Cat & Cloud Podcast 

Cat & Cloud Coffee www.catandcloud.com/

Monday Morning Coffee Industry Check-in - Ep #442

Summary

In this episode, Chris, Jared and Casey cover a wide mix of coffee-industry updates, behind-the-scenes projects, and big-picture reflections on what makes specialty coffee compelling. They preview upcoming events including a Bay Area roundtable with Coffee Futures Fund, their plans for World of Coffee in San Diego, and Chris’s upcoming Cafe Imports panel focused on the real challenges business owners are facing right now. The conversation also dives into the design and philosophy behind the new third version of the Chris Baca Dial Tamper, exploring how tools can become expressions of craft, ritual, and identity. From there, they wander into a thoughtful discussion about trade shows, coffee culture, Blue Bottle’s evolution under corporate ownership, and the tension between hospitality, scale, authenticity, and business reality—while still keeping the whole thing loose, funny, and very Monday-morning Cat & Cloud.

Chapters

00:00 Coffee Futures Roundtable on Cafe Business Ownership

06:00 World of Coffee in San Diego: Why This Year Feels Big

10:00 Chris’s Cafe Imports Panel: Less PR, More Reality

15:00 The Third Dial Tamper and the Beauty of Overbuilt Tools                           

26:45 Why Coffee Gear and Design Geek Out

35:00 Blue Bottle, Big Business, and the Arc of a Brand

40:00 Nestle, Specialty Coffee and Cafes

Cat & Cloud:

Instagram www.instagram.com/catcloudcoffee/

Webstore www.catandcloud.com/

Roasters Choice Subscription www.catandcloud.com/collections/subscriptions

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

Links:

Coffee Futures Fund: Jared Truby Zine

https://www.flipsnack.com/965BBFD6AED/letter-to-young-coffee-owners-issue-with-jared-truby

Coffee Futures Fund: Roundtable Event

https://coffeefutures.fund/Roundtable.html

World of Coffee/SCA

https://usa.worldofcoffee.org/

Cafe Imports

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/source-where-do-we-go-from-here-tickets-1983895046489

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

March 2026