411 : Excellence, Approachable Coffee, and Always Learning w/ Kenneth Thomas of Umble Coffee and Coffee 101 Podcast

Chris DeferioPodcast, Roasting

Opportunities for specialty coffee still abound in certain areas of the American South. With those opportunities comes challenges of communicating coffee in a way that both meets people where they are, and helps open them up to new experiences that expand their enjoyment. Today we are talking with someone who has not only been communicating to his customers through the …

Don’t Forget Relationships

Chris DeferioPodcast

The foundation of the building determines the stability of what is built on it. When it comes to building a coffee shop business your growth cannot out pace the degree to which you invest in the relationships and the culture at the heart of it. …

410 : A Conversation w/ 2023 U.S. Barista Champion, Isaiah Sheese of Archetype Coffee

Chris DeferioBarista Craft, Career, Podcast

Tenacity, humility, and curiosity. Whether you are working as a barista, competing, opening your own shop and roastery, these are character traits that are essential for success. Today we are talking with someone whose long career in coffee has been characterized by these values. We are chatting with the new U.S. Barista Champion, Isaiah Sheese! Isaiah Sheese is the Owner of …

Embrace the Fallout

Chris DeferioPodcast

It is not so much the fear of change that keeps us from moving forward in the areas we know are necessary. It is the fear of what will happen when we implement the change. The fall out, we imagine, is too much to handle and so we stay where we…

409 : The Science of Optimizing Your Espresso w/ Samo Smrke

Chris DeferioPodcast

One of the hardest things to make consistent in the coffee shop is your espresso. There are so many variables that contribute to the final product, not to mention the number of different baristas tasked with making coffee daily. can be very…

Avoid These Cafe Meeting Mistakes

Chris DeferioPodcast

Like you, I have been to and conducted my fair share of cafe meetings. And also like you, I have seriously questioned the effectiveness of these get togethers. In fact, in many cases meetings can hurt more than help. How do we avoid this?  On…

408: Coffee Tools, Music, and Serving the Community w/ Anita Tam of Slow Pour Supply Co.

Chris DeferioBusiness, Leadership, Podcast

The world of coffee is saturated with suppliers of tools and equipment. Most are seeking the transaction and chasing the opportunity the current market has afforded them. Precious few  suppliers are truly passionate about their customers in a meaningful way that results in the love and respect of the barista community. Slow Pour Supply is one such company, because Anita …

RoR # 21 : Data, Community, and the Art of Roasting w/ U.S. Roasters Champion Andrew Coe of Elevator Coffee

Chris DeferioPodcast, Roasting

On this Rate of Rise episode I am thrilled to get to have a conversation with the new U.S. roasting Champion, Andrew Coe of Elevator Coffee in Portland, OR Andrew Coe is the owner and roaster at Elevator Coffee in Portland, OR, founded in 2016. Andrew launched his professional roasting career by winning the first Cascadia Cup roasting competition at Buckman Coffee …

Coffee, Integrity, and A.I.

Chris DeferioPodcast

Today we have an incredible number of options to increase efficiency and outsource everything we do, including the things that people would normally assume come from you as a creator. This presents a problem that I believe is based either upholding or…