Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

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415: The Best Lessons On How to Listen w/ Listening Expert, Oscar Trimboli Jun 13, 2023

Show notes

Learning how to listen is the cornerstone of effective and transformative communication. In the hustle and fast paced daily activities of the coffee shop, it is easy to forget about listening and truly understanding what is being said beyond the words we hear. Add to this that emotions are often high, listening deeply and well can seem daunting.

Thankfully we have a guest on the show today who is a listening expert and has built incredible resources to help show use exactly how to listen!

Oscar Trimboli is an author, host of the Apple award-winning podcast Deep Listening and a sought-after keynote speaker.

His third book is how to listen – discover the hidden key to better communication – the most comprehensive book about listening in the workplace. Along with the Deep Listening Ambassador Community, he is on a quest to create 100 million deep listeners in the workplace.

Through his work with chairs, boards of directors, and executive teams, Oscar has experienced first-hand the transformational impact leaders can have when they listen beyond words.

In this conversation we dig deep into the principles of listening, especially when emotions cloud our mind. Through deeply personal examples, role playing scenarios, and impactful insight, Oscar lays out a master class in listening here on his second appearance on KTTS. Enjoy!

Links:

www.oscartrimboli.com

We discuss:

The listening compass
Our agendas
Creating and preparing for understanding
Listening when emotions are high
Assumptions and anxiety
Tools for recharging your listening battery

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Seeking to Learn Across Age Divides Jun 09, 2023

Show notes

Especially important for the younger generation is access to the wisdom and experience of those who have gone before. Older coffee professionals can also benefit from the drive and perspectives of the younger. Problem is that we tend to only converse with and stick to your own age group and the benefit of cross generational communication is lost.

On today's Shift Break we will be talking about mentorship and the importance of seeking these intergenerational relationships and the benefit it brings not only to our own development as individuals, but to the industry as a whole.

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414: Secret Ingredients for a Successful Coffee Shop Jun 06, 2023

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The barrier of entry for getting a coffee shop open is lower than ever. Many have the idea that if they can get the shop open, then they have succeeded. But the test is not only about whether you can open a shop, or even if you can keep it open, but how do you make something that is truly great and successful?

On today's episode we will be talking about a few ingredients that must be present in the mix of a coffee shop from the beginning in order for all the components we assemble in the race to open, to work together and create something truly greater than the sum of its parts.

These things are not readily apparent but are necessary nonetheless, and are what separates the average coffee shop from one that is long lasting and impactful.

We cover:

Culture of caring
Service mindset internal and external
Its not just a recipe of the assembly…it's the soul
Make the intangible tangible
Long term success is based on roots and patience
Self knowledge and acceptance of risk in refinement
Values in action
Not getting mired in the details but tending to them / Ability to judge success in mission and big picture

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Menu Simplicity as Hospitality Jun 01, 2023

Show notes

I mean, I like variety as much as the next person, but overly complex menus are overwhelming and create confusion for customers who rely on us to curate our offerings that meets their needs in a way that delivers quality over quantity.

On today's Shift Break we will be talking about how the pursuit of a simplified menu can be a powerful tool for hospitality and, in the end, creates a more memorable experience that customers are excited to share with others.

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413 : Coffee Education and Training at Origin w/ Fabiola Solano of Soy Barista May 30, 2023

Show notes

In order to train people in coffee and barista skills you have to not only be a student of your subject, but also a student of your students and their unique context. In recent years we have seen an incredible explosion of coffee eduction in producing countries where the landscape of learning is among the most unique given their deep relationship with coffee. Today we will be talking with an educator whose commitment to learning and bringing understanding to this context is making great impact. I am excited to be chatting with Fabiola Solano of sOY barista in Costa Rica!

As a certified with the Coffee Diploma and Authorized SCA Trainer (AST) in 2018, Fabiola began her preparation as a barista in 2013. She also has a bachelor's degree in business administration, a degree in marketing, and a specialization in hotel operations management. She is currently studying for the Certificate of Advanced Studies in Coffee Excellence at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences.

She has dedicated herself to content creation since 2015 for her blog Soy Barista, always focusing on updated and relevant data for the Spanish-speaking community

We cover:

Fabiola's entry into coffee
The unique landscape of Costa Rican coffee culture
Training and educating on foundational information
The importance of certifications and career tracks
Best practices for training baristas
Exploring all levels of quality
Practical results of education on the local industry over time

Links:

@soybaristacr

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RoR # 22 : Master Insights on Roaster Maintenance and Care w/ Doug Graf, Vintage Coffee May 29, 2023

Show notes

Setting up and maintaining a roaster for functionality, safety, and quality output is perhaps the biggest challenge of roasting. There are many variables and trades that go into it and it is easy to skip some steps, be less than detailed, and rush the project. I don't need to tell you, that is s a recipe for disaster. Perhaps nobody in roasting tech knows this more than the man who gets called to both set up roasters, and swoop in and deal with all sorts of emergency situations and repairs. Today on RoR we are talking with the legend, Doug Graf of Vintage Coffee.

Doug Graf has been rooted in the roasting, and roasting tech, repair and installation world for over three decades. From running his own family business for twenty years- to full time instal, repair, and consulting work for roasters over ten years, Doug Graf has maybe literally seen and worked on it all. Through his consulting company, Vintage Coffee, he provides consulting, training, repair and maintenance, plant design, and start up for coffee roasters of every size. Vintage is also a service representative for Canada for Loring Smart Roasters.

As you might guess, he is also a very active member of the roaster guild where he generously shares his hard earned wisdom and runs the roasters tent at the guild retreats.

In our conversation we talk with Doug about his career and focus on his advice and insights on how we should approach setting up and caring for our roasters and roasting spaces, and what the most common mistakes are related to maintenance to help us avoid needless troubles in the roastery.

We cover:

Task frequency
Wait time and working with the trades
Planning and patience
Trusting experts
Major mistakes we make
Checklists and systems
Anticipating the investment
The DIY trap
Intuition's role

Links:

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412 : Founder Friday! w/ Lem Butler and Kyle Ramage of Black and White Coffee Roasters May 26, 2023

Show notes

It's Founder Friday! Partnerships in coffee bars can be tricky things. You really have to make sure you have complimentary character traits as well as a unified s12et of values to help guide you through the ups and downs of business in a the cafe and roastery. Today we are talking with a couple of guys who have combined forces and have shown what is possible when these things are in place and you have a passion to serve and advance both people and coffee. We are talking with Kyle Ramage and Lem Butler of Black and White Coffee Roasters!

Kyle and Lem are industry legends in their own rights. Each of their carerers has spanned the decades and has been punctuated with competition success. Lem and U.S. Barista Champion in 2016, and Kyle as U.S. Barista Champion in 2017. Along their careers they have been deeply involved in retail, roasting, and have been integral members of the global coffee community through their work and examples.

The founding of their cafe and roastery in 2017 was the combination their individual talents to create something new, powerful, and needed in the coffee space. They have been making waves in the industry since them striking a balance between accessible coffees, more extreme coffees, serving their staff and customers, and continuing to invest in competitions and the professional development of competitors.

This conversation is a look at their history, the development of Black and White, their own growth as owners, and the how of their approach to running one of the most respected brands in coffee.

We discuss:

Careers and competition
Training and complimentary strengths
The founding of Black and White
Taking on an existing customers base and staff
Self awareness
Listening to customers
Developing a fresh approach to coffee
Investing in their baristas
The need to market coffee differently
Creating inroads in roasted coffee offerings
Where we need to go as an industry

Links:

www.blackwhiteroasters.com

Instagram: @blackwhiteroasters

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The Myth of Hands Off / Automated Leadership May 25, 2023

Show notes

There is a shortcut for everything these days. Automation, templates, and other tools would give you the impression that you can automate of be hands off with your leadership and that your aim is to continually seek more ways to remove yourself.

On today's Shift Break we will be talking about how this idea, while appropriate in some aspects of the business, is a recipe for disaster in others.

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