Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

Latest Episodes:

152 : Jen Apodaca : Essential Advice for Starting a Roastery May 06, 2019

Show notes

So you want to start a coffee roastery. Well there is a lot that goes into it and an overwhelming amount of information you can access to help you along the way. Rarely, though, do you get the opportunity to sit down with someone who is expert in both roasting coffee as well as helping other people establish their own roasting businesses. Today we get that opportunity as we talk with the great, Jen Apodaca!

Roasting since 2005, she has experience on scores of different types of equipment, has roasted for Blue Bottle, Intelligentsia, and Royal Coffee. She is the Vice Chair of the Roasters Guild, the founder of #shestheroaster, and currently runs The Pulley Collective Co-Roasting space in Oakland and has launched her own roasting business, Mother Tongue Coffee.

She has helped countless people get their start in roasting, and today we get to count ourselves among those who have learned from her guidance.

In this episode you will learn about:

Selecting a roaster
What do you need to set up a roaster
The pro and con of using the SCA cupping form
Customer focused roasting
Developing yourself and your coffees
Responsible use of instruments
Guidance for inventory
The best mindset for success

LINKS:

Jen on Instagram

Mother Tongue Coffee

#shestheroaster

I Don't Want to Talk to You May 01, 2019

Show notes

Sometimes hospitality opportunities are just inconvenient. Often times we straight-up struggle to do anything more than the basic requirements of our job let alone talking to customers or extending ourselves past what we feel like in the moment.

Today we talk about this tension and how to handle it in a way that lifts everyone up.

LINKS:

Shift Break: Laziness and the most important decision

Simple, Powerful Hospitality

"The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield

151 : How to React and Respond to Negative Feedback Apr 30, 2019

Show notes

We don't like to hear negative feedback. We get defensive and immediately start looking for ways to dismiss it rather than digging in to see if there is value there. I get it, the coffee shop is your baby, you take you profession personally. Handled the right way though, negative feedback can be your best friend.

Today on Keys to the Shop we are going to explore a 5 step process I have used for a long time to process critical feedback whether it is coming from a customer in the store, someone on Yelp, or from an employee.

LINKS:

Coffee Compass Article: The Wrath of the One Star Review

Shift Break: Stop Lying

Shift Break: Creating a Feedback Culture

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Pacific Barista Series

Prima Coffee

150 : Founder Friday w/ Kyle Wells of Torpedo Coffee, Denver, CO : Before & After Episode Apr 25, 2019

Show notes

On this Founder Friday we are taking a look into the before and after of Torpedo Coffee in Denver, CO. I was able to interview Kyle Wells at the Coffee Fest trade show in Denver June 2018 before ehe opened his new shop. We then sat down and talked last week about how things have played out, what has he learned, and what advice does he have for others from the now 7 months of running Torpedo Coffee.

This episode is all about:

What things look like in reality vs. the original idea
Holding plans loosely
Listening to feedback
Pivoting quickly
How to prepare yourself to embrace the things you cannot change or can't prepare for.

Torpedo is experiencing great success and is providing great coffee, connection, and community to their neighborhood. I am so thrilled to present this 2 in 1 interview with you today.

Enjoy!

LINKS:

WWW.TORPEDOCOFFEE.COM

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook

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Pacific Barista Series

Prima Coffee

Stop Lying Apr 23, 2019

Show notes

It is something we all do in ways we don't really think of as damaging. Lying to ourselves and others comes in the form of often well-meaning affirmation but, in the end, holds people back and erodes trust.

Today shift break we talk about how the lysing we do and the way forward toward a more truthful and trustworthy communication.

149 : Celina Velez, Head Roaster at Merit Coffee Apr 22, 2019

Show notes

Celina is about to celebrate her 2 year anniversary of joining the specialty coffee community having started with no knowledge of coffee as a roasting assistant at the great Merit Coffee in Austin, TX. Through hard work, curiosity, and integrity she has worked her way to head roaster and leads a team of people producing some of the best coffee you can find.

Today we sit down and explore her story as a newcomer to coffee and what she has experienced in her first, very busy, 2 years as a coffee professional.

In this episode you will learn:

How to approach learning as a newbie
How we put un helpful pressure on ourselves to look good
How Merit supports its employees through opportunity and healthy systems of communication
What Celina lessons Celina has learned
Tips for leading people
Quality control principles for approachable coffee
Celina's advice to people entering taking on new positions and challenges
How owners can support their staff and set them up for success

LINKS:

WWW.MERTICOFFEE.COM

Merit Coffee on Instagram

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Pacific Barista Series

Prima Coffee

Unofficial Trainers & Fair Compensation Apr 18, 2019

Show notes

"Just show them the ropes" is a phrase we use when giving baristas the extra responsibility of helping bring up a new hire. This usually is done with little warning and almost never with any extra compensation for the barista who now must work twice as hard. Today we discuss this practice of designating unofficial trainers in the on-boarding process and how to approach it in a fair way.

148 : Exploring the Ground Control Brewer with Inventor Eli Salomon of Voga Coffee Apr 15, 2019

Show notes

We all want to extract the most out of our coffee. There are many methods and tools used to achieve maximum flavor but only a few machines offer innovation in a way that creates a substantial jump forward in brew quality and consistency. The Ground Control brewer is one of those machines and today we get to talk with the inventor of this machine, Eli Salomon, Co-founder and CEO of Voga Coffee.

Eli has roots in academia as well as in the coffee community having been on the ground floor (pun intended) of an innovative coffee equipment company then, seeing a need in the industry for higher quality batch brew coffee.

In this episode you will learn:

What led Eli to the world of coffee and equipment innovation
What inspired the invention of the Ground Control brewer
Details of how the brewer works to extract more than people though they could get from a batch brewer
Extraction science and what sets it apart from others
How this can brewer help sustainability and contribute to the cafe experience
Eli's perspective on where the industry is heading and how the Ground Control is helping push things forward.

It was great to talk with Eli and learn more about this great brewer. I hope you enjoy this episode and check out the links below for more information on the brewer as well as a helpful map Eli has made for us to locate shops in the U.S. (and some international locations) where the brewer can be experienced.

SHOW LINKS:

Ground Control Cyclops Information Sheet

www.vogacoffee.com

U.S.+ International Map of ground Control Brewers

Instagram

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People...not Objects Apr 11, 2019

Show notes

It's easy to write off someone and treat them in a way that dehumanizes for the sake of convenience. We tend to make ourselves out to be better, and others worse. Today we chat about treating people you work with in the cafe with like they are people...not objects.

*Stay tuned for next week's Shift Break as we talk about the problem with using regular staff to bring new people "up to speed" and my proposed solution.

www.keystotheshop.com/consulting

147 : U.S. Roasting Champion 2019, Shelby Williamson of Huckleberry Roasters, Denver, CO. Apr 07, 2019

Show notes

Roasting is a hard job that happens behind the scenes. Even the championship itself is somewhat isolated from view! That is why I am so excited to share this talk with you. Not just because we get to learn more about roasting but because we get to learn from the Champ herself, Shelby Williamson of Huckleberry Roasters, Denver, CO!

In our conversation today we explore Shelby's path into coffee roasting as a profession, what a day in the life looks like as head roaster at Huckleberry, how she goes about developing coffee profiles, her experience as a woman in the coffee roasting space, what has contributed to her success as a roaster, and of course details about the roasting competition and what she did to prepare for it and win.

This conversation is loaded with insights and advice and I hope you enjoy it!

Links:

Instagram

Huckleberry Roasters

HEY!

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