Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

I am so excited to present this Founder Friday with two people who are doing amazing things in coffee! I met them in the first year of their business in 2018 as clients and they have done a great job of growing their business with excellence and care.

Today we get to talk with Danny and Michelle Quiroz of Reserva Coffee Roasters in McAllen, TX!

Danny Quiroz is also Managing Partner at Reserva Coffee Roasters. He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. In his role as the in-house Roast Master, Danny is responsible for overseeing sourcing, roasting, and fulfillment operations. He is deeply committed to perfecting his roasts, ensuring that both guests and staff receive the highest quality product possible. Danny takes great pride in his journey as a roaster, starting from humble beginnings roasting small batches and now utilizing the Mill City MCR-30 roaster.

Michelle Quiroz, a Managing Partner at Reserva Coffee Roasters in McAllen, Texas, holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and a master's degree in engineering management from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Michelle is responsible for overseeing café operations and driving strategic growth for the organization. She places great importance on team-building and creating a welcoming environment for both staff and guests. Michelle's primary focus is establishing standardized café operations across all Reserva locations, having successfully launched three cafes in the past two years.

In recognition of their work, they were named the Lower Rio Grande Valley's Small Business Persons of the Year in 2020.

We discuss:

• The journey to begin roasting
• Developing the concept and skills
• Going from roasting to a retail shop
• Feedback and evolving operations and offerings
• Scaling and weighing opportunities
• Hiring and management
• How past skills and work impact operations today

Links:

www.reservacoffee.com

IG @reservacoffee

Listen to these episodes next!

• 256 : Founder Friday w/ Varat Vichit-Vadakan of Roots Coffee Roaster in Bangkok, Thailand
• 158 : A Management Masterclass w/ Jon Felix Lund, VP of Operations for Coava Coffee Roasters / Portland, OR
• 145: Founder Friday w/ Red Rooster Coffee Roasters co-founder, Haden Polseno-Hensley
• 359 : Founder Friday! w/ Nigel Price of Drip Coffee Makers NYC

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GROUND BREAKING BREWING MADE SIMPLE!

www.groundcontrol.coffee

THE BEST PLANT-BASED BEVERAGES ON THE PLANET!

www.Pacificfoodservice.com

Reach out to KTTS!

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Everyday we make decisions about both small and large things in the coffee shop. Often those decisions are made in a reactive way that is more born from a sense of urgency and FOMO than intentionality and right fit.

Today on Shift Break we will talk about 3 questions to ask when you are faced with any decision and how the habit of asking and answering them will transform your business.

Related episodes:

• Making a Decision Pipeline
• Slowing down your Response Time
• 184 : Making Great Business Decisions w/ Dave Stachowiak

The best espresso machines in the world!

www.lamarzoccousa.com

Custom branded mobile apps for your shop!

www.espressly.co.

Roasting for espresso is a tricky business. Not only are there multiple variables that inherently complicate the extraction process but there is also a wide variety of opinion is and preferences for what the final flavor experience should be like.

On this Rate of Rise episode we will be talking about how one world renowned roastery roasts for espresso and how their technique and approach has evolved over their history. We are talking with Jaroslav Tuček, founder of Doubleshot in the Czech Republic.

Born and raised in Czech Republic and graduating High school in Arizona US, Jaroslav has been in coffee since 2002. Starting as a barista at Portola Cafe in California, he obtained AN M.A. in Canadian literature from SFU in Vancouver where he continued work in coffee with 49th Paralell. Upon return to The Czech Republic he worked for the first specialty roastery learning fromjeremy Raths.

In 2009-2010 he left to Panama together with my gf (current business partner as well) and spend one year working for Graciano Cruz and Maria Ruiz in Boquete, mostly learning about the farm level. He had the opportunity to be part of HiQ Coffee launch in the US, where he worked with Graciano Cruz and Willem Boot on a development project in Chalatenango in El Salvador.

They started Doubleshot in 2010, sourcing green from people we met or worked with in Central America. Over the 13 years we opened 4 coffee shops, training center, and bakery in downtown Prague. However, wholesale is still the major part of our business. We took part in many World barista, brewers or coffee in good spirit competitions. Jaroslave also used to be a certified Q, SCAA Cupping judge, SCA AST etc.

Nowadays, green bean buying and QC, together with managing different teams of people in marketing, social media, desing etc. Doubleshot employs around 90 people, and sells coffee all around the world

Links:

• https://www.doubleshot.cz/
• https://www.instagram.com/doubleshotcz/

Related Episodes:

• ROR #23 : How to Close the Industry-Consumer Flavor Gap w/ Phil Beattie, Dillanos Coffee Roasters
• RoR #1: A Conversation w/ Anne Cooper of Equilibrium Master Roasters
• 286 : Coffee Roasting Best Practices w/ Scott Rao
• 418: Founder Friday! w/ John and Luigi Di Ruocco of Mr. Espresso, Oakland, CA
• 196 : Understanding Customer Preferences w/ Peter Giuliano Transcript

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One of the best options for getting started in coffee without as much risk is a coffee truck. Especially emphasized post-pandemic, mobile concepts like coffee trucks have grow exponentially and with it the need for reliable information on how to become successful in that context. Today we will be talking with one the go-to coffee truck authorities, Vincent LaVolpa of green Joe Coffee School!

Vincent discovered coffee while in the military working in the 16th Engineer Battalion of the 1st Armored Division as a driver eliminating IEDs. After this he became a paramedic with Albuquerque Ambulance for 7 years where coffee sustained him through that difficult work. In 2015 he started his first coffee trailer. By the end of year 2, he had a coffee truck, trailer and 4 carts. In 2018, my 3rd year in business, he opened Helix Coffee and Yoga, a coffee house and yoga studio collaboration with his wife. During this time, wrote his first book on coffee trucking. In 2019, they became pregnant with their second daughter and decided to close the shop. Vincent then dedicated himself full time to coffee consulting where I help people launch profitable mobile coffee businesses.

Today we will be talking with Vincent about practical knowledge, misconceptions, and keys steps to take in running a successful coffee truck.

We cover:

• Evolution of Green Joe
• Creating and scaling the first truck
• Important lessons learned
• Working with the trades and planning the space
• Keeping it simple
• Flexibility
• Hiring for a coffee truck
• Misconceptions and considerations

Links:

www.greenjoecoffeeschool.com

www.greenjoecoffeetruck.com

Related episodes:

• 115 : Finding Success in Mobile Coffee w/ Tim Cox / Communion Coffee
• 384 : How to Run a Successful Coffee Cart w/ Sarah Naylor of Daybreak Coffee Cart
• 359 : Founder Friday! w/ Nigel Price of Drip Coffee Makers NYC
• 187 : A Conversation with Nikki Outlaw of Anecho Coffee

Key Holder Coaching Group is launching in September!

🔑 Key Holder Coaching Groups will be hosted by myself and consist of a curated group of 5 coffee shop owners. ​ ​🔑 We will meet together 2x per month for 2 hours over a 6 month period. ​ ​🔑 This structured group will allow each member to have multiple hot seat opportunities to present specific issues to the group and gain insight, feedback and direction to help them develop themselves, their people, and their business. ​ ​🔑 In addition we will be consistently updated on each others progress and have opportunity to speak into each others lives. ​ ​🔑 Key Holder Coaching members will have access to each other via the Signal app as well. ​ ​I am very excited to begin what I believe will be the first of many groups!

CLICK HERE to fill out the application to join the group

Visit our awesome Sponsors!

GROUND BREAKING BREWING MADE SIMPLE!

www.groundcontrol.coffee

THE BEST PLANT-BASED BEVERAGES ON THE PLANET!

www.Pacificfoodservice.com

30 years of resourcing you with the best products and education!

www.coffeefest.com

Use Code: "KEYS" for 50% General Admission

While we always want to assume our staff are aspiring for the highest standards, we know that they (just like us) need help. In the course of the day there are many opportunities to speak into the lives of your baristas as a coach and guide. Be this as it may, some of us avoid correcting staff and in so doing we create tension and an environment

Today on Shift Break we will talk about the often feared subject of correction and why it is not only needed but a sign that you care about the success of your staff and the experience of your customer.

• More Power To Them

  Being the Point of Clarity

  Communicate, Duplicate, Repeat : Key habits that make information stick

Visit our Sponsors!!!

The best espresso machines in the world!

www.lamarzoccousa.com

Custom branded mobile apps for your shop!

www.espressly.co.

One of the most important aspects of our business is how we welcome people into our space. Early on in the KTTS podcast I sat down with someone who I still consider to be one of the best examples of showing genuine hospitality in a way that is simple yet powerful.

Today I am re-sharing with you all this interview with Phillip Paul Turner who at the time was a manager for Sunergos Coffee's 5th St. shop in Louisville. At this time I was still the operations manager for the company and got to see Philip living these principles regularly.

I hope this episode really impacts the way you pursue hospitality in your shop.

We cover:

• The right way to view people
• Simple methods for hospitality
• The welcome, acknowledge, include framework
• Why it is hard for us to execute
• The benefits over time

Related episodes:

• 343 : Founder Friday! "Curated Edition" | Hospitality + Meeting People Where They Are
• 254 : Holiday Hospitality Part 2
• 058 : Holiday Hospitality
• 369: Encore Episode! How to be a Cash Register Hero
• 340 : Encore Episode of "10 Reasons to Love the Customer"!

Key Holder Coaching Group is launching in September!

🔑 Key Holder Coaching Groups will be hosted by myself and consist of a curated group of 5 coffee shop owners. ​ ​🔑 We will meet together 2x per month for 2 hours over a 6 month period. ​ ​🔑 This structured group will allow each member to have multiple hot seat opportunities to present specific issues to the group and gain insight, feedback and direction to help them develop themselves, their people, and their business. ​ ​🔑 In addition we will be consistently updated on each others progress and have opportunity to speak into each others lives. ​ ​🔑 Key Holder Coaching members will have access to each other via the Signal app as well. ​ ​I am very excited to begin what I believe will be the first of many groups!

CLICK HERE to fill out the application to join the group

Visit our awesome Sponsors!

GROUND BREAKING BREWING MADE SIMPLE!

www.groundcontrol.coffee

THE BEST PLANT-BASED BEVERAGES ON THE PLANET!

www.Pacificfoodservice.com

30 years of resourcing you with the best products and education!

www.coffeefest.com

Use Code: "KEYS" for 50% General Admission

Serving our customers well means being able to give them our best. This can only be done if we are constantly seeking to improve what we do. But not at the expense of who we are doing it for.

Today on Shift Break we will be chatting about who it is we are really trying to impress and serve. Who we have in mind as our primary audience will be what guides our decisions, successes, and, in many cases, our failures.

Related episodes:

• You are not your Competition
• Your Peers are not your Customers

Visit our Sponsors!!!

The best espresso machines in the world!

www.lamarzoccousa.com

Custom branded mobile apps for your shop!

www.espressly.co.

You see it all the time, a barista is promoted to a role such as trainer, manager, cafe lead etc, but they quickly find that there is very little preparation that has gone into this role. They are either simply not doing much, but now they have a title, or they are doing far too much in an effort to make up for the bosses lack of planning the role prior to promotion. In both cases there is burn out and frustration that is completely avoidable, if we would invest into creating meaningful roles in the cafe.

Today we will be exploring this topic and i will be giving your some pointers about how to create roles that deliver value to both the business, and the person occupying them.

Related episodes:

• 373 : The Owner's Role: 5 Behaviors for Effectiveness
• 325 : How to Manage Your Trainers
• Blog: What is wrong with "Going above and beyond"?
• 383 : How to Train a Manager

Visit our awesome Sponsors!

GROUND BREAKING BREWING MADE SIMPLE!

www.groundcontrol.coffee

THE BEST PLANT-BASED BEVERAGES ON THE PLANET!

www.Pacificfoodservice.com

30 years of resourcing you with the best products and education!

www.coffeefest.com

Use Code: "KEYS" for 50% General Admission

I hear it all the time, "My baristas just don't use the manual!" Of course it is frustrating to work into a document and resource only to have people forget or disregard it. Before you get too bent out of shape, you may want to ask yourself, do YOU use your manual? What about your managers?

Today on Shift Break we are going to be talking about why you and your manager team need to integrate and adopt the regular usage of your manuals, guides, and docs if you want your staff to do the same.

Related episodes:

• Your Employee Handbook is Worthless
• 329 : How to Teach Company Values to Your Staff
• Bridging the Values-Actions Gap

Visit our Sponsors!!!

The best espresso machines in the world!

www.lamarzoccousa.com

Custom branded mobile apps for your shop!

www.espressly.co.

The culture of your management and leadership team is perhaps the most important one to focus on if you want the over all company culture to be healthy. What we see most of the time is that each manager or leader becomes an island, isolated, defensive and eventually burnt out striving in their own area without helping or being helped by others.

Today we will be talking about essential behaviors that you need to cultivate in your in your management culture in order for both the individual and the business to thrive. Each of these behaviors will create a very healthy culture of mutual care that will be a catalyst for change across the cafe.

After listening to this, please consider setting up a meeting with your team to work out how to make these a real practice.

We Cover:

• Humility
• Support and uplift
• Pursue understanding
• Colaborative solutions
• Mindful actions and communication

Related episodes:

• 261 : The Basics of Managing Managers
• 378: 5 Areas to Develop in Managers
• 229 : 7 Tips for New Managers
• 109 : Leadership Abandonment Syndrome : Lack of development in senior staff and what to do about it
• 179 : What you MUST Know About Employee Culture w/ Stan Slap
• 329 : How to Teach Company Values to Your Staff

Visit our awesome Sponsors!

GROUND BREAKING BREWING MADE SIMPLE!

www.groundcontrol.coffee

THE BEST PLANT-BASED BEVERAGES ON THE PLANET!

www.Pacificfoodservice.com

30 years of resourcing you with the best products and education!

www.coffeefest.com

Use Code: "KEYS" for 50% General Admission