Cat & Cloud Podcast

Cat & Cloud Coffee www.catandcloud.com/

Specialty Coffee Ambassador: Meeting Guests Where They Are - Ep# 438

EPISODE SUMMARY

Chris, Jared, and Casey dig into a classic specialty coffee problem: the gap between

“coffee nerd language” and what customers actually need to have a great experience.

They unpack why trust and hospitality come before origin stories and point scores, and

how to guide people with simple, confidence-building choices instead of overwhelm.

Along the way they riff on the limits of the 80+ point mindset, why the market ultimately

decides what’s valuable, and how cafés can create “stair steps” that help guests level up

over time. The thesis is simple: make it welcoming, make it relatable, and help people

win on their first step.

CHAPTER TITLES

00:00 Cold Open: Fruit and Chocolate, and Casey on the Mic

05:00 Scrum Boards and the “Smallest Viable” Way to Improve

15:00 Sharing in Specialty Coffee: Engage and Build Trust

21:00 It’s a Party not a Club. Welcoming others into Specialty Coffee

26:00 Specialty Scores, Coffee Assessment, and What “Value” Really Means

35:00 Specialty Coffee Industry Shifts

45:00 Knowing and Responding to the Guest

Cat & Cloud:

Instagram www.instagram.com/catcloudcoffee/

Webstore www.catandcloud.com/

We LOVE our Wholesale Partners! Interested in serving our coffee at your business? Learn

more about our Partner Program https://catandcloud.com/pages/wholesale

Links –

The Home of Scrum: scrum.org

Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time - by Jeffrey Sutherland and J.J. Sutherland (book)

Cat & Cloud Coffee was founded in 2016 by three friends who believe experiences and

connections shape our lives. Former barista champions and lifelong coffee professionals, they

envisioned a better way to do business and set out to create a values-driven organization that

put culture first.

Our mission is to inspire connection by creating memorable experiences. Whether it's with

guests in our 4 retail locations in Santa Cruz, our team members, or our wholesale partners

across the country, we strive to leave everyone better than we found them.

The Cat & Cloud Podcast is a space for us to share our experiences and adventures in coffee

and business in hopes of inspiring more people to create culture and values-driven

organizations.

Hosted by Chris Baca and Jared Truby

Produced by: Casey Ryan

Feb. 2026

Cat & Cloud Podcast

The Evolution of Leadership: From Barista to Business Owner - Episode #437

Cat & Cloud Coffee www.catandcloud.com/

Summary

In Episode #437, Chris and Jared explore the real shift that happens when you move from barista to business owner. What once felt like fast-paced camaraderie and clear wins on bar becomes a slower, more complex game of systems, sacrifice, and long-term responsibility. They talk through the hidden cost of leadership, the tension between collaboration and independence, and why owners often see a hundred problems before they see progress. The takeaway: leadership evolves, satisfaction changes, and the key is choosing agency—building momentum on purpose instead of drifting through the role.

Chapters

00:00 “Is Someone Dead?”: Walking Into a Silent Roastery Meditation

06:00 Love and Hate with Chris Baca

14:00 From Barista to Boss

20:00 The Cost of Leadership, Herb Brooks and Miracle:The Boys of ‘80

26:00 Where do you find satisfaction?

31:00 Business owners often only see what needs to be done

41:00 Agency: Stop Drifting and Choose Your Next Season

Cat & Cloud:

Instagram www.instagram.com/catcloudcoffee/

Webstore www.catandcloud.com/

We LOVE our Wholesale Partners! Interested in serving our coffee at your business? Learn more about our Partner Program https://catandcloud.com/pages/wholesale

Links –

Miracle: The Boys of '80 | Official Trailer, Netflix 2026

Cat & Cloud Coffee was founded in 2016 by three friends who believe experiences and connections shape our lives. Former barista champions and lifelong coffee professionals, they envisioned a better way to do business and set out to create a values-driven organization that put culture first.

Our mission is to inspire connection by creating memorable experiences. Whether it's with guests in our 4 retail locations in Santa Cruz, our team members, or our wholesale partners across the country, we strive to leave everyone better than we found them.

The Cat & Cloud Podcast is a space for us to share our experiences and adventures in coffee and business in hopes of inspiring more people to create culture and values-driven organizations.

What Matters Most When Opening a Coffee Shop- and Where to

Spend Your Money - Episode #436

Cat & Cloud Coffee www.catandcloud.com/

Summary

Thinking about opening a coffee shop? Here’s where your money actually matters—and where

it doesn’t. In this episode, Chris Baca and Jared Truby…aka Dale ;) unpack what actually

matters when you’re opening (or refreshing) a café: create a real feeling of place without

overspending on flashy build-out, “blow the bag” on the essentials (espresso machine, grinders,

and water filtration), and don’t get distracted by optional prestige projects like roasting, direct

trade, or origin travel before the core experience is dialed. They also zoom out on how café

design has evolved since early third-wave homogeneity and land on a grounded definition of

“sustaining excellence”: either innovate with intention or “plus the show” by obsessively

maintaining the details that signal care—because culture is what people learn to accept as

normal.

Chapters

00:00 Monterey and Coffee

07:00 Opening a New Coffee Shop?

13:30 Business reflects the people who started it

21:00 Should I Roast Myself?

29:00 Homogeny in Coffee Shop Design

33:20 What’s Worth It vs. What’s Hype

42:00 Plus the Show

Cat & Cloud:

Instagram www.instagram.com/catcloudcoffee/

Webstore www.catandcloud.com/

We LOVE our Wholesale Partners! Interested in serving our coffee at your business? Learn

more about our Partner Program https://catandcloud.com/pages/wholesale

Links –

Six Over Coffee

https://www.instagram.com/sixovercoffee/?hl=en

Cat & Cloud Coffee was founded in 2016 by three friends who believe experiences and

connections shape our lives. Former barista champions and lifelong coffee professionals, they

envisioned a better way to do business and set out to create a values-driven organization that

put culture first.

Our mission is to inspire connection by creating memorable experiences. Whether it's with

guests in our 4 retail locations in Santa Cruz, our team members, or our wholesale partners

across the country, we strive to leave everyone better than we found them.

The Cat & Cloud Podcast is a space for us to share our experiences and adventures in coffee

and business in hopes of inspiring more people to create culture and values-driven

organizations.

Scaling Excellence Without Losing The Soul of Your Company

In this episode, Jared, Chris, and Charles wrestle with the challenge of scaling excellence while protecting culture. Drawing from a recent leadership offsite, they explore why growth doesn’t dilute a company’s soul—unprotected culture does. The conversation breaks down the role of founder-led vision, repeatable systems, and strong local leadership in turning values into daily behavior, while addressing hiring, pruning, and the real costs of doing things well. At its core, this episode is about choosing intentional growth, aligning people and purpose, and doing the hard work required to scale with integrity.

Chapters:

0:00 – Cold Mornings, Ramen Bars, and Pajama Parties


5:00 – The Core Question: Can You Scale Without Losing Your Soul?


11:30 – Scaling Culture, Not Just Stores


15:30 – Founder-Led Vision and Intentional Obsession


22:30 – Systems Don’t Kill Culture—Neglect Does


29:30 – Hiring and the Cultural Fit


36:30 – Can Excellence Be Scaled at All?


45:00 – Growth as a Choice, Not a Requirement


50:00 – Final Reflections: Protecting the North Star


Links –

Bici Coffee @ Rosewood Hotel https://www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/sand-hill-menlo-park/dining/bici-coffee

Cat & Cloud:

Instagram www.instagram.com/catcloudcoffee/

Webstore www.catandcloud.com/

We are Cat & Cloud Coffee. Started by three friends trying to pursue their passions with the mission to inspire connection by creating memorable experiences, and we created this podcast to continue forming those connections inside and out of our cafes.

The Cat & Cloud podcast was created as a space for us to share our experiences in the coffee industry and starting a business. Each week we sit down to talk about new challenges as business owners, how we utilize our mission and values to make decisions, and answer questions from our listening community. If you’re looking to expand your coffee knowledge, get some advice for your own small business, or just like the vibes, give us a listen!

Enjoy!

In this week’s episode, Jared and Chris explore the difference between creating

procedures people follow and building systems people believe in. They explore New

Zealand’s coffee culture, why team buy-in matters instead of just compliance, and what

happens when employees are asked to adopt systems they didn’t help create. Along the

way, they discuss how strong teams embrace challenges during change — and why

respected long-term employees often become the key stewards of lasting system

improvement.

(00:00) Coffee Culture on the other side of the Planet

(05:00) Kiwi Coffee Organizations

(11:25) Buy-in vs Compliance

(19:25) Employee Ownership of a System They Didn’t Create

(23:00) Teams Embracing Challenge During Change

(34:00) Veteran Employees as System Stewards

🔗 Links –

Brenè Brown - Dare to Lead (2018)

https://brenebrown.com/book/dare-to-lead/

Bob Chapman - Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for you People

Like Family (2015)

https://www.barrywehmiller.com/bobchapman/book

Cat & Cloud:

Instagram www.instagram.com/catcloudcoffee/

Webstore www.catandcloud.com/

We are Cat & Cloud Coffee. Started by three friends trying to pursue their passions with

the mission to inspire connection by creating memorable experiences, and we created

this podcast to continue forming those connections inside and out of our cafes.

The Cat & Cloud podcast was created as a space for us to share our experiences in the

coffee industry and starting a business. Each week we sit down to talk about new

challenges as business owners, how we utilize our mission and values to make decisions,

and answer questions from our listening community. If you’re looking to expand your

coffee knowledge, get some advice for your own small business, or just like the vibes,

give us a listen!

Enjoy!

This week on the podcast we are chatting about what could be in the new year and ultimately touch on a few things that could go a long way to help – Getting away from it all. From things like vacations all the way to just not having your phone on you, especially during a shift behind the bar, there are a lot of things you can do to make sure your perspective is refreshed and ready for what’s next.

Ultimately we are just excited about things to come. This new year has a lot of opportunities for us and we are excited to go into it with the best mindsets. Our heads are clean, clear, and under control.

🔗 Links –

Cat & Cloud:

Instagram www.instagram.com/catcloudcoffee/

Webstore www.catandcloud.com/

We are Cat & Cloud Coffee. Started by three friends trying to pursue their passions with the mission to inspire connection by creating memorable experiences, and we created this podcast to continue forming those connections inside and out of our cafes.

The Cat & Cloud podcast was created as a space for us to share our experiences in the coffee industry and starting a business. Each week we sit down to talk about new challenges as business owners, how we utilize our mission and values to make decisions, and answer questions from our listening community. If you’re looking to expand your coffee knowledge, get some advice for your own small business, or just like the vibes, give us a listen!

Enjoy!

In this episode, we explore the collaborative spirit of the coffee industry and why we value sharing knowledge even with our peers and competitors. We discuss how adopting standards and certifications helps us evolve and allows us to better serve large-scale partners. Throughout the conversation, we reflect on the importance of community connection and the unique local culture that defines how we live out our business.

We also address the challenges of "craft under pressure," focusing on how leaders can navigate financial stress and industry disruptions with resilience. We share our thoughts on the necessity of unlearning old habits to adapt to a changing environment and avoid the trap of burnout. Ultimately, we encourage you to approach your career and leadership with intentionality, balancing achievement with a sustainable focus on self-care.

🔗 Links –

Cat & Cloud:

Instagram www.instagram.com/catcloudcoffee/

Webstore www.catandcloud.com/

We are Cat & Cloud Coffee. Started by three friends trying to pursue their passions with the mission to inspire connection by creating memorable experiences, and we created this podcast to continue forming those connections inside and out of our cafes.

The Cat & Cloud podcast was created as a space for us to share our experiences in the coffee industry and starting a business. Each week we sit down to talk about new challenges as business owners, how we utilize our mission and values to make decisions, and answer questions from our listening community. If you’re looking to expand your coffee knowledge, get some advice for your own small business, or just like the vibes, give us a listen!

Enjoy!

This episode is a wide-ranging conversation about how coffee businesses support people at different stages, from new partners to experienced teams. Marc joins the show to talk about wholesale, training, and why the goal isn’t to force one “right” way of doing things, but to help partners find systems that actually work for their reality.

Along the way, the conversation touches on craft, technology, and hospitality — how simplicity can be more empowering than complexity, why consistency matters more than perfection, and how good tools and thoughtful training help teams take better care of guests. At its core, the episode is about meeting people where they are and building coffee programs that balance quality, accessibility, and real-world execution.

🔗 Links –

Marcs clown nightmare fule:

https://catandcloud.com/pages/podcast-show-notes

Cat & Cloud:

Instagram www.instagram.com/catcloudcoffee/

Webstore www.catandcloud.com/

We are Cat & Cloud Coffee. Started by three friends trying to pursue their passions with the mission to inspire connection by creating memorable experiences, and we created this podcast to continue forming those connections inside and out of our cafes.

The Cat & Cloud podcast was created as a space for us to share our experiences in the coffee industry and starting a business. Each week we sit down to talk about new challenges as business owners, how we utilize our mission and values to make decisions, and answer questions from our listening community. If you’re looking to expand your coffee knowledge, get some advice for your own small business, or just like the vibes, give us a listen!

Enjoy!

This week is a classic “how did we get here?” episode — starting with the pain of losing a recording, then jumping into what’s been happening in our world, from a surprise New York Times mention to a hospitality-heavy event with Mazzer at Sightglass. We talk about what makes coffee service feel special without getting stuck in inside-baseball language, and how energy, flow, and intention can shape the whole experience.

From there we spiral into specialty coffee in places built for speed, using Downtown Disney as the example: expectations, wait times, identity, and why “special” has to be obvious and deliver fast if it’s going to work in high-volume environments. We close out nerding on espresso size and extraction trends — how coffee’s swung from tiny ristretto culture to modern big shots — and what all of that says about where coffee (and our own work) is headed.

🔗 Links –

New York Times, 5 Podcasts to Help You Savor Coffee:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/arts/podcasts-coffee-cuppings-brewing.html

Reuters, Nestlé explores sale of Blue Bottle Coffee:

https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/nestl-explores-sale-blue-bottle-coffee-sources-say-2025-12-01/

Cat & Cloud:

Instagram www.instagram.com/catcloudcoffee/

Webstore www.catandcloud.com/

We are Cat & Cloud Coffee. Started by three friends trying to pursue their passions with the mission to inspire connection by creating memorable experiences, and we created this podcast to continue forming those connections inside and out of our cafes.

The Cat & Cloud podcast was created as a space for us to share our experiences in the coffee industry and starting a business. Each week we sit down to talk about new challenges as business owners, how we utilize our mission and values to make decisions, and answer questions from our listening community. If you’re looking to expand your coffee knowledge, get some advice for your own small business, or just like the vibes, give us a listen!

Enjoy!

This episode explores how company culture is shaped by the balance between craft and hospitality. We talk about what happens when standards exist without care, and when care exists without standards — and why both extremes create problems for teams and guests alike. Culture, in this sense, becomes the set of signals that tell people how to make the right call in real moments.

At its core, the conversation is about clarity and support. When leaders clearly communicate what matters and back it up through consistent decisions, teams don’t have to guess whether perfection or people come first. The goal isn’t choosing one over the other, but building a culture where craft and hospitality work together to create experiences that feel both thoughtful and human.

🔗 Links –

Cat & Cloud:

Instagram www.instagram.com/catcloudcoffee/

Webstore www.catandcloud.com/

We are Cat & Cloud Coffee. Started by three friends trying to pursue their passions with the mission to inspire connection by creating memorable experiences, and we created this podcast to continue forming those connections inside and out of our cafes.

The Cat & Cloud podcast was created as a space for us to share our experiences in the coffee industry and starting a business. Each week we sit down to talk about new challenges as business owners, how we utilize our mission and values to make decisions, and answer questions from our listening community. If you’re looking to expand your coffee knowledge, get some advice for your own small business, or just like the vibes, give us a listen!

Enjoy!