Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

The foundation of the building determines the stability of what is built on it. When it comes to building a coffee shop business your growth cannot out pace the degree to which you invest in the relationships and the culture at the heart of it. On today's Shift Break we will be talking about the need to increase engagement, resourcing, communication, and meaningful connection as you get business and the business develops in size and scope. This is a very important topic and one that I hope you take to heart and put into practice. Listen to these related episodes next: 248 : The 5 Elements of Resourcing your Team 074 : The Life Changing Power of Good Authority w/ Jonathan Raymond 067 : 6 Truths About Power : The Responsible Approach to Power Dynamics in the Cafe 194 : Encore Episode! Leadership in the Cafe: 10 Steps to being a People First Leader | Aire Expectations for Growth Reasonable Expectations Visit our Sponsors!!! The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co.

Tenacity, humility, and curiosity. Whether you are working as a barista, competing, opening your own shop and roastery, these are character traits that are essential for success. Today we are talking with someone whose long career in coffee has been characterized by these values. We are chatting with the new U.S. Barista Champion, Isaiah Sheese! Isaiah Sheese is the Owner of Archetype Coffee located in Omaha, Nebraska. He has been working in the coffee industry for almost 20 years in various roles from barista, to QC cupper, green buyer, janitor, and now owner. He has competed in the US Barista Championships for 9 years, judged for 2 years, and placed top 6 in 8 of the 9 qualifiers. He finished 5th in 2020 and is now the 2023 US Barista Champion. In my conversation with Isaiah we get to talk about his beginnings in coffee, the early experiences of competition, starting and running Archetype, and the pursuit of hospitality while also pushing coffee forward. We Cover: Entering the coffee industry Discovering barista competitions Challenges of taking the next step in career What moments changed the game in competition Pursuit of excellence How judging changed things Starting a business and meeting customers where they are The importance of community trust for cafe success Tenacity in competition and the evolution of Archetype His winning routine and how they approached it differently Links: www.drinkarchetype.com FOLLOW! @ARCHETYPEROASTERS Isaiah Sheese on Instagram @isaiahsheese Listen to these related episodes next! 394 : Happy Coffee People w/ Wendelien van Bunnik 390 : 7 Ways to be Consciously Competitive 320 Founder Friday! w/ Francesco Sanapo of Ditta Artigianale, Florence, Italy 045 : Simple, Powerful Hospitality w/ Philip Turner 343 : Founder Friday! "Curated Edition" | Hospitality + Meeting People Where They Are Visit our awesome Sponsors! GROUND BREAKING BREWING MADE SIMPLE! www.groundcontrol.coffee THE BEST PLANT-BASED BEVERAGES ON THE PLANET! www.Pacificfoodservice.com 30 years of resourcing you with the best products and education! www.coffeefest.com Use Code: "KEYS" for 50% General Admission

It is not so much the fear of change that keeps us from moving forward in the areas we know are necessary. It is the fear of what will happen when we implement the change. The fall out, we imagine, is too much to handle and so we stay where we are. On today's Shift Break we will be talking about why you need to embrace the fallout related to needed change and how doing so in a people-first way will, in spite of the inconveniences, lead to a better outcome. Listen to these related episodes next: 301 : Hiring and Training for Excellence 191 : Retraining your Staff on new Standards 080 : Changing things in the Cafe : A workflow for Refinement 179 : What you MUST Know About Employee Culture w/ Stan Slap Visit our Sponsors!!! The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co.

One of the hardest things to make consistent in the coffee shop is your espresso. There are so many variables that contribute to the final product, not to mention the number of different baristas tasked with making coffee daily. can be very overwhelming and inevitably we throw in the towel and end up with a let than optimal product. Well good news! Today we get to dive into the science of optimizing your espresso with coffee scientist Samo Smrke! Samo Smrke is a scientific associate at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) in the group of prof. Yeretzian. He is involved in coffee research projects in collaboration with industry partners and in fundamental research on various topics of coffee chemistry and coffee science. He is leading a module of the Coffee Excellence continuing education course at ZHAW, and various other educational programs with partners of ZHAW. Samo is actively participating at coffee conferences, is one of the co-authors of the SCA Freshness Handbook and Water Handbook and has contributed to scientific papers and book chapters about coffee. In this episode we discuss several major factors that need to be considered and optimized in order to always have the consistent and excellent espresso you want to serve on your coffee bar. We cover: Samo's journey into coffee Ideal resting times and CO2 Aroma and taste variance in coffees What causes crema Various roast levels and decaf The grinder's role Steps to take in addressing problematic coffee The importance of tracking and systems The science communities role in tandem with professional baristas Links: Samo's Instagram Account @samosmrke https://www.zhaw.ch/en/about-us/person/smrk/ Listen to these related episodes next! 372 : Milk Steaming Master Class: Science + Craft w/ Morten Munchow and Emilee Bryant! 350 : The Physics of Filter Coffee w/ Jonathan Gagné 196 : Understanding Customer Preferences w/ Peter Giuliano Transcript RoR #16 : Ideal Resting Times for Roasted Coffee w/ Joey Stazzone of Cafe Kreyol 389: How to Approach Modern Coffee Processing w/ Christopher Feran Visit our awesome Sponsors! GROUND BREAKING BREWING MADE SIMPLE! www.groundcontrol.coffee THE BEST PLANT-BASED BEVERAGES ON THE PLANET! www.Pacificfoodservice.com 30 years of resourcing you with the best products and education! www.coffeefest.com Use Code: "KEYS" for 50% General Admission

Like you, I have been to and conducted my fair share of cafe meetings. And also like you, I have seriously questioned the effectiveness of these get togethers. In fact, in many cases meetings can hurt more than help. How do we avoid this? On today's Shift Break I will be taking you through a few big mistakes that contribute to bad or ineffective meetings, and what to do instead to make sure your gatherings are assets to the business and not liabilities to culture. Related episodes: Communicate, Duplicate, Repeat : Key habits that make information stick Turning the Ship My #1 Interview Mistake 229 : 7 Tips for New Managers 194 : Encore Episode! Leadership in the Cafe: 10 Steps to being a People First Leader | Aired January 17 2017 244 : Top 10 Ways to Lose Employees 179 : What you MUST Know About Employee Culture w/ Stan Slap Visit our Sponsors!!! The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co.

The world of coffee is saturated with suppliers of tools and equipment. Most are seeking the transaction and chasing the opportunity the current market has afforded them. Precious few suppliers are truly passionate about their customers in a meaningful way that results in the love and respect of the barista community. Slow Pour Supply is one such company, because Anita Tam is one such person. Anita Tam is the owner and founder of Slow Pour Supply Co., a socially driven coffeetools company that is dedicated to serving coffee people and small businesses around the world. Prior to coffee Anita spent decades in the world of professional music as both a professional classical musician, instructor, and conductor. She discovered a passion and fascination for the craft and science of coffee that set her on a course to not only work in coffee but to establish Slow Pour as a platform to foster the same discovery for baristas globally through quality tools. Anita is a long time certified AST with the SCA and you can find her and her team at almost any coffee event or competition spreading joy and positivity and serving the community. Today we are going to be getting to know a bit about Anita's entry into coffee, the passionate and philosophies that drive her, and how she approaches business and relationships in coffee with wholistic generosity. We cover: The link between music, art, and coffee Founding slow pour and guiding principles Passion for the product and end user Milk pitchers, brewers, and tools as catalysts The need for in person connection and community Creating, serving, and passing on gifts Peace through the circular flow of experiences Thoughts on the future of coffee Links: www.slowpoursupply.co @slowpoursupply Listen to these episodes next! 127 : Passion and Curiosity: A conversation w/ Starbucks Global Sr. Project Manager, Major Cohen 089 : La Marzocco USA General Manager, Andrew Daday : Leadership, Innovation, service, heritage 136 : Nourishing the Barista's Soul: A conversation w/ Deb Kaminski of Pacific Natural Foods 324 : Encore Episode! Organizing the Community w/ Espresso State of Mind Founders, Javier Alvarez and Joseph Gonzalez 394 : Happy Coffee People w/ Wendelien van Bunnik Visit our awesome Sponsors! GROUND BREAKING BREWING MADE SIMPLE! www.groundcontrol.coffee THE BEST PLANT-BASED BEVERAGES ON THE PLANET! www.Pacificfoodservice.com

Andrew Coe, the new U.S. roasting Champion and founder of Elevator Coffee in Portland, shares his journey from mathematics to coffee roasting. He discusses the pivotal role of community in his growth and how competition shaped his craft. Andrew emphasizes the importance of data in refining roasting techniques and connects engineering skills with creative coffee production. He delves into balancing personal style with customer preferences, and the continuous journey of learning in the ever-evolving coffee landscape.

It's Founder Friday! I just learned of the news that the original sidewalk bar for Espresso Vivace is going to be closing permanently. This is very sad news given the rich history of that cafe and the impact it's had on so many. So today I thought it would be a great idea to re-air a conversation I had with David Schomer back in Feb of 2019! Since its founding in 1988 Espresso Vivace has been home to David's groundbreaking and paradigm shifting experiments with espresso coffee and drink presentation. His work has been foundational and formative in the lives of countless professionals around the world. In this interview I get to talk with We discuss: The early years of Vivace David's philosophy on service What he wants customers to experience in his stores His desire to remain small and impactful What makes a great espresso Hiring The secret to longevity how he has personally grown over these 3 decades of meticulous pursuit of his espresso ideal There is a lot to take away and be inspired by here. Enjoy! Links: www.espressovivace.com Instagram Listen to these episodes next! 323 : Reflecting on 5 Years of Keys to the Shop w/ my Wife Lynnsy Deferio 128 : Terry's Top 10 w/ Terry Ziniewicz : Best practices for how not to kill your espresso machine 349 : Talking About 21st Century Coffee w/ Kenneth Davids 376: Career, Coffee Quality, and Advancing the Industry w/ Mat North, of Raw Material 205 : Inside Caffe Florian, the World's Oldest Coffee Shop ! | Venice, Italy Visit our awesome Sponsors! GROUND BREAKING BREWING MADE SIMPLE! www.groundcontrol.coffee THE BEST PLANT-BASED BEVERAGES ON THE PLANET! www.Pacificfoodservice.com Reach out to KTTS! chris@keystotheshop.com

Today we have an incredible number of options to increase efficiency and outsource everything we do, including the things that people would normally assume come from you as a creator. This presents a problem that I believe is based either upholding or violating a common trust between the consumer and the provider. Today on Shift Break we will be talking about the use of A.I., white label coffee, authenticity, and what I believe is the necessity for us to fight for the integrity of our communication. Related episodes: 227 : Connecting with Hearts and Minds 215 : Communication and Marketing Master Class w/ Spencer M. Ross, PH.D. 321 : Marketing and Moral Injury w/ Josh Tarlo of Kiss the Hippo Bridging the Values-Actions Gap Commit Before You Communicate Visit our Sponsors!!! The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co

Out of all the reasons that may be contributing to customers either loving or avoiding your shop, the quality of your drink beverages actually ranks pretty high. The trouble is, we all tend to assume that we have pretty much achieved a level of quality that "should" be sufficient to attract and keep customers and in that assumption we are lulled into a place of security and chance down other means to bring in more people are areas to refine, all the while our coffee is literally leaving a bad taste in people's mouths. On today's episode I am going to be sharing five things that you can do in your cafe that will absolutely level up and improve your coffee quality. When your marketing and word of mouth brings customers in to the store, both you and them will be confident that you can deliver a truly consistent specialty coffee experience worthy of the hype. Let's lean into the uncomfortable and embrace the refinement of quality as a constant pillar of who we are and how we operate! Related episodes: "Local" does not Equal Quality DETAILS 235 : 4 Tips for Training your Staff 191 : Retraining your Staff on new Standards Taste the Rainbow! : Menu knowledge, tasting, flavor, coffee cupping approach to your offerings Drink Drills! : Guidelines for using this powerful training tool in the coffee shop to get baristas ready for anything 307 : 10 Simple ways to Level Up your Coffee Shop Visit our awesome Sponsors! GROUND BREAKING BREWING MADE SIMPLE! www.groundcontrol.coffee THE BEST PLANT-BASED BEVERAGES ON THE PLANET! www.Pacificfoodservice.com