Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

In a country torn by war one organization is literally sowing seeds of peace and hope through coffee. Mighty Peace Coffee is a next generation impact company working directly with coffee cooperatives in the Democratic Republic of Congo to end poverty and conflict, bring about economic transformation through community and capacity-building, and international advocacy. Today we get to talk with 3 of the leaders of this organization: Liza Elena Pitsirilos, JD Stier, and Jim N. Ngokwey (See their bios below!) They take us behind the scenes of Mighty Peace and discuss the founding, evolution, mission, and challenges they face in fighting for the people of the DRC. We also discuss their quality control, approach to marketing, and what hey believe is needed from retailers to help smaller producing countries like the DRC gain more traction and success in the global specialty market. This is a great organization doing fantastic work and I hope you are inspired by this interview! LINKS: WWW.MIGHTYPEACECOFFEE.COM Get roasted Congolese Coffee delivered : Patreon Monthly Membership Mighty Peace Coffee on Facebook Email for green buyers: info@mightypeacecoffee.com Guest Bios: Liza Elena Pitsirilos / CEO, Partner Born and raised in New York City, Liza has developed her executive Midas touch as an expert educator, wellness leader, and successful entrepreneur, leading Fortune 500 corporate culture creation, coaching, and sales team retreats. After earning a political science degree from the University of Wisconsin, Liza spent the following decade working overseas with high risk communities earning a Master's Degree in Education, working with immigrant populations, and mastering the art of corporate leadership through facilitating workshops and trainings for over 200 companies. In 2018, she began her Mighty Peace Coffee adventure. Liza leads the all-women executive team from her homes in Madison and NYC, where she emphasizes family values, time with loved ones, respect for the land, environment, and planning sustainably for future generations. Liza leads health and wellness retreats for women in Miami, NYC, and all those a part of the Mighty Peace tribe. JD Stier / Chairman, Partner Born in Atlanta Georgia in the 1970s, raised by a civil rights attorney father and catholic faith leader mother, and with social justice at his core, JD began visiting the African Great Lakes as a university student alongside his housemate, a refugee from African Great Lakes conflicts. Over the decades, JD has worked with local communities as an organizer, human rights defender, award winning documentary filmmaker, and an advocate ally for the Congolese-led development of local economies. Invited to keynote at Harvard, Yale, Oxford, LSE, and over 100 centers for thought and policy leadership, JD argues the key to Congo peace is in charting its own economic path forward. After having been asked to support local coffee cooperatives, JD offered to assemble the international business and marketing team needed to support the Congolese coffee cooperatives as they transform local economies. JD served in the Obama White House and has founded and led myriad initiatives aimed at ending armed conflicts and spurring economic development, including Stand With Congo. JD lives in New York City and Madison, Wisconsin with his true love, Liza, CEO of Mighty Peace Coffee. Jim N. Ngokwey / Partner, Business Development Jim N. Ngokwey was born in Senegal, lives in New York City, hails from the Democratic Republic of Congo and is a proud Pan-African. He is passionate about Africa, business and development and is committed to using his expertise and resources to empower African entrepreneurs and drive wealth creation. He is also actively involved in various non-profit organizations, as a management team member in Young African MBAs, a non-profit with a mission to bridge Africa's management talent gap. He also proudly volunteers for Malaika, a school for girls in Kalebuka, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As part of his work with the Sub-Saharan Africa Chamber of Commerce, he conducted an exploratory trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo to study the country's business environment. The outcome was the DRC Investment Opportunity Report which focused on the risks and rewards of investing in SMEs in the country. He is proud to lead Mighty Peace Coffee's Business Development and is excited to play a role in helping the organization reach its immense potential.

We all feel awkward and impatient when we start in a new position. How we develop in these times will determine who and what we become later on. Today on shift break, a bit of encouragement and perspective to help those of you who have just been dropped into a new environment or a new role.

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

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

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 VISIT OUR SPONSORS! Pacific Barista Series Prima Coffee

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 VISIT OUR SPONSORS! Pacific Barista Series Prima Coffee

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.

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 VISIT OUR SPONSORS! Pacific Barista Series Prima Coffee

"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.

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 Thanks to our sponsors! Pacific Barista Series Prima Coffee