The Crown's Director of Education sits down with Luke Waite, founder of Pomello Coffee Consulting and author of The Owner's Manual: A Guide to Sustaining a Coffee Roaster to discuss the challenges of writing for a niche coffee audience, the unique needs of a coffee roasting business, and the nuanced, sometimes vulnerable state of trying to be better than "good enough."

In this episode I wanted to zoom in and get a little bit personal. Although the scale is not massive the impact is immeasurable. Talking with Mayra, our co-worker at Royal, paints a picture of how coffee is so interpersonal and is driven by its ability to connect people to one another. In her hometown of Santa Elena in Honduras, Mayra has created economic change by exporting her community's coffee to the specialty market through Catracha Coffee. But the coffee business also funds a non-profit that extends support for her community members on a host of activities including income diversification, art, and mental health. We are thrilled to speak with her about her journey.

In part two of the series, Charlie, Chris, and Spencer explore topics such as risk in coffee purchasing, the pendulum swing in experimental coffee, who is driving demand for investment in unique flavors, whether coffee hybrids could be the next wave, defining co-ferments, the potential for co-ferments to take over the world, and more!

In this 2-part series, Charlie, Chris and Spencer go back in time to explore the turning point of sourcing and demand in late aughts till present day. They chat about 'good and right' coffee, government intervention, barista competitions, regrets in coffee buying and more. Stay tuned for the next episode on risk and experimentation in coffee buying.

In this episode, Spencer Ford, Junior Trader, and Alex Mason, VP of Trading Activity, take a deep dive into the market volatility of the past six months. They cover topics such as backwardation, the record number of exports from Brazil, Vietnam's impact on the coffee market, and where all the coffee is. They also offer advice on the best plan of action given the current situation.

Curious about what happens on an origin trip with importers and roasters? In this episode, we bring you exclusive insights from Richard about his recent trip to Honduras with Laurel Wirth and a team of coffee roasters. Tune in to learn more about two cutting-edge producing groups they visited: COMSA and Catracha.

Music credit: Joshua Wismans

Have you been working in the coffee industry for a while and have the skillset and experience to work on your terms? In this episode, we sit down with the extensively experienced Sandra Loofbourrow and discuss her background and how she got into this niche area of the industry, the options as a coffee freelancer/consultant, the keys to success, trials and tribulations, how to establish yourself and more.

Music credit: Joshua Wismans

In this episode, we sit down with Katie Carguilo, Coffee Manager at Counter Culture Coffee & Board Member at World Coffee Research. Learn about her experience and growth as a coffee professional, her perspective on the intersection of business in coffee and sustainability, and her advice for new coffee businesses looking to incorporate more sustainable practices.

In this episode, Chris Kornman, Doris Garrido, and Isabella Vitaliano discuss AI roaster technology already on the market, its pros and cons, the further division between craft and mass-produced coffee, and the potential for AI to replace human roasters

In this episode from the trading desk, Junior Trader, Spencer Ford, and Vice President of Trading, Alex Mason, give a quick recap of the causes of the volatility in the "C" market for the last half of 2023. They discuss the disequilibrium in the market, aggressive pricing for centrals, Brazil heat damage, and changes in the tenderable grade.