Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

Coffee shop managers need to delegate and assign tasks to the team. This includes checklists, chore charts, and special projects. A critical part of effective delegation is holding people accountable for the work done in the cafe. Today we chat about how approving delegated work will empower you, your staff, and ultimately the shop.

Today is a special day because we get to chat with Deb Kaminsky, the Director of Food Service Marketing for Pacific Natural Foods. When you see the Pacific Barista Series, it's success in the market, and the incredible support Pacific gives baristas, that's Deb. Throughout her career her heart has been to nourish people and in this interview we get to know her story, the story of the Baristas Series' incredible growth, and the passion that that drives Deb to support, listen to, and advance the cause of the barista craft. I love her encouraging and affirming spirit and I know you will leave this conversation thankful to have a leader like Deb as an example and cheerleader. https://www.pacificfoods.com/food-service/

In coffee shops it is so easy for us to be blind to anything outside the world that calling for our immediate attention. We relegate the customer's palate to a lowly place in the hierarchy of influence in the cafe and in so doing cut ourselves off from incredible insights into what it is we are actually serving. Today we talk about embracing the customer as experts and the benefit it has for your shop.

Working in coffee can really wear on you. Often we find our motivation for the job is so low it is almost non-existent. It could be you are the only barista that really cares about quality, or you want to advance but there's nothing available, or you might be consuming a lot of content from the industry but non of it seems to be helping. How do we regain a proper view of our situation and gain a healthy perspective on growth and motivation when it seems like things around us are conspiring to keep us down and stagnant? Today I want to offer up an assortment of thoughts and perspectives that will address these, and a few other things, that are often at the root of our difficulties in the shop. I hope this give you some clarity, empowers you, and motivates you to take the first step in the direction of finding joy where you are in your coffee journey

It's Founder Friday and today we get to hear from the 2x Barista Champion of China and owner of M2M Roasters & Uni Uni Coffee , Jeremy Zhang. In this conversation we get a look into Jeremy's road to specialty coffee through competition and the founding of his coffee businesses M2M Roasters and Uni Uni Coffee. We discuss the challenges that came with opening in a Nanjing's relatively new coffee market that is just waking up to specialty coffee, hiring and training staff, how they approach training, quality control, operations, and his goals and mission for coffee in China. Jeremy's efforts are helping set the space for what specialty coffee can be in China and it' such an honor to get to talk with and learn from him on the show. Enjoy! Links: Jeremy's Instagram

It is easy for us to become jaded and to pass on our cynicism to the customer. How can we come along side them and be their guide tot this new world of specialty coffee and the your cafe? We chat a bit about this today on shift break.

Wholesale! It is a vital part of both your success as a roaster-retailer, and the success of specialty coffee globally. Setting up a program that is sustainable, true to your values, and serves your team and your customers well is an absolute priority. It is no small task to venture into the world of wholesale as there are a lot of complexities and hurdles that will need to be worked through along the way. Having a great foundation laid is the first step and today's guest, Sarah Richmond, does a fantastic job laying that foundation for us. We discuss integrity, values, servant leadership, systems, pitfalls to avoid in wholesale, books you should read, and 5 key steps you need to take in setting up a program that will bring joy and growth to you, your team, your business, and your customers. Honestly, Sarah is the kind of person any professional would want as a mentor and having her in the program is an absolute privilege. Please listen deeply and enjoy! LINKS: Books: Mindset by Carol Dweck Dream Team by Shane Snow Podcasts: Learning Leader w/ Ryan Hawk

Competitions are great for their ability to energize, challenge, and foster growth in baristas. The question is, are we doing the same for our staff? We chat about this important issue today's edition of Shift Break!

Baristas speak and we listen! Learning form others experiences and allowing the way we chart our course to be influenced by the best input from our peers is an essential element of healthy community. I was able to attend the Coffee Champs event in Nashville where I had many great conversations with professionals from all over the country. I recorded and am sharing 3 of those conversations. I interview Adam Jacksonbey of the soon-to-be-open "Tell Coffee" D.C., Kat Melheim of The Coffee People Zine and Roaster at Allegro Coffee in Denver, CO, and Kristina Jackson of Intelligentsia Coffee in Boston Mass. We talk about what drives them to pursue a career in coffee, what makes a great barista, what makes a great leader, what challenges did they have to overcome in heir careers, and how do they want to leave their mark on the industry. I hope you leave these interviews encouraged and inspired! Links: Adam: Twitter Kat: Coffee People Zine Allegro Coffee Instagram Kristina: Twitter Boston Intersectional Coffee Collective Intelligentsia

There is always room for more clarity in communication. This is especially true in the coffee shop where so much vital information can fall through the cracks when it gets busy. Today we chat a bit about how duplication and repetition creates a better chance at getting cafe-wide adoption of any initiative.