What is it we mean when we refer to “Quality?” If we take that a step further we might ask, how can we control quality? These questions are top of mind for most coffee roasters who, amidst a sea of complexity and moving parts, are desperately interested in providing a consistently excellent end product to their customers. Today we are …
RoR #1: A Conversation w/ Anne Cooper of Equilibrium Master Roasters
Welcome to the new series produced in partnership with Roast Magazine, “Rate of Rise: Elevated conversations on Roasting”! Every first Friday we will be interviewing roasting experts from around the world to discover wisdom and insights that will help you thrive  in your roasting business. In this inaugural episode we are going to be talking with the amazing Anne Cooper …
246 : Selecting a Wholesale Coffee Provider
Your business is built on partnerships. One of the most critical is the relationship between you and the coffee roaster you select. Entering into this relationship needs tp be done pretty methodically and the decision should be based on more than on just branding and your personal taste. Today we are going to go over 10 things to consider …
154: Decoding Decaf w/ Mike Stumpf of Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee
Decaf coffee has been much maligned over the years but it has been getting steadily better. What once was a joke amongst “serious” coffee nerds is now being focused on with the same care as its caffeinated counter part thanks to the efforts of companies like Swiss Water. But while the death of “Death before Decaf” is eminent (I hope) …
152 : Essential Advice for Starting a Roastery w/ Jen Apodaca
So you want to start a coffee roastery. Well there is a lot that goes into it and an overwhelming amount of information you can access to help you along the way. Rarely, though, do you get the opportunity to sit down with someone who is expert in both roasting coffee as well as helping other people establish their own …
149 : Celina Velez, Head Roaster of Merit Coffee in Austin, TX
Celina is about to celebrate her 2 year anniversary of joining the specialty coffee community having started with no knowledge of coffee as a roasting assistant at the great Merit Coffee in Austin, TX. Through hard work, curiosity, and integrity she has worked her way to head roaster and leads a team of people producing some of the best coffee …
147 : U.S. Roasting Champion, Shelby Williamson of Huckleberry Roasters, Denver, CO
Roasting is a hard job that happens behind the scenes. Even the championship itself is somewhat isolated from view! That is why I am  so excited to share this talk with you. Not just because we get to learn more about roasting but because we get to learn from the Champ herself, Shelby Williamson of Huckleberry Roasters, Denver, CO! In …
103 : The Colombian Coffee Connection w/ Ervin Liz
Ervin Liz is an indigenous Colombian of the Nasa tribe who grew up on a coffee farm helping his family plant, pick, process, and sell their harvest. Years later co-founded The Colombian Coffee Connection where he imports, roasts, and sells the coffee sourced from his home in Colombia direct to the consumer and gives 10% of all profits to charitable initiatives on the farm. Relationship coffee does not get more intimate than that!
096 : Instant Specialty Coffee w/ Voila founder, Kent Sheridan
Did you say “Instant specialty coffee”?! Yup, that’s right. Not only does it taste 300 times better than traditional instant but it may well change the way you think about accessibility, consumer engagement, and how we provide value to the end user. In this episode we are joined by the founder of Voila
092 : Tony “Tonx” Konecny of Yes Plz : Consumer Accessibility, roasting, 3rd wave, subscription
Great coffee should be for everyone! For the consumer today though, specialty coffee can be complicated. But it does not have to be! Today we talk with industry legend Tony (Tonx) Konecny, Founder of Tonx Coffee,  and Co-founder of Yes Plz (the people behind the $1 cup of coffee at Locol) all about his mission to remedy this issue. In addition to discussing Yes Plz and some of Tony’s professional history that informs the companies philosophy we will talk about: challenging orthodoxy, intentional blending, pricing for accessibility, coffee subscriptions, on-boarding customers, the industries echo chamber and much more. Tony has a lot to say that I think will help shape our approach to customers in the shop and really make an impact on how “into” coffee they get.
