Coffee is ME Podcast

In this episode of the Coffee is Me podcast, Valerian interviews Mabel and Ming from Moonwake Coffee. They discuss their first sip of coffee, their professions, and why they decided to start a coffee company.    They also talk about the meaning behind the name Moonwake and their sales channels, including direct-to-consumer, farmers markets, and wholesale. They highlight the importance of building relationships with customers and the benefits of being part of the coffee enthusiast community.    They also touch on the challenges and rewards of starting a business and the importance of finding meaning in their work. MoonWake Coffee Roasters focuses on delivering excellent coffee experiences to customers through their micro-lot offerings and commitment to quality. They have a unique approach to roasting, offering a range of roast levels and highlighting the farm name in their coffee lineup.    The founders are passionate about the customer experience and wanted to create a positive and transparent environment. They made the decision to invest in a Cybertruck as a mobile coffee truck to solve problems, attract customers, and provide a unique experience. The biggest challenges for entrepreneurs are starting and dealing with uncertainty. It's important to take action and have a problem-solving mindset.    MoonWake Coffee Roasters can be found online and at the Cupertino Danza College Farmers Market, with plans to open a cafe and roastery in West San Jose.   Chapters 00:00 Introduction and First Sip of Coffee 02:41 Professions and Decision to Start a Coffee Company 08:18 Should You Leave Your Job to Start a Coffee Business? 16:20 The Meaning Behind the Name Moonwake Coffee 25:25 How to Find your First Customers 58:09 Thoughts on Sourcing and Creating a Coffee Portfolio 01:01:58 One vs Wide Range of Roast Degrees 01:04:42 About Quality and the Customer Experience 01:09:22 What Makes or Breaks a Coffee Business? Embrace Uncertainty

In this conversation, Mariana Moreno from Tueste Café in Mexico shares insights into the Mexican specialty coffee scene and the growth of specialty coffee in the country. Mariana discusses the challenges and opportunities of being a woman in the coffee industry and the unique aspects of their coffee company, which includes a coffee school and a coffee shop. She also talks about their approach to sourcing coffee cherries then processing them themselves using their own processing style. Mariana shares their sales strategies and target audience, as well as the challenges of selling coffee to restaurants and hotels. In this conversation, Valerian and Mariana Moreno discuss the challenges of making coffee in restaurants and introduce a potential solution called the XBloom machine. They also explore the importance of roasting coffee to customer preferences and the influence of Mexican culture on coffee profiles. Mariana shares her vision for the future of Tueste Café and her personal growth as a coffee trainer.   Takeaways The Mexican specialty coffee scene has been growing in the past decade, with a focus on quality and innovation in processing methods. Being a woman in the coffee industry can present challenges, but there is a growing community of women supporting and empowering each other. Selling coffee to restaurants and hotels can be a challenge, but there is an opportunity to educate and provide better quality coffee to these establishments. Social media, particularly Instagram, has been an effective sales tool for Tueste Café, along with word-of-mouth recommendations.  For Tueste Café, roasting coffee to customer preferences is important for providing a personalized coffee experience. Mariana aims to make Tueste Café a reference in Mexico for coffee and coffee machines, while also becoming an SCA trainer.

In this episode, Austin and Colin from Mom and M Coffee share their journey from San Francisco to Cincinnati and the challenges they faced in opening their coffee shop. They discuss their decision to start roasting their own coffee and the process of choosing a roaster. They also talk about the benefits of owning their real estate and the foreign concepts they introduced in Cincinnati. Finally, they explain their coffee offerings and how they make decisions for their portfolio. In this conversation, Valerian and Colleen discuss various aspects of the coffee business, including coffee blends and single origins, the cost and quality of espresso, tips for starting a food business, the importance of passion and entrepreneurship, and future plans for both the business and the host.   Takeaways Coffee blends and single origins offer different flavor profiles and can be used in various brewing methods. The cost of espresso can be higher due to the quality of the beans and the complexity of the blend. Passion and entrepreneurship are essential for success in the food industry. Starting a food business requires hard work, dedication, and a focus on financial management. Future plans for the business include consistent quality, growth, and bridging the gap between farmers and consumers. Consider to own your real estate when launching a business Chapters 00:00 Introduction and First Coffee Memories 03:14 From San Francisco to Cincinnati 06:34 Starting Mom and M Coffee 09:30 Challenges of Opening Mom and M Coffee 13:42 Joining the Mom and M Coffee Team 16:05 Starting with an Airstream Trailer 19:32 Introducing Foreign Concepts in Cincinnati 21:55 The Offerings at Mom and M Coffee 25:12 The Decision to Start Roasting 29:15 Learning to Roast and Choosing a Roaster 36:19 The Benefits of Owning Real Estate 45:01 Roasting Portfolio and Decision-Making 45:30 Introduction to Coffee Blends and Single Origins 50:00 The Cost and Quality of Espresso 52:06 Tips for Starting a Food Business 56:23 The Importance of Passion and Entrepreneurship 01:01:07 Future Plans for the Business 01:04:01 Future Plans for the Host 01:07:21 Where to Find Coffees.me

In the bustling world of specialty coffee, where the beans tell stories and the aromas transport you to distant lands, one brand has been quietly brewing a storm, not just in a cup, but in the entrepreneurial world as well. Welcome to the universe of Hydrangea Coffee, a small specialty coffee brand that has managed to blend the rich notes of passion, quality, and smart business into a delectable brew of success. A Sip into Billy's Journey Billy, the brain behind Hydrangea Coffee, didn't always tread the coffee beans' path. His journey, deeply rooted in the logical realms of software engineering, took a flavorful turn when his passion for roasting coffee beans began to simmer through his professional life. But what was it that percolated this shift from codes to coffee? Billy's first sip into the coffee world wasn't merely about the beverage; it was an exploration into the myriad profiles that each bean presented, a diversity that mirrored the various coding languages he worked with. His curiosity piqued, and what started as a side project to experiment with different coffee profiles, gradually brewed into a business that not only satisfied his creative palate but also carved a niche in the specialty coffee market. The Essence Behind the Name The name "Hydria," inspired by the ancient Greek vessel used for carrying water, symbolizes not just the fluidity and essence of coffee but also reflects Billy's journey of pouring his creativity and expertise into a vessel that carries the rich, bold, and unique profiles of his coffee to the world. Brewing Profit with Passion Hydrangea Coffee, while being a beacon of quality and uniqueness in the coffee world, is also a testament to how a side gig, when brewed with passion and smart financial planning, can pour out substantial revenue. With just 20 hours of work per week, Billy manages to steam up a whopping $15,000 in revenue, showcasing that when passion and profession blend, it results in a rich, rewarding brew. A Brand that Speaks Volumes with its Beans HydrangeaCoffee doesn't just stop at being a specialty brand; it echoes the philosophy that quality and uniqueness can be more than just a business model. For Billy and Hydrangea, these coffees are an interesting venture, a journey where each bean is curated, roasted, and presented not just as a beverage but as an experience to be savored, especially by those who have a palate for fine dining and high-end wines. A Future Steeped in Expansion and Connection While Hydrangea primarily sells through their website and a local café, utilizing a consignment model, the future holds plans of expanding their wholesale channels, reaching out to a larger volume of customers, and continuing to explore and present unique and funky coffees to the world. Billy believes in the potential that younger generations and cultures, which were not traditionally steeped in coffee-drinking, bring to the table. They are open, willing to pay for an experience, and appreciate the nuanced art of specialty coffee making. In a world where every sip tells a story, Hydrangea Coffee, and Billy have managed to create a narrative that goes beyond just a beverage. It's a tale of passion, smart entrepreneurship, and a belief that quality, when presented rightly, finds its connoisseurs. As Hydrangea looks towards the future, with plans to establish personal connections through trade shows and festivals, and enhance customer communication through newsletters and emails, one thing remains certain - every bean, every sip, and every customer will always be a cherished part of their journey.

In this episode, Sameer takes us back to the origins of Voyager Coffee, a concept born out of a desire to revitalize their city, San Jose. As natives of the area, Sameer and his partner Lauren noticed a trend of friends and acquaintances leaving for more exciting urban centers. Determined to inject vibrancy into their hometown, they envisioned Voyager Coffee as a catalyst for community-building and a hub of creativity. With a humble beginning as a coffee cart, Sameer and Lauren's dream gradually took shape. They poured their hearts and souls into their venture, starting with a meager three-kilo San Franciscan roaster in a garage. Despite the challenges they faced and the financial hurdles along the way, their dedication to quality and the farm-to-cup experience propelled them forward. Join Sameer as he discusses the pivotal moment when Voyager Coffee transitioned from a multi-roaster model to establishing their own roastery and chain of five coffee shops. Discover the motivation behind this bold move, driven by a desire to be closer to the source and have a direct impact on the coffee they served. Witness their journey of growth, from a small-scale operation to a multi-location coffee empire, with beautifully designed cafes that have become iconic in the South Bay area. Through this conversation, you'll gain insights into the intricacies of running both a cafe and a roastery under one umbrella. Sameer shares the challenges they faced, the complexities of managing hierarchical lines of communication, and the financial considerations that come with expanding their business. Learn from their experiences and discover valuable lessons for aspiring coffee entrepreneurs. If you're passionate about specialty coffee, community-building, or the entrepreneurial spirit, this podcast episode is a must-listen. Course: Sameer Shah will be sharing his extensive knowledge on "How to Start a Coffee Shop" as a course instructor at the esteemed Boot Coffee campus. Gain valuable insights and practical tips from Sameer, who has firsthand experience in building and growing Voyager Coffee. Don't miss the opportunity to learn from a true industry expert and take your coffee shop dreams to new heights. Ready to be captivated? Tune in to the podcast now and unlock the secrets to building a thriving coffee business with Sameer Shah of Voyager Coffee.

In this episode, we chat with Erich Joiner, founder of goodboybob coffee in Los Angeles, California. GBB has gained a reputation for sourcing the world's best coffees, including top lots from Cup of Excellence. Initially catering to his friends and colleagues in the film industry, Erich's passion for specialty coffee was sparked by the unique flavors and aromas he encountered. We explore how he manages to sell these high-end coffees and how GBB's hard-to-find location in Santa Monica adds to its allure. As a filmmaker and race driver who never drank coffee, Erich shares his journey of learning to roast and select the perfect coffees for his portfolio. He also talks about his bold mission to bring his coffee to rural America and his promising initial trials. This episode is a departure from the norm, as Erich's goal is to have fun rather than make a profit. In a world tired of generic brands, unique and quirky experiences are increasingly valued. Find out how GBB fits into this trend by tuning in! Enjoy the episode!

How and why did Hiver start Chromatic coffee? His origin story is really inspiring. So many people say “this is what I want to do,” but what are you ready to give up? Would you give up your comforts, free time, and risk your financial security? Difference in doing business in the central EU and USA. What kind of personality you have to be in order to become an entrepreneur? In this episode we will discuss two very different worlds of entrepreneurship. When it comes to roasting and packaging, custom modifications are in the DNA of the company. Chromatic is well known for its variety of packaging designs. What is their secret? How can they have limited edition designs on their packaging? Hiver opens up about the benefits and efficiency of hot stamping and tells us about their modification on the hot stamping machine which helps them stay relevant. Our wide-ranging conversation answers such questions as where Chromatic get its coffee and why they offer robusta; tips on how to buy coffee Direct Trade, and whether coffee importers are your best friends or your foes. Hiver also has suggestions on where to get money for starting your coffee roasting business and what it means for your future ownership. Coffee Review scores were very helpful for Chromatic at the beginning. This customer-oriented service attracts plenty of controversy in the industry, but the truth is, these scores help customers to understand your product and will influence your sales. Finally, we discuss Chromatic's very interesting and engaging website reward program. Find out from Hiver whether this program has been worth the investment.

Talking with former student of mine Sebastian Ramirez about his tips for new coffee shop entrepreneurs.  Cafetal Coffee is a Specialty Coffee shop located near ASU in Tempe, Arizona. offering coffee from their family farm in Colombia and serving Latin infused breakfast and lunch!  Sebastian was very generous and shared a lot of useful tips for everybody who is thinking to open a cafe or a coffee shop.  00:00 Introducing Sebastian Ramirez Cafetal Coffee 00:48 Sebastian's First Coffee Experience 02:14 Is taking a Q Grader course a good way to start a coffee shop? Why does Sebastian work with coffee 07:08 Why start a coffee shop? The foundation story of Cafetal Coffee. 12:30 About Cafetal Coffee's coffee shop menu. Do sweet drinks, QR codes, and pastries belong to a specialty coffee shop?  25:50 Tips for how to buy a coffee shop?  31:30 The largest expenses when running a coffee shop 37:13 How do you find baristas and employees for your coffee shop? 39:25 Profit sharing, employee-owned coffee shop, and other "crazy" ideas for keeping your coffee shop staff happy and motivated.  51:12 Does it make sense for a coffee shop to roast its coffee? What is the ideal size of a coffee roaster for a coffee shop? 1:06:05 what other products except coffee make a coffee shop profitable? 1:13:11 ❤️ for Ukraine 1:15:58 What margins should one use to make a coffee shop profitable? 1:20:30 The Best coffee in the world is ... 1:25:26 What is the most profitable food product in a restaurant?

Come explore the specialty coffee scene in India with us and Rahul Reddy. Rahul is the founder of Subko Coffee Roasters, a revolutionary coffee concept that sources the best lots from local farmers for the local consumers.  This is the first episode recorded with video, so if you want to see our faces, join us on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa5A34qegnupOj_gt04Jzhw In this episode we cover the topics of cupping and calibration, the specialty coffee scene in Mumbai and the Subko Coffee Roasters origin story. Rahul tells us more about his vision and the benefits of connecting a bakery with his coffee roasting brand. We touch on the subject of production and why Subko uses Giesen coffee roasters.  Subko's branding and social media presence is very impressive, and so we definitely had to talk about that. Finally, Rahul shares a few tips for future coffee entrepreneurs and asks me a question about how Asia as a coffee origin has a future in the specialty coffee industry. 

In this episode we talk with Eddie Alaniz about his brand Coffee Conspiracy.  Eddie's brand is a lockdown businesses. While most cafes had to be closed, Eddie offered single origin cold brew to the beach crowd in Santa Cruz. Despite his humble beginnings, Eddie did not stop with his cold brew cart. His next move was to start to roast his own coffee and sell it via an online store.  How did he do it? What is the most important aspect of a successful coffee business? The interview was recorded during a session of the Coffee Roasting Lab PRO - Business.  Join us for the next one!

In December, we held the Roasting Lab PRO Course, where future coffee entrepreneurs study efficient ways of roasting, developing products, packaging and branding, understanding sales channels, not to mention having an awesome time exchanging ideas and meeting like-minded people from all over the world. I run this course every 3 months; it is limited to 6 students, and the next one is coming up in March. One of my favorite parts of the course is our guests, who come to share their coffee business experience and are willing to reveal their trade secrets. In the last course, we were joined by Joey and Sandra from Pink Owl Coffee. As I have mentioned before, I am one lucky guy! The students asked really useful questions, Sandra and Joey's energy was intoxicating, and all I had to do was record it. I hope that some of that energy will rub off on you too.  In this episode we discuss: - How to start a café serving specialty coffee; - What marketing tools you should use; - How to go about branding your cup, merch, etc.; - Why Joey and Sandra ultimately decided to roast their own coffee; - Mistakes they made and you can avoid; - The types and number of products a café should offer, and how Sandra finds the best deals and quality for their offering; - How Joey chooses the equipment for the café and whether used coffee gear is a good idea; - A few ideas on how to finance a coffee shop, drawing on Joey's experience as a finance guy. There is much more wisdom in this podcast and yes, it is almost 2 hours long. I believe that the shared know-how and value is incredible, so I decided to keep it as is.   ENJOY!

In this episode, Daniel Streetman explains how you can start a coffee roasting business with minimal investment. After Daniel was laid off during the pandemic, he and his wife Ella looked deep into their wallet and figured out that the most they could spend on their new company was $2500.   I love to brag about how I started Green Plantation with only $8000, but I would never even attempt to start a coffee roasting business with $2500, especially not in San Francisco. In this episode Daniel reveals how they did it, where they found their first customers, and how they have grown since then. Spoiler alert, your neighborhood can be much more powerful than you think.  In this episode we will also address branding, SEO tips, and we will talk about the power of customer reviews and engagement.  Daniel is also a trainer at the Boot Coffee Campus, so I took the opportunity to talk about the SCA courses and the SCA Foundations Week we are planning in January 2022.  

In this show, I interview Gleason Jones from Opelika, Alabama and founder of Minimalist Coffee. Minimalist Coffee is the brand new venture of this 25-year-old entrepreneurial gentleman, addressing the need for a good, freshly roasted coffee with associated charity contributions in the local community.  Gleason dared to violate my rule for the size of the coffee roaster. How's that working for him? Can he make a sustainable business with a 2 kg roaster? Gleason owns a former school bus that he retrofitted for mobile coffee sales. The coffee bus drew not only my attention, but also that of the local young coffee lovers hovering around it. Gleason reveals his first triumphs and mistakes selling coffee this way.   Can social media influencers help sell your coffee? Gleason shares his experience.  Finally, Gleason reviews what it was like studying at Boot Coffee Campus and Valerian describes a new course for coffee entrepreneurs.  Enjoy the show.

For this episode we asked you, our listeners, to send us questions - and to plug your business. You sent thought provoking questions which challenged us -- Valerian and Marcus to think outside the box, share their experiences, and call upon their combined experience to come up with possible answers.  We have tasted and drank a lot of coffee, and listener Katie asks us to name the single best cup of coffee each of us has ever had, in our entire lives. Did we choose one of the award winning geshas we often roast and cup, or some experimental process, or something else entirely?  Tune in and hear our opinions of the optimal location to open a roaster / retail store. Valerian shares an interesting challenge he faced at Green Plantation opening in a beautiful rural setting.  Other listeners asked about ideal roast profiles which leads Marcus to encourage all roasters to become confident cuppers and to be rigorous about tracking their data. Our listen John Bergman from Hacienda Coffee had a very specific question about sample roasting on a fluid bed roasters versus a drum roaster, and our hosts discuss the challenges and possible solutions to roasting on machines that utilize different thermodynamic principles. Marcus and Valerian also discuss how they approach blends and Marcus challenges Valerian to try a new technique. Does it matter if coffees are blended with vastly different physical characteristics? Will a blend taste good if you give up some control in the name of consistency? Is the cupping table the best place for product development and QC, or should you use other brew methods too? We hopee you enjoy hearing from listeners and our feedback. Maybe in the future we'll answer your question.  

Anya and Matt are prime examples of the American dream: they had a dream and they invested all their time, money, and energy to make it a reality. The result has enriched  the L.A. coffee culture and brought a unidog to the bottom of the cup. As a European living in the USA, I have always admired the entrepreneurial spirit of my American friends, and I love the unidog. If you do not know what a unidolg is, don't worry, we talk about it in the podcast. In this episode, we talked about the process of starting a cafe, and Anya and Matt explain why was it important for them to roast their own coffee. Spoiler alert--it was not the cost. I feel very proud that Anya and Matt implemented the roasting model that works so well for my European business, Green Plantation, where we roast two days a week and spend the rest of the time on sales, marketing, or resting. Guess where they learned about it? Yes, it was in this podcast. Anya and Matt love to travel and during these travels, they have developed special relations with farmers in coffee lands, bringing them even closer to their coffee and enabling them to relay the story of each coffee in real depth for their customers. Meeting Anya and Matt was truly amazing and we clicked right away. I'm only sorry that it took me such a long time to bring their wisdom and energy to this podcast. But here it is and I hope you will enjoy listening as much as we did recording it.

In this podcast I interviewed Darren Spicer of Clutch Coffee Bar, a fast-growing coffee drive-through chain. Drive-throughs are a bit foreign to me. I've never used one and personally I consume coffee differently, but most Americans welcome a good coffee on the long commute to work. I am always intrigued about the unknown, so I was very happy when Darren's path crossed with mine in this podcast episode. Like a good drive-through, Darren is a very composed, efficient and to-the-point fellow. If you are playing with the idea of starting a coffee drive-through, there is plenty of gold for you in this episode. We will discuss the best locations for a successful coffee drive-through, the way to make your coffee service efficient, and the most popular and profitable beverages in your café or coffee drive-through. We also touch on the advantages and disadvantages of a franchise model, and whether a coffee drive-through would work in Europe. Enjoy this episode! CLUTCH COFFEE BAR WEBSITE CLUTCH COFFEE BAR INSTAGRAM CLUTCH COFFEE BAR FACEBOOK

Last year my business partner William Murad and I offered our coffee roasting company, Unleashed Coffee, for sale over this podcast. You know me by now, I live for experiments like this. I was curious whether this podcast was influential enough to sell a company. Spoiler alert! The answer is YES.  For this episode I interviewed the new owner - Kelly Abbott. The deal is done, and in the first part of the interview I was curious to look behind the curtain from when we were negotiating the sale of Unleashed Coffee. I think this part is super useful for anyone who is planning to buy or sell a small business: you can learn from our strategies, wins and missteps in the process.  In the other part of this episode, I wanted to find out what happened after we sold the company to Kelly, what were her first steps and what are her future plans with the company.  On this podcast we have featured a lot of great coffee business origin stories; most of these companies are doing amazing things in the industry and inspire us all. Our goal is always to show our companies’ projects in the best light and to focus on success. But the truth is, sometimes doing business is hard, frustrating and overwhelming. Kelly and I opened up about this taboo topic in the entrepreneur's world.  Have you ever wondered whether your product is too cheap? Is it better to offer a more expensive product and subsidized free shipping, or a cheaper product and let the customer pay for shipping? Kelly was inspired by the Amazon Prime model and made her own discovery in this field. We talk about this decision on the podcast.  Enjoy the show!  PS: Please ignore my bad math in the intro of the podcast. We are doing the 7th season of this podcast, not the 6th! Thank you for all your support!

In this podcast I welcome back Marcus Young from Boot Coffee. This is an episode where we discuss the most common questions we get from our consulting clients. No, you do not have to pay a dime for this, but a review on Apple Podcasts is welcome.  Thanks. We start the podcast with a discussion about designing a roast profile. Is there such a thing as a correct approach? How many roast profiles should a roasting company have?  Then I put a gun to Marcus's (and my head) and force us to come up with only one roast profile for a new startup. How would it look and why? Only one way to find out: click that Play button. When starting a coffee roasting business, you most likely will have a limited budget and will have to compromise on the quantity of green coffee you can purchase. Each of us came up with three types of coffees we would want to launch with. Spoiler alert: one of them is a decaf. What? Yes, decaf. Why? Find out in this episode of the podcast. Should a coffee roasting startup buy their coffee through direct trade or use an importer? If you go with an importer, Marcus (a former green coffee trader himself) will give you a few tips on how to develop relationships with importers.  Finally, in this episode we revisit the ideal size of a coffee roaster. Finally we agreed on something with Marcus! :) We hope you will have as much fun listening to this podcast as we had recording it.  We have officially launched Black Friday deals, hence this is the Black Friday edition. Until December 1st, 2020 you can enjoy one of these deals. Use coupon code: coffeeisme  

In this podcast I talked with Lee Pike from the International Women's Coffee Alliance, about the role of women in the industry and what the IWCA does to help improve the life of women coffee producers. The IWCA is a global network of self-driven chapters focused on achieving sustainablelivelihoods in their communities. Each chapter sets and pursues its own goals, guided by the IWCA Code of Conduct. All are united by the IWCA mission: to empower women in the international coffee community to achieve meaningful and sustainable lives and to recognize the participation of women in all aspects of the coffee industry. We also touched on sensitive topics, including why the Coffee Is Me podcast does not have more women on the show, why our industry is male dominated and whether the lots produced by women farmers have any specific recognizable taste profile. I was also interested to know if there are benefits to roasting companies marketing their coffee as coming from a woman producer.

I met Frankie at one of the Q Grader courses at Boot Coffee.  She was 12 and taking part in cupping with us. In this episode I am talking with Frankie Volkema about her brand, Joven Coffee. Frankie's mission is to introduce consumers to young coffee producers. Her goal is to help these producers stay in the coffee industry and to create a sustainable future for them.   Frankie shares some insights on being a teenager entrepreneur, and gives some ideas for other aspiring young entrepreneurs.  Frankie and I also talk about her Q Grader course and exam. I was impressed that she passed these rigorous tests and I was curious what tips she might have on how to pass your Q grader exam. Enjoy the episode. For links mentioned in this episode please visit : Coffee Is ME.

Tim is not new in the business world, he built and sold a few successful ventures. When he moved to Grand Rapids, MI, he decided to skip the line and buy his next venture instead of doing the startup hustle.  In this podcast Tim elaborates on why he decided to buy in rather than start up, and whether it was a good idea. He  also gives us valuable tips about how to find and evaluate a company if you’re  thinking to purchase your own. Topics in this show include:  How and why to buy a coffee company Which sales channels do work for Schuil Coffee Flavored coffee. New trend or ghost from the past? What is the magical pricing for grocery stores How to sell your coffee with Trade subscription service Is working with distributors worth it?  Is renting time on your coffee roasters smart? Finally this episode, has a big announcement regarding Unleashed Coffee. If you plan to start a coffee roasting company, you should definitely not miss that part.   Thank you for listening and I hope you will enjoy this episode.   Valerian  

My guest in this episode is Stephen Ezell. Stephen is my old buddy, who together with Jonathan Shepard started Sequential Coffee. Jonathan is the business brain and Stephen is the coffee brain of this operation. It is a dream combo for every coffee nerd out there. Lucky Stephen! In this episode, we talked about the first steps and challenges when starting a coffee roasting operation. Sequential Coffee sells online using Shopify, but also retails in grocery stores, and they recently even started a kiosk. Which of these were good decisions? We also discussed how Covid has influenced their operation and the opportunities this crazy time can offer.  Want to start to work in the coffee industry but don’t know where to start?  Stephen revealed his tips for careers in the industry where you can make a decent living wage. We hope you will enjoy this episode.   Find Sequential Coffee:  website instagram facebook

I am not sure whether it is Joey's fascinating story or the current global situation, but this episode got a bit personal.    Joey first started trading in “commodities” as a drug user and later dealer.  Today he is the CEO of Cafe Kreyol  -- a direct trade coffee importing and roasting company based in Manassas, Virginia.  His path was not straight, but finding God and purpose in his life led him out of the darkness.   Cafe Kreyol has a strong foot in the In this episode I meant to be funny with A question about how his drug smuggling experience helped with direct trade.    That question ended up on the cutting room floor, but we did talk about having a social mission and how it can or can't help with your business, and about coffee farming in Haiti; we discussed different coffee roasters we have used, Joe's wins and losses while building his brand, and finally we returned to a discussion about the universe, soil, and human ego.

Mitchell Popadziuk managed to fall into a perfect team. He is the business mastermind, his brother Tristan brings the coffee passion, and their mother Kelly is the soul of sales and marketing. I am jealous! In a good way ... :) [CxT] is a very young but dynamically growing company which, despite to the fact that Mitch is a podcast listener, fell into the same trap that we at Green Plantation coffee did: underestimating their growth. They initially invested in a US Roaster Corp 5kg roaster which they outgrew very fast. Now they roast on a Loring Falcon. Mitch and I also discussed their sales channels and I shared my experience selling on Amazon, Ebay and Spinn Marketplace. This is the first episode where the guest asked me a question and boy, did I have fun with it! We talked a bit about the idea of electric heating elements in drum roasters and also about use of influencers and Tik Tok for coffee sales.

Nick Walton is a rebel... was a rebel. He grew up on a milk farm, but his revolutionary attitude towards his parents drove his dad to say "enough! Time to grow up!" Nick's coffee story starts with sleeping in a car while homeless. Was this the push he needed to take life seriously, which finds its conclusion in a mysteriously-named coffee roasting company Flag and Wire? I will let him tell the story. As fascinating Nick's story is, our conversation is not only about him. We dig in into concrete strategies and tips for every coffee entrepreneur. We start with advice on naming your company. Nick and his wife hired a naming consultant. I wanted to know how that worked for them, was it worth it? Nick shares his very interesting take on passion in the coffee industry, and how his custom-built air roaster irritated other coffee professionals. We also discuss our experiences with different channels when it comes to selling coffee. Where are they getting results, wholesale, grocery stores, a web shop? Finally we gave some love to a few wine producers. Since we recorded the podcast remotely early in the day, we did not pop any wine this time, but we discussed our favorite wine makers. My suggestion was from Rachel Ryan - Sierra Foothills Chardonnay, and Nick suggested wine makers like Eyrie Vineyards, A to Z, Brooks Wines. You can find Flag And Wire: WebsiteInstagramFacebook

We are back with a great new podcast featuring a really cool new innovation in coffee roasting - the Bellwether Coffee Roasting Machine. Bellwether has developed a new type of small-batch electric commercial coffee roaster. It doesn’t require ventilation, a gas line, or even a contractor or complicated permit to install. It features tablet based roasting software, and the company has a green coffee sourcing division that allows companies to get up and running quickly with customized roast profiles for each of the coffees in their inventory. Does this sound too good to be true? It may have been designed and built by coffee people, but we were uncertain of the efficacy, practicality, ability to produce delicious coffee, and the cost benefits of such a device. We wondered, do we really need a new roaster? Well, we’ve tasted the coffee and can confidently claim it produces a delicious roast. After seeing the operation, we were equally impressed by what they’ve produced. Join Valerian and Marcus as we discuss this new technology with Arno Holschuh, Bellwether’s Chief Coffee Officer and one of the early innovators of the Bellwether Roaster

We are back with part 2 of our discussion with Umeko Motoyoshi, coffee entrepreneur, social media expert, educator, and author. In this episode we continue last week’s discussion with the author of The @wastingcoffee Guide To Not Wasting Coffee and purveyor of the Umeshiso Cupping Spoons. This week we share the results of a super fun and enlightening consumer experiment Valerian, Marcus, and Melissa conducted at the Boot Coffee Campus booth at the San Francisco Coffee Festival and hear Umeko’s take on the experiment and how consumers approach coffee differently from coffee professionals. Umeko also shares some of her secret sauce for social media success. With over 13,000 followers, she knows how to engage social media users! Listen in and learn how being genuine and showing yourself is one way to build a brand. We ask Umeko how influencers, specifically micro influencers, can build a brand; and explore how you can build and reinforce trust in your brand through your social media presence (or risk losing trust).  Learn more about The @Wastingcoffee Guide to Not Wasting Coffee and some of the ways Umeko sees our industry normalizing waste and devaluing coffee and the work of everyone involved. It’s an important discussion that she’s tackling head on!

This week we talk with Q grader, author, educator, entrepreneur Umeko Motoyoshi. This is part 1 of a two part episode with Umeko, the creator of the Umeshiso rainbow cupping spoon and author of The @wastingcoffee Guide To Not Wasting Coffee. We discuss how making the cupping and tasting environment more inclusive and accessible can draw customers into the discussion of flavor and taste. Umeko discusses how we should bring ourselves into the cupping room, how taste and flavor perception and experiences are deeply personal, and that it’s okay if we don’t all share the same experience of a coffee. The conversations ranges from Q Grading and the goal objectivity, the way the SCA cupping form informs our experiences and the influence of our upbringings. We loved hosting Umeko and her throughtfulness. Join us as we share impressions of La Mula geisha from Panama, an incredible robusta Marcus discovered on a recent trip to Brazil from Cafe Fazenda Venturim, and two of Valerian’s coffees - one from Green Plantation in Slovakia and the other from Unleashed Coffee in the US. We will soon post the rest of the discussion in part two where talk about social media, building a brand, and other entrepreneurial topics.

In this episode, we interview Rick Appleton (Boston) and Abdulrahman Qurban (Saudi Arabia), students attending the SCA Sensory class at Boot Coffee Campus. What were the hardest parts of the course and what was the ultimate takeaway?  Valerian tests Rick's newly acquired ability to evaluate coffee by applying his skills tasting his skin contact natural wine. How does Rick do?  What is the difference between the SCA Sensory class and the Q Grader class? All these questions are answered in this episode.     

In this episode, we will explore the world of wine with Eric Danch. We focus on tasting and sensory comparison between wine and coffee, but we also touch on the importance of origin, farming and processing techniques when determining the pricing of wine or coffee. Eric was kind enough to share some business techniques they use in the wine industry that can also be used in the coffee world.  In this episode, we talk a lot about Valerian's birthplace, Komarno, and the wines of Hungary, Slovakia, and Serbia while drinking Bott Frigyes - 2018 Kadarka. Wine for this podcast was provided by: Danch & Granger - Wines from Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, and Croatia.  

  In this podcast, we will revisit the question of what is the ideal size of the roaster one should buy for their coffee roasting startup. You can find my old article here: https://coffeecourses.com/buying-a-coffee-roaster-here-are-few-considerations-so-you-do-not-get-burned/ We also got a few questions from you! Thanks! We feel your questions make this podcast more dynamic. Keep them coming, please. 1 Love the podcast! I have a question about adjusting a roasting profile as a coffee ages. We’ve had a few coffees that started out wonderful and juicy, but as the enter or near the ‘past crop’ zone start to taste woody, papery, or sometimes underdeveloped, any advice on how to adjust our profiles?  thanks Matt, Matthew Schodorf Founder / Roaster / Café de Leche ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 I do have a question, and I shall take your roasting courses if you give the answer that cures the issue we are facing. We do roast green coffee beans from China and from Indonesia, of course, each single source is roasted separately. We do not roast blended green beans. The issue we face is that we always get color inconsistency in the roasted coffee within one batch (uneven coffee color for the same roasted batch). Our roaster is 3 kg (max load for each batch is 2.500 kg of green beans).  We pre-heat up to 150 Celsius some times 170 Celsius (experimenting). This is always the case with Medium Dark roast (we drop down the roasted batch immediately after quietness of 1st crack), and not with the dark roast Your help in this is highly appreciated. Best regards Samir H Yousef 3 Hi, this is Candy from Southeastern Roastery. I’m opening a cafe this fall 2019 in Riverdale Park, MD and already have a few wholesale clients with more interested. I am running into an issue regularly where potential clients want a tasting, have equipment but don’t have it connected (espresso machines, grinders, etc). My first question is what are the best portable equipment for tastings as I’m getting my shop built out?  My second question is how to best mimic and espresso with portable equipment? I find it hard with a French Press, water hot pot and portable grinder. Thanks, Candy Schibli ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 If I wanted to donate a portion of my coffee business profits to coffee producers in need, how would I do it? Seasonality: I need a guide to determining when I should buy a certain country's coffee. I want to buy at the beginning or middle of the season & not at the end Dan Gorman, Punto Fino Coffee,  Fairfax  5 When is the best time to adjust drum speed? Drying phase Maillard, after first crack? I’ve read what Scott Rao has to say about rpm for specific roasters depending on the roaster size and would agree with him for the most part. What I can’t seem to understand is at what point do you adjust drum speed when trying to create the best curve/profile for a specialty coffee?! Too slow will cause more conduction heat and scorched coffee Appropriate speed will give you a good well-rounded coffee if the roaster is skilled enough. Too fast will also give you scorched coffee since beans aren’t flowing in the drum properly I’m trying to think outside the box and figure out how to manipulate drum speed to create an outstanding cup of coffee. I understand there are many factors involved such as atmospheric pressure, ambient temperature, humidity.. etc but I truly believe there has to be a way to slow down Maillard with drum speed to fully develops sugars and achieve a better end result.. questions is how? Rudy Altamirano, LuwakCafe, Tijuana Mexico

After a healthy intro about natural wine Marcus and I will answer your questions about coffee roasting. Wine provided for this episode was by Noel Diaz and his Purity Wine. These were your questions we've answered on this episode: 1. ABOUT CAFFEINE I’ve come to believe (but never actually tested) that darker roasted coffee has less caffeine, but I’ve also read that Starbucks is teaching its employees that this is a myth.  Can you settle this for me? Darron Burke   www.cafedonpablo.com https://youtu.be/_YVRDkPRB0   2. ABOUT PRE VS POST ROAST BLENDING COFFEE "Hey guys! Haven't heard of your podcast until now, although we are familiar with Boot Coffee Campus. I look forward to tuning in. I'm with Camellia Coffee Roasters out of Sacramento. We've been roasting for about 3 years as Camellia and have had our cafe for about a year and a half. I would be interested in knowing your thoughts on pre-blending coffee before roast?"   Robert Watson, camelliacoffeeroasters.com   3. ABOUT LPG vs NATURAL GAS IN COFFEE ROASTING Are there any significant differences in roasting on a LPG fired vs natural gas fired roaster, all else being equal? Bill McCachren   4. ABOUT LPG vs NATURAL GAS IN COFFEE ROASTING Are there any significant differences in roasting on a LPG fired vs natural gas fired roaster, all else being equal? Bill McCachren   5. ABOUT UPGRADING A FLUID BED ROASTER We’re about a year into the roasting business and have started having some small success at both a large, local upscale Farmer’s Market and, more recently, several stores within a grocery store chain located here in Birmingham, AL.  Lots of learning and we’re having to scale things up a bit, which can be both exciting and scary at the same time. I’m currently using an Artisan 2.5 fluid bed roaster from Coffee Crafters.  I have roasted on drum roasters before, but started on the Artisan because it was inexpensive AND I honestly preferred drinking the coffee I roasted on it.  I find the flavors to be brighter and more distinct when roasted on the fluid bed roaster. When I had to recently scale up my volume, I paid a friend who’s using a San Fransiscan 25 to toll-roast a few hundred pounds for me and while I really valued and appreciated his help - I really didn’t like the coffee as much.  Now I need to invest in a larger roaster, and I can’t decide. I can stick with fluid bed roasters but the largest Coffee Crafters is only 10 pounds (Ashe makes one that’s 22 pounds) or go ahead and move over to the dark side with a 12-15kg drum. Should I make the transition now and “relearn” roasting on the drum, or ride it out with the fluid bed roasters as long as possible?  Your thoughts? Kurtis W. Eaton, MD, MBA - Bean Creek Coffee, LLC   6. ABOUT AIRFLOW Does adjusting airflow throughout a roast have a significant impact on the roast vs a constant airflow? I roast on a Huky. Dan Gorman, Punto Fino

We are Back [in Arnold's accent]. After a long rest, we are back with a very special episode on Rwandan coffee. Smaya will tell us about women in coffee in Rwanda, about how to become East African Aeropress champion and how did she like her first sip of coffee. This and hopefully future episodes are co-hosted with one and only Marcus Young from Boot Coffee Campus. This episode would not happen if we would not sip amazing Viognier Pet Nat. Follow our wine adventures on Instagram, @petnat_ca.    

Where to sell your coffee? What shall be your wholesale price? Is Amazon or grocery stores the answer for your sales? We decided to share our experience from our first year trying to find the best sales channels for our brand Unleashed Coffee.

In this episode, we are going to talk about logo and packaging design. When it comes to the logo design we used plenty of services like Fiverr, 99 Designs and we will describe you the good and the bad about them. We ended up with a local designer. Was it a good idea? We think so. We will describe also the process we went through when ordering our bags. We had to order them from China via Alibaba, but it was not a very smooth ride. Finally, we are going to talk about the importance of barcodes. Barcodes are often overlooked but might be crucial for your sales.  All this and more in this podcast on building your coffee brand. 

This is a promised episode where we try to inspire through our experience of building a coffee brand. After I introduce William - the coffee farmer and the CEO of Unleashed Coffee we will give you few tips how to select the perfect business partner for your project. We also did a small exercise and asked each other our strong points and our weaknesses. This part was unrehearsed and we had a blast to evaluate each other.  Selecting the name for our company was pretty challenging and long process. Did we over think it?  We will share how and what did we find important when selecting the name and how did we test it among potential customers. Are focus groups the right way to test your potential name? If so how can you get most of them? All this and much more in this episode. Do you have questions? Join our Facebook group and ask us!

Denet Lewis from Barbell Coffee will reveal how can you start a coffee business under $10000 and how did they find their crowd in the crossfit niche. In this episode we will also talk about different ways to make cold brew and also how to bottle cold brew. With Denet we will discuss their buttered coffee derivative which is based on the bulletproof coffee. 

In this episode I have a very exciting guest all the way from Paris. Jana Bukovinova opened a cafe/bistro in Paris called Thank You My Deer. She is the business owner, barista, baker and chef. As I mentioned previously I truly believe that coffee roasters and baristas who know how to cook, bake, how to develop flavors have a serious advantage over the rest of the crowd. Jana is one of few who can do that and it does not stop there. She does it extremely well creating buzz all over France. I hope you find her story inspiring the same way as I did. How did she do it? What are her biggest challenges running her coffee business in Paris? You will find out in this podcast.

I think I am not wrong when I say that most coffee professionals dream of going to the origin, tasting the coffee cherry and frolicking on the coffee farm like Kaldi’s goats in 15th century in Ethiopia. But have you ever wondered what do baristas from the origin dream of? We know that 10-20y ago in many coffee producing countries, drinking coffee was not something what was done. Many of the coffee farmers did not even taste their own coffee. This is rapidly changing and origin countries opening amazing cafes, where locals, tourists and coffee farmers can be united by the art of the barista. A good example is Daniel Sibomana from Kigali’s Question Cafe. Dan recently visited the San Francisco Bay Area so I was curious about his cafe in Kigali and how does he perceive the coffee world in the SF bay area. Enjoy the show!

Second episode with Michal Molčan from the Standart Magazine. In this episode Michal will describes his ideal cafe, elaborates on the idea behind Peet's acquisition of Intelligentsia's coffee and debunks the Silicon Valley spirit on failing.

Standart Magazine is a coffee lovers intellectual feed. Great stories, tips by the crème de la crème of the coffee industry, ultra cool design making this publication unique. All this achieved only in one and half years. Yes, Standart magazine are still newbies on the coffee scene. It scares me and scares me what is next! With my country man Michal Molčan I was discussing success behind their magazine hoping to reveal the secret of the “amazing”. I got inspired plenty and I hope you will get inspired too.

Second episode with Michal Molcan from the Standard Magazine. In this episode Michal will describes his ideal cafe, elaborates on the idea behind Peet's acquisition of Intelligentsia's coffee and debunks the Silicon Valley spirit on failing.

Standard Magazine is a coffee lovers intellectual feed. Great stories, tips by the crème de la crème of the coffee industry, ultra cool design making this publication unique. All this achieved only in one and half years. Yes, Standard magazine are still newbies on the coffee scene. It scares me and scares me what is next! With my country man Michal Molčan I was discussing success behind their magazine hoping to reveal the secret of the “amazing”. I got inspired plenty and I hope you will get inspired too.

Podcast about the future of coffee roasting business. Are co-roasting facilities the future? There are multiple benefits which are very attractive to the new coffee businesses. - very easy start - low investment - low risk - professional growth within community of like minded professionals and much more. With Floy we will also talk about the most important properties of a successful roasting business, about other trends in the coffee industry and also she will tell us about women in the coffee industry. Enjoy the show!

In the second episode of the interview Seth Mills -- director of coffe at MistoBox will talk more about the MistoBox business model, and will also reveal how do they select coffees for their portfolio and what kind of coffee rosters they like to cooperate with. Finally Seth will answer questions you asked Coffee is Me Facebook group.

Seth Mills the coffee expert at MistoBox will talk about a very interesting business model - coffee subscription. Mistobox is one of the first coffee subscription services in USA and except the very interesting business model I was intrigued that they were launched using Kickstarter and they also were pitching in Shark Tank. As you will hear in the interview Mistobox did exceptionally well on this show. They got funded by Mark Cuban and they refused the offer by Kevin O'Leary aka Mr. Wonderful. We are going to talk also about the company culture at Mistobox which I fall in love with. Did you know they do not have a central office? Actually they are scattered all over the USA and sometimes all over the world. How does this work? Well, you will have to listen to this episode of course! Ok, Enjoy!

In this episode I interviewed Dietmar Vogelmann from Farmers Blend Coffee. He is a German coffee lover living in Vietnam who decided to change the reputation of Vietnamese coffee. Yes snooty specialty coffee lovers this episode is about robusta! :) Whether you like it or not you have to realize the robusta still rules our coffee industry and is preferred in many cultures. I love Dietmar's story and coffee mission. Especially that he decided to do something different rather than cloning another specialty roaster.

How to do a successful Kickstarted campaign? Daniel Vitiello is behind Handground the revolutionary hand coffee grinder. The guys got funded via Kickstarter. Their initial goal was $35 000 but at the end they they raised over $300 000. How did they do it? I asked myself in this “golden” episode.

Did you ever wonder what is the most popular brewing method in USA? How do Americans drink coffee and do they prefer light roast or dark roast? Gail, start of YouTube videos from Seattle Coffee Gear will give us and idea how do their customers approach coffee. Do you plan to do YouTube videos? Gale will tell you what it takes to be a YouTube coffee star.

Kelly and Brandon are lucky to grow, process, roast and serve their coffee. They are in full control over the quality from the seed to cup. In this two episodes they will tell their fascinating story starting a coffee farm and a coffee roasting company in Hawaii. As always I use special interrogation techniques to extract plenty of wisdom about their branding, website, Instagram, social media also how to roast properly Hawaiian coffee and finally how to purchase a coffee roasting company.

Kelly and Brandon are lucky to grow, process, roast and serve their coffee. They are in full control over the quality from the seed to cup. In this two episodes they will tell their fascinating story starting a coffee farm and a coffee roasting company in Hawaii. As always I use special interrogation techniques to extract plenty of wisdom about their branding, website, Instagram, social media also how to roast properly Hawaiian coffee and finally how to purchase a coffee roasting company.