Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

As we build our careers we take on more responsibility and authority. Building trust and helping build the community around you is a critical part of your success and how that plays out in your cafe will determine how it plays out in the industry. As a long time trainer and industry leader, Reggie Elliott has embodied these values. We get to talk about his career, how he helped build the coffee community wherever he was, how he trains baristas, and his advice for trainers, leaders, and whoever else has position of influence. Reggie is someone you should listen to.

Enjoy!

LINKS:

• Reggie Instagram
• Reggie Twitter
• DMV Coffee
• Restaurant: A Rakes Progress
• La Colombe

Conflict at work is inevitable but it does not have to take a negative turn. Hard conversations and confrontations handled well can actually enhance your relationships, the team in the cafe, and benefit our industry as a whole. This week it is an absolute privilege that we get to learn from world renowned executive coach and communications expert, Tom Henschel.

In this episode Tom give us the tools and shows us how to use them to help work through both our inner and outer conflicts. I really hope you give this a couple listens and get the notes as well. Just like the conversations discussed here, skillfully handling conflict is crucial to our success.

-Chris

LINKS:

www.essentialcomm.com

Tom's Linkedin Page

Recommended Book: Crucial Conversations

When people experience our coffee they are left with an impression that is largely made up of what they saw. What kind of impact does design have a customer's experience of your business? What are the keys to good design? What are the first steps you need to take to assess the state of design in your business? This week we are joined by the amazing designer Liz Chai. Liz works 100% in the specialty coffee industry and shares with us what she has learned about effective design for coffee. You're going to want to listen up!

Enjoy!

Links:

www.chai.coffee

twitter: @chaiamericano

Instagram: @chaiamericano

It's the 50th Episode of Keys to the Shop and I had the opportunity to interview 5 people live at the Kentuckiana Coffee Champs Pre-lims this past weekend. In this 2nd edition of Baristas Speak Nathan Quillo, Sam Miers, Cimara Dunn, Matt Park, and Rita Kaminsky join me to give their thoughts on the role of the barista, lessons they have learned, and advice to current and future baristas all of which you will definitely want to hear.

Let me just say...Thank you for listening to Keys to the Shop! 50 episodes later and there is still so much to talk about. It's been great to grow and learn along with you and I'm looking forward to what the next 50 holds!

Links:

- Nathan Quillo / Quills Coffee

- Sam Miers / Kaldi's Coffee

- Cimara Dunn / Quills Coffee

- Matt Park / Plus Coffee

- Rita Kaminsky / Snowdrift Coffee & Workspace

Are you wanting to start something in your town based a shared passion for coffee? Do you want to invest more into your existing community and want some tips from a seasoned pro? Today's guest will address those question and more. Jason Card is the founder of Journeyman Coffee in Tallahassee, FL and in today's Founder Friday episode we get to talk with him about building community where there is none, founding Journeyman, the importance of enthusiasm, humility, and lessons he has learned along his journey. Jason is such a wise soul and I hope you find this conversation helpful and inspiring.

Enjoy!

LINKS:

www.journeymancoffee.com

[email protected]

Steve Cuevas of Black Oak Coffee Roasters is the 2017 U.S. Cup Tasters Champion and he is here to here to talk to us about learning to taste, tips for developing your palate, and talking to customers about coffee with confidence, and empathy.

His approach to cupping and communicating about coffee to consumers is generous and refreshing and will inspire you to expand your approach too.

Enjoy!

LINKS:

WWW.BLACKOAKCOFFEE.COM

Instagram: @dreadfulvegan

FACEBOOK

Episodes Mentioned:

EP 26: What Your Roaster Wants You to Know

EP 44: Navigating Mistakes and Failure

Ah Latte art...that ubiquitous often ill used symbol of specialty coffee in the eye of the consumer and to the professional both a creative outlet and a seal given to a well made drink.

This week we sit down to talk all about latte art with four accomplished latte artists: Jibbi Little, Antoine Franklin, Kenny Smith, and Christopher "Nicely" Alameda.

They share their origin story, what latte art means to them and how it's changed over the years, some of the dangers that obsession w/ latte art poses, and advice for how we can improve our art and grow as professionals in the cafe.

I absolutely loved hearing their insights and perspectives and I would bet money you will too! Enjoy!

Links:

Jibbi Little

• www.jibbijug.com
• Instagram

Antoine Franklin

• www.blacksmithhouston.com
• Antoine's Instagram

Kenny Smith

• www.sunergoscoffee.com
• Instagram

Nicely

• www.menottis.com
• Instagram
• Flickr

In the coffee world, like anywhere else, we love to compare ourselves to other baristas, managers, owners etc. and see how we stack up. Often this can lead to stress, worry, depression, lack of clarity, wasted energy, loss of opportunity, and many other negative consequences. In today's episode we explore some of the ways negative comparisons can damage your shop and your career and ways to avoid getting caught in the comparison trap.

"Comparison is the death of joy" -Mark Twain

LINKS:

The Effective Executive

www.Worldcoffeeresearch.org

Episode 08: Finding Joy in Coffee / Nathanael May

https://bloomerang.co/blog/what-is-your-nonprofits-return-on-mission/

Providing amazing hospitality for the guests in your shop does not have to be complicated. Today's guest, Philip Paul Turner, Manager at Sunergos Coffee, shares his 3 step approach to providing great hospitality that has become his mantra to the staff at his shop and it can transform the way you welcome people into your space. I get to work with Philip and see him put these principles into action very day and can vouch for their effectiveness. I truly know of no better example of genuine and contagious hospitality than Philip so it was great to get him to dive into the things and inspire us to achieve simple, powerful hospitality.

Enjoy!

Links:

Setting the Table - Danny Meyer

www.sunergoscoffee.com

www.keystotheshop.com

Even though mistakes and failure in coffee are a normal part of the learning process they can be hard to deal with, embarrassing, and often can derail our progress. Today we talk about some best practices I have discovered from personal experience for navigating both the small and the serious failures we all have or will encounter as we continue our work in coffee. You will learn how to move through challenges, avoid surprises, recover from major failures in job performance, the importance of humility, and how to truly change a problem behavior for good, and much more.

If you address these issue in the proper way they can be the most important thing that ever happens to you and your career.

This episode is personally challenging as it reflects events from my history in coffee all the way up to events happening today in my work. I do hope this is useful for you for the mistakes and failures you're having to overcome.

Enjoy!

www.keystotheshop.com

[email protected]