Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

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392 : Cafe Management and the Importance of Team w/ Justin Duenne of Quills Coffee Jan 31, 2023

Show notes

The journey of a barista often will lead to management. That particular role of leadership in the cafe comes with a host of changes that call on people to not only care for the quality and operations of the cafe, but the people themselves. Today we are going to be talking with Justin Duenne of Quills Coffee, a manager whose journey into the role is marked by a focus on team and the constant goal of providing a great experience for both barista and guest alike.

Justin began working in coffee in 2018 with Quills Coffee in Indianapolis. With a passion for coffee and community growing, Justin stepped into a manager role for the Indianapolis shop. Throughout this time he's helped Quills Indianapolis step into a new chapter of the company and location. Justin is also an accomplished musician and songwriter.

In this conversation we will be talking about Justin's jouney into coffee and then into management and the lessons he has learned regarding leadership, and the importance of a great team

We cover:

Becoming a barista
Taking on and learning leadership
Lessons in teamwork and relying on others
Hiring and creating the vibe
Delivering a great coffee experience
The connection between music performance and management
Thankfulness and the importance of perspective

Links:

www.quillscoffee.com

Justin's music on Spotify

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391 : Founder Friday! w/ Megan Wilson of Spuds Coffee in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Jan 26, 2023

Show notes

It is Founder Friday and boy is this a wonderful conversation with a wonderful person. You simply cannot underestimate the importance of what an owner brings to a cafe and business. You as a leader have the opportunity to bring meaning, soul, and vision that creates electricity and momentum for your staff and customers. This is exactly what today's Founder Friday guest brings to her cafe and its people. We are talking with Megan Wilson of Spuds Coffee!

Megan Wilson was born and raised in Jamaica and moved to the United States to attend Johnson and Wales University where she would pursue and achieve a degree in culinary arts and food service management. From a very young age she had a great interest in the kitchen. What began as a passion for baking would blossom and extend to a passion for cooking and coffee. Connecting with people, creativity, and serving her community is what drives her.

Recently, Megan opened the doors to her first establishment. Spud's Coffee. There she and her team strive to create a space that inspires and motivates others to create, think outside their box and get after that dream. It is firmly rooted in the purest expressions of genuine hospitality.

In our conversation we cover her entry into coffee from food service, the harrowing journey through the pandemic to open Spud's and the lessons and experiences she has had through its founding and operation thus far.

We discuss:

History of hospitality and finding coffee
The innate desire and mission to serve and care for people
Leading and caring for a team
Creating an intuitive and welcoming space
Overcoming challenges in building the business
Pivoting and creating community before open
Learning along with your staff
Not letting fear and uncertainty stop you
Counting the cost
Operating the cafe and resilience
Advice for aspiring and existing owners

Links:

www.spudscoffee.com

Instagram: @spudscoffee

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RoR #18 : Expert Tips on Avoiding Tipping w/ Rob Hoos Jan 26, 2023

Show notes

Even though it is one of the most objectively identifiable defects, the presence of tipping seems to continue to plagues roasters. With the end result ruining an otherwise perfectly roasted coffee, this largely preventable defect deserves special focus.

In this episode of Rate of Rise we are going to be interviewing the great Rob Hoos who has dedicated a significant amount of his attention through a new downloadable booklet aptly named "Tipping and It's Avoidance", to helping us mitigate tipping for good.

Rob Hoos is a coffee roasting consultant and owner of Hoos Coffee Consulting and Iteration Coffee. Rob is the author of Modulating the Flavor Profile of Coffee and has been a roaster since 2008. He has extensive experience in the specialty coffee industry, including roasting, training, purchasing, and profile evaluation. He is a subject matter expert for the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) and conducts coffee roasting workshops online and in-person at his lab in Rainier, Oregon.

In our conversation we cover:

What is tipping and how is it unique among defects?
The impact of tipping on taste
What actually causes tipping?
The kinds of coffees prone to tip.
Best practices during roasting to catch it happening
Steps to avoid or eliminate tipping our roasting

Links:

www.hoos.coffee

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Values At The Heart of KTTS Jan 26, 2023

Show notes

I am helping my clients establish values all the time. Having a clear understanding of what is important to you and your business is incredibly important because it informs everything you put your hand to. For this show, and in my consulting work, I have my own set of values that have been developing over the course of my career.

On today's Shift Break we will be talking about the 4 core values that guide and inspire KTTS, what they mean to me, and how they can also apply to the work you do in your shops.

I hope you enjoy!

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390 : 7 Ways to be Consciously Competitive Jan 24, 2023

Show notes

Being competitive in business is often thought of in the same vein as being aggressive, leading with fear, and creating an us vs them scenario that is antithetical to community. The reality is that while we need to be competitive in order to run successful businesses, we need not do so in a way that alienates.

In today's episode you and I will talk about seven way to be what I will call "Consciously Competitive" in order make you business stand out in and become a better version of itself year over year.

We discuss:

Making space for staying connected
Service and open communication
Presence and involvement
Well curated menus with fresh rotating options
Don't employ desperation and Never bad mouth
Trends and what they signal
Generosity

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Leaner Teams, Better Results Jan 19, 2023

Show notes

The future of staffing our cafes depends on how effectively we hire and set up our teams for success. Rather than having an unsustainably low or high number of staff working, we need to create lean and effective teams of thoroughly trained, resourced, and well paid professionals.

Today on Shift Break we will be talking about investing into and professionalizing the barista role and how we can challenge ourselves and our baristas to do more and better with less and actually thrive in the process.

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389: How to Approach Modern Coffee Processing w/ Christopher Feran Jan 15, 2023

Show notes

A lot has changed in coffee over the last couple decades. As roasters and baristas, our understanding of the current landscape of coffee processing, its impact on flavor, and the possibilities it contains will greatly determine our success. Thankfully our industry has some very bright minds who create clarity around the ever complex world of coffee, and one of those voices is here with us today.

Christopher Feran is a coffee industry consultant, green buyer, roaster and lapsed Q-grader with years of experience helping startups and established companies in the Midwest, California and New York City as well as exporters and coffee growers in producing countries like Guatemala, Colombia and Ethiopia.

A pioneering coffee professional, he regularly publishes thought provoking blogs and articles that have challenges and pushed the industry forward.

Most recently he has published the "sort-of glossary" to coffee processes; which inspired today's conversation.

We will be exploring the topic of processing, it's evolution, and how to think about their use and application in your roasting company

We cover:

Evolution of his understanding of processing
Recent developments in processing
Shifting expectations of terroir
Who is driving these innovations?
How much of our menu should be experimental?
How some processes roast differently
Who is buying these coffees? Pros or consumers?
Processes create more consistency?
Choosing what is right for you and employing patience
First steps in adjusting your coffee roastery's program

Links:

www.christopherferan.com

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Making Yourself More Valuable Jan 12, 2023

Show notes

Professional development and opportunities for betterment and advancing are areas that operators must bake in to the business as much as possible. If you are a barista, manager, trainer etc and you want to take advantage of those things, create opportunities, or simply take charge of your own development for a better future then you must focus on adding value.

Today on Shift Break we will be discussing how to make yourself more valuable as an employee both in the job you have now and in preparation for the opportunities you have yet to encounter.

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