Don’t hire someone with experience! At least that is what I hear quite often. The idea being that you won’t have to untrained old habits. I many people’s mind experienced employees are more of a pain than they are willing to deal with. But…
Have you ever thrown your hands up in frustration and said something like, “Why won’t my staff listen to me?!” I get this type of question a lot from people attending my lectures at Coffee Fest. Managers and owners alike have this moment often. I know I have. We desire nothing more than generating buy-in and to be at peace …
Sample roasting is a critical part of any roasting operation. But sample roasting is not simply used for finding defects or even just for making purchasing decisions. It is also very important to use as a tool to illustrate what a coffee can do and where it fits in your line up according to your’s and your customers tastes. Today …
Today we get to explore the ever growing Central African coffee farming industry with some one who’s company is creating inroads, resources, and opportunities to improve farmers lives and the global demand for their product. Keith White Jr. is the founder of Paraiso Trading. Paraiso Trading was created to connect Central African Farmers and their high quality organic produce directly to …
Turnover is inevitable. Even though we expect it, it’s not easy. When it comes to replacing managers though, it becomes 10x as difficult because they occupy a specialized position and typically possess a certain skill set that made them…
It’s Founder Friday and we are talking with the founder of Chariots Coffees in Uganda, Ochen Simon Eidodo! Chariots coffees and Barista Academy was established in 2018 by Ochen Simon Eidodo one of the most renown Ugandan professional barista and 2018 Ugandan Barista Champion, whose experience in coffee brings a high level of quality in the coffee value chain in …
The day is full of issues calling for your attention. Most of the time there are a few urgent problems that need to be addressed and once they are, new ones seem to rush in to fix the void. Where do big problems come from? On today’s shift break…
The problem of cheap coffee keeps producers trapped in cycles of poverty and keeps the power in the hands of those least impacted by what is at best a global crisis. What has led to this current state of the industry and how can we be informed and equipped to make changes with the power we each posses to create …
Baristas are often the subject of much complaining from leadership. “They just don’t get how hard it is” we hear them say. We talked about this last week in the Shift Break “Understanding and Bitterness”. Baristas however, are also just as likely to…
Whether you are behind the bar making drinks, or behind a laptop making the schedule for your baristas, you cannot rely on just one mindset to achieve the best results in your coffee shop. Just like building an agile business that can pivot well in a variety of situations, our minds must be able to shift between preparation and performance. …
