Today we get to talk with a pillar and foundational member of the specialty coffee community, Phuong Tran of Lava Java
For 20 years now Phuong Tran has been the owner/operator of the famed coffee shop, Lava Java in Ridgefield Washington. There she discovered a passion for coffee that led her to not only craft the shop into a beacon of hight standards in the beginning of the 3rd wave of coffee, but she also became inspired to begin competing to in barista competitions as a way to improve. She won the U.S. title in 2005 and amidst the notoriety of the win simply continued to run a great cafe and teach coffee to her staff and through the SCA.
I am lucky to consider Phuong a friend who I have known since back in 2006 or so. I have been inspired by her consistency, focus, values, and the simplicity with which she runs her shop and crafts her life.
Today we get to explore her story from buying a business, discovering specialty coffee, and taking on new challenges – to competition, teaching, and advice to other owners from her extensive experience.
I hope you really enjoy this one!
We cover:
- Beginning coffee as an owner
- Buying an existing shop
- Learning the industry and taking on challenges
- Changing and refining things at the shop
- Establishing standards and finding specialty coffee
- Motivation for Competition
- Winning the U.S. Title
- Scaling to a 2nd location
- Choosing simplicity
- Self care and balance
Links:
Recommended Episodes:
305 : Founder Friday! w/ Andrew Sinclair of MadLab Coffee, Los Angeles, CA
Founder Friday! w/ Adam Obrátil of Industra Coffee, Brno, Czech Republic
252 : Founder Friday w/ Klaus Thompson of the Coffee Collective, Denmark
232 : Founder Friday w/ Blew Kind of Fanny Lou’s Porch
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