251 : Fermentation and the Future of Farming w/ Lucia Solis

Chris DeferioPodcast, Uncategorized

  How coffee is processed after the harvest is integral to whether or not it reaches its full flavor potential. Farmers depend on their crop’s quality and consistency but all too often what happens during processing produces inconsistency and a less than full realization of that coffee’s potential. Enter today’s amazing guest, Lucia Solis! Lucia, specializes in “microbial demucilagination”, or …

The Impact of Absence

Chris DeferioPodcast

We all have a collection of little things the annoy us, and the customers in our shops. What we don’t talk about very much is the result of all of the little problems accumulating over time and what it would be like if they were not there. Today we…

Just re-make it!

Chris DeferioPodcast

There comes a time in every service encounter where we need to decide to take the high road. Re-making a drink when there is a mess-up is one example of many that highlight an attitude we need to have toward service that will produce the best…

The Neighbor’s Tree

Chris DeferioPodcast

As the saying goes, “The grass is always greener on the other side.” We all know this to be true in one or more areas of our lives. In the coffee bar we can tend toward always comparing our selves against what others have or have accomplished with…

248 : The 5 Elements of Resourcing your Team

Chris DeferioManagement, Podcast

  The main job of leadership is to give people the resources they need to do the work. Generally speaking, I have simply stated that staff need the tools to do the job. Today I want to go a little deeper and cover 5 elements of resourcing that must be in place for your cafe to work well. If any …

Special: Grossest Stories from the Bar

Chris DeferioPodcast

Part of the work we do entails some pretty gross things. In today’s episode I will be reading 8 selected stories submitted by listeners about the grossest things they have experienced while working to bring great coffee to the people.  Story…

247 : Founder Friday! w/ Ritesh Doshi, CEO of Spring Valley Coffee, Nairobi, Kenya

Chris DeferioFounder Friday, Podcast, Uncategorized

  The best Kenyan coffee tends to be exported to other countries. Spring Valley Coffee flips this on its head by sourcing, roasting, and serving the best for themselves and the local Kenyan community. Today we are going to be exploring this wonderful company’s history, evolution, and impact as we talk with Ritesh Doshi! Ritesh is the CEO of Spring …

The Dark Roast Night of the Soul

Chris DeferioPodcast

Stay in coffee long enough and it will happen to you. The assumptions and dogmas we make when we first get into coffee are challenged or destroyed, and we are sent into a dark place of wondering who we are, and what we really even know about coffee….