffee

SHIFT BREAK : Evolution Through Small Steps

RoR #28 : Ease and Accessibility in Sample Roasting w/ Andrew Stordy, Inventor/Founder of IKAWA

450: A Conversation About Mobile Apps and Hospitality w/ Joe Capone of Espressly

SHIFT BREAK: Embracing Your Constraints

449: Convenience and Automation in Coffee w/ Tim Cox of Franke Coffee Systems

448: Founder Friday! Part 2 "Switching Gears" | w/ Doug Zell of Intelligentsia and The Meteor!

448: Founder Friday! Part 1 "Switching Gears" | w/ Doug Zell of Intelligentsia and The Meteor!

SHIFT BREAK : It's OK to Have Reasonable Tolerances

447: Understanding the Business of Coffee w/ Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood

SHIFT BREAK: How to Approach Holiday Hospitality

446: Building a People-First Coffee Tech Culture w/ Jason "Double J" Johnson, Black Rabbit Service Co.

SHIFT BREAK: We Need Inconvenient Coffee

RoR #27 : Scaling and Relationships in a Small Roastery w/ Cody Gordon, Cerberus Coffee

445: Evolution of the Barista-Machine Relationship w/ Ryan Willbur, Middleby Coffee

444: Founder Friday! w/ Julia Peixoto Peters of Peixoto Coffee, Arizona

SHIFT BREAK: The Weight of Relationships

443: Keep Your Communication Simple! w/ Author Ben Guttmann

SHIFT BREAK: Make Customer Feedback a Priority

442 : We Need Confidence, Celebration, and Joy!

SHIFT BREAK: Your Manager Has No Time To Manage!

441: How to Achieve Operational Excellence w/ Laila Ghambari

SHIFT BREAK: Quality Still Matters

440 : What Should Scare You About Coffee

Founder Friday! Youth, Foster Care, and Human Connections Through Coffee | w/ Miah Sommer of Astute Coffee in Omaha, NE

SHIFT BREAK: Wrong Fit For the Role, or Wrong Fit For Your Business?

438 : How to Build a Successful Cafe w/ Erin Young of Red Buffalo Cafe

SHIFT BREAK: Making Minimum Viable Changes

437 : The New Age of the Barista: Mindsets + Habits for Success

SHIFT BREAK: Rest and Meaningful Work

436: Stop Burn Out! and Make Work Effortless w/ Greg McKeown | Best Selling Author "Effortless"

SHIFT BREAK: I Learned it from Watching You!

435 : Encore! It's OK to be the Boss, w/ Bruce Tulgan

434 : Founder Friday | Leo Ferreira | Puzzle Coffee Shop, Tanzania!

RoR #26 : How to Approach Roasting Fine Robusta w/ Cleia Junqueira | Consultant + Q-Robusta Grader

Defining Excellence and Success

433: How to Earn Loyalty

You Need to Prioritize In-House Training!

432 : How to Win in Specialty Retail Coffee

Raising Your Hiring Standard

431: An Exercise in Listening to Coffee w/ Alexander Roach of Boycott Coffee + The Alphabet Book of Coffee

Pull Out The Fridge

430 : Embracing "Unreasonable Hospitality" w/ Will Guidara | Thank You NYC + The Welcome Conference

RoR #25 : Training Up the Next Generation of Roasters w/ Steve Lee of Pocket Knife Consulting + Linea Caffe

Insecurity in Management

SPECIAL! Part 2 | Coffee Fest Anaheim 2023 w/ Steve Chang of Copa Vida Cafe and Jon Ferguson of Coffee Tech Central

SPECIAL! Part 1| Coffee Fest Anaheim 2023 w/ Kenneth Davids and Madeleine Longoria Garcia

429 : Believing You CAN Run a Great Shop w/ Michael Ryan of Threadbare Coffee Consulting

428 : Founder Friday | Maxwell Mooney's Final Chapter at Narrative Coffee and New Beginnings

For Here or To-Go?

427 : Encore Episode: What you MUST Know About Employee Culture w/ Stan Slap

426: Fostering a Culture of Continuous Improvement

Generate More Urgency!

425 : Some Thoughts on Supporting Your Manager

Faithfulness and Honesty

424: Developing Menu and Hospitality Guides

423 : Founder Friday! w/ Danny and Michelle Quiroz of Reserva Coffee Roasters | McAllen, TX

Three Questions for Better Cafe Decisions

ROR #24 : Perspectives on Roasting for Espresso w/ Jaroslav Tuček of Doubleshot, Czech Republic

422: Coffee Truck Success w/ Vincent LaVolpa of Green Joe Coffee School

The Courage to Correct

421: Encore Episode: Simple, Powerful, Hospitality w/ Philip Paul Turner

Who Are We Creating Our Standards For?

420: Meaningful Roles in the Cafe

Are YOU Using Your Manual?

419: Behaviors That Establish Excellent Management Culture

418: Founder Friday! w/ John and Luigi DiRuocco of Mr. Espresso, Oakland, CA

Focus on Your Manager Culture

417: Dialing in Your Water w/ Taylor Minor of Third Wave Water

SPECIAL! Part 2! Coffee Fest Live Louisville, KY 2023 w/ Lauren Lathrop and Rob Arnold | Learning to Roast Coffee + How to make Great Cocktails and Signature Drinks

SPECIAL! Part 1 Coffee Fest Live Louisville, KY 2023 w/ Jackie Nguyen and Sean Roberson | Master Social Media + Serving Great Coffee to Underserved Neighborhoods

Resentment in the Cafe

ROR #23 : How to Close the Industry-Consumer Flavor Gap w/ Phil Beattie, Dillanos Coffee Roasters

416 : People-First Principles for Growing Your Shop w/ Mike McFall of Biggby Coffee

Bottling Your Best Barista

415: The Best Lessons On How to Listen w/ Listening Expert, Oscar Trimboli

Seeking to Learn Across Age Divides

414: Secret Ingredients for a Successful Coffee Shop

Menu Simplicity as Hospitality

413 : Coffee Education and Training at Origin w/ Fabiola Solano of Soy Barista

RoR # 22 : Master Insights on Roaster Maintenance and Care w/ Doug Graf, Vintage Coffee

412 : Founder Friday! w/ Lem Butler and Kyle Ramage of Black and White Coffee Roasters

The Myth of Hands Off / Automated Leadership

411 : Excellence, Approachable Coffee and Always Learning w/ Kenneth Thomas of Umble Coffee and Coffee 101 Podcast

Don't Forget Relationships

410 : A Conversation w/ 2023 U.S. Barista Champion, Isaiah Sheese of Archetype Coffee!

Embrace the Fallout

409 : The Science of Optimizing Your Espresso w/ Samo Smrke

Avoid These Cafe Meeting Mistakes

408: Coffee Tools, Music, and Serving the Community w/ Anita Tam of Slow Pour Supply Co.

RoR # 21 : Data, Community, and the Art of Roasting w/ U.S. Roasters Champion Andrew Coe of Elevator Coffee

407 : Founder Friday! Encore Episodes, David Schomer of Espresso Vivace!

Coffee, Integrity, and A.I.

406: Five Ways to Immediately Improve Your Coffee Quality

Things the Owner Can't do for You

405 : Beyond the Schedule w/ Wil Brawley of Schedulefly

Pitching your Ideas to Your Boss

404 : Education, Home Brewing, and Launching a Roastery w/ Kyle Rowsell, September Coffee

Baristas Are Not Magic

403 : The Craft of Food, Coffee, and Writing w/ Matt Rodbard, Founder of TASTE

Service, Spite, and Compromise

RoR #20 : Challenging the Status Quo w/ David Lalonde of Rabbit Hole Roasters, Montreal, Quebec

402 : Innovating a Generous Wage Structure w/ Mike Schroeder of Oddly Correct

SPECIAL: Coffee Fest Live! NYC 2023 Part 2 w/ Jesse Harriott, Jenna Gotthelf, Anu Menon!

SPECIAL: Coffee Fest Live! NYC 2023 Part 1 w/ Jordan Brown and Anand Patel

401 : Founder Friday! w/ Jack Benchakul of Endorffiene Coffee Bar in Los Angeles

Stop Glorifying Chaos

400 : The Values of Speed and Service w/ Jaime Denney of Scooter's Coffee

More Power To Them

399: Encore Episode! How to Change Things in the Cafe

Are You Open?

398: The 5 Biggest Mistakes Coffee Shops Make

RoR #19 : A Vision of Sustainable Roasting w/ Arno Holschuh of Bellwether Roasters

Slow is Fast?

397: Diversity and The Color of Coffee w/ Keith Hawkins, The Color of Coffee Collective

396 : Founder Friday: Before + After Edition! w/ Jonathan Pascual of the Newly Opened Opo Coffee

Loving Where You Are

395: Connecting Roasters and Producers w/ Henry Wilson of Perfect Daily Grind and The Producer Roaster Forum!

SPECIAL: Coffee Fest Live! L.A. + PNW 2022 Part 2 w/ Shad Baiz, Jeremy Lyman, and Melind John!

SPECIAL: Coffee Fest Live! L.A. + PNW 2022 Part 1 w/ Manish Shah, Stephanie Alcala, Maria Cleaveland, and Jim Ngokwey!

Right Tools, Wrong Job

394 : Happy Coffee People w/ Wendelien van Bunnik

Two Tips on Hiring an Outside Manager

393 : The Tyranny of Taste w/ Kosta Kallivrousis

Community as Avoidance

392 : Cafe Management and the Importance of Team w/ Justin Duenne of Quills Coffee

391 : Founder Friday! w/ Megan Wilson of Spuds Coffee in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

RoR #18 : Expert Tips on Avoiding Tipping w/ Rob Hoos

Values At The Heart of KTTS

390 : 7 Ways to be Consciously Competitive

Leaner Teams, Better Results

389: How to Approach Modern Coffee Processing w/ Christopher Feran

Making Yourself More Valuable

388 : Coffee Shop Insurance and Risk Mitigation w/ Brennan Pothetes of Butter Insurance

Handling Staff Complaints

387: Innovation and Building a Better Coffee Business w/ Miranda Caldwell

Focus on These Areas in the New Year

386 : A Look Back at the Lessons of 2022

385: Founder Friday! w/ Arick Davis and Sarah Layman of Last Mile Cafe, Grand Rapids, MI

Avoiding Toxic Loyalty

384: How to Set Up a Successful Coffee Cart w/ Sarah Naylor of Daybreak Coffee Cart

Authenticity and Performance

383: How to Train a Manager

RoR #17 : Evolving Our Approach to Cupping w/ Charlie Habegger of Royal Coffee

Should You Hire Back a Fired Barista?

382 : Hospitality, Innovation, and the Birth of a Brewer w/ Etkin Design Co-founders, Michael Butterworth and Ozgur Jerdan

Ineffective Training

381 : Changing our Perspective on Tea in the Cafe w/ Annie Xiang of Volition Tea

380 : Founder Friday! w/ Cary and Cindy Arsaga of Arsaga's Coffee Roasters

Thankfulness and Giving Energy to the Positive

379 : Encore Episode! How to Deliver Difficult Feedback w/ Tom Henschel : Plus Bonus Content

Imperfect Action and Finding Time

378: 5 Areas to Develop in Managers

The Insult of Sink or Swim Training

377 : Coffee, Mindfulness, and the Art of Observation w/ Rob Sykes

Emotions, Self-Sabotage, and Telling Ourselves the Truth

376: Career, Coffee Quality, and Advancing the Industry w/ Mat North, of Raw Material

375 : Founder Friday! w/ Roland Horne of WatchHouse

Some Tips on Signature Drinks

374: Opening a Coffee Shop: Fantasy vs Reality (w/ bonus commentary)

RoR #16 : Ideal Resting Times for Roasted Coffee w/ Joey Stazzone of Cafe Kreyol

What Sanding Taught Me About the Cafe Refinement Process

373 : The Owner's Role: 5 Behaviors for Effectiveness

A Shift Break...on Shift Breaks

372 : Milk Steaming Master Class: Science + Craft w/ Morten Munchow and Emilee Bryant!

How Should Managers be Appraising Staff?

371: Baristas, Don't be a Hero

370: Founder Friday! w/ Tony Dreyfuss of Metropolis Coffee Company, Chicago, Illinois

The Wrong Way to Improve Morale

369: Encore Episode! How to be a Cash Register Hero

Make Your Problems More Specific

368 : Walking the Line Between Leadership and Friendship

Your Bathroom Stinks

367 : Designing Your Coffee Shop for Community w/ Dr. Lisa Waxman

Investing in Financial Education

366 : A Conversation w/ Chris Baca of Cat and Cloud Coffee

On "Quiet Quitting"

365 : Spilling the Beans on Global Coffee Culture w/ Lani Kingston

364 Founder Friday! w/ Sarah Alakeel of Hjeen Coffee, Saudi Arabia

Why You Need to Back up Your Policies

363 : Setting Boundaries in the Coffee Shop w/ Tom Henschel

Increase Costs? Increase the Value!

362: How to Handle Growth in Your Coffee Shop

RoR #15 : Managing LTL Freight and the Nuances of green Shipping w/ Evan Gilman of Royal Coffee

Managing Expectations in Systems

361: Managing Roastery Relationships and Logistics w/ Corey Turner of Andytown Coffee Roasters

Excellence In The Things We Hate

360: Encore Episode! Hosting Consumer Coffee Classes: 7 Tips for Success

359 : Founder Friday! w/ Nigel Price of Drip Coffee Makers NYC

Language Barriers and Understanding

358 : Changing Coffee Through Proportional Pricing w/ Andy and Nanelle Newbom of Torque Coffee

SPECIAL: Coffee Fest Live! Chicago 2022 Part 2 w/ Marissa Childers, Jess Gulino, and Tony Dreyfuss

SPECIAL: Coffee Fest Live! Chicago 2022 Part 1 w/ Luke Waite, Kris Christian, and Perfect Cube

Vanity Metrics

357 : A Conversation w/ Michael Tan of JWC Roastery in Malaysia

Don't Hire on a Trial Basis

356: 5 Unseen Barriers to Progress in Your Coffee Shop

Do You Need to be the Best Barista in Your Cafe?

355: Baristas! 6 Essential Qualities to Get Yourself Hired

Using Slow Times Well as a Barista

354 : Management Master Class w/ Ryan Fisher of Erewhon Market, L.A.

353 : Encore Episode! Founder Friday w/ Kathy Turiano of Joe Bean Roasters

Turning Radius

352: Music, Culture, and Coffee w/ Hip Hop Artist, Propaganda

Four Steps to Inspiring Your Staff

351 : Pro Tips for Using Spreadsheets w/ Maxwell Mooney, Narrative Coffee

Sacrificing Productivity

350 : The Physics of Filter Coffee w/ Jonathan Gagné

Up-selling and Hospitality: Helping Customers Make Good Decisions

349 : Talking About 21st Century Coffee w/ Kenneth Davids

Doing What You Want -vs- Doing What is Needed

348: Founder Friday! w/ Benito Burmudez of Cafe Unido, Panama City, Panama!

RoR Live! #10 : A Conversation w/ Kevin Nealon Green Buyer and Director of Coffee for Hucklberry Roasters

RoR Live! #9 : Roasting Innovation and Consistency w/ Scott Rao

RoR Live! #8 : Risk Mitigation for Roasters w/ Kat Nolte Ferguson, Sucafina Specialty

Special Message: Love and Sacred Space

347 : Brewing Coffee and a Career w/ U.S. Brewer's Cup Champion, Elika Liftee!

RoR Live! at SCA #7 Will Frith, Building Coffee | The Rise of Asian Coffee

RoR Live! at SCA #6 Chris Kornman| Author of Green Coffee : A Guide for Roasters and Buyers

RoR Live! at SCA #5 Nicki Amouri of Caffe Amouri | Understanding Roast Curves

RoR Live! at SCA #4 Anne Cooper of Equilibrium Master Roasters | How to Teach Roasting

Specific Expectations and Due Dates

346: Connecting People Through Coffee w/ Celeste Wong of The Girl in the Cafe

RoR Live at SCA #3 Karl Wienhold | Cheap Coffee Book

RoR Live at SCA #2 Areli Barerra Grodski | Little Waves Coffee

RoR Live at SCA #1 Peter Giuliano | The New Definition of Specialty Coffee

The Importance of Debriefing

345: A Conversation w/ 2022 U.S. Cup Tasters Champion, Julien Langevin

Messy Can Be Beautiful

344 : From Fine Dining to Coffee w/ Nicolas Simon of El Condor Coffee Roasters

343 : Founder Friday! "Curated Edition" | Hospitality + Meeting People Where They Are

Making a Decision Pipeline

342 : A Conversation w/ 2022 U.S. Barista Champion, Morgan Eckroth!

RoR #14: How to Roast New Processing Methods w/ Mike Ebert of Fire Dancer Consultants

An Essential Habit for Every Coffee Shop Worker

341 : How to Think About Success

Are We Giving our Best to the Least?

340 : Encore Episode of 10 Reasons to Love the Customer!

Don't Force Vulnerability

339: What Good Barista Training Produces

Getting Them In By Getting Out!

RoR #13 : The Norm Roast Protocol w/ Dave Baxter

338: A Conversation w/ Martell Mason of The Sepia Coffee Project

337: Founder Friday w/ Diana Martinez of Cafe Calle, Los Angeles

Flexibility for Owners and Managers

336: Cafe Leadership Masterclass w/ Selina Viguera of Blue Bottle Coffee

In Praise of Long Term Imperfect Employment

335: A Better Business Model for Coffee Farmers w/ Thaleon Tremain of Pachamama Coffee

When Patience is not a Virtue

334: How to Approach Deescalation in the Coffee Shop w/ Melissa Tucker of Mind of Matters Institute

Building your Coffee Shop's Capacity from Simplicity

333: Bridging the Professional and Home Barista Gap w/ Lance Hedrick of Onyx Coffee Lab

332: Founder Friday! w/ Iman Kusumaputra & Putri Yulandari of Kopikalyan, Jakarta, Indonesia

How to Talk to Each Other

331 : The 7 Deadly Sins of my Career

RoR #12 : Inside Coffee Packaging w/ Ever Meister

Proactivity in the Owner - Manager Relationship

330 : Establishing Systems in Your Coffee Shop

Customer Caricatures and Inside Jokes

329 : How to Teach Company Values to Your Staff

Two Reasons to Not Install a Manager...Yet

328 : Relationships and Resiliency w/ Xavier Alexander of Metric Coffee

327: Founder Friday! w/ Phuong Tran of Lava Java

Irresponsible Encouragement

RoR #11 : Exploring Scent w/ Sandra Elisa Loofbourow

326 : A Conversation w/ Alan Jarrar of 50%Arabica and JokesAside Coffee Roasters

Pre-Closing Madness

325: How to Manager your Trainers

Taking Offense to Critique

324 : Encore Episode! Organizing the Community w/ Espresso State of Mind Founders, Javier Alvarez and Joseph Gonzalez

Hiring for Future Leadership

323 : Reflecting on 5 Years of Keys to the Shop w/ my Wife, Lynnsy Deferio

Expectations for Growth

ROR #10 : What Your Broker Wishes You Knew w/ Scott Merle of La Minita Coffee

322 : A Conversation w/ LaNisa Williams of Barista Life L.A.

Limiting New Things

321 : Marketing and Moral Injury w/ Josh Tarlo of Kiss the Hippo

320 Founder Friday! w/ Francesco Sanapo of Ditta Artigianale, Florence, Italy

The Key to Up-Selling

319 : A Conversation w/ World Barista Champion Diego Campos!

Ignorance vs Preference

318 : Why Your Coffee Shop is Key for the Success of Coffee

Why DIY

317 : Encore Episode: Death by Comparison

316 : Founder Friday! w/ Jim Sanders of Heartwood Coffee Roasters, Cleveland, Ohio

Priorities and Deep Thankfulness

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

RoR #9 Inside the Roaster's Tool Kit w/ Kat Melheim of Black and White Coffee and The Coffee People Zine

How You Show Up

314 : The 6 Essential Qualities of Coffee Shop Leaders

Getting Over Guilt

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

Metrics Mindset

312 : How to Choose the Right Machine for Your Shop w/ Chad little of La Marzocco

Exclusivity is a Bad Strategy

311 : Why Your Coffee Shop Needs Open Book Management w/ Larry Chase

310 : Founder Friday w/ Jelynn Malone and Beverly Magtanong of Mostra Coffee

Passive-Aggressive Management

309 : A Conversation w/ Sarah Allen and Ken Olson of Barista Magazine

Do You Need Experience to Open a Coffee shop?

308 : A Conversation w/ Italian Brewers Cup Champion, Alessandro Galtieri

ROR #8 How Post-Harvest Processing Impacts Flavor w/ Siva Subramanian and Byron Holcomb of Olam Food Ingredients

You Can't Automate Quality

307 : 10 Simple ways to Level Up your Coffee Shop

Why "Next in Line" promotion Might be a Bad Idea

306 : A Conversation w/ 2004 U.S. Barista Champion, Bronwen Serna!

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

Small Steps = Big Impact

Sustainability Series #4 : Consumer

Sustainability Series #3 : The Cafe

Sustainability Series #2 : Importing & Roasting

Sustainability Series #1 : The Farm

304 : Inside the Coffee Data Trends Breakout Report w/ Katie Von Der Lieth of the SCA

Announcing: "The Sustainability Series" Brought to you by Biocaf !

Make Everything Like Latte Art

303 : Create Authentic Partnerships w/ Marc Gessler of Cat & Cloud Coffee

Study the Rules

302 : Data's Roll in the Success of your Shop w/ Mark Calhoun and Jim Strarcev of Perfect Cube

The Quality Standards Equation

301 : Hiring and Training for Excellence

300 : Founder Friday! w/ Jermey Lyman of Birch Coffee, NYC

Hard Work is Hard

299 : 5 Rules for a Successful Coffee shop

Care Assurance is the New Quality Assurance

298: A Trophy, or Atrophy?

Encore! Curbing Their Enthusiasm

297 : Making Coffee Education Fun w/ Suneal Pabari of Leaderboard Coffee

Motivating Staff Through Culture

296 : Holistic Barista Training w/ David Castillo of Go Get Em Tiger in Los Angeles

295 : Founder Friday! w/ Justin Shepherd of Spencers Coffee, Bowling Green, KY

Helping Managers Avoid Burnout

294 : At Origin Roasting Revolution w/ Luis Fernando, founder of Amor Perfecto!

Skewing Positive

293 : Thoughts on Defining Professionalism

Ignoring the Customer

292 : How to Take Charge and Drive Your Career w/ Ed Evarts

When Experience is a Liability

291 : What to do if Your Baristas Won't Listen to You

ROR #7 Illustrative Sample Roasting w/ Mike Ebert of Firedancer Coffee Consultants

Tips on how to Replace a Manager

290 : Coffee Connections in Central Africa w/ Keith White Jr of Paraiso Trading

289 : Founder Friday w/ Ochen Simon Eidodo of Chariots Coffees, Uganda!

When Small Problems Grow Up

288 : The Truth behind Cheap Coffee w/ Karl Weinhold

Reasonable Expectations

287 : Learn how to Shift your Mind w/ Brian Levenson

Understanding and Bitterness

286 : Coffee Roasting Best Practices w/ Scott Rao

RoR #6: Buying Less and Doing More w/ Ever Meister

Hiring Friends and Making Enemies

285 : Better Systems, Better Connections w/ RoasterTools Founder, Jon Ewalt

284 : Founder Friday! w. Jackie Nguyen of Cafe Cà Phê | Kansas City, MO

Over Optimization

283 : 5 Bad Reasons to open a Coffee Shop

Curse of the Favorite Barista?

282 : How to Listen to your Customers

Exercising Self-control as an Owner

281 : The Vietnamese Coffee Revolution w/ Sahra Nguyen of Nguyen Coffee Supply

RoR #5: Time and Color in Roasting w/ Morten Munchow of Coffee Mind

Turning the Ship

280 : A Conversation with Jesse Hartman of The Coffee Podcast

279 : Founder Friday! w/ Daniel Brown and Nephthaly Leonidas of Gilly Brew Bar

The Problem with "Should"

278 : Making good Hiring Decisions

Eliminating menu items Humanely

277: Encore Episode: How to respond to Negative Feedback

Positive Doubt

Special! "Thinking Differently" Series |Radical Sustainability w/ James Combs of Combs' Coffee

276 : Six Ideas for Increasing your Revenue

Who do we Serve?

Special! "Thinking Differently" Series |1% Better w/ Paul Magda of Pause Coffee House

275 : The Changing Landscape of Cafe Spaces w/ Dr. Jennifer Ferreira

RoR #4: Practical Thermodynamics w/ Candice Madison of Royal Coffee / The Crown Oak

You need an Owners Job Description

Special! "Thinking Differently" Series | Filipino Coffee w/ Ron Dizon of Teofilo Coffee!

274 : Crafting Specialty Drinks in your Shop w/ Matt Foster

273 : Founder Friday w/ Anne Lunnel and Charles Nystrand of Koppi Coffee Roasters, Helsingborg, Sweden

Keep Systems Simple!

272 : Coffee for Dummies w/ Major Cohen

Scaling Values

271 : Why the Cash Register Controls Everything

The Myth of the All-Star Team

270 : A Conversation w/ Mark Michaelson of Michaelson Consulting!

RoR #3: Making Contingency Planning a Reality w/ Andi Trindle Mersch of Philz Coffee

Commit before you Communicate

269 : What to Focus on after you Launch

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

Speed is not the Goal

267 : The Power of Delegation

Are you Excited?

266 : Building Physical Resilience W/ Dr. David Dahl DPT, CAFS

Two responses to Accountability

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

RoR #2: Exploring Quality Control w/ Spencer Turer of Coffee Enterprises

How to talk to Customers about Coffee

264 : A Conversation with Abner Roldan of Cafe Comunion and La Crema Podcast!

263 : Founder Friday w/ Mike McFall of Biggby Coffee

Paving the Way

262 : Understanding the Homeless Community

Be honest with your Wholesale Accounts

261 : The Basics of Managing Managers

Training TMI

260 : Is you Current Job the right Job? w/ Scott Anthony Barlow

Digital Hospitality

259 : Solving Toxic Customer Service Culture

RoR #1: A Conversation w/ Anne Cooper of Equilibrium Master Roasters

6 Things to Focus on in Your Coffee Shop

258 : Prioritizing your Mental Health in the New Year w/ Dr. Lara Pence

257 : A Conversation w/ Morgan Eckroth of MorganDrinksCoffee

Slowing down your Response Time

256 : Founder Friday w/ Varatt Vichit-Vadakan of Roots Coffee Roaster, Bangkok, Thailand

The Difference of Deference to your Staff

255 : The Triumph of Black Brazilians in Coffee w/ Phyllis Johnson

When "Going above and Beyond" goes too Far

254 : Holiday Hospitality Part 2

The pain of Detoxing your Work Life

253 : Mindsets that Sabotage Success

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

Not just "One of the Gang"

251 : Fermentation and the Future of Farming w/ Lucia Solis

The Impact of Absence

250 : Planning better Events w/ Steven Moloney of The Barista League

Just re-make it!

249 : The Path to Cooperative Ownership w/ Christopher Feran and Shane Hinde of Phoenix Coffee

The Neighbor's Tree

248 : The 5 Elements of Resourcing your Team

Special: Grossest Stories from the Bar

247 : Founder Friday! w/ Ritesh Doshi, of Spring Valley Coffee, Kenya

The Dark Roast Night of the Soul

246 : Selecting a Wholesale Coffee Provider

Promotion Commotion

245 : A Conversation with the World's Youngers Q Grader, Frankie Volkema, Founder of Joven Coffee

Good Baristas aren't born, they're Made

244 : Top 10 Ways to Lose Employees

Keeping it Real

243 : Encore Episode! "The Sleepwalking Barista (Owner)"

Lack of-Self-Awareness

242 : A Conversation with James Hoffmann

241 : Founder Friday! w/ David Morris of Dillanos Coffee Roasters

Prep for Performance Reviews

240 : What to do before you Build your Bar

SPECIAL: Stories from the Ground #3 w/ Chi Sum Ngai of Coffee Project NY!

Poaching and Hiring from other Shops

239 : 5 Best Practices for the Best Small Business w/ Henry Lopez

SPECIAL: Stories from the Ground #2 w/ Jay Sanders of 392 Caffe

Shifting the Shadow Shift

238 : Leading, Hiring, and working with your Coffee Tech w/ Hylan Joseph of Espresso Partners

SPECIAL: Stories from the Ground #1 w/ Scott Carey of Sump Coffee

My #1 Interview Mistake

237 : Thoughts on Post-COVID Coffee

236 : Founder Friday! w/ Miel Castagna-Herrera & Curtis Herrera of Cafe Corazon!

You are not your Competition

235 : 4 Tips for Training your Staff

Your Employee Handbook is Worthless

234 : Actions and Strategies to Improve your Messaging w/ Garrett Oden

Bridging the Values-Actions Gap

233 : A Conversation w/ Anthony Ragler, Black and White Coffee

Tips on Job Descriptions

232 : Rebuilding your Staff with Excellence w/ Dave Stachowiak

231 : Founder Friday! w/ Blew Kind of Fanny Lou's Porch

Don't fall into FOLO! (Fear of Limited Options)

230 : Making room for Community in your Shop

Don't Stress about Stress

229 : 7 Tips for New Managers

Work Alchemy

228 : Cracking the Leadership Code w/ Alain Hunkins

No News is Bad News

227 : Connecting with Hearts and Minds

Long-game Management

226 : The Art of being Indispensable at Work w/ Bruce Tulgan

225: Encore Episode : Founder Friday w/ Dorian Bolden, Beyu Caffe, Durham, NC

Who you are & What you Do

224 : Essentialism: Focusing on what truly Matters w/ Greg McKeown

The Right People?

223 : Building a Financially Resilient Business w/ Andrew Carroll

Higher Degrees of Imperfection

222 : How to have Difficult Conversations about Race and Justice w/ Kwame Christian

Encore Episode : 6 Truths about Power

221 : Building your People Program w/ HR Consultant, Dana Goodwin

220 : Founder Friday! w/ Sarah Barnett Gill of Mama Mocha's in Auburn , AL

The COVID Communication Bubble

219 : Building a Winning Food Program w/ Marilei Denila, Culinary R&D Manager, Go Get em Tiger

2nd First Impression : Tips for Welcoming Customers Back

218 : An Expert's Guide to Elevating your Cold Brew w/ Matt Bushman of Alto Cold Brew

COVID-19 Focus : Starting the Grocery / Pantry Model in your Shop w/ Ben Shellack of Penstock Coffee Roasters

Building an Accessible Coffee Menu w/ Joe Marrocco

217 : Should you Roast your own Coffee? w/ Joe Marrocco

3 Keys to Building a Better Normal

COVID-19 Focus w/ John King, Walkie Talkie Coffee, Canton, OH

216 : Helping Customers Brew at Home w/ Brian Beyke, I Brew my own Coffee Podcast

COVID-19 Focus: Perspective form Burundi w/ Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian, JNP Coffee

In this Together, but for how Long?

COVID-19 Focus w/ Maxwell Mooney, Narrative Coffee, Everette, WA

215 : Communication and Marketing Master Class w/ Spencer M. Ross, PH.D.

214 : Founder Friday w/ Peter Moses of Mighty Oak Roasters in Astoria, NY

You're not Letting People Down

213 : Coping with Corona using Emotional Intelligence w/ Andrea Hoban

COVID-19 Focus w/ Lauren Crabbe of Andytown Coffee Roasters

Keep or Throw Away?

212 : Refining your Leadership and Systems in a Crisis

COVID-19 Focus : Jonathan Pascual | Taproom Coffee and Beer | Atlanta, Georgia

Grace and High Standards

211 : Straight Talk for Coffee Shops w/ The Retail Doctor, Bob Phibbs

COVID-19 Focus : Impact on the Supply Chain w/ Ricardo Pereira , COO, Ally Coffee

Development in a Crisis

210 : The Future of Retail w/ Doug Stephens | CEO of The Retail Prophet

COVID-19 Focus : Karl Purdy of Coffee Angel, Dublin, Ireland : Not going quietly, not giving up, and serving well

209 : Founder Friday! w/ Linda Thach of Little Skips, Brooklyn, NY

Leading and Understanding Staff Bitterness

COVID-19 Focus : Erica Escalante, The Arrow | Acting Quickly, Leading Well, and Fighting for Connection

208 : Building a Company that Cares w/ Kyra Kennedy of Baratza

COVID-19 Focus : General Guidance on Talking with your Bank and Landlord w/ Marshall Fuss, Attorney at Law

On a Resilient Coffee Community

207 : Hope in Difficult Times w/ Kathy Turiano of Joe Bean Coffee Roasters

It's not You, It's Me

206 : The Emotional and Social Impact of the Cafe Space w/ Noa Berger

Fear and Trust

205 : Inside the World's Oldest Coffee Shop, Caffe Florian, Venice, Italy

204 : Founder Friday! w/ Jeff Taylor of PT's Coffee and Bird Rock Coffee

Facilitating Success

203 : Empowering Women in Business w/ Katherine Knapke

Customer Loyalty

202 : Mastering your Finances and Accounting w/ Keila Hill-Trawick of Little Fish Accounting

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

Prioritizing your Work

201 : Igniting your Curiosity w/ Cody Gough of the Curiosity Daily Podcast

Don't Waste Problems

200! : From Tragedy to Triumph : Navigating Change w/ Talor Browne of Talormade, Oslo, Norway

199 : Founder Friday w/ Mario Jimenez of Banana Dang Coffee!

3 Keys for Work-life Balance

198 : The Evolution of the Coffee Shop w/ Prof. Jonathan Morris

Asking for Help

197 : Getting the most from your Equipment w/ Melissa Vaiden of Counter Culture Coffee

Example > Words

196 : Understanding Consumer Preferences w/ Peter Giuliano

Empowering Staff to make the right Call

195 : Organizing the Community w/ Espresso State of Mind founders Javier Alvarez and Joseph W. Gonzalez

Building Trust-Credit

194 : Encore Episode! Leadership in the Cafe: 10 Steps to being a People First Leader | Aired January 17 2017

193 : Founder Friday w/ Colin Whitcomb of Canary Coffee Bar (Before & After Episode!)

The Power of "No"

192 : Freedom through Coffee w/ Esther Hope-Gibbs of Manumit Coffee

How to ruin a Game of Telephone

191 : Retraining your Staff on new Standards

High Expectations + Low Control

190 : 6 Tips for better Scheduling

In Praise of the "Transactional"

189 : Talking Tea! w/ Jeffery Champeau of Rishi Tea and Botanicals

188 : Founder Friday! w/ Jon Allen of Onyx Coffee Lab

"Local" does not Equal Quality

187 : A Conversation w/ Nikki Outlaw of Anecho Coffee

Source vs Supplement

186 : Interviews from Coffee Fest PNW, Tacoma, WA

Being the Point of Clarity

185 : Exploring the La Marzocco Cafe w/ Amy Hattemer and Carolyn Reddy

Build it for the Business, not the Person

184 : Making Great Business Decisions w/ Dave Stachowiak

Blood Sucking Bosses!

183 : Exploring Diversity w/ Phyllis Johnson

182 : Founder Friday! W/ Alec Tod of Indie Coffee Roasters, Indianapolis, IN

The Customer Service Pro is not Always Right

181 : Organizational Self-Knowledge

Systems as Care

180 : A Conversation W/ Rugid Grind Founders, Brian Washington and Averett Barksdale

Sink or Swim

179 : What you MUST Know About Employee Culture w/ Stan Slap

2 Qualities of Quality Baristas

178 : Training Masterclass w/ Emma Haines of London School of Coffee and Caffeina Consulting

177 : Founder Friday w/ Jonathan Pascual of Taproom Coffee and Beer in Atlanta, Georgia

Should You be Behind the Bar Right Now?

176 : Harnessing Emotions at Work w/ Andrea Hoban of Oji Life Lab

The Counterbalanced Barista

175 : How to Keep your Cool : A Fridge, Cooler, and Ice Machine Masterclass w/ Luke Peterson of The Maintenance Department!

I've Got Your (bar) Back

174 : Saying Yes to Business Opportunities w/ Kyle Wells of Torpedo Coffee & Close Quarters

Your Customer's Relational Baggage

173 : 5 Areas of Focus for Retailers

Your Peers are not your Customers

172 : Why Tracking Performance is a Must!

171 : Founder Friday w/ Matt Chitharanjan and Namrata Asthana of Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters in India

Fear or Inspiration?

170 : Why your Inventory Counts w/ Albert Amar and Pierre-Francois Rio of SwiftCount

Selfish Self-Awareness

169 : Designing the Guest Experience w/ Dr. Lisa Waxman

The Currency of Urgency

168 : Getting the Best From Your Coffee w/ Pete Licata

Familiar Apathy

167 : Handing off the Shift : 4 Tips to Avoid Chaos

166 : Founder Friday! (Special Curated Edition) : Four Awesome Perspectives on Caring for Staff from past Founder Friday Episodes

When You're "Losing it"

165: The Art of Deep Listening w/ Oscar Trimboli

"I'm Sorry"

164 : Six Tips for Cooler Cold Brew w/ The Cold Brew Chick, Rachel Dillon

Exceptions to the Rule : Toxic Traditions

163 : Lessons from Crush the Rush w/ Josh Littlefield

The Broken Chair

162 : Discussing "Baristastainability" w/ Jenna Gotthelf of Counter Culture Coffee

161 : Founder Friday Drive-Thru Edition! w/ Jasmine Diedrich Wilson of Diedrich Espresso, Everette, WA

Differentiation Takes Time!

160 : The Smart Way to Approach Money w/ Jill Schlesinger

Customer Experience - vs - Coffee Quality

159 : Unconscious Bias w/ Lauren Lathrop of Mill City Roasters

Self-Betrayal and the Art of Action

158 : A Managment Masterclass w/ Jon Felix Lund, VP of Operations for Coava Coffee Roasters

Would You Hire You?

157 : Four from the Floor : Interviews from Coffee Fest Indianapolis

156 : Founder Friday w/ Lauren Crabbe of Andytown Coffee Roasters

Don't You Forget About Me

155 : A Conversation w/ T. Ben Fischer of Glitter Cat Barista

The Agreement

154 : Decoding Decaf w/ Mike Strumpf of Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffees

Before you Expand

153 : Exploring the Peace Trade in the Congo w/ Mighty Peace Coffee

Endo / Exo Professional Development

152 : Jen Apodaca : Essential Advice for Starting a Roastery

I Don't Want to Talk to You

151 : How to React and Respond to Negative Feedback

150 : Founder Friday w/ Kyle Wells of Torpedo Coffee, Denver, CO : Before & After Episode

Stop Lying

149 : Celina Velez, Head Roaster at Merit Coffee

Unofficial Trainers & Fair Compensation

148 : Exploring the Ground Control Brewer with Inventor Eli Salomon of Voga Coffee

People...not Objects

147 : U.S. Roasting Champion 2019, Shelby Williamson of Huckleberry Roasters, Denver, CO.

Learning -vs- LEARNING

146 : How to Host a Throwdown w/ Justin Shepherd of Spencer's Coffee in Bowling Green, KY

145 : Founder Friday with Red Rooster Coffee Roaster Co-Founder, Haden Polseno-Hensley

The Miracle of the Mundane: How curiosity helps our sustainability

144 : A Conversation with 2019 U.S. Barista Champion, Sam Spillman!

What is Professionalism? Some thoughts for the future of service

143 : Behind the Scenes of the new "Baristas" Movie w/ Director, Rock Baijnauth

Winning and Losing : Thoughts on pursuits and their wake

142 : Entrepreneur Interviews from Coffee Fest NYC! : British Coleman & Shabria Quinn Robinson, Peter Moses, and Ryan Vaxmonsky share their passion knowledge, and inspire us all

Empathetic Systems

141 : The 27 Challenges Managers Face w/ Bruce Tulgan : Solving the most common challenges with intuitive and straightforward solutions, coffee shop management, leadership, foundational principles

Please Clarify: Making sure you and your boss are on the same page

140 : A Conversation w/ Erika Vonie, Director of Coffee at Trade Coffee : Professional journey, challenges of retail, green buying, learning about coffee, finding the right fit, how to make a global impact, valuing yourself, competition highs and lows

139 : Founder Friday w/ Kusanya Cafe Co-Founder, Phil Sipka! : Community organization, non-profit, resident run, serving the neighborhood, creating a 3rd place, empowering staff and community, renewal vs. gentrification

The Acceptance of Dysfunction

138: Joseph A. Rivera on Organic Acids & the Importance of Coffee Science : We learn a bit about organic acids, caffeine, the importance of coffee science and quality

Feedback Culture : Making feedback a part of what you do not just something you sometimes do

137 : Essential Books for your Professional Development Vol. 2 : Five Books that will teach you team building, management, entrepreneurship, managing your manager, embracing your coffee shop as a community space

Approving Delegated Work: The overlooked element that keeps the cafe up to standard

136 : Nourishing the Barista's Soul : A conversation with Deb Kaminski of Pacific Natural Foods : Supporting baristas, learning coffee, product development, feedback, excellence, knowing your worth in coffee

Your Bird Box : Tuning in to the under-appreciated expertise of the customer

135 : Staying Motivated in the Midst of Difficulty : Principles and perspectives on healthy growth, finding the right motivation, and being inspired where you are

134 : Founder Friday! w/ Jeremy Zhang | M2M Roasters & Uni Uni , Nanjing, China : 2x Chinese Barista Champion and coffee entrepreneur, specialty coffee in China, hiring and training, keeping standards, leading multiple cafes

Curbing their Enthusiasm : How we put a damper on the customer's experience and what to do instead

133 : 5 Keys to Successful Wholesale w/ Sarah Richmond : How to set up an incredible wholesale program, servant leadership, mission driven values, integrity, team building, systems and operations, mindset and growth

Icing on the Cake: Competitions vs. the Shop

132 : Baristas Speak! Vol. 3 : Conversations form Coffee Champs Nashville! w/ Adam JacksonBey, Kat Melheim, & Kristina Jackson : Barista career, leadership, industry impact, overcoming challenges

Communicate, Duplicate, Repeat : Key habits that make information stick

131 : The Strong Women of Coffee w/ Laura Gonzalez : Behind the project giving a voice to the amazing women that make up our industry , challenges women face in coffee, and some practices to adopt to help open up opportunities

The Conversational Reality of Your Business : Thought on how to approach creative projects in the new year

130 : Anne Nylander | Training Principles for Specialty Coffee Professionals : Breaking down Anne's new book that helps trainers and educators conduct effective sessions and grow as professionals

129 : Founder Friday! : Casey & Jeremy Miller of The Mud House / St. Louis, MO

Accurate Reflection : A very important end of year challenge and encouragement to the Keys to the Shop community

128 : Terry's Top 10 w/ Terry Ziniewicz : How not to Kill you Espresso Machine : Best practices to give your machine a long life from a man with a life time of machine knowledge, preventative maintenance, scheduled maintenance, tools, tips, advice

Drink Drills! : Guidelines for using this powerful training tool in the coffee shop to get baristas ready for anything

127 : Passion and Curiosity: A Conversation w/ Major Cohen, Sr. Project Manager, Starbucks Global : Starbucks history, developing a career, working as a team, advocating for baristas, teaching coffee, future of baristas, customer experience, importance

Tips for Conducting Great Staff Meetings

126 : Kids in the Coffee Shop! | An exploration of approaches and best practices from two different cafes on opposite sides of the same specialty coffee coin

Patience & Passivity : Career Advice for the Long Game

125 : Confidence in Conflict w/ Kwame Christian : How to use compassionate curiosity in negotiating for your career's and your coffee businesses best interest

124 : Founder Friday! w/ Emi Fukahori, World Brewers Cup Champion and Co-Founder of MAME Coffee in Zurich, Switzerland : Behind her winning performance, the value of community, growing through competition, opening a coffee bar, the challenges and joy

From Barista to Owner | Tim Jones of Liturgy Beverage Company talks about 5 things that helped him on the journey to running his own coffee business!

123 : The 10 Essentials of a Barista Manual! : Writing an effective coffee shop manual, barista communication, management and leadership responsibility, casting vision, details of preparations, service, hospitality, dealing with harassment

Thankfulness : The key to joy in the journey

122 : How be a Cash Register Hero : 6 Essential skills to have in order to set up both the customers and your co-workers in the coffee shop to have a great experience / Changing our mindset toward register work

Just. Walk. Away. : A critical point of service in the coffee shop that makes a big difference but is hard to do

121 : Working from Your Strengths w/ Lisa Cummings : How to identify both your's and your staff' strengths in the coffee shop, placing people in positions that compliment their talents, affirmation on the job, framing all work through the lens of str

Gossip: How this toxic element destroys community in the coffee shop and what to do instead

The Hospitality Paradox : Preparing for the most critical & perplexing time in retail

120 : Social Media 101 w / Jenn Chen : The most critical elements for coffee companies to consider to have a great on-line presence

119 : Barista Training Masterclass w/ Gwilym Davies : 2009 World Barista Champion, Gwilym Davies joins us to talk hospitality based training, always learning, being ok with being wrong, structuring your coffee trainings, how to prepare yourself, and

118 : Founder Friday! w/ Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters founders, Phil Robertson and Sebastion Sztabzyb: Entrepreneurship, challenges of getting started, leadership, staffing, maturing as owners and as a business, green sourcing and producer p

Grass Roots Improvement: Tapping into the power of your staffs observations and ideas

117 : Coffee and Cocktails w/ Amanda Whitt : Learning about drink building, guidelines for starting a cocktail program in your coffee shop, tips for great coffee cocktails, what we can learn from the world of craft cocktails and bartending

Accommodating Special Requests: Best practice for accommodating customers special requests for their coffee

116 : Understanding Gentrification w/ Dr. Stacey Sutton : A conversation about gentrification and the coffee shop's role in both contributing to it and helping stop it

You Need Standard Operating Procedures: The cornerstone to an excellent shop

115 : Finding Success in Mobile Coffee w/ Tim Cox of Communion Cafe & Rail Cart Espresso : Preparing for catering, mobile events, pricing, menu design, customer expectations, Technical requirements, challenges and benefits

Working Clean : Tips for keeping the bar looking and working well while you work

114 : The New Rules of Coffee w/ Jordan Michaelman and Zachary Carlsen of Sprudge.com : Winning over consumers, approachability in coffee, challenging perceptions of coffee, selecting the rules, coffee as a love language

113 : Founder Friday! w/ Matt Milletto of Water Avenue Coffee, Portland, OR : Community, partnerships, business advice, slow growth, keys to a successful shop

Career Advice from Joe Marocco of Mill City Roaster : Mission, learning, goals, mindset

112 : The Power of Story w/ James Harper of the Filter Stories Podcast : Building community, understanding perspectives, digging deeper than marketing in coffee, ways to integrate story into your cafe

PSL PSA : Using seasonal flavors to either alienate or bring together

111 : Self-Care 101: Six Ways to Make Sure You are taking Care of Yourself While Taking Care of Others :

The Affirmation Vacuum : How to make positive reinforcement a corner stone of your leadership and communication

110 : A conversation w/ Matt Perger of Barista Hustle : Coffee education, standards, research, problem solving , barista training

Toxic Vulnerability : Barista care, leadership, vulnerability, thoughtful management, coffee culture, coffee family , professionalism

109 : Leadership Abandonment Syndrome :Why there is a lack of development for senior staff and what to do about it. : Leadership, coffee shop management, professional development, responsibility of owners

108 : Founder Friday w/ Dorian Bolden of Beyu Caffe, Durham, NC : Community, diversity, business, core-values, live music, coffee shop as the 3rd place, hiring, leadership, concept evolution, mentorship, self-care

Latte Art Expectations

107 : Kyle Glanville & Charles Babinski of G&B Coffee / Go Get Em Tiger : The shift to roasting their own, the challenges and learning curve of roasting, shop expansion, dialing in, roasting for beverage quality, business philosophy, how they start

Introducing Chaos

106 : Changing Lives Through Coffee w/ Pamela Chng of Bettr Barista