Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

Chocolate and coffee seem to be made for each other! Whether you are having a simple well made mocha or pairing a bar with a single origin espresso, chocolate can compliment, enhance, and make more accessible the specialty coffee we serve. Yet, as much as we know about coffee, we tend to fall short when it comes to this very important part of our shops menu and offerings. This week we are talking with coffee pro and chocolate enthusiast, Brian Beyke to help us understand the world of craft chocolate and how we can make steps to level up our chocolate offerings in the cafe to better compliment the coffee we are so proud of. I learned a lot in this chat and I know you will too! Enjoy! Brian is the Director of Digital Sales, Marketing, and Communications for Quills Coffee in Louisville, KY. He is also a co-host of both the I Brew My Own Coffee Podcast and Unwrapped - A Conversation About Chocolate podcasts. LINKS: I Brew My Own Coffee Podcast Unwrapped: A conversation About Chocolate Tasting Sheet from Brian's Friend in Nashville Quills Coffee Craft Chocolate Makers Mentioned: Soma Dick Taylor Bellflower Patric Charmschool Ritual VISIT OUR SPONSOR!

This week we get to chat with 2014 World Barista Champion from Japan, Hide Izaki! We talk about his path to the WBC, the distinctive traits of the Japanese coffee culture, what has he learned and experienced in his travels , the importance of failure, what is his #1 piece of advice to baristas, and how we can build our industry by listening t the consumer. It was such an honor to have Hide on the show and I know you will enjoy this conversation as much as I did! LINKS Hide's Consulting: Samurai Coffee Experience The Coffee Man Film / Hide was WBC Champion, Sasa Setic's Coach and is featured in the film Behind the Scenes of Coffee Man film w/Hide Hide's 2013 WBC presentation Hide's 2014 winning WBC presentation Cafe's Mentioned: Tim Wendelboe Fritz Coffee Company ...Also here Coava Coffee Visit Our Sponsor, PRIMA COFFEE!

We are in a Consumer Revolution! The home barista - coffee brewer- coffee drinker makes up 70% of coffee consumed in the U.S. and has access to a lot of great information, training materials, resources, and gear to help them get a truly great cup of coffee. Unfortunately, there is still a lot of misinformation and bad gear out there making it hard for consumers to consistently get the best we have to offer in specialty coffee. Never fear! Today we talk with the founder of the world's first consumer coffee festival "Coffee Con", and author of "The Art and Craft of Coffee" Kevin Sinnott! Kevin has made it his job for over 2 decades to bridge the gap between the consumer and specialty coffee through writing about coffee, reviewing and recommending gear to the home enthusiast, and now bringing pros and consumer together at his ground breaking event, Coffee Con. We talk about how Kevin came to be an ambassador to the coffee enthusiast, the perspective of the consumer, and how we who work as professionals can better serve them in or shops. LINKS: WWW.COFFEE-CON.COM IG: @Coffeeconevent Kevin's Book: The Art and Craft of Coffee www.georgehowellcoffee.com Related KTTS Episodes: Episode 19: 10 Reasons to Love the Customer Episode 30: Matching Your Service to Your Quality w/ Casey Underkofler VISIT OUR SPONSOR FOR GREAT GEAR! WWW.PRIMA-COFFEE.COM

Pour over coffee is often seen as a sign that you take coffee seriously. It implies a level of quality not usually reserved for plain ol' batch brew. Batch brew is seen as a bit more pedestrian. Customers may even assume that, compared to pour over, batch brew is inferior in quality. The truth? It all depends. Today we take the red pill with past guest Mr. Ryan Soeder, Q.C. & Barista Trainer at Sunergos Coffee! We discuss the variables, circumstances , and processes involved in making decisions about both methods as it relates to your shop and the message you send to your customers. Enjoy! LINKS: Related Episode: 002: Master Your Workflow Book: Barista Secrets www.sunergoscoffee.com Ryan on Instagram @ryansoeder

On this edition of Founder Friday we go to a small town in rural Kentucky to hear about Katie Startzman's venture into bagels, coffee, and the adventures of business ownership! You will leave this conversation energized and encouraged as she shares the details of how she made her vision a reality in Berea, KY. We talk about hiring, researching your business ideas, how to be ok with spending money, and a lot more. I know you are going to get something valuable form this conversation. Enjoy! Links: www.nativebagel.com Native Bagel Facebook Instagram email: katie@nativebagelcompany.com Related Episodes: KTTS 022: Collin Harmon of 3fe Coffee Resources Mentioned: E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber Restaurant Succes by the Number by Roger Fields Setting the Table by Danny Meyer

Fear, frustration, stress...we all have experienced one or more of these feelings when we deal with groups in the cafe. Be they a family, friends, or study group we can sometimes have trouble managing the group dynamic and the chaos that can often accompany it. In spite of all this though the group does not represent a hurdle to jump over But an opportunity to embrace! On todays show we answer a question sent in by a KTTS listener on how to effectively manage this very thing. Be prepared to walk away empowered to view groups in a new light. Enjoy! Books recommended: - Setting the Table: Danny Meyer Related Episodes: - Ep: 030: Casey Underkoffler / Matching Your Service to Your Quality

Being a new barista can be both very exciting and VERY stressful. There is an almost never ending list of policies, recipes, practices, and rules that make up this new work of cafe service you are now immersed in. On today's show you and I talk about some essential tips that will help you not only navigate you first few weeks on the bar but advice that will help guide you throughout your entire career. If you are a manager this episode is great to share with your new staff and even some of your veteran employees. Enjoy! -Chris Resources mentioned LINKS: EP 28 "Why It's OK to be the Boss" Model Health Show -Shawn Stevenson "Mindset" -Dr. Carol Dweck It's OK to Manage Your Boss-Bruce Tulgan www.keystotheshop.com

In coffee service we pour over the details of the coffee's quality in great detail. Often though we can over look the details that make up a complete coffee experience. The way customers experience our coffee, in no small part depends on how we have looked after the fine points of service in how we present the ourselves, space, and the coffee itself. Today we talk with Casey Underkofler, Assistant General Manager at The Bachelor Farmer Cafe in Minneapolis, MN to get some practical and actionable tips on how we can match our service to our quality. Enjoy! Links for this Episode: The Bachelor Farmer Cafe Barista Magazine Article: All the Little Things (Search the April/May Issue) "Mindset" -Dr. Carol Dweck Related Episodes: KTTS 007 : 4 Keys to an Effective Checklist KTTS 016 : Raising the Bar on Your Customer Service / Michael Butterworth

The SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America) and the SCAE (Specialty Coffee Association of Europe) have recently merged to form the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) but what does that mean for those of use who work in retail? What are the plans and goals of the SCA when it comes to their retail members? Is joining the Association something you should do for yourself or for your business and staff? In this week's episode we talk with SCA Vice President Heather Perry to get more details about what to expect and how we might participate. I believe you will gain a lot of clarity from this episode as Heather lays out all that has been going on and what is in store. Enjoy! Heather Perry, Vice President of the SCA, is also a 2 Time U.S. Barista Champion and 2nd Place world Barista Championship finalist. She is Vice President of Klatch Coffee, a 20 year old California based roaster/retailer and has served in association leadership positions for over 12 years. Helpful Links: Heather's Email: Heather@klatchroasting.com Ellie Hudson's Email: ellieh@sca.coffee www.sca.coffee www.Klatchcoffee.com https://sca.coffee/education-1/ www.keystotheshop.com

Today we are talking with noted author, speaker, and researcher, Bruce Tulgan about his powerful book, "It's Ok to be the Boss". We talk about the myths that managers believe that lead to what Bruce calls "The Under-Management Epidemic" and the very practical and simple solutions we can employ to become a great boss, truly empower our people, gain clarity, and create a great work culture at your coffee bar. This book has had a huge impact on me and I know you will also be impacted and pushed toward being a great boss. I hope this interview is on,y the beginning for you. Enjoy! LINKS: brucet@rainmakerthinking.com WWW.RAINMAKERTHINKING.COM RELATED/MENTIONED EPISODES: KTTS 021: How to Leverage Your Performance Review KTTS 003:Pete Licata:The role Of Mentorship in Specialty Coffee Resources: www.keystotheshop.com