Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

Latest Episodes:

COVID-19 Focus : Starting the Grocery / Pantry Model in your Shop w/ Ben Shellack of Penstock Coffee Roasters May 15, 2020

Show notes

Alternative forms of income have been helping keep many of you in business during the crisis. The grocery/pantry model has been a very interesting and successful pivot that allows you to continue serving the needs of your community beyond coffee.

One of the best examples of this model is being conducted by Penstock Coffee out in Highland Park, NJ. Penstock is a Good Food award winning roastery established in 2009 by Ben and Jessica Shellack. These are some of the best people you will meet in coffee and their commitment to do right by all the people involved in the supply chain shows in all they put their hands to, including how they have responded to the current crisis.

Today I sit down with Ben to get the details of their very successful grocery program. How did they start? What are the logistics and legalities? How did they set it up and how do they manage it? What are their quality control measures? These are some of the many questions answered in this in depth look at the grocery/pantry model.

As we are still very much in the middle of this mess, I hope this episode helps equip and empower you to perhaps take on a similar project in your business.

Links:

www.penstockcoffee.com

Penstock on IG

Complete list of COVID-19 related past episodes:

Remote coaching and consultation:

www.keystotheshop.com/consulting

Building an Accessible Coffee Menu w/ Joe Marrocco May 13, 2020

Show notes

Joe is back! This time for a shift break episode focused on building a coffee menu from the ground up that is tuned in to meet your customers, and their taste buds, where they are on their coffee journey.

NOW is the time to really drill down and focus on customizing your offerings for accessibility, ease of use, wider availability, and thinking through how you will set the customer up to thoroughly enjoy the roasted coffee you sell on the shelf.

In this shift break we discuss the mentality, tools, and actions needed to build a great coffee program for the people!

Links:

www.list-beisler.coffee

Joe on Instagram

Joe on Twitter

List and Beisler on Instagram

CLICK TO JOIN THE MIGHTY NETWORK!

Related episodes:

026 : What Your Roaster Wants You to Know w/ U.S. Roasting Champion Mark Michaelson

063 : What Your Roaster Wants You to Know w/ Rob Hoos

Joe gives Career Advice

20 : Transparency and Origin Knowledge in the Cafe w/ Joe Marrocco

Batch Brew like you never thought possible:

Ground Control Cyclops Brewer

Amazing grinders making great coffee easy to achieve

BARATZA GRINDERS

217 : Should you Roast your own Coffee? w/ Joe Marrocco May 12, 2020

Show notes

Ah roasting coffee, many shop owners are planning what they want their business to look like in the future and how they can make it more resilient and roasters/retailers seem to have some more flexibility in what they can do in this crisis. the idea to roast coffee for yourself can seem fairly simple but there are more issues to consider than one may think.

What is the case for and against roasting your own coffee and how can you make the right choice for your business? What are the key considerations to work through that determine if you will be a good roaster or a bad one? Today we get to really explore this subject and generally the art of being a great roaster with the ever insightful, Joe Marrocco!

Joe is heading up the U.S. division of German based green coffee importer List and Beisler and has been an accomplished coffee professional since 2005. Joe has been a barista, a café manager, a roaster, an educator, a leader in the Barista Guild of America, and a barista competitor. Prior to List and Beisler he was the long time Sr. Sales Associate and Director of Education at Café Imports, and Educator in collaboration with Mill City Roasters and is widely considered the go-to guy in the industry for deeply useful and practical knowledge in all things roasting.

I am thrilled to have Joe back on the show to explore the subject of becoming a roaster and whether it is the right move for you to make or the worst move you could make. In typical Marrocco fashion, Joe lays out several well reasoned approaches to both sides of the issue and we leave having gained clarity and direction.

In this episode you will learn:

Why you should or should not start roasting
The logistical concerns behind the scenes
Do you save actually money?
The metric of joy and health
Questions and Factors in profitability
Benefits of retail before wholesale
Manual vs automation in roasting equipment
Tips for being a good roaster and avoid being a bad one
Trends vs authenticity

Links:

www.list-beisler.coffee

Joe on Instagram

Joe on Twitter

List and Beisler on Instagram

Related episodes:

026 : What Your Roaster Wants You to Know w/ U.S. Roasting Champion Mark Michaelson

063 : What Your Roaster Wants You to Know w/ Rob Hoos

Joe gives Career Advice

20 : Transparency and Origin Knowledge in the Cafe w/ Joe Marrocco

The BEST in commercial coffee equipment

www.prima-coffee.com/keys

Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks?

www.pacificfoods.com/food-service

3 Keys to Building a Better Normal May 07, 2020

Show notes

Operations, People, and Quality. These are three areas I focus on with all of my clients. Each on contains a myriad of subjects and components that we explore in detail to bring the whole business to a higher level. Today I want to discuss a few ideas within each of these categories that I believe are critical for you to pour energy into right now so you can enter into post-COVID business better than when this all started.

I cannot stress enough how important I think this particular conversation is and I hope it helps your thrive well into the future.

Related Episodes:

Batch Brew like you never thought possible:

Ground Control Cyclops Brewer

Amazing grinders making great coffee easy to achieve

BARATZA GRINDERS

COVID-19 Focus w/ John King, Walkie Talkie Coffee, Canton, OH May 04, 2020

Show notes

Walkie Talkie Coffee was founded by Lindsey and John Kind in the Summer of 2019. The result of a ton of planning, dreaming, and raising support, the shop was an immediate hit offering coffees from Heart in Portland , OR, amazing service and hospitality, and a goal to create great social and coffee experiences for their neighborhood. Not even a one year in, Walkie Talkie is now facing what is arguably our industries most challenging time. In spite of this, Lindsey, John, and crew have been handling this with grace and a positive outlook that is rooted in their mutual concern and care for one another and the people they serve.

In this conversation I sit down with John King to hear how this all unfolded, the challenges of being a first year business going through this crisis, what they have done, how they keep going, and what they see for the future.

If you are in Canton, OH definitely swing by Walkie Talkie. I hope you enjoy this conversation.

Links:

Walkie Talkie Coffee

Instagram

All COVID-19 Focus and Relevant Episodes:

On a Resilient Coffee Community

Hope in Difficult Times w/ Kathy Turiano

General Guidance on Talking with Banks and Landlords w/ Marshall Fuss, Attorney at Law

Erica Escalante, The Arrow Coffeehouse

Karl Purdy, Coffee Angel in Dublin, IrelandÂ

The Future of Retail w/ Doug Stephens

Impact on the Supply Chain w/ Ricardo Pereira, COO, Ally Coffee

Straight Talk for Coffee Retailers w/ The Retail Doctor, Bob Phibbs

Jonathan Pascual of Taproom Coffee and Beer,Â Atlanta, GA

Refining your Leadership and Systems in a Crisis

Shift Break: Development in a Crisis

Shift Break: Grace and Hight Standards

Shift Break: Keep or Throw Away

Maxwell Mooney, Narrative Coffee

Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian JNP Coffee, Burundi

Keys to the Shop Consulting:

www.keystotheshop.com/consulting

chris@keystotheshop.com

216 : Helping Customers Brew at Home w/ Brian Beyke, I Brew my own Coffee Podcast May 04, 2020

Show notes

Home brewing is gaining more and more ground as our customers, who would normally come in to he shop, are brewing at home and looking for ways to replicator's the coffee they love in the shop. This time in coffee history will likely lead to a permanent rise in the number of people brewing coffee at home and subequently a rise in whole bean sales. How we show up for them and help facilitate their success with our coffee really matters. We need to embrace and equip the home brewer and to help us do that we are hearing from the one and only, Brian Beyke, of the I Brew my own Coffee Podcast.

Brian is the Director of Coffee for Quills Coffee, Co-host of the Unwrapped Chocolate Podcast, and lover of all things bourbon and whiskey. He is also the host of the I Brew my own Coffee Podcast, an award winning podcast hosted by himself and Bryan Schiele talking about the stories, coffee, gear, techniques, philosophies, and people that make up the wonderful world of home coffee brewing. IBMOC is now officially and has relaunching after 3 years with Mr. Beyke at the helm.

Today we will be talking with Brian about our role in the shop to help people successfully brew coffee at home and build trust while doing it.

We cover:

Accessibility and trust
Importance of water
Understanding the customers
Communicating with customers effectively
The state of home brewing compared to the industry
Where we need to focus as we look to the future post-COVID

Links:

IBMOC Podcast

IBMOC Instagram

Brian's Instagram

Unwrapped: A conversation About Chocolate

Related Episodes:

37: Chocolate and Coffee w/ Brian Beyke

Supplying and Selecting Equipment w/ Steve Rhinehart

Consumer Revolution w/ Kevin Sinnott

Hosting Consumer Coffee Classes

How to Taste Coffee w/ Steve Cuevas

The BEST in commercial coffee equipment

www.prima-coffee.com/keys

Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks?

www.pacificfoods.com/food-service

COVID-19 Focus: Perspective form Burundi w/ Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian, JNP Coffee May 01, 2020

Show notes

Today we are hearing from Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian, the Founder and President of JNP Coffee, Burundi Coffee importer and exporter in operation since 2012.

Jeanine grew up in Burundi and left to pursue her education earning an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School and had a 20-plus-year international business career that helped her find her way back to Burundi and to coffee.

It was at a "Cup of Excellence" competition that she recognized the potential of the exceptional coffees of Burundi. She saw the opportunity to promote these coffees in the global market as a means of helping the farmers, her people.

Today JNP Coffee is known for the award-winning specialty coffees they source and the good works and leadership they provide at origin. As a licensed Q grader, she continues to advance the global specialty coffee industry. Her business model is driven by quality coffee and is based on strong producer partnerships, sharing knowledge, promoting gender equality, and supporting education in financial literacy and leadership, all to empower the farmers and their families in her native country.

Today we are talking with Jeanine about how JNP is responding to the current crisis and also how things look on the ground for the farmer she works with in Burundi.

This is a very important discussion as it give perspectives on the relationship between producers and consumers that I believe will inspire how we conduct business as retailers in the future.

It's all about empathy, connection, resiliency, and working with each other to increase access to the great coffees our customers have yet to discover.

Links:

JNP Coffee

Burundi Friends International

All COVID-19 Focus and Relevant Episodes:

On a Resilient Coffee Community

Hope in Difficult Times w/ Kathy Turiano

General Guidance on Talking with Banks and Landlords w/ Marshall Fuss, Attorney at Law

Erica Escalante, The Arrow Coffeehouse

Karl Purdy, Coffee Angel in Dublin, Ireland

The Future of Retail w/ Doug Stephens

Impact on the Supply Chain w/ Ricardo Pereira, COO, Ally Coffee

Straight Talk for Coffee Retailers w/ The Retail Doctor, Bob Phibbs

Jonathan Pascual of Taproom Coffee and Beer, Atlanta, GA

Refining your Leadership and Systems in a Crisis

Shift Break: Development in a Crisis

Shift Break: Grace and Hight Standards

Shift Break: Keep or Throw Away

Maxwell Mooney, Narrative Coffee

Keys to the Shop Consulting:

www.keystotheshop.com/consulting

chris@keystotheshop.com

In this Together, but for how Long? Apr 30, 2020

Show notes

The way we have seen people rise to the challenge, amp up communication, take on a sense of urgency, solve problems, and create a culture that is agile and empathetic is truly inspiring. It's the stuff that defines being "In this Together".

The question is, where does this all go once the crisis has subsided? Will our urgency, connection, and togetherness fade away?

Today we will be chatting about the need to use this time to craft a future for our shops where these qualities continue in the daily work and fabric of our shops.

Batch Brew like you never thought possible:

Ground Control Cyclops Brewer

Amazing grinders making great coffee easy to achieve

BARATZA GRINDERS

COVID-19 Focus w/ Maxwell Mooney, Narrative Coffee, Everette, WA Apr 28, 2020

Show notes

As we continue our focus series on the COVID-19 crisis and it's impact on specialty coffee, we get talk someone who has been leading the charge for business agility, staff/customer safety, and creating systems to support it all. Maxwell Mooney is the Owner of the award winning shop, Narrative Coffee in Everette, WA. A past guest on the show, Maxwell consistently brings a clear, level headed, and well thought through perspective to the table. What I enjoy most about Maxwell and his leadership is the integrity that drives what he does and allows him to make tough calls.

In this conversation we will be discussing, from beginning to present day, how the crisis unfolded for him and his team. Among other things we will cover:

Not joining the "Cult of hustle"
Creating and executing plans
Hospitality in every context
Making tough calls for safety
Managing emotional impact on staff
Leading in the midst of exhaustion and hard life circumstances

Links:

www.narrativecoffee.com

Founder Friday: Narrative Coffee part 1

Founder Friday: Narrative Coffee Part 2

COVID-19 Focused episodes:

On a Resilient Coffee Community

Hope in Difficult Times w/ Kathy Turiano

General Guidance on Talking with Banks and Landlords w/ Marshall Fuss, Attorney at Law

Erica Escalante, The Arrow Coffeehouse

Karl Purdy, Coffee Angel in Dublin, Ireland

The Future of Retail w/ Doug Stephens

Impact on the Supply Chain w/ Ricardo Pereira, COO, Ally Coffee

Straight Talk for Coffee Retailers w/ The Retail Doctor, Bob Phibbs

Jonathan Pascual of Taproom Coffee and Beer, Atlanta, GA

Refining your Leadership and Systems in a Crisis

Shift Break: Development in a Crisis

Shift Break: Grace and Hight Standards

Shift Break: Keep or Throw Away

Keys to the Shop Consulting:

www.keystotheshop.com/consulting

chris@keystotheshop.com

215 : Communication and Marketing Master Class w/ Spencer M. Ross, PH.D. Apr 27, 2020

Show notes

Never before has it been more important to invest in your companies communication and marketing than right now. Connection to our customers and also our staff is the life blood of the cafe and drives everything we do. Additionally, the health of your shop is determined in large part by the health of the relationships you create with the consumer and those relationships are driven by how you communicate.

What are the guiding principles for effective communication? How are small businesses uniquely positioned to build great relationships? And how can we find clarity on strategy and methods that are sustainable long-term? All of these questions and more are going to be answered in today's master class on communication and marketing wit special guest, Spencer M. Ross, PHD.

Spencer M. Ross, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Marketing (and specialty coffee enthusiast) at University of Massachusetts Lowell's Manning School of Business. His dual research interests focus on the intersection of marketing and public policy and on consumer engagement with digital marketing. In the transformative consumer research/public policy context, Ross is primarily focused on sustainable consumption behaviors; he has published work in the European Journal of Marketing and the Journal of Business Ethics on consumer dispositions toward prosocial consumption versus self-interest. He has also published on consumer sustainability issues in the Journal of Business Research, Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, and Journal of Consumer Affairs, and presented on consumer sustainability at the 2019 SCA Coffee Expo.

Today Spencer breaks down principles and approaches to guide you as you invest in your customer relationships through communication.

Amongst other topics we cover: