343 : Founder Friday! “Curated Edition” | Hospitality + Meeting People Where They Are

Chris DeferioFounder Friday, Leadership, Podcast

Welcome to this special edition of the Founder Friday series! We have an incredible collection of interviews from some of the world’s best coffee shop operators and entrepreneurs. Within each interview are gems of wisdom that help us move ourselves and the industry forward. In this special edition of Founder Friday I went back into the archives to mine those …

342 : A Conversation w/ 2022 U.S. Barista Champion, Morgan Eckroth!

Chris DeferioBarista Craft, Podcast, Uncategorized

Morgan Eckroth is the new U.S. Barista Champion! Part of the point behind competition is setting the stage for conversation around ideas ranging from social issues to the hands on craft of coffee. In both these areas there are far reaching implications for what the industry latches on to and is inspired to continue developing. On such theme is merging …

RoR #14: How to Roast New Processing Methods w/ Mike Ebert

Chris DeferioPodcast, Roasting

As new processing methods become more popular and prominent, roasters must pivot and adjust how they approach them in order to get the best possible result. Processes like honey and pulped natural present unique challenges for even the most veteran roasters. The good news is that there is a growing family of best practices that will help you see success …

341: How to Think About Success

Chris DeferioBusiness, Leadership, Podcast

How do you think about success and your coffee shop? For many people it boils down to financial metrics only which, in the long run, may not bring the kind of fulfillment the we seek when we first set out to begin in coffee. In fact without some more nuanced goals and metrics for success, even the profitability will and …

340 : Encore Episode of “10 Reasons to Love the Customer”!

Chris DeferioHospitality, Podcast

It is the 5 year anniversary of episode #19 titled “10 Reasons to Love the Customer”! Coffee professionals tend to pit themselves against the customer as and us vs them battle. The original episode in 2017 was inspired by a magazine article about what baristas hate about customers. This mentality does not good for anyone and because we easily fall …

339 : What Good Barista Training Produces

Chris DeferioPodcast, Training

What does you baristas training produce? For many shops barista training is a loose and rushed experience that falls short in equipping staff with what is needed to succeed. It also creates stress in leadership who desperately want to see good results but through poor mindsets toward training, sabotage the chance of seeing them. In today’s episode we will be …

RoR #13 : The NORM ROAST Protocol w/ Dave Baxter

Chris DeferioPodcast, Roasting, Uncategorized

How do we test the energy efficiency, emissions, and impact of or roasting machines?. We all want to be responsible with our environmental impact but all we have to go on for data is supplied by marketing from the manufacturer.  Wouldn’t it be nice to have a real measure of the performance of a roasting machine? Well that is exactly …

338: A Conversation w/ Martell Mason of The Sepia Coffee Project, Detroit, Michigan

Chris DeferioPodcast, Roasting, Supply Chain

In order to have clarity on how to operate effectively in coffee we need to view it thought a global lens. The tapestry of people and cultures that make up our industry are rarely represented and even less often do they benefit from coffee culture. The answer to this problem is something that today’s guest calls “The Sepia Coffee Project”. …