Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

In this second part of our 2 part Founder Friday we switch gears with Doug Zell, founder of the iconic coffee company Intelligentsia Coffee. In the years that followed the acquisition of Intelligentsia, Doug entered into a new era of creativity related to food, coffee, and his passion for cycling. With his friend and fellow cycling enthusiast Chris St. Peter, they founded the Meteor.

The vision began with a desire to create a beautiful environment that combines all the things they love under one roof: delicious ingredient-driven food, thoughtfully chosen wine, carefully prepared coffee, and, bicycles. The hope is to build a community that enjoyed these same pursuits. Their motto? - Espresso | Champagne | Chain Lube

In this episode we focus on the this new venture, how it came to be, the challenges of a multifaceted concept, the lessons and wisdom earned from 20 years of coffee leadership, and how that, plus the same spirit to innovated and create, has helped the Meteor Succeed.

We discuss:

• The chance meeting and common interests that started The Meteor
• Building a team of great people who understand different aspects of the business
• Keeping the menu and offerings tight and well-executed
• Why opening a coffee bar with just coffee and pastries may be challenging in today's competitive market.
• How creating a sense of community and connection is a rewarding aspect of running a multifaceted concept.
• Looking to the future of coffee shops and advise for those entering in to the market.

Links:

www.intelligenstia.com

www.themeteor.cafe

IG @doug.zell

Related Episode:

• 448: Founder Friday! Part 1 "Switching Gears" | w/ Doug Zell of Intelligentsia and The Meteor!
• 387 : Innovation and Building a Better Coffee Business w/ Miranda Caldwell
• 179 : What you MUST Know About Employee Culture w/ Stan Slap
• 179 : What you MUST Know About Employee Culture w/ Stan Slap
• 329 : How to Teach Company Values to Your Staff

Hire Keys to the Shop Consulting to work with you 1:1 to transform your operations, quality, and people. Schedule a free discovery call now!

https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min

Thank you to our amazing sponsors!

Get the best brewer and tool for batch espresso, iced lattes, and 8 minute cold brew! www.groundcontrol.coffee

The world loves plant based beverages and baristas love the Barista Series! www.pacificfoodservice.com

The landscape of specialty coffee has been influenced by many people and companies over the last few decades. The foundations of the standards and methods we use now, at one time, were merely ideas waiting for someone to put them into action. In the class of companies operators that have championed that exploration one of the most influential was Intelligentsia Coffee under the leadership of founder Doug Zell.

Doug Zell is the founder of Intelligentsia Coffee and the Meteor Cafe. In 1995 he and Emily Mange founded what was just a small roastery and cafe in Chicago. Through a passion for design, coffee, and innovative hospitality Intelligentsia became an iconic brand with retail locations and roasting operations across the country and an influence in coffee that has inspired countless professionals globally. Intelligentsia was an early innovator of Direct Trade, and has boasted progressive design and service concepts that have challenged the status quo of training and hospitality in the industry. Included in their staff of some of the best green buyers, baristas, and managers, including a WBC Champion.

It is virtually impossible to measure the impact and contribution to coffee culture Intelligentsia has had and so much of it comes from the original values and goals that the company was founded on and the ability to develop a team to scale that vision.

In this first part of our 2 part Founder Friday we will be talking with Doug and focusing on the years of 1995-2015 and the establishment and growth of Intelligentsia Coffee all the way up to the acquisition of the company by Pete's Coffee. In part 2 we switch gears with Doug and talk about how he pivoted to start the unique concept of The Meteor Cafe.

We discuss:

• Doug's entry into coffee and the coffee business
• The original store, concept, and values
• Growing in Chicago and working to lead with design
• How Doug grew his leadership and the
• Why culture is a critical aspect of building a successful business
• Having confidence in your ideas and the ability to endure the challenges of a startup
• Competition's role in company culture and the barista craft
• Balancing local and national perception
• How expansion can creates opportunities for growth and economic success.

Links:

www.intelligenstia.com

www.themeteor.cafe

IG : @doug.zell

Related episodes:

• 313 : Coffee Education and Training w/ Michael Phillips of Blue Bottle Coffee
• 401 : Founder Friday! w/ Jack Benchakul of Endorffiene in Los Angeles
• 017 : Founder Friday w/ Jonathan Rubinstein of Joe Coffee: Entrepreneurship | Coffee Business | Hiring | Barista Culture | Growth
• 375 : Founder Friday! w/ Roland Horne of WatchHouse
• 219 : Building a Winning Food Program w/ Marilei Denila, Culinary R&D Manager, Go Get em Tiger
• 444: Founder Friday! w/ Julia Peixoto Peters of Peixoto Coffee, Arizona
• 330 : Establishing Systems in Your Coffee Shop

Hire Keys to the Shop Consulting to work with you 1:1 to transform your operations, quality, and people. Schedule a free discovery call now!

https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min

Thank you to our amazing sponsors!

Get the best brewer and tool for batch espresso, iced lattes, and 8 minute cold brew! www.groundcontrol.coffee

The world loves plant based beverages and baristas love the Barista Series! www.pacificfoodservice.com

The pursuit of excellence drives us to create very stringent standards for our coffee, service, and businesses. There is nothing wrong with this, except for when it becomes so narrow that it chokes out the life of the café, pushes people away and ends up, creating the opposite result then we intended.

On today's shift break we are going to talk about why it's OK to have reasonable tolerances in the café and how having them is actually necessary to achieve excellence in all areas overtime

Related episodes:

436: STOP BURN OUT! AND MAKE WORK EFFORTLESS W/ GREG MCKEOWN | BEST SELLING AUTHOR "EFFORTLESS"

435 : ENCORE! IT'S OK TO BE THE BOSS, W/ BRUCE TULGAN

432 : HOW TO WIN IN SPECIALTY RETAIL COFFEE

427 : ENCORE EPISODE: WHAT YOU MUST KNOW ABOUT EMPLOYEE CULTURE W/ STAN SLAP

426: FOSTERING A CULTURE OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

In my consulting work through KTTS Consulting, management and leadership structures are one of the main conversations we have. Working to create clarity, understanding, and systems for success in leadership has a compound effect on the rest of the business. Would you like to work with me 1:1 to help your cafe thrive in quality, operations, and people?

Click below for a discovery call and lets have a conversation!

https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min

Thank you to out sponsors!

Custom branded apps for your coffee shop: www.espressly.co

The best and most revered espresso machines on the planet: www.lamarzoccousa.com

The world of coffee trade and commerce is complex to say the least. The difference between a business that succeeds and one that flounders is largely based on how well we know the business of coffee and how we move wisely within it as we establish and grow our shops and roasters. The consistent nurturing and success of our business has a ripple effect that will help the whole supply chain. Certainly it is not overstating the case that, if we want to have true sustainability then we in specialty coffee need to be about the business of coffee as well as the craft itself. But where do we start to gain this understanding?

To help us view this world in a clearer light I am thrilled to welcome Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood to KTTS!

Maxwell Dashwood's fascination with coffee began in Melbourne, Australia, in 2007. Returning to the UK, he co-managed a coffee events company and opened Colonna & Small's, a Bath-based coffee shop with a focus on curated, changing coffee menus. Maxwell founded and runs the Colonna Coffee roastery, and has recently opened a Colonna & Small's location in London. He also works on different coffee research and development projects.

An acclaimed figure in the industry, Maxwell is a three-time winner of the UK Barista Championships and has co-authored academic papers on coffee. He's also the co-author of "Water For Coffee," a study on the impact of water on coffee taste, and "The Coffee Dictionary," an accessible guide to coffee terminology. His most recent book, "The Business of Specialty Coffee," combines his business experiences with an exploration of the coffee supply chain.

Here is just some of what we discuss in this episode:

• The need for business knowledge
• Maxwell's career development
• Why write this book?
• Unicorn business vs the preferable "good" business
• Various business models
• Fast vs slow growth
• Specialty coffee's need for the brick and mortar cafe
• Sustaining a business to fulfill your vision

Links:

Buy the book: www.scottrao.com

Follow:

https://www.instagram.com/mcolonnadashwood/

https://colonnacoffee.com/

Related episodes:

• 082 : Knowledge and Flavor w/ Cosimo Libardo
• 335: A Better Business Model for Coffee Farmers w/ Thaleon Tremain of Pachamama Coffee
• 239 : 5 Best Practices for the Best Small Business w/ Henry Lopez
• 223 : Building a Financially Resilient Business w/ Andrew Carroll
• 017 : Founder Friday w/ Jonathan Rubinstein of Joe Coffee: Entrepreneurship | Coffee Business | Hiring | Barista Culture | Growth

Hire Keys to the Shop Consulting to work with you 1:1 to transform your operations, quality, and people. Schedule a free discovery call now!

https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min

Thank you to our amazing sponsors!

Get the best brewer and tool for batch espresso, iced lattes, and 8 minute cold brew! www.groundcontrol.coffee

The world loves plant based beverages and baristas love the Barista Series! www.pacificfoodservice.com

The holiday rush is in full swing and many of us (most of us) are trying our best to just survive the frenzy. Shops are full of customers as well as friends and visiting family of our customers and it is a great time to not just survive the craziness but to increase our intentionality, presence of hospitality, and care for our staff and guest in spite of the pressure.

Today on Shift Break we will be talking about how we can plan our energy, presence, and lean into ways to make the holiday time more than just a profitable time for finances, but also a time where we are reinforcing our values and bringing the our best selves to the work of coffee.

Related episodes:

• 058 : Holiday Hospitality
• 254 : Holiday Hospitality Part 2
• 084 : Crushing the Rush : Tips and Best Practices for Busy Times
• 111 : Self Care 101: Taking care of yourself while taking care of others
• 176 : Harnessing Emotions at Work w/ Andrea Hoban of Oji Life Lab
• Episode 32: Making Order Out of Chaos
• Episode 57: SOPs FTW

In my consulting work through KTTS Consulting, management and leadership structures are one of the main conversations we have. Working to create clarity, understanding, and systems for success in leadership has a compound effect on the rest of the business. Would you like to work with me 1:1 to help your cafe thrive in quality, operations, and people?

Click below for a discovery call and lets have a conversation!

https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min

Thank you to out sponsors!

Custom branded apps for your coffee shop: www.espressly.co

The best and most revered espresso machines on the planet: www.lamarzoccousa.com

As the tools we use to craft coffee multiply, so too does the need for companies to keep the machines running well. Service techs are an essential segment of the industry and in an industry based on hospitality and service, it is important that a tech is able to not just diagnose and fix machines, but is able to work with people in a way that reflects the values of hospitality that equipment is meant to help produce.

I am thrilled to finally get an opportunity to talk with someone whose history in coffee and mission with his company has been focused on community and a people-first culture from the beginning. Excited to welcome the co-founder of Black Rabbit Service Co., Jason "Double J" Johnson!

Double J has been quite a while. Starting as a teenager in the mid 90's, he developed a deep passion for coffee, food, and hospitality. After moving to Portland Oregon in 2001 he worked for a handful of coffee houses (large and small) until finding work as a coffee technician for Stumptown Coffee. After a decade of honing his tech skills at Stumptown he is now a co-owner of Black Rabbit Service Co. Fast forward a few more years, Double J is now the writer, producer and host of Coffee Breath - A food and travel show based around coffee and cafe culture.

Today we will be chatting about Double J's career, how he learned the industry and began tech work, the founding and development of Black Rabbit, and how they serve both their clients and their team with empathy and expertise.

Links:

www.blackrabbitservice.com

www.coffeebreathshow.com

Listen to these episodes next:

• RoR # 22 : Master Insights on Roaster Maintenance and Care w/ Doug Graf, Vintage Coffee
• 240 : What to do before your Build your Bar
• 238 : Leading, Hiring, and working with your Coffee Tech w/ Hylan Joseph
• 128 : Terry's Top 10 w/ Terry Ziniewicz : Best practices for how not to kill your espresso machine

Hire Keys to the Shop Consulting to work with you 1:1 to transform your operations, quality, and people. Schedule a free discovery call now!

https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min

Thank you to our amazing sponsors!

Get the best brewer and tool for batch espresso, iced lattes, and 8 minute cold brew! www.groundcontrol.coffee

The world loves plant based beverages and baristas love the Barista Series! www.pacificfoodservice.com

We are obsessed with innovation that tends to solve problems that are increasingly inconsequential to the customer. A race to put coffee in virtually any context all in the name of convenience may bring coffee to more people, but what does it do to the value of the coffee when we remove virtually all customer generated investment into the process.

Today on Shift Break we will be talking about why a bit of inconvenience is ok and, in fact, may be a needed thing to allow the customer the buy in, personal investment, ritual, and connection with the product we are, in my opinion, rushing to devalue through wasteful mindless mass consumption.

In my consulting work through KTTS Consulting, management and leadership structures are one of the main conversations we have. Working to create clarity, understanding, and systems for success in leadership has a compound effect on the rest of the business. Would you like to work with me 1:1 to help your cafe thrive in quality, operations, and people?

Click below for a discovery call and lets have a conversation!

https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min

Related episodes:

• Sustainability Series #4 : Consumer
• BLOG: Getting out of Work
• 432 : How to Win in Specialty Retail Coffee

Thank you to out sponsors!

Custom branded apps for your coffee shop: www.espressly.co

The best and most revered espresso machines on the planet: www.lamarzoccousa.com

Taking what you have learned over many years of working in coffee and creating your own roasting and cafe business is no easy task. It requires a strong enough "why" and a vision for the people that the roastery and shop wil serve. Cody Gordon did just that with the founding of Cerberus Coffee in Jacksonville, Oregon.

In this conversation Cody and I discuss the journey taken from barista, manager, wholesale manager, and finally roaster and owner. We talk especially about the recent scaling of Cerberus, and the impact it has on how Cody and the team can serve their community and make a difference through community, good business, and great coffee.

Links:

www.cerberuscoffeeco.com

https://cerberuscoffeeco.com/pages/the-wizard-cat-project

IG: @cerberuscoffeeco

Related episodes:

• RoR #6: Buying Less and Doing More w/ Ever Meister
• RoR #5: Time and Color in Roasting w/ Morten Munchow of Coffee Mind"
• 361: Managing Roastery Relationships and Logistics w/ Corey Turner of Andytown Coffee Roasters

Subscribe to Roast Magazine!

https://www.roastmagazine.com/subscribe

Visit www.roastertools.com for a free e-book and the best software to help you run a roastery!

The magic baristas can render from coffee relies on not just their skill and the incredible efforts from producers and roasters, but also on the quality of the equipment they have to work with.

Over the past couple decades the quality and consistency of machines has improved in massive ways. Much of the reason for this lies with the way machine manufacturers and baristas have evolved their relationship on to the other. Today we will explore this evolution with the VP of Synesso Espresso Machines, Ryan Willbur!

Ryan Willbur has been working within the Specialty Coffee Industry for over 15 years. His career has taken him from barista, to Account Management, Marketing, Sales, and Leadership. Along the way, Ryan has been a competitive barista, a coffee roaster, and has spent many hours learning and sharing about the technical workings of espresso and coffee equipment. Ryan is currently the Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Synesso Espresso Machines. In this role, he travels the world, building relationships with customers, and working to understand coffee culture in various markets.

From his perspective, people are the core of the coffee industry, and Ryan believes wholeheartedly in building relationships as the best means of doing business.

Today we are talking about the how machines, barista culture, and the industry have been shaped by the way we communicate and serve each others needs along the value chain.

Links:

www.synesso.com

Ryan on IG: @RWILLBUR

Listen to these episodes next:

• 238 : Leading, Hiring, and working with your Coffee Tech w/ Hylan Joseph
• 405: Beyond the Schedule w/ Wil Brawley of Schedulefly
• 089 : La Marzocco USA General Manager, Andrew Daday : Leadership, Innovation, service, heritage
• 408: Coffee Tools, Music, and Serving the Community w/ Anita Tam of Slow Pour Supply Co.

Hire Keys to the Shop Consulting to work with you 1:1 to transform your operations, quality, and people. Schedule a free discovery call now!

https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min

Thank you to our amazing sponsors!

Get the best brewer and tool for batch espresso, iced lattes, and 8 minute cold brew! www.groundcontrol.coffee

The world loves plant based beverages and baristas love the Barista Series! www.pacificfoodservice.com

Between the moment a farmer hands over their crop, to the moment a barista hands a customer a cup of that same coffee, there is a complex system that will either bring hope and equity to those most vulnerable, or reinforce the hopelessness that is too common with those who cultivate the coffee we love. Today's guest grew up seeing this hopelessness on her families farm and decided to do something about it.

I am so excited to welcome to the podcast a leader in innovative trade models and the owner of Peixoto Coffee, Julia Peixoto Peters!

Julia Peixoto was born and raised in a coffee farming-family in Southern Brazil watching her father and relatives give their lives to produce the best coffees they could but, when it was time to sell those coffees, they were at the mercy of the ups and (mostly) downs of the commodities market.

Julia wanted to do better for her family and farmers in her region, changing the equity of the coffee trading game from the middleman to the farmers, who bear the brunt of the risks involved in farming and harvesting coffee.

Julia and her husband Jeff left their promising corporate careers to start Peixoto Coffee in Arizona in 2015 to produce, import, roast, and bring to the market coffees farmed at their own family-farm, challenging the status-quo of the market and the traditional profiles expected of Brazilian coffees.

We discuss:

• Julia's life on the coffee farm
• The hardships producers face
• Leaving her career for her higher calling in coffee
• Developing skill and finding mentors
• Running a coffee shop with a deeper narrative
• The first steps in vertical integration
• The challenges of leadership and importance of systems
• Having faith that you can figure it out
• Sustainable relationships and long term commitment
• Hiring staff to represent the vision and story

Links:

www.peixotocoffee.com

Instagram: @peixotocoffee

Related episodes:

• 288 : The Truth behind Cheap Coffee w/ Karl Weinhold
• 335: A Better Business Model for Coffee Farmers w/ Thaleon Tremain of Pachamama Coffee
• 413 : Coffee Education and Training at Origin w/ Fabiola Solano of Soy Barista
• 348: Founder Friday! w/ Benito Burmudez of Cafe Unido, Panama City, Panama!

Hire Keys to the Shop Consulting to work with you 1:1 to transform your operations, quality, and people. Schedule a free discovery call now!

https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min

Thank you to our amazing sponsors!

Get the best brewer and tool for batch espresso, iced lattes, and 8 minute cold brew! www.groundcontrol.coffee

The world loves plant based beverages and baristas love the Barista Series! www.pacificfoodservice.com