We're back for 2024 with our Christmas Special Episode. It's been a while, but you definitely can't tell.

In this episode Chris shares his revolutionary parenting technique for clearing out a crowded playground, Aaron proudly announces his cinematic achievement of starting (but not finishing) exactly one movie this year, and Brendan recounts 'the incident' at our live show and why we probably won't be asked back.

Also in this episode:

Coffeenomics: C-Price at a 47-year high. ffs.
Health Advice: How to de-stress when you work 3 jobs.
Ad Read: Milk in Coffee is ok now
Listener Question: Margaret Moore's 2024 fast finish

Merry Christmas to all our lovely listeners, have a safe and enjoyable break and remember, you save 30% in our Boxing Day Sale on our Drip Coffee Bag Starter Bundle: https://www.filament.coffee/products/brewbags-starter

Have you ever daydreamed about owning a cafe? Maybe you've spotted one for sale and are on the fence? Today's episode is a must-listen.

Meet Matt Kenworthy, a numbers man who, along with his wife Ash, took the plunge and bought not just one but three cafes in 2019. He shares his journey from mortgage broking to owning and running the East Vic Park institution formerly known as Antz Cafes.

We dig into the nitty-gritty of rebranding to Venn Coffee, managing staff and customers, and the tough call to close one location. 

Matt also sheds light on the importance of point-of-sale data and streamlined process management in running a successful Perth cafe.

Also in this episode:

• Matt's Secret Sauce: What sets Venn apart in a crowded market.
• Coffee Focus: How Venn maintains a coffee-centric venue without a full kitchen.
• Customer Dynamics: Balancing space for all types of customers without pigeonholing the venue.
• Menu Efficiency: Why a menu of bagels and acai bowls means no chefs and an efficient food service.
• Numbers Game: Key metrics Matt keeps an eye on and how often he reviews pricing.
• Trend or Fad: Matt's approach to jumping on (or leaving alone) cafe trends.
• Roasting Reality: Why the focus is on product quality, and not just cost saving with vertical integration.
• Matt's Outrageous Daily Caffeine Consumption: Don't try this at home.

Quickfire Questions:

• What's Matt's pet peeve about customers?
• What are his thoughts on Kombucha?
• How many 18L kegs does he think Aaron could carry?
• Does he allow cyclists in the cafe with their click-clack shoes on?

Use code TOPHER15 at checkout on www.filament.coffee for 15% off delicious coffee delivered to your door.

This is one to watch on video if you can!

Oh what a special day it is when Chris puts in more than 3 minutes of preparation!

This week he told us he has something special ready, but we couldn't have imagined he'd written a complete scene from his new Screen-Play "The Story of Filament Coffee”

Before we run through the first table read, Aaron starts the episode off by discussing the huge cold coffee market, trends within and finishes by deciding that a teeth-whitening cold brew will be the next big thing.

We discuss a recent survey that highlights the complete disconnect between coffee consumers and coffee farmers on what they believe is working from a sustainability perspective in the coffee industry. Turns out farmers just want to get paid properly whilst consumers think workplace conditions and the environment are more important.

Then comes Act 1 of The Story of Filament Coffee: A Screenplay by Chris Topher

Also in this episode:

Coffeenomics: C-Price steady
Health Advice: Too much Kahlua out the back of Collie
Ad Read: TOPHER15 gets you 15% off

For delicious coffee delivered to your door, visit www.filament.coffee to order online today. Podcast listeners save 15% when they use code TOPHER15 at checkout.

Episode references:

Perfect Daily Grind: How Cold Coffee Beverages Are Changing
Daily Coffee News: Survey: Coffee Farmers and Consumers Have Different Perspectives on Sustainability

Our Very first video episode! And what a way to start!

Watch the video episode on YouTube here.

After Chris reads some timely obituaries, Aaron kicks us off with his six-part manifesto to get us to all slow down, and take time (30 seconds or 30 minutes) the next time we have a coffee.

Then we workshop the kid's book. An idea we had back on episode 50 when Aaron brought in a book about a mole being defecated on, we thought surely we can do this. And we did. Sort of.

We come up with the story, the theme, and a neat little summary of things we've spoken about previously that annoy us at the coffee shop.

Also in this episode:

Coffeenomics: C-Price steady
Health Advice: At what age can you start drinking coffee?
Ad Read: TOPHER15 gets you 15% off
Listener Question: Ted's Running Club

For delicious coffee delivered to your door, visit www.filament.coffee to order online today. Podcast listeners save 15% when they use code TOPHER15 at checkout.

The Matt that matters most, Matt Muhl from Brightside Coffee joins us for the first time this year as we discuss all that is new and noteworthy in the world of coffee.

We kick off with a coffee update from Matt. Price relief is on the horizon,  with the Brazil harvest looking “absolutely baby glam” to quote the man himself.

With exports up for the world's biggest coffee producer, price relief is coming to all green bean buyers. Not for the consumer of course, just for us manufacturers who have been haemorrhaging cash for years.

Matt tells us about some exotic coffees he has his eye on for later in 2023 but warns us why buying expensive coffee can be risky.
 
Aaron then absolutely phones it in with some article about a journalist moving to Melbourne in 2019 and the worst thing that happened to her was drinking decaf coffee. Even Chris was unimpressed.

Chris saves the episode though with an article about a woman with an owl in her coffee and then Matt gets absolutely stuck into us with some critical feedback.

Also in this episode:

Coffeenomics: C-Price Down!
Health Advice: Long Jump Tips from Chris
Ad Read: TOPHER15 gets you 15% off

For delicious coffee delivered to your door, visit www.filament.coffee to order online today. Podcast listeners save 15% when they use code TOPHER15 at checkout.

Episode references:

The Age: Maida Pineda I've gone cold turkey on caffeine, and this is how I'm surviving in Melbourne

Metro.co.uk Jasper King. Woman thinks she’s found an owl in her frothy morning coffee

50 Episodes! And what a way to celebrate

Aaron tells us he's quit coffee, tells us he's been giving his daughter coffee, and then tells us he owns a book that is literally about a badger trying to find an animal who defecated on him.

He also discusses the Story of the Aeropress, the Crazy coffee idea by a Stanford Professor and Frisbee maker that made millions. After a shaky start, the online coffee community got behind Alan Adler and launched the Aeropress into every specialty coffee shop.

We asked ourselves if we could come up and launch a product through chat forums, what would we do? Then it hit us: we're going to write a kid's book.

Also in this episode; MilkLab's CEO hopes Australia's coffee culture keeps consumer spending at the cafe despite the "looming recession.”

Are we feeling the pinch of inflation at the cafe yet?

Chris tells us some good news; he's sold Filament to a large international corporate.

AND THEN:

Coffeenomics: C-Price is UP
Health Advice: At home treatment for dengue fever
Ad Read: TOPHER15 gets you 15% off
Listener Q: Cafe trends in the next 5 years
AND: A bonus return of the Ranch for Ep 50!

For delicious coffee delivered to your door, visit www.filament.coffee to order online today. Podcast listeners save 15% when they use code TOPHER15 at checkout.

Articles referenced:

The Guardian: bumper-profits-at-kitkat-maker-nestle-they-should-give-consumers-a-break

World Coffee Portal: Nestle-posts-strong-start-to-2023-with-steady-coff

Wishpond.com: How the AeroPress Inventor Went from Flying Rings to Coffee

Sydney Morning Herald: Milklab maker hopes for ‘coffee culture’ to continue despite cost-of-living crisis

ABC: Interest rate rises have Australians ready to slash spending, and businesses are bracing for the cuts

This is a big episode, tackling a big topic: Australia's dying coffee culture.

What was once the envy of the coffee world has become a myriad of mediocrity as more and more people take their bikes and their laptops to cafes in 2023, only to be met with the lazy attitudes of the barista.

Maybe you've been denied chocolate sprinkles on your cappuccino because it isn't ‘authentic’? Maybe you've been informed by a barista that your extra hot coffee is just not possible and shouldn't be made like that.

How about looking for a table at your favourite coffee spot, only to see some punter on his laptop, taking up valuable real estate? We get into the detail about what is acceptable laptop loitering behaviour, and what is off limits (Aaron is targeted heavily).

Then Chris tells us about a group of lycra-clad men denied entry to their favourite spot for showing too much bulge (Aaron is targeted heavily).

Also in this episode:

Coffeenomics: C-Price lower
Health Advice: Just good sound advice from Toph
Ad Read: TOPHER15 gets you 15% off
Listener Q: Moore & Rotas crossover

For delicious coffee delivered to your door, visit www.filament.coffee to order online today. Podcast listeners save 15% when they use code TOPHER15 at checkout.

In this episode, we break down the best coffee makers for camping and tell you why they're no good.

Ever tried to make a coffee for a group of people with your Aeropress? You can't do it. What about packing all the kit needed to brew up a fresh pot with a v60? You're dreaming. We tell you what to look for in a camping coffee maker and which one to pick up for your next camping trip . Aaron starts at the top and lists slightly worse and worse rating coffee solutions for campers and why each of them just won't cut it on your next camping trip.

Then we deep dive into how blockchain technology is helping traceability, and transparency with green coffee buying by providing a decentralised system in which origin fraud, quality fraud, and (by one Egyptian company in) blatant copyright fraud can be prevented.

Aaron couldn't care less. Turns out he welcomes sticks, husks, and other debris filler in his morning cup of coffee. Then Chris tells us about a celebrity's coffee order.

Also in this episode:

Coffeenomics: C-Price lower
Health Advice: A Celebrity Needs Chris' Help
Ad Read: TOPHER15 gets you 15% off

For delicious coffee delivered to your door, visit www.filament.coffee to order online today. Podcast listeners save 15% when they use code TOPHER15 at checkout.

A business focussed episode this week as we talk about the Valley of Death; that perilous journey every small business faces when they decide to scale up.

It's a decision that all businesses face after a short time, including ours. Aaron leads our discussion and asks us what drives a small business owner to make that leap? Is it money, is it ego, is it something else?

Why isn't it enough for a business owner to be a big fish in a little pond, - why is there an overwhelming drive for businesses to grow? What would Chris do if he owned a successful sandwich shop?

Also in this episode; Snoop Dogg has launched a cold brew coffee, so who could Filament partner with from WA to help us launch our next cold brew? And Chris tells us that since Covid 19, young people are drinking more coffee, but buying it less.

AND

Coffeenomics: C-Price has remained stable.
Health Advice With Chris: David Rotas isn't dead (yet).
Ad Read: TOPHER15 gets you 15% off & AI Google Reviews

For delicious coffee delivered to your door, visit www.filament.coffee to order online today. Podcast listeners save 15% when they use code TOPHER15 at checkout.

References:

Daily Coffee News: https://dailycoffeenews.com/2023/03/08/snoop-dogg-launches-indoxyz-indonesian-specialty-coffee-line/
Vinepair.com: https://vinepair.com/articles/ab-inbev-craft-layoffs/

The weekly C02 footprint of the average cafe in Australia is equal to the C02 output 57 cars.

Do you think your reusable cup is helping to reduce this? It isn't.

A Climate focussed discussion this episode as we ask the question: is Australia's obsession with reusable cups just a big distraction when it comes to the impact of C02 emissions of your favourite cafe?

Chris discusses the most energy-efficient way to brew coffee at home and Aaron tells us that if you love black coffee it's because you're simply genetically predisposed to it. Good news for Filament!

Also in this episode

Coffeenomics: C-Price steady due to the sea breeze.
Health Advice/ Listener Q: How much coffee is too much coffee?
Ad Read: TOPHER15 gets you 15% off

For delicious coffee delivered to your door, visit www.filament.coffee to order online today. Podcast listeners save 15% when they use code TOPHER15 at checkout.

Episode references:

https://www.baristahustle.com/blog/interview-with-dr-adam-carr/
https://www.sevenmiles.com.au/blogs/editorial/cafe-sustainability-more-than-disposable-cups/
https://wastemanagementreview.com.au/war-waste-got-wrong-paper-cups-recycled/
https://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/antz-inya-pantz-becomes-first-perth-coffee-shop-to-ditch-the-takeaway-cup-20160422-god4es.html
https://bannisterdowns.com.au/our-ethical-milk/packaging