499: Founder Friday! w/ Kenzel and Tio Fallen of Three Keys Coffee, Houston, TX

Chris DeferioFounder Friday, Podcast

Today on Founder Friday are exploring the story of Three Keys Coffee in a wonderful conversation with the founders, Kenzel and Tio Fallen! Kenzel Fallen is Co-Founder and CEO of Three Keys Coffee. Originally from Cincinnati, OH, Kenzel received a BA in Economics from Duke University and an MBA in Finance from Rice University. After building a career as a management consultant and corporate …

482: Founder Friday! w/ Rahul Reddy of Subko Coffee Mumbai, India

Chris DeferioFounder Friday, Podcast

At the head of some of the most exciting brands in India’s rapidly expanding specialty coffee scene is Subko. More than coffee, Subko has created a platform to show case the flavors, culture, and design of India through multiple disciplines. At it’s heart is sourcing, roasting, and serving the best coffee the subcontinent has to offer and Mumbai is just …

448: Founder Friday! Part 2 “Switching Gears” | w/ Doug Zell of Intelligentsia and The Meteor!

Chris DeferioFounder Friday, Podcast

In this second part of our 2 part Founder Friday we switch gears with Doug Zell, founder of the iconic coffee company Intelligentsia Coffee. In the years that followed the acquisition of Intelligentsia, Doug entered into a new era of creativity related to food, coffee, and his passion for cycling. With his friend and fellow cycling enthusiast Chris St. Peter, …

448: Founder Friday! Part 1 “Switching Gears” | w/ Doug Zell of Intelligentsia and The Meteor!

Chris DeferioFounder Friday, Podcast

The landscape of specialty coffee has been influenced by many people and companies over the last few decades. The foundations of the standards and methods we use now, at one time, were merely ideas waiting for someone to put them into action. In the class of companies operators that have championed that exploration one of the most influential was Intelligentsia …

444: Founder Friday! w/ Julia Peixoto Peters of Peixoto Coffee, Arizona

Chris DeferioBusiness, Founder Friday, Podcast, Supply Chain

Between the moment a farmer hands over their crop, to the moment a barista hands a customer a cup of that same coffee, there is a complex system that will either bring hope and equity to those most vulnerable, or reinforce the hopelessness that is too common with those who cultivate the coffee we love. Today’s guest grew up seeing …

Founder Friday! Youth, Foster Care, and Human Connections Through Coffee | w/ Miah Sommer of Astute Coffee in Omaha, NE

Chris DeferioFounder Friday, Leadership, Podcast

  More than 23k youth age out of the foster care system each year. Many of these young people, because of the trauma and  instability, end up at higher risk of addiction, homelessness, financial instability and worse. One man whose own past parallels those he seeks to serve, has been working to change this seemingly hopeless cycle through founding a …

434 : Founder Friday | Leo Ferreira | Puzzle Coffee Shop, Tanzania!

Chris DeferioFounder Friday, Podcast, Supply Chain

Tanzania is well known the world over for growing and exporting wonderful and iconic coffees. Mostly every coffee professional has enjoyed a Tanzania Peaberry coffee. Yet, much like most coffee farming countries, Tanzanias internal consumption nd availability of great roasted coffee to locals was limited at the very best. Enter Leo Ferreira and Puzzle Coffee Shop. For the past 8 …