Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

When we think about cooperative ownership related to the coffee shop we tend be fairly unsure what to think of it. Even though we tend to fear it as an unknown, it is actually a viable option to help secure your business and also to generate stability for your employees. In today's episode we are going to explore this operating model by talking with Christopher Feran and Shane Hinde of Phoenix Coffee in Cleveland, OH. After years of planning and research they just transitioned the business to being a worker owned cooperative. The values of Phoenix Coffee have always been to create a democratic and equitable company that supplies stable middle-class jobs to their employees. This is the latest step in many they have taken to pursue that. In this conversation we will be exploring their experience in this process and what it means for the company going forward. You will definitely learn a lot from this talk and perhaps you will be inspired to pursue this model for your own shop. We discuss: Values based operating culture Navigating the impacts on the business Establishing equity and driving commitment Beginning the process of becoming a coop Challenges in the process How their cooperative model works What changes now? How are decisions made? Developing skill sets and competencies How collective leadership looks Coops as an option to exit as an owner Links: www.phoenixcoffee.com Evergreen Coops in Cleveland Related Episodes: 237 : Thoughts on Post -COVID Coffee Bridging the Values-Action Gap 6 Truths about Power Starting a shop -or- want to level up you operations? KTTS Consulting can help! | Email me: Chris@keystotheshop.com 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

As the saying goes, "The grass is always greener on the other side." We all know this to be true in one or more areas of our lives. In the coffee bar we can tend toward always comparing our selves against what others have or have accomplished with their careers or their shops. In today's Shift Break we are going to dive into this idea further as I give you some thoughts I had while pondering professional accomplishments and my neighbor's tree. Related episodes: You are not your Competition 046 : Death by Comparison : How we practice it and ways to avoid getting caught up in it Episode 08: Finding Joy in Coffee / Nathanael May Visit our amazing sponsors!!! Elevated batch brew and so much more! Ground Control Cyclops Brewer Your Own Branded App! www.espressly.co

The main job of leadership is to give people the resources they need to do the work. Generally speaking, I have simply stated that staff need the tools to do the job. Today I want to go a little deeper and cover 5 elements of resourcing that must be in place for your cafe to work well. If any one of these thing is out of whack it will show up big time in the final product and experience. We will cover: Planning Time Information Tools Training Related episodes: 179 : What you MUST Know About Employee Culture w/ Stan Slap 244 : Top 10 Ways to Lose Employees 158 : A Management Masterclass w/ Jon Felix Lund, VP of Operations for Coava Coffee Roasters / Portland, OR Starting a shop -or-want to level up you operations? KTTS Consulting can help! | Email me: Chris@keystotheshop.com 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

Part of the work we do entails some pretty gross things. In today's episode I will be reading 8 selected stories submitted by listeners about the grossest things they have experienced while working to bring great coffee to the people. Story order: Dropping the Load Backed Up Bar Clean up in Everywhere Isle Elbow Room French Roach "Take Out?" Coffee Rabid Fire When Urine Trouble Links to related episodes: Working Clean Reasons to love the Customer Other resources: Resource 1 Resource 2 Resource 3 Resource 4

The best Kenyan coffee tends to be exported to other countries. Spring Valley Coffee flips this on its head by sourcing, roasting, and serving the best for themselves and the local Kenyan community. Today we are going to be exploring this wonderful company's history, evolution, and impact as we talk with Ritesh Doshi! Ritesh is the CEO of Spring Valley Coffee, Kenya's oldest premium coffee roaster, a business he acquired in 2018. Having introduced the Flat White to Kenya, Ritesh wanted to combine his passion for coffee and his sense of purpose with his need to control his own supply. Prior to Spring Valley Coffee, Ritesh founded Naked Pizza Kenya, a company he sold to Pizza Hut. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Ritesh worked in international finance in the US, Europe and Middle East for financial institutions such as Credit Suisse & HSBC. In this conversation we not only get the overview of Spring Valley Coffee but we also explore how rites came to the company, the values and goals they are pursuing, why scaling, relationships, and integrity are cornerstones of success and much more. I love the work they are doing at Spring Valley and I know you will as well! In this episode: The coffee culture of Kenya Building resiliency and scaling Sourcing and serving Kenyan coffees Impact of relationships Challenges of politics Setting goals for the business Adding value in-origin The value of doing the right thing Kenyan coffee history Why company culture matters Links: www.springvalleycoffee.com Instagram @springvalleycoffee Related Episodes: 171 : Founder Friday w/ Matt Chitharanjan and Namrata Asthana of Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters in India 236 : Founder Friday! w/ Meil Castagna-Herrera & Curtis Herrera of Cafe Corazon! 108 : Founder Friday w/ Dorian Bolden of Beyu Caffe in Durham, NC 134 : Founder Friday w/ Jeremy Zhang of M2M Roasters & Uni Uni Coffee in Nanjing ,China Starting a shop -or-want to level up you operations? KTTS Consulting can help! | Email me: Chris@keystotheshop.com 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

Stay in coffee long enough and it will happen to you. The assumptions and dogmas we make when we first get into coffee are challenged or destroyed, and we are sent into a dark place of wondering who we are, and what we really even know about coffee. Today we are talking about how this moment every professional goes through is critical to maturity and should be more common for the health of the industry. *Stay tuned for a Halloween special where I read the grossest cafe stories sublimed by KTTS listeners! Recommended episodes: Taste the Rainbow 242 : A Conversation with James Hoffmann Curbing their Enthusiasm Our amazing sponsors!!! Elevated batch brew and so much more! Ground Control Cyclops Brewer Your Own Branded App! www.espressly.co

Your business is built on partnerships. One of the most critical is the relationship between you and the coffee roaster you select. Entering into this relationship needs tp be done pretty methodically and the decision should be based on more than on just branding and your personal taste. Today we are going to go over 10 things to consider when deciding on a wholesale coffee provider that will help you have the best chance at finding one that fits what your business and your customers need for the long term. We cover: Values Cost Forecasting and capacity Variety Regional tases vs personal Flexibility Support Feedback Checking references Taking your time Recommended episodes: 152 : Essential Advice for Starting a Roastery w/ Jen Apodaca 063 : What Your Roaster Wants you to Know w/ Rob Hoos, Author, Modulating the Flavor Profile of Coffee 026 : What Your Roaster want you to Know w/ U.S. Roasting Champion, Mark Michaelson, Onyx Coffee Lab 196 : Understanding Customer Preferences w/ Peter Giuliano 217 : Should you roast your own Coffee w/ Joe Marrocco of List & Beisler Building an Accessible Coffee Menu w/ Joe Marrocco Starting a shop or want to level up you operations? KTTS Consulting can help! | Email me: Chris@keystotheshop.com 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

BOGO! 10% off! Get any item of equal or lesser value free! We love to offer promotions and discounts in the coffee retail space. When numbers are down we go for deals, offers, and discounts... maybe a little too often. Combine this with the fact that most of the time these offers are executed sloppily and create more confusion than excitement and you turn that BOGO into an OHNO. (sorry, not sorry) In todays shift break we will talk about how you can approach promotions in an organized and clear way that actually benefits your business. Related episodes: 080 : Changing things in the Cafe : A workflow for Refinement You need SOPs Introducing Chaos Elevated batch brew and so much more! Ground Control Cyclops Brewer Your Own Branded App! www.espressly.co

What an interesting and inspirational episode this was! Frankie Volkema, at just 14 years old, is the world's youngest Q Grader and the founder of Joven Coffee, an organization that sources, roasts, and promotes coffee from young farmers around the world! We are also joined by her father Tim Volkema, who is the CEO of Schuil coffee, Michigan's first specialty coffee roaster. Schuil also owners the boutique brand Sparrow Coffee. In this conversation we discuss the backstory of how Frankie came into coffee, her road to becoming a Q Grader, and the founding of Joven Coffee. Tim also adds operational perspective as to how Schuil Coffee works with Joven Coffee. This was a great conversation and one I hope will inspire you to support Joven Coffee, look into supporting young farmers through your business, and take big steps to create change where it is needed. Enjoy! In this episode: The challenge young farmers face How Frankie became the worlds youngest Q grader Founding Joven Coffee The relationship between Joven and Shuil Coffee Having big goals as a young person Partnering with existing organizations on the ground Related Episodes: COVID-19 Focus: Perspective form Burundi w/ Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian, JNP Coffee COVID-19 Focus : Impact on the Supply Chain w/ Ricardo Pereira , COO, Ally Coffee 020 Joe Marrocco : Transparency, Origin Knowledge,and Your Shop : How to approach and apply coffee origin information to enhance, not detract, from the cafe experience 180 : A Conversation with Rugid Grind Founders, Brian Washington and Averett Barksdale 106 : Changing Lives Through Coffee w/ Pamela Chng of Bettr Barista 153 : Exploring the Peace Trade in the Congo w/ Mighty Peace Coffee Starting a shop or want to level up you operations? KTTS Consulting can help! | Email me: Chris@keystotheshop.com 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

"I wish they would just get it!" Does this sound familiar? Whether you have said this out loud or just ruminate on this and similar ideas, the frustration is very real. In today's episode we will explore this thought that pits a quick learner against a slower one and why letting this attuned go unchecked may be holding your business back. Interested it consulting? Reach out! - Chris@keystotheshop.com Related episodes you should listen to: 235 : 4 Tips for Training your Staff 178 : Training Masterclass w/ Emma Haines of London School of Coffee and Caffeina Consulting 130 : Anne Nylander | Training Principles for Specialty Coffee Professionals 123 : The 10 Essentials of a Barista Manual 119 : Barista Training Masterclass w/ 2009 WBC Champion, Gwilym Davies 066: Shaping and Developing your Team w/ Beth Garrison 025 : Mastering the Art of Training w/ Dave Stachowiak : Coaching, Leadership, education , and how to communicate your coffee and barista knowledge so it sticks 121 : Working from Your Strengths w/ Strengths Finder Guru, Lisa Cummings Elevated batch brew and so much more! Ground Control Cyclops Brewer Your Own Branded App! www.espressly.co