Podcasts about Counter Culture Coffee

In this episode of the Startup CPG podcast, Grace Kennedy chats with Caroline Howard, one of the co-founders of Walker Brothers, a kombucha brand crafting both non-alcoholic and hard kombucha. Caroline shares the story behind Walker Brothers' inception, including how a family scoby and a shared passion for beverages sparked the brand's journey. She dives into the creative process behind their clean, modern branding, the challenges of scaling production, and the strategic decision to brew in-house for superior flavor.Caroline also discusses the dual-pathway distribution strategy they've developed for their alcoholic and non-alcoholic product lines, how collaborations with brands like Rishi and Counter Culture Coffee have elevated their offerings, and what it takes to grow in highly competitive retail and regional markets. With Texas and Colorado on their radar, Walker Brothers continues to expand while staying true to their ethos of bridging kombucha culture and craft beverage communities.If you're curious about raising capital, the importance of grassroots marketing, and building a brand that resonates with today's thoughtful consumers, this episode is packed with valuable insights.Tune in now to learn how Walker Brothers is redefining kombucha!Listen in as they share about:Walker Brothers Origin StoryProduct DetailsDistribution StrategyBranding and PackagingMarketing ApproachCollaborations and InnovationsOutlook and VisionAdvice for EntrepreneursEpisode Links:Website: https://drinkwalkerbrothers.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinesessomshoward/ Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.Show Links:Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)Join the Startup CPG Slack community (20K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Daniel's Linkedin Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at podcast@startupcpg.comEpisode music by Super Fantastics

Welcome back to a very, very special new episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast, in which hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen make a Chemex of Touchy Coffee while talking about the fifteenth anniversary of Sprudge! The Touchy Coffee comes courtesy of the Welcome Conference, the annual New York City hospitality symposium, where six roasters served 1,800 guests on eighteen La Marzocco Linea Mini espresso machines. Touchy Coffee joined forces with roasters Onyx Coffee Lab, Counter Culture Coffee, Parlor Coffee, Black Crown Collective, and Driftaway Coffee. Special thanks to Felicity Jones and Mike Romig for the Touchy Coffee and an extra special thanks to World Brewers Champion James McCarthy of Driftaway Coffee for the espresso! Celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of Sprudge, Michelman and Carlsen go back to some of their favorite pieces. Look forward to 15 Memorable Features From Fifteen Years of Sprudge also published today right here on the site!  And thank you so much to all of you out there in Sprudge land for reading us over the last decade and a half. It means the world. This episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast is sponsored by Ceado, Pacific Barista Series, La Marzocco, Ghirardelli, and DONA.

Chris and Doran are joined by Kim Elana Ionescu to discuss, "Explaining the willingness of consumers to bring their own reusable coffeecups under the condition of monetary incentives", appearing in J. Retail. Consum. Serv., 2022, 66, 102908. The article can be found here: ⁠https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2022.102908 About Kim: She is the Chief Sustainability and Knowledge Development Officer at Specialty Coffee Association, and is heavily involved in various aspects of education within the association. Prior to the SCA she also worked for Counter Culture Coffee. Introduction preamble: Ulf Danialsonn.

Chris and Doran are joined by Masha Zanozina to discuss, "Impact of the human factor on the reproducibility of different coffee brewing methods", appearing in J. Food Comp. Anal., 2023, 124, 105698. The article can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2023.105698 About Masha: Masha works for Counter Culture Coffee in Los Angeles as their regional sales and account manager, is a certified trainer, and a World Brewers Cup judge. Introduction preamble: Jase Robertson.

In today's episode we're continuing our series on the business of coffee roasting and focusing on the essential infrastructure required for a successful roastery.We'll speak with Scott Stouffer, Chief Sales Officer, Probat and Andreas Idl, CEO & Founder, Cropster to get an overview of the roasting equipment market globally and find out how technology and AI can be used to improve coffee consistency and quality.We'll also speak with Brian Rice, Roaster, Counter Culture Coffee and Simo Kristidhi, Production and Logistics Manager, Solberg & Hansen about the essential pieces of equipment and technology needed when setting up a roastery and how to optimise the space for efficiency.Credits music: "Merry Go Around" by The Velvet Fuzz  in association with The Coffee Music Project and SEB CollectiveSign up for our newsletter to receive the latest coffee news at worldcoffeeportal.comSubscribe to 5THWAVE on Instagram @5thWaveCoffee and tell us what topics you'd like to hear

Intro & Coffee Segment: 00:00 - 06:15 Banter Segment: 06:16 - 24:03Doctrinal Segment: 24:04 - EndSpecial thanks to Counter Culture Coffee for making this awesome blend - we all enjoyed this one! As always, click the hyperlink to go to their site and it will take you to the exact beans we used for this episode's coffee segment. Local shoutout to Ed 'n Barb's Cream Donuts in Lake City, Florida! Go pay them a visit this week and try out some of their fresh baked treats! It's first come first serve, so get there early. 

What does it take to be successful as a barista or even just a coffee professional today? I believe the main differentiator for cafes is the experience and the main differentiator for baristas is how they approach their role. This will determine what they can glean from their current position and who they become in the process of carving out a career in coffee beyond the barista role.  In this episodes I will be exploring some critical habits, attitudes, and mindsets that baristas must embrace to be successful and fulfilled as baristas in today's cafe landscape. Owners, managers, and leaders take note, even though I believe we all must hold ourselves accountable, the things we discuss are 100% things that your can help facilitate.  Related Episodes: 031 : Essential Advice for New Baristas : Tips to help you successfully navigate and thrive in your new coffee career 162 : Discussing “Baristastainability” w/ Jenna Gotthelf of Counter Culture Coffee

In today's episode we're chatting with coffee guru Peter Giuliano - an incredibly influential figure in the coffee industry and a true global visionary.With a career spanning more than 30 years. Peter was the Co-owner of North Carolina-based roaster Counter Culture Coffee where he helped build their pioneering direct sourcing and transparency model. Peter now serves as Executive Director at The Coffee Science Foundation and is Chief Research Officer at the Specialty Coffee Association, overseeing the organisation's research and scientific investigation divisions.In this conversation Peter discusses the importance of building a global coffee community and how the industry can use science and knowledge sharing to adapt to change and prepare for the unexpected.Credits music: "Redlight" by Naytive in collaboration with The Coffee Music Project and SEB CollectiveSign up for our newsletter to receive the latest coffee news at worldcoffeeportal.comSubscribe to 5THWAVE on Instagram @5thWaveCoffee and tell us what topics you'd like to hear

This week, Erica and Cassie sit down with Tip Top Proper Cocktails Co-Founder, Neal Cohen, to understand how he and his team created and continue to maintain such a strong brand identity for their canned classic cocktails. In this episode, Neal shares the process of creating and growing a unique brand and provides insight on how to decipher which partnerships and collaboration opportunities are the right fit for your brand. This episode is sponsored by Tip Top Proper Cocktails: visit tiptopcocktails.com to find Tip Top's canned classic cocktails available for online ordering and shipping to 40 states. You can also find Tip Top Proper Cocktails in package stores in 11 states across the country, and on flights with Delta Air Lines. Here's a peek at what we cover in this episode: [00:04:00] - Neal shares the journey that led him to creating single serve cocktail brand Tip Top Proper Cocktails alongside his childhood friend and Co-Founder, Yoni Reisman, outlining their backgrounds in live music and festivals and the desire to create something to cater to the food and beverage needs of that space. He also details how they partnered with renowned Georgia restaurant, Kimball House, to bring Tip Top Proper Cocktails to life. [00:11:09] - Neal explains his role as Chief Brand Officer, and how he and the team created Tip Top's brand identity. He also provides insight around common mistakes brands tend to make when developing their identities and how to avoid them. [00:18:20] - Neal chats through Tip Top's recent product launches (Espresso Martini in partnership with Counter Culture Coffee, Jungle Bird, and Gin Martini) and partnerships/collaborations, and discusses what's ahead for the brand. He also shares more about their ongoing partnership with Delta Airlines and the brand awareness success they've witnessed as a result of thinking about where they can reach new captive audiences. Grab a drink and listen in to this week's Marketing Happy Hour conversation! ____ Say hi! DM us on Instagram and share your favorite moments from this episode - we can't wait to hear from you! ⁠NEW! Join our MHH Insiders group to connect with Millennial and Gen Z marketing professionals around the world!⁠ ⁠⁠Get the latest from MHH, straight to your inbox: ⁠Join our email list!⁠⁠⁠ Follow along with Tip Top Proper Cocktails: ⁠https://tiptopcocktails.com/⁠ | Instagram Follow MHH on Social: ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to our LinkedIn newsletter, Marketing Happy Hour Weekly: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/marketing-happy-hour-weekly-6950530577867427840/⁠ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marketinghappyhour/support

Madeleine is a masters student studying Conservation Biology and Ecology at the University of Exeter, on their Falmouth campus in Cornwall. In the third episode in a series of local walking podcast episodes, we talk about moths! The issues affecting them, their importance to their local environment, and breaking down the stigma surrounding them. Follow the podcast on Instagram and Twitter / follow me - @george_brynmor on Instagram / Support me on Ko-fi here My coffee feature this week is Counter Culture Coffee. Find out more on their website. Origin - Honduras   Producer - Finca El Puente Tasting Notes - Apricot, nougat, cocoa Process - Washed Varieties - Catuaí Elevation - 1,500–1,680 meter Certifications: B-Corp Certified, kosher Music credits - "Heron Island" by Richard Bentley 

As avid coffee drinkers and coffee professionals we all get wrapped up in perfecting the brewing of coffee, we often overlook the economics and complexities of how our coffee gets to us. Sure we're also curious about what happens on the farm and different processes, but what about the in-between? Today, we converse with Katie Cargulio about what happens after the harvest and before the roast of your green coffee. With over 20 years of experience, Katie has held the positions of barista, customer support representative, quality controller, and green coffee buyer. She is currently the Counter Culture Coffee's Western Coffee Manager based out of their roastery in Emeryville, CA. She is the 2012 United States Barista Champion, a certified Q grader, and recently joined the board of World Coffee Research. Her north star is to constantly learn about and promote the values of quality and sustainability in the coffee industry.

In the hospitality industry, a guiding ethos that drives many successful coffee bars, restaurant, and bars alike, is the concept of generosity. When we operate with a heart to give and serve, we innovate ways to make that ethos a reality. Unfortunately there are many cafes that operate with the idea that they should only pay what they can get away with and have a less than generous disposition that leads to all sorts of problems.  That fact that this later disposition is so common is one of the reasons today's guest started down the road to innovate a way to create a  generaous payment system that both challeneges the status quo and cares for the needs of the coffee shop's staff.  Today we are talking with Mike Schroeder of Oddly Correct in Kansas City, MO.  Mike Schroeder is a drummer turned aerospace engineer turned drummer turned co ffee roaster turned problem solver and business owner. Mike is brothers-in-law with Oddly's founder Gregory Kolsto and Oddly's first employee (in 2011) and is now being trusted to steer the ship. In this conversation we dive into the story and values of Oddly Correct and how they flipped the script on the traditional way wages are viewed and can today provide their staff with a consistent living wage.  We cover: Beginning oddly Crafting the values Making decisions Expanding mindfully The why behind projects and initiatives Valuing your team Guaranteeing a living wage Pushback from the industry Rolling it our and seeing the impact Continual improvement Advice for how to apply this structure Links:  www.oddlycorrect.com  Boss Barista interview w/Mike    Related episodes: 227 : Connecting with Hearts and Minds 329 : How to Teach Company Values to Your Staff 162 : Discussing “Baristastainability” w/ Jenna Gotthelf of Counter Culture Coffee 291 : What to do if Your Baristas Wont Listen to You Bridging the Values-Actions Gap Scaling Values   Interested in leveling up your coffee shop or setting up 1:1 coaching? Click here to schedule a free consulting discovery call with KTTS Click here to book a formal one-on-one consulting call! Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com    

Part 2 of 2023 Coffee Fest Live NYC interviews! In these interviews I sit down with stellar presenters and lecturers to dig deep into a range of relevant and important topics that will help make you and your coffee business better. This time we are joined by Jesse Harriott, Jenna Gotthelf, and Anu Menon! To start us off on part 2 we are going to talk with Jesse Harriott of Copper Horse Coffee! Jesse is a long time friend of mine and Co-founder of Copper Horse Coffee in Ithaca, NY.  He has been serving coffee for 20 years, Roasting, training, and consulting for 18 years and has accumulated a lot of recognitions and awards at Coffee Fest, Golden Bean, and has amassed an incredible amount of wisdom and experience over these decades of coffee craft and leadership. In this conversation we discuss what is at the core of a successful coffee shop's operations.  ​​Next we chat with Jenna Gotthelf of Counter Culture Coffee.  Jenna Gotthelf is an advocate for creating progressive and approachable learning opportunities for anyone who brews coffee. Jenna is based in NYC and is the wholesale education manager for Counter Culture Coffee, where she oversees the barista training program carried out in Training Centers across the country. Jenna is also a long time US Coffee Championships competitor and has placed everywhere from first to last to somewhere in the middle in Brewers Cup and Barista Competitions Jenna and I discuss the need for coffee bars to educate their customers in  ways that empower them and give them tools for success and how to meet them where they are in their coffee journey.  Finally we are talking with Anu Menon of Driftaway Coffee.  Anu Menon is a founder at Driftaway Coffee, a sustainability-focused direct-to-consumer coffee roaster based in Brooklyn, NY. An engineer-turned-marketing consultant, she leads Customer Experience & Sustainability at Driftaway and is passionate about building an approachable, equitable & transparent coffee value chain. Anu sits down with me to talk about how we can reach out to our customers via digital platforms and what practical steps we can take to create access, change, and culture regardless of physical location.    Links:  www.copperhorsecoffee.com www.counterculturecoffee.com www.driftawaycoffee.com   Related episodes:  162 : Discussing “Baristastainability” w/ Jenna Gotthelf of Counter Culture Coffee SPECIAL: Coffee Fest Live! Chicago 2022 Part 1 w/ Luke Waite, Kris Christian, and Perfect Cube SPECIAL: Coffee Fest Live! Chicago 2022 Part 2 w/ Marissa Childers, Jess Gulino, and Tony Dreyfuss 157 : Four from the Floor : Interviews from Coffee Fest Indianapolis 2019 142 : Entrepreneur Interviews from Coffee Fest NYC!     www.coffeefest.com  

Introduction: Welcome to Five & Thrive: a weekly podcast highlighting the Southeast's most interesting news, entrepreneurs, and information of the week, all under 5 minutes.  My name is Jon Birdsong and I'm with Atlanta Ventures.  New Company Announcement: Today, Jeff Hilimire and an all star team are announcing their newest venture: Purpose Group. Purpose Group buys, holds, and grows purpose-driven businesses. Over the years, while leading Dragon Army as CEO, Jeff Hilimire has written several books focused on values based leadership styles and he's applying these lessons and frameworks to the companies purchased. The types of businesses Purpose Group is looking to acquire include the following characteristics: enduringly profitable with a minimum $1M of EBITDA. Over ten years in business and within a 6-8 hour drive from Atlanta. We put a link to the new and fresh website in the show notes.   New Product of the Week: Tip Top Proper Cocktails just released a new product that you can now find on Delta flights across the world: an espresso martini. In partnership with Counter Culture Coffee the espresso martini joins the Tip Top's Old Fashioned, Bee's Knees, Negroni and more as favorite selections for your next flight. We interviewed Neal Cohen last year on The Atlanta Story if you're intrigued on learning more about the company's origin story and more.  Raise of the Week: It was just announced yesterday in TechCrunch. Lavender has raised $13.2M led by Norwest Venture Partners. Will and Will, the co-founders presented their product in the more recent Atlanta Startup Convo if you want to see it live. Their product is an AI sales email coach. When sales reps write emails, Lavender's software ensures the highest probability of replies by suggesting the best content and copy which increases sales cycles and closes more deals. Check out their free trial today.  This week it was announced, Charlotte based, 2U Laundry raised $20M led by Level 5 Capital Partners. Just over 18 months ago, 2U Laundry made a major shift when it began focusing on brick and mortar locations calling this product LaundroLabs. The strategic change is paying off. Hypepotamus covers the story well. Congrats on Alex and team as they expand LaundroLabs to new cities and gain new customers.  Company Coming Up: This week it was announced Recess, a fast casual restaurant with two locations in Atlanta reached QSR Magazine Top 40/40 for 2023 of America's Hottest Startup Fast Casuals. Erik Goranson is the CEO and Recess promises food that makes you feel good and I concur. They have several healthy grain bowls, salads, and green bowls. We love the concept of fast, healthy, casual in the Atlanta Ventures office and Recess is making major moves in the industry.   Companies Worth Applying To: SoftGiving is hiring for several roles most notably influencer recruiters, an internal recruiter and trainer, and a junior data analyst. SoftGiving, headquartered in Atlanta, raises millions of dollars a year for charities across the country by hosting live events through Twitch by partnering with major influencers and activating fan base donations through their live engagements. I know that sounded like a lot, but imagine a Twitch influencer who has tens if not hundreds of thousands of fans who watch their live stream. Now overlay a charity fundraising event and voila, you have SoftGiving. Now SoftGiving is evolving their offering and providing this service for major brands to connect with an audience historically difficult to get in front of.   One of Atlanta's most active venture funds, Knoll Ventures, is hiring a Business Development Associate to increase their go-to-market motions including sourcing early stage venture opportunities, attending conferences, conduct market research and more. Andrew and Rich have been mainstays in the investing community for coming up on a decade and this will be a career enhancing position for whoever makes the cut and wants to make a significant impact on focused and nimble team. Check out the the LinkedIn Job Opening in the shownotes. They are headquartered on Georgia Tech's campus.  Lastly, AdPipe out of Athens, Georgia is looking for a product designer. AdPipe turns all your static content into motion first videos. Customers including Aflac, Caterpillar, and Stephenson Equipment use AdPipe to turn their existing video library into motion-first, click catching content. Keep an eye on the AdPipe team as they gain more steam and evolve into a full scale motion-first marketing platform. Apply today if you're a product designer looking for a dynamic product to work on.  Annnnd that is five minutes!   Links discussed: 

Running a coffee shop means you take on a fair degree of risk. This is why having and understanding of insurance that is appropriate for your shop is critical. On top of that you need to make sure the insurance you do have is optimized and that you are providing an environment that puts safety first.  Unfortunately, while all small businesses carry the required insurance, it is often not optimized for their needs and the shop itself is run in a way that invites accidents rather than mitigates risk.  This is your livelihood and you own it to yourself, your staff, and customers to throughly explore these subjects. Today we are priviliged to get to talk all about these things with Brennon Pothetes of Butter insurance. Brennan Pothetes is the Co-Founder and CEO of Butter Insurance, which offers a more accessible and efficient insurance experience for coffee shops coupled with a safety program, making them more sustainable. He is a veteran entrepreneur with a background in insurance, banking and software development for companies like Bloom Credit, Rhino and Simple. At Rhino, he helped build a product that saved renters $500 million dollars since the onset of the pandemic by replacing cash security deposits with affordable insurance. This is a very helpful and informative conversation and I hope you apply these insights ASAP! We cover: Understanding insurance and the right coverage Why the big guys have teams How we make mistakes with insurance What you are made to get vs what you need Risk mitigation and safety The small print and getting blindsided Exclusions and Optimizing insurance Negotiating with landlords The importance of talking with your insurance person Safety education and checklists Links and resources: www.butterhq.com Risk + Safety Winter Checklist   Related episodes: 101 : Avoiding Legal Pitfalls in Retail w/ Specialty Coffee Attorney, Marshall Fuss 175 : How to Keep your Cool : A Fridge, Cooler, and Ice Machine Masterclass w/ Luke Peterson of The Maintenance Department! 197 : Getting the most from your Equipment w/ Melissa Vaiden of Counter Culture Coffee

It's a special All Hallows Eve edition of Coffee & Hardcore. This month we have Joe Musten from the almighty ADVENT and amazing Beloved stopping by. Mic and Wiley review some Killer Coffee from Exile Coffee Roasters, Counter Culture Coffee and Focal Point Coffee. Mark Johnston from Knelt Before stops by to share their new single "All The Kids". And last but not last Wiley and Mic review "Dangerous World" by Brass Tongue, "New Lords" by Mindforce and the latest DEMO from Jack and the Slammers. Alright! It's time to get fat on Halloween candy and listen to the latest episode from Coffee & Hardcore. Happy Halloween Bitches!!! Advent Merch Bandcamp Beloved Music Coffee Reviewed Exile Coffee Roasters Counter Culture Coffee Focal Point Coffee Roasters Album Reviews Brass Tongue "Dangerous World" Album Merch Mindforce "New Lords" Album Merch Jack and the Slammers "DEMO" Album No Echo Interview Knelt Before "Be "Nice" Album Merch Check out all the bands on our Coffee and Hardcore Setlist updated every month! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coffee-and-hardcore/support

Every day on bars across the globe baristas are using milk to create amazing drinks. For almost as long as coffee has been served in coffee shops, milk has been a staple ingredient. Yet, in spite of its ubiquity in coffee culture, we tend to focus (understandably) more on understanding and crafting coffee than we do the milk that today makes up such a. large portion of our menus.  Today you are in for a treat. We will be diving into the subject of milk from both a scientific perspective and a craft perspective. To do this we talk with two establish authorities on the subject, Morten Munchow and Emilee Bryant.  Morten Munchow is the Founder of Coffee Mind a coffee roasting academy, research, and consultancy company based in Denmark. Morten is a scholar of biology who through over ten years of intense practical and scientific research and application gained a unique insights that have pushed the specialty coffee industry forward worldwide. He is a sought after speaker and presenter having published several papers in scientific journals. Emilee Bryant is a long time award winning barista, latte art champion, internationally revered coffee content creator, and trainer with Counter Culture Coffee in NYC. When it comes to breaking down the craft of coffee, milk steaming and latte art, Emilee is second to none in effectively communicating concepts that lead to consistently great results.  In both conversations we get very technical and specific about the how what and why of milk as a product and then the practical steps needed to craft that milk into a beautiful texture to add to our coffee.  I hope you listen deeply and leave this episode with more clarity, understanding, and confidence regarding the science and craft of milk! Links: Morten:   www.coffee-mind.com Instagram Emilee:  Youtube @emstagrim Related episodes: 047 : Mastering Latte Art : Some of the worlds best latte masters weigh in! 333: Bridging the Professional and Home Barista Gap w/ Lance Hedrick of Onyx Coffee Lab RoR #5: Time and Color in Roasting w/ Morten Munchow of Coffee Mind” 339 : What Good Barista Training Produces 119 : Barista Training Masterclass w/ 2009 WBC Champion, Gwilym Davies       Interested in leveling up your coffee shop? Click here to schedule a free consulting discovery call with KTTS Click here to book a formal one-on-one consulting call! Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com  

We all are susceptible to the siren song of trying to fix a place or a person to our own detriment. In the moment it seems like the right move and there is a sense higher calling an nobility pushing us forward. The reality though is that for certain cafes and bosses, there is no reformation only resistance and a dedication to the ways that will eventually drive you into the ground.  On today's episode we will be discussing why you should not try to be a hero at the expense of your own well being and what you can do to use this current circumstance you may find yourself in for your long term betterment instead of a desperate bid save a pace and sacrifice yourself in the process.    Related episodes:  162 : Discussing “Baristastainability” w/ Jenna Gotthelf of Counter Culture Coffee 031 : Essential Advice for New Baristas : Tips to help you successfully navigate and thrive in your new coffee career 363 : Setting Boundaries in the Coffee Shop w/ Tom Henschel 181 : Organizational Self-Knowledge Shift Break: Creating a Feedback Culture    Interested in leveling up your coffee shop? Click here to schedule a free consulting discovery call with KTTS Click here to book a formal one-on-one consulting call! Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com  

SEGMENT 1 with Lisa Baker, starting at 0:00: There is a lot of financial illiteracy that exists among small business owners. Lisa says that it's especially true for minorities and is here to share what to do about it.SEGMENT 2 with Christy Bowe, starting at 18:30: What would it be like to photograph history as it happens for the last 30 years? Former White House photographer Christy Bowe is here to share her experience.SEGMENT 3 with Corey Reid, starting at 37:30: Why create another company that sources and distributes coffee? Corey Reid shares how Counter Culture Coffee is a coffee roaster unlike any other. Sponsored by Truly Financial.

Recently, Small Biz in :15 On Location talked with several industry leaders about what to look for in CRM software. Expert guests who weighed in on the topic and gave their insights include: • Felena Hansen, founder of Hera Hub Co-working Space and Accelerator for Women, • Corey Reid, Senior Director of Marketing for Counter Culture Coffee & Specialty Roaster, and • Akshay Bama of Global Supply Acquisition, and Akhil Pippala, Associate Project Manager, for India-based car sharing service ZoomCar. If you are a small to medium business and want to learn more about CRM systems and how to choose the right one for your type of industry, be sure to catch this episode.

The coffee business changed overnight when the pandemic first hit, and Counter Culture Coffee has been rolling with the punches. This week on the Modern Retail Podcast, Counter Culture founder and president Brett Smith spoke about where the industry is going and how his company has evolved over more than two decades. Counter Culture, which first launched in 1994, was one of the first roasters to focus on direct trade, meaning it took great pride in working directly with coffee growers and suppliers. "What we felt was important was to go down that supply chain and really understand the source, the farmers," Smith said. "Because we felt like there was an opportunity to, in essence, have a conversation with the suppliers." At the time, roasters directly sourcing from growers and including them in their consumer-facing marketing was unheard of. But it's now become commonplace, and Counter Culture was one of the early businesses doing such practices. According to Smith, the fact that coffee companies like Counter Culture have become known for their ethical sourcing is a nice after-effect. he didn't intend for it to be such a big marketing hook. "The litmus test is are we going to do this if no one knows about it, will we still do it?" he said. Now, the market has changed. It's table stakes for most higher-end coffee roasters to tout their direct supply chain relations. What's more, the way people buy coffee has changed. Counter Culture first grew by partnering with restaurants. Then, it expanded to coffee shops. And it evangelized its business via local training centers it opened around the country. Here, baristas can stop by to learn about the products, and even average customers can stop by to get a sense for what the business is about. Today, Counter Culture has over a dozen training centers in cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. When the pandemic hit, Counter Culture's wholesale business cratered by 90%, but its direct-to-consumer revenue soared. Now, things are leveling off. But Smith said that he is focused on new areas of growth -- including airports and grocery. All of this means the company is still growing, but Smith is trying to figure out how to handle the growth sustainably. For example, he's expanding his facilities to better handle grocery and DTC orders -- which were straining the business due to their different packaging sizes. "I think that the growth question is, ultimately, it comes down to working hard to grow sustainably. Would we all like to double every year? Yeah, in a certain way. But you got to understand what that means," he said. "You got to understand where is that going to create pressure? Where's that going to potentially compromise a long-term relationship?"

This is our first episode back since buying a house, getting COVID, and having a baby. Definitely a unique one, don't miss it!

We are living in a time where the average consumer is both spoiled for choice and simultaneously vexed at the sheer number of options available for great coffee and brewing equipment. What used to be a need for more and better green and gear has shifted to a need for how to choose and then use it all to get the best results for you.  At the same time professionals, who represent coffee to the consumer, are increasingly hungry for reliable knowledge beyond their shops but lack the time that home enthusiasts tend to have more of.  In the field of resources for making sense of coffee, today's guest, Lance Hedrick, stands out for his friendly, accessible, and well reasoned and researched approach to demystifying brewing for both pros and the average consumer.  Lance Hedrick is a PHD student truanted coffee student who gave up his path in academia and pursuing a professorship in philosophy and linguistics to pursue coffee science and equipment.  In Lance's time working in coffee, he has worked bar, in a kitchen, bagging coffee, making deliveries, roasting, quality control, managing, opening a shop, consulting, designing bars, servicing equipment, training, and is currently overseeing wholesale for the west coast and international accounts for Onyx Coffee Labs.  As an accomplished competitor Lance has won somewhere over 30 latte art throw downs, is a 2 time CoffeeFest Latte Art World Champion, and has won 3rd and 2nd, respectively, in the US Brewers Cup Championship. Finally, he has been a coach to Andrea Allen in the Barista Championship since joining in 2018. Lance has taken his passion for academia and coffee and combined them to create his popular Youtube channel where he breaks down the complex world of coffee and coffee equipment to make enjoying the best coffee accessible to all.  In our conversation today we are going to hear a bit of Lances story and dive deep into the subject of how he approaches research, coffee education, and the importance of creating in roads for consumers to more fully enjoy specialty coffee.  We cover: Abandoning academia for coffee Discovering specialty Becoming latte art famous  Developing skills for training and teaching Starting to develop online material Making coffee education accessible The education gap between consumers and professionals Equipping our customers well Methodology for  what is right vs what is best The importance of investing training and education Barista education as the key equipping and embracing  consumers  Links: Lance Hedrick YouTube Lance on Instagram Related Episodes: 188 : Founder Friday w/ Jon Allen of Onyx Coffee Lab 024 : Chermelle D. Edwards, The Coffeetographer : Documenting Art and Culture Through the Lens of Specialty Coffee : Barista Culture, Consumer Experience, Movements in coffee culture 321 : Marketing and Moral Injury w/ Josh Tarlo of Kiss the Hippo 282 : How to Listen to your Customers 297 : Making Coffee Education Fun w/ Suneal Pabari of Leaderboard Coffee 312 : How to Choose the Right Machine for Your Shop w/ Chad little of La Marzocco 197 : Getting the most from your Equipment w/ Melissa Vaiden of Counter Culture Coffee 035 : The Consumer Revolution w/ Kevin Sinnott 069: Hosting Consumer Coffee Classes : 7 Guidelines   Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.prima-coffee.com/keys www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com  

AAAyyy it's time to sip as ALEX GRUBARD (Weeding Out The Stoned, Let Me Teach You How to Distill Gin out on Helium Comedy Records) joins me to talk his favorite cups of coffee, commuter coffee and the lengths he's gone to for a cup. Plus, I taste Counter Culture Coffee's Apollo. it's a sip and a half! Follow us on Instagram: @coffeesippod @chriees @alexgrubard And on Twitter: @cwhudson @alexgrubard

Back in 2018 at a Coffee Fest in Baltimore I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing Stephen Zinnerman, owner and founder of (along with his wife Natasha) The Coffee Enthusiast: A Brewing Company (TCE).  Back when we first met on the show floor, he was just starting TCE and since then they have experienced A LOT of growth both in their family and in the business, especially on the roasting side. Through the challenges, late nights, iterations, and lots of giving and receiving from the specialty coffee community TCE has emerged as a known and established industry presence that promotes connection and great coffee experiences.  On top of running TCE Stephen has recently joined the roasting team at Counter Culture Coffee and is also a board member of The Coffee Coalition for Racial Equity Stephen's background outside of coffee is higher education, where he has worked for over 10 years in different areas, from University Housing to Environmental Research & Education. He is a graduate student, studying Environmental Policy & Management with a concentration in Environmental Sustainability. Stephen is one of the most dedicated, hardworking, and (not surprisingly) enthusiastic people you can meet and it has been a pleasure to follow his progress over the years and now to get to have this conversation exploring his journey 3 years later.  In this interview we discuss:  Starting small and getting feedback Beginning to focus on roasting Learning to listen and serve Creating something to give his kids Continuing to learn and invest in yourself Taking action as an individual  Showing appreciation Taking on a commercial coffee roasting position while running TCE The hard work of commercial roasting Advice on how to learn and grow Links: www.tcecoffee.com TCE on Instagram   Related Episodes: 079 : Interviews from Coffee Fest Baltimore (First interview w/ Stephen) 149 : Celina Velez, Head Roaster of Merit Coffee in Austin, TX 180 : A Conversation with Rugid Grind Founders, Brian Washington and Averett Barksdale Blog: Who we are and What we do 233 : A Conversation w/ Anthony Ragler, Black and White 232 : Founder Friday w/ Blew Kind of Fanny Lou's Porch   Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.prima-coffee.com/keys www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com  

Making a decision on an espresso machine can come with a lot of stress and uncertainty. With so many different options, configurations, styles, and promises made by manufactures it is hard to know that you will be happy with what you end up with. On top of that, will it be able to serve the needs of the business? Really it boils down to wants, needs, and the balance of the two. Today we are going to be exploring some very important mindsets to help you make the right decision for your situation with our guest, Chad Little of La Marzocco!  Chad Little handles sales and business development in the midwest for La Marzocco USA.  In the coffee world Chad has worn many of hats from technician and educator with Counter Culture Coffee, business developer and manager at Ipsento, along with a host of other roles in the world of fine dining and other coffee outfits since the late 90's. For five years Chad was also an owner/operator of an audacious restaurant called Arbor in Logan Square. Professionally Chad enjoys helping people bridge the gap between knowing what they like and knowing what they want; and beyond that helping connect the dots for people who want to make a difference or be part of a solution, but don't know how or where to start. In addition, he uses these skills as an advisory board member for a workforce development and entrepreneurship organization for disadvantaged young people based in Chicago, called Workforce High and Meta 24.    In this episode we cover: Early career and finding his guiding values Prioritizing people Serving people through the user experience Listening to the community  Common misconceptions of espresso machines Learning the right things to consider Balancing wants and needs  Being decisive and a decision matrix  Over and under estimation  Humility's role and growing intelligently    Links: www.lamarzoccousa.com  chad@lamarzzoco.com    Related episodes: 089 : La Marzocco USA General Manager, Andrew Daday : Leadership, Innovation, service, heritage 042 : Supplying and Selecting Equipment w/ Steve Rhinehart: Prima Coffee 128 : Terry's Top 10 w/ Terry Ziniewicz : Best practices for how not to kill your espresso machine 240 : What to do before your Build your Bar   Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.prima-coffee.com/keys www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com  

Today we get to chat with 2004 U.S. Barista Champion and legend, Bronwen Serna! Bronwen has been a practicing Coffee Professional since 2000, a Professional Barista, Roaster, and Barista Trainer, a Certified Instructor and Assessor with the Specialty Coffee Association. Her love of coffee precedes her experience, where she manages to frequent many coffeehouses all over the world and became a Barista after having drunk many cups of coffee and inspired by a trip to Italy. What has driven her all these years has been her love coffee and people. Bronwen is currently working with Counter Culture Coffee in LA, as she continues to build excitement and knowledge for clients and coffee professionals in the Specialty Coffee scene. This is quite a special episode. I have known Bronwen since the early 2000s. Having both grown into our careers during the same era of specialty coffee and in the same professional barista community I have witnessed first hand Bronwen's dynamic and inspiring  impact in the industry and it is a tru privilege to welcome her to the podcast to share her story and wisdom with the KTTS audience!  In our conversation today we will be exploring Bronwen's early years in coffee, and by default the early years of the 3rd wave that she was helping to shape. We talk about training, education, hospitality, business models, and how all these things have developed and what she believes are the timeless truths that contribute to a thriving community and career in coffee.  I hope you enjoy this episode and that it helps you mindfully pursue building a great future coffee history with what you presently set your hand to. We cover: Formative years in coffee and 3rd wave Being a life long learner Roasting as a career springboard  Competition and expanding horizons Tailoring education  Evolution of the industry Universal truths and practices of barista and coffee work How to best serve our customers Simplicity as a virtue  Biggest needs in the industry Links: Bronwen on Instagram www.bronwenserna.com Counter Culture Coffee   Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.prima-coffee.com/keys www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com    

Baristas are obsessed with it! The question we have to ask is, why?Most of us don't need to get people interested in latte art. In fact many of you probably wish your baristas would focus on other things. Contrary to what we might assume, baristas that gravitate toward latte art are not trying to avoid work so much as they are compelled by what latte art offers.  Today we will be talking a little about why, if we want staff to engage holistically with the cafe, we will make all work like latte art. Related episodes: 248 : The 5 Elements of Resourcing your Team 172 : Why Tracking Performance is a Must! 162 : Discussing “Baristastainability” w/ Jenna Gotthelf of Counter Culture Coffee 047 : Mastering Latte Art : Some of the worlds best latte masters weigh in!    Visit our awesome Sponsors!  Elevated batch brew and so much more! Ground Control Cyclops Brewer   The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com      

Kicking off a new series on the podcast exploring ecological sustainability across the coffee supply chain, we're examining the environmental impact of coffee farming at origin.Finding solutions to the complicated problems caused by the climate crisis is vital to the future viability of coffee, and the planet. Throughout series, we'll uncover how the coffee industry is responding to these challenges, showcase best practices and offer a glimpse into the future.In this episode, we speak with coffee growers, traders, and retailers, to address key ecological issues at origin and ask, what do coffee farmers need from coffee retailers to support their environmental initiatives?Katie Carguilo, Western Coffee Manager, Counter Culture Coffee, highlights how environmental sustainability is directly tied to farmer economics and the prices they earn.Diego Robelo, General Manager at Aquiares Estate Coffee, shares the sustainable agroforestry systems at his coffee farm and the importance of environmentally focused certifications.Carlos Ortiz, Volcafe Way Manager at Volcafe, discusses the connection between commercial and environmental needs of coffee roasters and the potential for green credits for coffee farmers.Credits music: Hot Coffee by Say No More ft Nutty P. in association with the Coffee Music ProjectGet in touch and tell us what topics you'd like to hear by visiting www.worldcoffeeportal.com/5THWAVE/Podcast 

Quality control and assurance is common in most well established coffee shops. Even if it is not a dedicated position, it at least is an area where we invest a lot of time and effort. What we don't see very much of is a focus on care. How do the staff and customers experience the business and what are we doing to make sure we are dialing in that experience?  Today on Shift Break we will talk about how investing in care assurance is a critical to success. Related episodes:  Fear and Trust Systems as Care 208: Building a Company that Cares w/ Kyra Kennedy of Baratza 162 : Discussing “Baristastainability” w/ Jenna Gotthelf of Counter Culture Coffee 085 : How we Ruin the Specialty Experience 248 : The 5 Elements of Resourcing your Team   Visit our awesome Sponsors!  Elevated batch brew and so much more! Ground Control Cyclops Brewer   The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com    

Tim has been in the coffee industry since 2002, starting as a barista and then doing pretty much every job possible on the roasting side of the business. The last decade Tim has been focused on purchasing green coffee and setting up supply chains, particularly in East Africa. Tim Co-authored the book, A Reference Guide to Ethiopian Coffee Varieties, a book that shed great insight on one of the most complex coffee origins in the world. Tim came to Atlantic Specialty Coffee in 2018 and is our first remote employee working on the East Coast. Tim‘s role is part trader, part buyer, and part quality developer- focused on developing our East Coast presence and offerings.

We review Hologram from Counter Culture Coffee, talk about taste buds, how college is a scam, and if you could go back and redo your life. Links: Zeroth Dimension - https://youtu.be/emlcwyvnsg0 Counter Culture Coffee - https://counterculturecoffee.com/ *New episodes every Monday at 10am*

Season 2 kicks off with great coffee and perhaps the most prolific serial killer in US History.There is also discussion of Counter Culture Coffee and one of the coolest cafes ever. The premiere episode of season 2 focuses on Samuel Little. A man who was arrested dozens of times, and somehow spent enough free time to possibly kill close to 100 women.We may also discuss some odd priorities in our court system.We wish you safety, health and love. And, of course, good coffee!

Whether you employ in-house techs or you need to work with outside coffee tech services, today's episode is a must listen!  The cafe is a complex mix of many different professional relationships. The relationship between a shop and the coffee tech can be a tense one because it is centered around emergencies. In order to work well with the techs we hire, led our in-house techs, and serve our wholesale clients tech needs well, we need to explore the realities and perspectives of both parties. Today we are going to be talking with Hylan Joseph of Espresso Partners and the SCA's Coffee Technicians Guild. Hylan Joseph is West Coast Service Manager for Espresso Partners. He is also one of the founders and current chairs for the Coffee Technicians Guild through the Specialty Coffee Association.  Hylan’s career in coffee started in San Francisco in 1985 at a small café named the Blue Parrot Café. He was a dishwasher and training barista. For the last 16 years he has worked as a service operations manager serving both large and small customers through Espresso Partners. Through the Coffee Technician Guild, he wants to show baristas, store managers and people passionate about coffee that there can be career for them beyond the café. In this episode we will cover: Managing owner expectations  Common issues in the field  Mindsets under pressure Practicing hospitality as a tech Having your techs represent you brand well Service agreements Curating culture through subcontractors What does it mean to be “professional” How to communicate  Choosing / hiring a tech that fits your needs Being detailed and keeping records   Links: Espresso Partners Coffee Technicians Guild Related episodes: 076 : Talking Tech! w/ Tom Ritz of Workhorse Customs : Best Practices for Machine Maintenance 128 : Terry’s Top 10 w/ Terry Ziniewicz : Best practices for how not to kill your espresso machine 197 : Getting the most from your Equipment w/ Melissa Vaiden of Counter Culture Coffee 175 : How to Keep your Cool : A Fridge, Cooler, and Ice Machine Masterclass w/ Luke Peterson of The Maintenance Department!   The BEST in commercial coffee equipment! www.prima-coffee.com/keys   Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks? www.pacificfoods.com/food-service      

Sandra Walimaki is a regional educator for Counter Culture Coffee, which Mike Beltran serves at Chug's, his Cuban-American diner in Coconut Grove. In this episode of Pan Con Podcast, the two talk about coffee culture, what makes Miami's relationship with espresso unique, and Sandra's experience migrating from Peru (where she has roots in the coffee industry) to the United States, where she's been in the coffee industry for about 18 years. She also tells us about the NPR Coffee Club, a coffee subscription service born out of a partnership between National Public Radio and Counter Culture Coffee. Follow Sandra Walimaki: https://www.instagram.com/sandra_walimaki/ Follow Counter Culture Coffee: https://www.instagram.com/counterculturecoffee/ Follow the NPR Coffee Club: https://www.instagram.com/nprcoffeeclub/ Follow Pan Con Podcast everywhere: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/panconpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/panconpodcast Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/panconpodcast Follow Mike Beltran: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/piginc Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/piginc Follow DADE: Support DADE on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DADEmag Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DADEMAG Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dadeig Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/dadetweets Follow Nick Jiménez: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolasajim... Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/nicolasajimenez Follow Carlos "Carluba" Rodríguez: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carluba Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/carluba

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It's tech time! Equipment breaks, that is just a fact of life. How and why it breaks depends on the way we maintain (or don't maintain) it over the corse of its life. right now there are thousands of bars working on machines that are either about to break or are well on their way because of improper care. Today we are talking with Counter Culture Coffee NYC equipment tech extraordinaire, Melissa Vaiden. The goal of our conversation? To help us avoid an untimely demise for the equipment we depend on.  Melissa Vaiden is a service technician for Counter Culture Coffee in the NYC region. After working as a barista for years, she found a tech internship at Boxcar Coffee that sparked her love for fixing coffee equipment. She speaks on panels sharing her experience as one of the few women working in the technical field. She also is a stage manager for the Coffee Champ's Cup Tasters competition. In this conversation e cover a LOT of information and best practices for your brewers, grinders, espresso machines and filtration. If you follow Melissa's advice here you will be sure to save yourself a world of suffering form needless maintenance issues.  We cover: Preventative maintenance for Espresso, brewer, grinders Why so many businesses get behind in their machine care Mindsets for getting the most from your equipment Budgeting for inevitable costs in machine care Filtration best practices Purchasing the right machine for your business Links: Counter Culture Coffee   Related episodes: Talking Tech w/ Tom Ritz Terry's Top 10: How not to Kill your Espresso Machine Supplying and Selecting Equipment w/ Steve Rhinehart   Got questions, comments, feedback? Want to work with KTTS Consulting? Chris@keystotheshop.com   Visit our sponsors! www.prima-coffee.com/keys 5% off your purchases at Prima Coffee until January 31st! Just use the code "HOLIDAY5" when you visit this link!    Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks?  www.pacificfoods.com/food-service  

Learning about consumer trends and preferences keeps us sharp and relevant. How well our shops do will have a huge impact on everyone in the value stream of coffee and in order to do our best work we need to be paying attention to what the research says as well as doing our own research locally. Thankfully the SCA has been doing intensive consumer and retail research for over a decade and what they have found may shift the way you view your customers and your business. To discuss the data with us today we are talking with the great Peter Giuliano, Chief Research Officer of the SCA and the Director of The Coffee Science Foundation. Peter has been in specialty coffee for over 30 years. In his long and illustrious career he has occupied almost every role both in the retail shop and roastery. You might also know him as being the former Director of Coffee and Co-Owner of Counter Culture Coffee. He has been deeply involved in SCA training programs, serving as Training Committee Chair from 2005-2007 and has been a volunteer for the Coffee Corps and other CQI programs.  Peter has always been a champion for coffee science and is truly thriving in his current role helping connect scientists, economists, sociologist, etc. with the coffee community to produce robust analytics to inform our moves into the future.  In this conversation we will dive into some of their findings from the consumer and retail research and discuss how it applies to what we do in the shop. I hope you enjoy!   You will learn about: The importance of scientific research What "Specialty Adopters" and "Super Specialty" are How people get their taste preferences How to respond to large-scale studies The importance of local research  What does the data show is encouraging and challenging Find out more information here: www.sca.coffee/research  Peter on Twitter Related Episodes: Researching the Cafe w/ Dr. Jennifer Ferreira Designing the guest Experience w/ Dr. Lisa Waxman Joseph A. Rivera on Organic Acids & the Importance of Coffee Science The Consumer Revolution w/ Kevin Sinnott   Got questions, comments, feedback? Want to work with KTTS Consulting? Chris@keystotheshop.com   Visit our sponsors! www.prima-coffee.com/keys 5% off your purchases at Prima Coffee until January 31st! Just use the code "HOLIDAY5" when you visit this link!      Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks?  www.pacificfoods.com/food-service  

Who is Cameron Heath and why is he so unusual?  In this episode, we bring back one of our favorite roasters, Cameron Heath of Counter Culture Coffee in Durham, North Carolina. Cam was one of our earliest Matchbook roasters—and we brought him back to roast a holiday treat for you! 

In this episode, Richard Sandlin sits with Counter Culture Coffee's Coffee Manager, Katie Cargulio, Royal Coffee's CEO, Max Nicholas-Fulmer and The Crown's Education and Lab Manager, Chris Kornman to discuss a wide array of topics centered on the Specialty Coffee Transaction Guide,  The Pledge, Fair Trade, Counter Culture Coffee's Transparency Report, Meister's Interview with Chad Trewick on The Discomfort Zone Podcast, price transparency, equitable trade, the "C" Market, and a lot more. We frequently reference the comments on Royal's blog, Thoughts on The Pledge & Price Transparency. We will be continuing this conversation live at The Crown in Oakland on October 25th with a panel of importers, roasters, & producers. Please Join Us in Oakland. For those unable to attend, we will also release that as a podcast shortly after the event. RSVP https://bit.ly/2oMpKGB Shout out to Michael Senderovich for the music & logistical support. Thank you to Chris Kornman for the engineering support. Feedback? podcast@royalcoffee.com 

For some reason, decaf seems to be a bit of a polarizing topic in the coffee world, with many adhering to the mantra “Death Before Decaf” proudly. Some go so far to get this tattooed to their bodies. I’m here to dispel that nonsense. Coffee can, and should, be enjoyed for more than just a delivery device for caffeine. In this month’s episode, we talk about caffeine and deconstruct decaf to help shed some light on the ‘why’s’ and ‘how’s’ of caffeine-free coffee. There are surely hundreds of excellent decafs out there, but Slow Motion Decaf from Counter Culture Coffee in North Carolina is a standout. I highly recommend you pick up a bag so you can enjoy your coffee well into the evening without compromising your bedtime. Sources: https://counterculturecoffee.com/shop/category/coffee https://counterculturecoffee.com/sustainability https://science.howstuffworks.com/caffeine4.htm https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK223808/ https://coffeeconfidential.org/health/decaffeination/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/beandiscovery/message

The sustainability of the barista profession is a subject that needs to be talked about more. Trouble is that we have accepted that the kind of turn-over we see within the ranks of baristas is how it will always be and cannot be helped. In truth, much of what contributes to a barista leaving their job or leaving coffee is entirely preventable by focusing on "Baristastainability" My guest today, Jenna Gotthelf, is an 8 years specialty coffee veteran and educator with Counter Culture Coffee. Jenna spearheaded this critical professional development project that is based on the results of a globally circulated survey of owners, managers, and baristas. The survey asks professionals about their training, being valued at work, human resources, compensation, working conditions, and other very pointed questions that shed light on some root causes for employee turn-over and professional burn-out.  In this conversation we will be talking with Jenna about some of the results of the survey and what kinds of actions and steps can be taken to correct course and build a more sustainable barista profession that in turn builds a stronger retail coffee industry.  This is important work and I am so glad for Jenna taking this on!      LINKS: The presentation "Baristastainability" will be available at the link below soon. Stay tuned! www.counterculturecoffee.com/learn   

One of the "special" things about specialty coffee is the connections that coffee people make with one another—beyond simply making deals, beyond simply hiring and firing, we are an industry of people who are drawn to share, learn, and grow with one another. Mentorship is one of the most powerful professional tools in that regard, and something that sets the specialty apart from the commercial: It also, however, comes with great responsibility, and sometimes even risks. Today's episode - recorded at Specialty Coffee Expo in 2018 - features a panel, led by moderator Ever Meister: Candice Madison of Irving Farm Coffee Roasters; Katie Carguilo of Counter Culture Coffee; Lem Butler of Black & White Coffee Roasters; Nicholas Cho of Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters; and Mansi Chokshi of the Specialty Coffee Association. Related Links - Read the full transcript on SCA News: https://scanews.coffee/podcast/43/mentorship-in-specialty-coffee-students-become-the-teachers-panel-discussion-sca-lectures-2018/ - Listen to other episodes of the SCA Podcast: https://scanews.coffee/category/podcasts/sca-lectures-podcast/ - Learn more about the upcoming 2019 Lecture Series: https://coffeeexpo.org/lectures Subscribe to this podcast on your favorite app: - iTunes: www.apple.co/2sXdmSj - Stitcher: www.bit.ly/2JBJOk8 - Pocket Casts: www.bit.ly/2JBowTT - RadioPublic: www.bit.ly/2JCfeGY Table of Contents 0:00 Introduction 1:45 Introducing the panelists and explaining their backgrounds 10:20 A discussion of panelists' experiences about what mentoring has looked like in their careers 15:45 A discussion about the specific mentors the panelists have had in the past 32:00 What's the point at which you become comfortable being a mentor? 46:15 Sometimes mentor relationships shift to friendship or in other ways. What has been your experience with that? Audience questions 1:03:00 When did the moment feel right to push your careers further, to move from mentee to mentor? 1:10:00 How important mentorship is to people who don't fit traditional cisgender or racial profiles in the coffee championships? 1:18:00 Outro --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/specialty-coffee-association-podcast/message

Long days at Charleston Wine + Food call for great coffee! Caity Moseman Wadler and Hannah Fordin sit down with Michael Mai (Arabica Soda) and Chloe Davis King (Counter Culture Coffee) to learn more about their unique beverages. They’re also joined by Nate Collier of Le Creuset, who supplies the perfect mugs for sipping both hot and cold coffee drinks! HRN On Tour is powered by Simplecast.

In this special Sprudge Live episode, Multimedia Director Elizabeth Chai interviews folks on the floor at the US Coffee Qualifiers in Nashville, Tennessee.  In this episode, Chai talks to barista competitor Anthony Ragler of Counter Culture Coffee. Ragler placed 10th in the competition and will advance to the national stage in Kansas City. In the interview, Ragler discusses training at the Glitter Cat Barista Bootcamp. Chai also interviews Chelsea Walker Watson of Atlas Coffee Importers in Seattle, Washington. Watson competed in the Brewers Cup, placing ninth and will advance to the national competition in March. Sprudge Media Network’s coverage of the 2019 US Coffee Champs is made possible by Joe Glo and Mahlkönig. All of SprudgeLive’s 2019 competition coverage is made possible by Acaia, Baratza, Faema, Cafe Imports, and Wilbur Curtis. Sprudge is an official media partner of US Coffee Championships. Follow @SprudgeLive on Twitter and never miss a moment from the shows, and cruise over to SprudgeLive.com to read routine recaps, enjoy dynamic full-color photos, and check in on all the advancing competitors from Nashville. 2019 Sprudge Live coverage is produced by Zac Cadwalader. Our lead photographer is Charlie Burt. Multimedia direction by Elizabeth Chai.

On a very special edition of the Coffee Sprudgecast, we take you live to the event floor at the 2019 US Coffee Champs Qualifying Event in Denver, Colorado! There we join multimedia director Elizabeth Chai, who—in addition to helming our must-follow Instagram coverage of the event—taped a series of original interviews for this week’s episode of the podcast. In this episode Chai talks to Blair Smith, a Brewers Cup competitor for Augie’s Coffee in California’s Inland Empire region. Smith placed 9th overall in the qualifying event, earning a bid to move on and compete at the 2019 US Coffee Championships national event next March in Boston. Chai also sat down with Hana Kaneshige, a barista competitor and Regional Educator representing Counter Culture Coffee, a wholesale roaster hubbed in Durham, North Carolina and Emeryville, CA with satellite training centers nationwide. Kaneshige would also place ninth in the US Coffee Champs Barista Competition field, earning a coveted spot to move on and compete at nationals next year in Boston.  

Kirk Thurmond is the lead singer of Kirk Thurmond & the Millennials. They are a R&B/Soul band here in Dallas, Texas. I was scrolling through Instagram a while back and an account I follow posted about Kirk and his band playing in Dallas. I'm always looking for new music and this was an account I trusted so I looked up Kirk Thurmond & the Millennials on Spotify and was blown away. I have been jamming to their music ever since. www.ktammusic.com So I reached out to Kirk to get him on the podcast and he graciously accepted. We met up at Fiction Coffee and talked all about his music career; how he got started, how he found his sound, the struggles he's been through, his creative process, everything. I really enjoyed my time with him and love his music even more. Check out their music here: www.ktammusic.com Fiction Coffee is a coffee shop in Downtown Dallas. I had Fiction's owners on the podcast, episode 5, so if you want to get to know them, listen to that. Fiction Coffee is one of my favorite shops in Dallas. It is a great place to meet a friend and hang out or to get work done. They are serving Counter Culture Coffee right now and it is phenomenal. Check them out if you are ever in Dallas. www.counterculturecoffee.com You can RATE, REVIEW, and SUBSCRIBE to the podcast here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/coffee-people-podcast/id1335201813?mt=2 CHECK OUT KIRK THURMOND & THE MILLENNIALS: www.ktammusic.com https://open.spotify.com/artist/5fE8EZpFfVOj4QcjkK5gyw?si=3UB7Eqd6QEiDhGX0Yta9CA SOCIAL MEDIA: @kirkthurmond @fictioncoffeeshop @counterculturecoffee @ketchsmith

Hey we did it - we made it through another year of Uppers & Downers in Chicago, home to our annual festival of coffee, beer, and coffee beers held in collaboration with our friends at Thalia Hall.  This time around, of course, we decided to make an entire week out of it, with a series of smaller events leading up to the festival featuring tours of local coffee roasters, espresso demos, tap takeovers, an incredible chef-driven dinner, an Irish cocktail competition with some of chicago best bartenders. It was a real haul, but we were thrilled to bring in so many new partners and collaborators this year to pull it off.  So as we do every year, but especially this year, is we sit down for the Hangover party and reflect on what we learned and what we were inspired by from the festival with some of the brewers, roasters, and others who came to town.  Our co-founder, world Barista Champion Stephen Morrissey couldn’t be with us this year, he was off in London getting ready for our first major Uppers & Downers festival there this May 19th — he was doing a site visit and working with the brewers, roasters, and our London-based editor Matthew Curtis in the run-up to what will be a major international expansion for us with the festival. we’ve got some really exciting things to share. Tickets for the London fest are on sale now - on goodbeerhunting.com/events But to sit alongside me for the recap podcast was a very worthy substitute with Nick Kohout and Jen Hoverstad of Counter Culture Coffee based in North Carolina, but with a lab here in Chicago. 

Today (Monday, February 19, 2018), we’re talking – and drinking – every aspect of coffee with one of the world’s foremost authorities on a cup o’ Joe and its impact on us and the people who grow it for us, food journalist and author Michaele Weissman. In 2008 Michaele published her groundbreaking book, God in a Cup: the Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Coffee, and a lot of other fine work since – always on the subject of coffee. And we’re going to talk about it all … over several cups of Spike Gjerde’s awesome coffee made at Counter Culture Coffee in DC’s Line Hotel.

Fiction Coffee is one of my favorite coffee shops in Dallas! After meeting the owners, Spencer and MK, I love it even more now! They are some of the nicest people I know. We met at Fiction Coffee and talked all things coffee. We talked about the story behind Fiction Coffee, how it got started and their vision for the coffee shop. We talked about what you need for your home coffee station. We also talked about what makes the coffee shop experience successful. Fiction Coffee is in Downtown Dallas at Ross and Hall St. They are serving Counter Culture Coffee (www.counterculturecoffee.com). If you live in Dallas or are visiting Dallas, go down to Fiction Coffee and enjoy a really good cup of coffee and hang out with some of the nicest people in the world. It's a great place if you need to get work done or if you just want to hang out. Thank you so much for listening! Share with your friends, subscribe on iTunes, and rate and review and let people know about this podcast! SOCIAL MEDIA: @fictioncoffeeshop @haggardfox @maekaye @counterculturecoffee @hook_inc Here is everything you need for your home coffee bar! Chemex: https://www.amazon.com/Chemex-8-Cup-Classic-Glass-Coffeemaker/dp/B000I1WP7W/ref=sr_1_5?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1518287998&sr=1-5&keywords=chemex+coffee+maker Chemex Filters: https://www.amazon.com/Chemex-Folded-Circle-Coffee-Filters/dp/B0000CF2WP/ref=sr_1_5?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1518288761&sr=1-5&keywords=chemex+filters&dpID=41HSKg7hhAL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch Baratza Encore Grinder: https://www.amazon.com/Baratza-Encore-Conical-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B007F183LK/ref=sr_1_4?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1518288103&sr=1-4&keywords=baratza+encore+grinder&dpID=31mL3pz0NrL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch Kalita Wave: https://www.amazon.com/Kalita-5033-Wave-185-Drippers/dp/B000X1AM0Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1518288191&sr=1-1&keywords=kalita+wave Kelita Wave Server: https://www.amazon.com/Kalita-server-persons-31255-Carita/dp/B004R0RFPC/ref=sr_1_3?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1518288635&sr=1-3&keywords=kalita+wave Kelita Wave Filters: https://www.amazon.com/Kalita-22199-Filters-White-Japan/dp/B00BJBOITS/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1518288837&sr=1-1&keywords=kalita+wave+filters&dpID=41V7usokrNL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch Bonavita Electric Kettle: https://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-1-0L-Electric-Kettle-BV3825B/dp/B005YR0GDA/ref=sr_1_5?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1518288372&sr=1-5&keywords=bonavita+electric+kettle Hario Scale: https://www.amazon.com/Hario-Coffee-Drip-Scale-Timer/dp/B009GPJMOU/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1518288698&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=coffee+scale&psc=1 Bonavita Coffee Brewer: https://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-BV1900TS-Carafe-Coffee-Stainless/dp/B00O9FO1HK/ref=sr_1_4?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1518288438&sr=1-4&keywords=bonavita+coffee+maker&dpID=41CK31RprXL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Tonight’s episode will take a look at coffee, the drink that fuels most us every day. Our panelists are Miguel Mateo, Getu Bekele and Lenore Yerkes. Miguel is the sales and export manager for Manos Campesinas, an umbrella organization that works with 8 grassroots organizations of four different geographic departments: San Marcos, Quetzaltenango, Retalhuleu and Sololá. Overall, Manos Campesinas represents 1,073 individual members, all of them small coffee producers. Many, but not all, these small farmers are producing organic coffees. Getu is the Ethiopia and East Africa Supply Chain Manager for Counter Culture Coffee. An agronomist based in Addis Ababa, he is an expert in Ethiopian coffee varieties. Lenora Yerkes is Counter Culture Coffee’s wholesale support representative. She will provide stateside context for how Counter Culture Coffee continues their sustainability efforts and quality control. ORIGINS is powered by Simplecast.

Jesse is joined by Green Bean Coffee Buyer Timothy Hill and President of Counter Culture Brett Smith to discuss the company's perspective on sustainability and World Coffee Research's Checkoff Program. Counter Culture CoffeeWebsite: CounterCultureCoffee.comInstagram: @CounterCultureCoffeeMentionsWorld Coffee Research — JOIN THE CHECKOFF PROGRAMSmithsonian Global — Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center’s Bird Friendly® Coffee Program Protects Migratory Birds and Supports Shade-Grown Coffee FarmsMore episodes at TheCoffeePodcast.orgEmail us at info@thecoffeepodcast.orgInstagram @TheCoffeePodcast

RJ Joseph is a roaster at Counter Culture Coffee and a writer who contributes to Barista Magazine and manages a blog called Queer Cup. In this episode, we discuss roasting, the fire that call-out culture has come under on #coffeetwitter, and how to make awesome memes.

This weekend I got to go to Coffee Champs in Knoxville, qualifying event for the United States Coffee Championships. While at an event party hosted by Wild Love Bakehouse I sat down with 5 baristas to get their unique take on coffee service, career development, and the future of the cafe industry. Each perspective shines a light on something different that you will find useful for your own career. It always helps to learn from the experiences of others and this episode includes some really great insights from: 1. Trainer,  Dawn Shanks of Peregrine Espresso in Washington D.C. 2. Manager, Paul Yates of Shenendoah Joe in Harrisburg, VA also Owner of  Rock town Coffee Roasters 3. Consultant,Diana Mnatsakanyan-Sapp, Owner, Undercurrent Coffee, Charlotte, NC 4. Barista, Hannah Craig of Quills Coffee in Louisville, KY 5. U.S. Barista Champion, Lem Butler of Counter Culture Coffee in Durham, NC Full show notes will be available Wednesday in PDF form from our website  www.keystotheshop.com Twitter: @keystotheshop IG: @keystotheshop  

We are celebrating the finalists in the 2016 Sprudgie Awards. Notable Roaster Each year our readers nominate outstanding coffee roasters around the world for the Notable Roaster Sprudgie Award. Unlike many of the other categories, Notable Roaster nominees need not be brands or products that debuted in 2016; rather, we look to this award as a way for our readers to honor coffee roasting companies, big and small, that turned in an especially notable year of work. This year’s nominees are: Counter Culture Coffee (Durham, North Carolina)   Koppi (Helsingborg, Sweden) Colonna Coffee (Bath, United Kingdom) Market Lane Coffee (Melbourne, Australia) Populace Coffee (Detroit, Michigan) Starbucks Reserve (Seattle, Washington)  Best New Cafe Cafes are the beating heart of coffee culture, and each year we are delighted to see the cafe form grow and morph in new and exciting ways. Our readers have selected a stunning array of new cafes from around the world for this year’s Sprudgie Awards, each of which opened during the past calendar year. And the nominees are: La Marzocco Cafe at KEXP (Seattle, Washington)   La Fontaine de Belleville (Paris, France) Tartine Manufactory (San Francisco, California) Black Fox Coffee (New York City) Cat & Cloud Coffee (Santa Cruz, California) All Day MIA (Miami, Florida)  Best New Product New products drive innovation in the coffee world, for both consumers and professionals alike. Some of these products live behind the coffee bar, making your experience more delicious one cup at a time. Others are bold, public-facing products that speak directly to consumers. The nominees for Best New Product in 2016 are: La Bodega Coffee (Minneapolis, Minnesota)   Sudden Coffee (San Francisco, California) Ona Coffee Distributor (Canberra, Australia) Third Wave Water (Cedarville, Ohio) Baratza Sette Grinder (Bellevue, Washington) Handground Precision Coffee Grinder (Dallas, Texas) Best Coffee Video / Film Coffee is a multimedia platform, inspiring expression across a variety of mediums. Each year we honor an excellent coffee video or film as part of our Sprudgie Awards tradition. This year’s nominees include a feature-length film; short promotional videos; a much-discussed speech delivered at a live speaking event; a body of work across an entire YouTube channel; and a coffee-forward dramedy on Netflix. And the nominees are: The Coffee Man — Directed by Jeff Hann, produced by Roland Fraval.   Stumptown Coffee x Portland Trail Blazers — Directed by Tim Wenzel @RealChrisBaca on Youtube — Directed and produced by Chris Baca Dapper & Wise: “Too Full” — Directed by Grahm Doughty “Coffee I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down” — Talor Browne & Tamper Tantrum “Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life” — From executive producers Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino Best Coffee Writing Coffee’s relationship to the written word is ever-changing. From professional blogs with an industry focus to irreverent Twitter accounts and landmark expressions of personal experience, this year’s crop of Best Coffee Writing nominations takes all kinds. And the nominees are: Matt Perger for Barista Hustle   Scott Rao for ScottRao.com/blog Andy Newbom & Andrew Russo for Coffee Spanish For Coffee Buyers @ColdBrew420 on Twitter James Hoffmann for JimSeven.com Michelle Johnson for The Chocolate Barista: “The Black Cup of Excellence” Notable Coffee Producer Without coffee producers, there would be no coffee. Artisan growers are pushing boundaries every day by creating delicious coffees that express terroir and intent in equal measure. This year’s list of nominees includes some familiar names, plus several first-time noms, including our first-ever nominee from Burundi. Elkin Guzman for Finca El Mirador (Colombia) Aida Batlle for Aida Batlle Selection (El Salvador) Benjamin Paz for Beneficio San Vicente (Honduras) Gilberto Baraona for Finca Los Pirineos (El Salvador) Angele Ciza and Consolata Ndayishimye for Kahawa Link Company (Burundi) Jamison Savage and Leslie H. Freitag for Finca Deborah (Panama)  Best Coffee Magazine We are currently in a golden age for print coffee magazines, with gorgeous new glossies rubbing shoulders with established favorites. We predict a tough, close vote for this year’s Sprudgie Award for Best Coffee Magazine. Standart Magazine (Nitra, Slovakia) Drift (New York, NY) Barista Magazine (Portland, OR) Fresh Cup (Portland, OR) Caffeine Magazine (London, UK) Brygg (Oslo, Norway)  Nicest Package Design and packaging have never been more important to the coffee experience. Each week we feature coffee branding from around the world as part of our Nice Package feature series on Sprudge. This year we’re honoring packaging with the coveted Sprudgie Award for Nicest Package. Parlor Coffee (Brooklyn, NYC) Five Elephant (Berlin) La Cabra (Aarhus, Denmark) Playground Coffee (Hamburg) (via Dribble) Methodical Coffee (Greenville, SC) (via Packaging of the World) Square Mile Coffee (London) Best Coffee Subscription Each year the field for coffee subscription services becomes more and more crowded, making this particular field of Sprudgie Award noms increasingly essential. Only one of the nominated services can win, but each of the finalists you selected are doing exemplary work for happy subscribers worldwide. Kaffebox (Oslo, Norway)   Mistobox (Phoenix, Arizona) The Coffeevine (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) Barista Hustle Superlatives (Melbourne, Australia) Collected Coffee (New York, NY) Bean Portal (Gothenburg, Sweden)  Best Coffee Podcast It’s never been a better time to be a coffee podcast lover, with long-running series and newcomers alike vying for ear time on your drive home. That’s why we added this new category to the 2016 Sprudgie Awards. For the first time, here are your nominees for Best Coffee Podcast: Cat & Cloud Coffee Podcast — Jared Truby and Chris Baca   Tamper Tantrum — Stephen Leighton and Colin Harmon, produced by Jenn Rugolo I Brew My Own Coffee — Brian Beyke and Bryan Schiele Opposites Extract — Joe Marrocco and Meister, produced by Andy Reiland Unpacking Coffee — Raymond and Kandace Brigleb Coffee Awesome —Bjørg Brend Laird Finest Coffee Event Another new category for the 2016 Sprudgies, this is an opportunity for our readers to honor unique coffee events around the world. From long-running international affairs to plucky brand new indie fairs, our first-ever field of nominees in this category run the gamut of event experiences. The first set of nominees for Finest Coffee Event are:  The 2016 SCAA Event — Produced by the Specialty Coffee Association of America The 2016 London Coffee Festival — Produced by Allegra Events The 2016 Mid-Atlantic Northeast Coffee Conference (MANE) — produced by Rik Kleinfeldt and New Harvest Coffee Roasters The 2016 Berlin Coffee Festival —Produced by Cory Andreen and The Berlin Coffee Festival The 2016 Tokyo Coffee Festival — Produced by Yuji Otsuki and the Tokyo Coffee Festival Barista Connect London — Produced by Sonja Zweidick and Barista Connect Outstanding Achievement in The Field of Excellence The most important Sprudgie Award is the hardest to define—this award is given to groups or individuals our readers seek to honor for their contribution to the wider coffee culture. Past awards have gone to remarkable coffee producers, game-changing green buyers, globe-spanning event organizers, and even an entire nation’s coffee growers. This year we’re overjoyed at the nominees you’ve selected for our Outstanding Achievement in The Field of Excellence. Your nominees are: Michelle Johnson for The Chocolate Barista   Jenn Chen for collected 2016 works Helen Russell & Brooke McDonald for Equator Coffees Laila Wilbur and Tracy Ging for The Coffeewoman Sonja Zweidick for Barista Connect Erna Knutsen for lifetime contributions to specialty coffee http://sprudge.com/vote  

Liz Chai is an avid coffee lover with a background in design. She fell in love with coffee in Atlanta through Octane & Counter Culture Coffee companies. Through the years she has helped with Aeropress Championships, Photographed, Freelanced as a writer and done part time barista work. She has learned a lot through traveling. She took her airstream trailer on a tour of the US while in transition to Portland, Oregon, where she lives now. Enjoy!

One of the pioneering Third Wave coffee roasters, Counter Culture Coffee is distinguished by their large variety of sustainable offerings, their meticulous attention to bean quality, and their educational programs. This episode features our interview with Erin McCarthy of their New York Training Center, America's first World Brewer's Cup Champion!   Read More: http://unpacking.coffee/counter-culture/

Joe and Eric discuss Joe’s visit at Counter Culture Coffee of Atlanta, and what a coffee tasting is like. Afterwards, they talk about the influence their coffee tastes have made on their peers; how friends and coworkers responded to craft coffee.

This week on the show, Eric and I discuss ‘The South - Home of Many a Great Soft Drink Company’. We also talked about white vs. green tea and taste test Counter Culture Coffee’s specialty grade Justina Ramos Bolivian coffee. Also, we want to give a huge shout out to Condesa Coffee. Thanks for the great coffeehouse experience!

Once we’ve solidified an event brief and reached out to speakers tentatively to check for availability, we usually get the question “but… what do you want me to talk about?” Whilst we usually have some ideas about what might go over well with an audience for a particular event, we’ve found that the best presentations are born from an exploratory chat about what it is that is currently inspiring, exciting, annoying, or even stumping them about their work or the current state of the industry—and, more importantly, that we end up in a very different place to where we started when we first approached the speaker. Katie Carguilo’s talk, “Beyond The Bar”, is a prime example of this process: what could have been a talk on natural processing or the state of specialty in America became an open acknowledgement of career aspirations, hard graft, opportunities, and responsibilities of baristas who desire to move beyond the bar. Using her own thirteen years’ experience to frame the conversation, Katie’s talk is a must-watch for anyone seeking to further their development and career in coffee. --Katie Carguilo has spent the past 13 years in coffee first as a barista in DC, then barista trainer and Customer Support Representative for Counter Culture in New York City, and finally as Counter Culture's Quality Analyst for their roastery in Emeryville, California. She is also the 2012 United States Barista Champion. She prefers cappuccinos to macchiatos, hot dogs to hamburgers, thrift stores to department stores, and guinea pigs to any other furry creature.  

Once we’ve solidified an event brief and reached out to speakers tentatively to check for availability, we usually get the question “but… what do you want me to talk about?” Whilst we usually have some ideas about what might go over well with an audience for a particular event, we’ve found that the best presentations are born from an exploratory chat about what it is that is currently inspiring, exciting, annoying, or even stumping them about their work or the current state of the industry—and, more importantly, that we end up in a very different place to where we started when we first approached the speaker. Katie Carguilo’s talk, “Beyond The Bar”, is a prime example of this process: what could have been a talk on natural processing or the state of specialty in America became an open acknowledgement of career aspirations, hard graft, opportunities, and responsibilities of baristas who desire to move beyond the bar. Using her own thirteen years’ experience to frame the conversation, Katie’s talk is a must-watch for anyone seeking to further their development and career in coffee. --Katie Carguilo has spent the past 13 years in coffee first as a barista in DC, then barista trainer and Customer Support Representative for Counter Culture in New York City, and finally as Counter Culture's Quality Analyst for their roastery in Emeryville, California. She is also the 2012 United States Barista Champion. She prefers cappuccinos to macchiatos, hot dogs to hamburgers, thrift stores to department stores, and guinea pigs to any other furry creature. 

This week on Snacky Tunes, hosts Greg and Darin Bresnitz welcome Tommy Gallagher (Wholesale Technical Services NY) and Jesse Kahn (Regional Wholesale Sales NY) from Counter Culture Coffee. Talking about how Counter Culture Coffee came to be as well as their dedication to finding and bringing to market the most exciting and delicious coffees in the world, Tommy and Jesse school Greg and Darin on good coffee do’s and don’ts, plus where they grab a cup of joe when they’re out in New York City. The coffee experts also share what sets Counter Culture Coffee a part from any other bean on the market and why they love working in the coffee biz. In the second half of the show, the guys welcome musical guest Oh Land to the studio. She tells her background growing up and shares that initially she wasn’t into music, though she comes from a very musical family. After a few live songs, Oh Land tells the guys of her love of cooking and delves into her favorite foods to make at home plus what’s on her radar for the upcoming year. This program was brought to you by Visit Napa Valley. “Coffee shops get to be the single issues voters of the food and beverage world.” “We do a really good job of being more than just a vendor of a product.” —Jesse Kahn on Snacky Tunes “When I tour, like most musicians, I eat out all the time and once you get you home I just love spending hours and hours in the kitchen.” —Oh Land on Snacky Tunes

Kelly McCullen talks with Larry Larson of Larry's Beans, checks out a "coffee cupping" where customers sample the products in a manner similar to a wine tasting, attends a barista throwdown to see some amazing coffee art, meets barista Andrew Brash, & takes in a "pour over" demonstration as he learns how NC is brewing up big business with coffee.

Pour some science into that cup of joe! Chemistry, physics, and botany, along with hot water and roasted and ground coffee beans, all combine to make the perfect cup of coffee.

Pour some science into that cup of joe! Chemistry, physics, and botany, along with hot water and roasted and ground coffee beans, all combine to make the perfect cup of coffee.

Biology & chemistry go into making coffee just as much as beans & water do. Fullsteam Brewery uses local materials in their beers. Britt's Donuts at Carolina Beach is marking its 75th anniversary. And Sam Houston talks about the NC STEM Center website linking citizens to STEM resources across NC.

This week on a new 45 minute version of Radio Cherry Bombe , Julia welcomes Katie Carguilo from Counter Culture Coffee and Executive Chef Lisa Giffen. In the first segment, guest Katie shares her experience as the first US Barista Champion from New York City as well as Counter Culture’s first national title winner in 2012. Katie is in charge of customer support for Counter Culture Coffee which prides itself in educating the world about all aspects of coffee, from growing to buying to brewing. Later, Julia welcomes Lisa Giffen of Maison Premiere to chat about her background, her journey into the food industry, as well as what her role of Executive Chef at Maison Premiere entails. This program has been brought to you by Whole Foods Market. “It’s good to find out more about the companies and the brands that you want to buy from so you can trust them… It’s not about any one coffee, if it’s certified organic or if it has a direct trade certification, you should look at the certification requirements for the different coffee companies.” [16:34] — Katie Carguilo on Radio Cherry Bombe “Right now I have a menu item that I’ve brought back beause I really loved it… it was one of the first dishes that was my own: it’s asparagus, morels, and poached oysters.” [38:50] — Lisa Giffen on Radio Cherry Bombe

After a long delay, the CoffeeGeek podcast is back in the same old mp3 format and a new enhanced iTunes / iPod format. Discussions about Italy certifying espresso, new coffees tried, Vancouver visitors and the WBC machine certifications.

After a long delay, the CoffeeGeek podcast is back in the same old mp3 format and a new enhanced iTunes / iPod format. Discussions about Italy certifying espresso, new coffees tried, Vancouver visitors and the WBC machine certifications.

This week finds Circus Boy trying to stay warm by drinking some tasty coffee in the flying dutchman while he reflects on RVs, frozen water hoses, and the new member to his coffee family. All of this, and the coffee scenes in chilly Pikeville, KY and Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, NC and I talk about my visit to Counter Culture Coffee . So sip some brew and give it a chew (or a listen)