Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders Chris Deferio

Learning to roast and hone one's skill in the craft is a difficult task. Add to that the pursuit of competition and leading an entire department of a to U.S. coffee business and you have yourself one very talented coffee professional. 
Today I am thrilled to interview the new U.S. Roasting Champion, Eduardo Choza!
Eduardo is the Director of Coffee at Mayorga Coffee. He oversees the operations of E-commerce and Coffee Education & Training for Mayorga Coffee. Among being a talented roaster he is a Q-Grader and 3x US Coffee Roasting Championship Finalist.  And now 2024 US Roasting Champion!
Eduardo is a father of two and proud son of hardworking Mexican immigrants.
 
His motivation to compete came from wanting to represent something larger than himself. I compete to represent the largest organic Latino-owned roastery; to represent the immigrants and children of immigrants who work there; to represent the producers and pickers in those beautiful coffee growing lands; to represent his family and families who had the courage to cross borders and seek opportunities for future generations; and to represent my culture.
In our conversation we discuss Eduardo's journey on coffee, approach to roasting, the competition experience, how he leads and teaches, and the drive for representation in coffee that fuels his career. 
Links:
www.mayorgacoffee.com
Related Episodes: 
451: Business Growth, Integrity, and Coffee Farmer Equity w/ Martin Mayorga of Mayorga Coffee 352: Music, Culture, and Coffee w/ Hip Hop Artist, Propaganda 444: Founder Friday! w/ Julia Peixoto Peters of Peixoto Coffee, Arizona 338: A Conversation w/ Martell Mason of The Sepia Coffee Project, Detroit, Michigan RoR # 21 : Data, Community, and the Art of Roasting w/ U.S. Roasters Champion Andrew Coe of Elevator Coffee Thank you to our amazing sponsors!
Get the best brewer and tool for batch espresso, iced lattes, and 8 minute cold brew! www.groundcontrol.coffee
 
The world loves plant based beverages and baristas love the Barista Series! www.pacificfoodservice.com
 

Too many times we confuse giving feedback with lecturing our staff which easily shuts down the person we were intending to communicate with. Feedback is critical to your culture but, As past guest and friend of the show,Tom Henschel has said, "Feedback is not a lecture, it is a conversation. 
Today on Shift Break we will be breaking down this statement, what it means, and how to apply it in your cafe.
If you are a cafe owner and want to work one on one with me to bring your shop to its next level and help bring you joy and freedom in the process then email chris@keystothshop.com of book a free call now: 
https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min
Listen to related episodes: 
Reasonable Expectations Proactivity in the Owner - Manager Relationship Blood Sucking Bosses! Things the Owner Can't do for You 427 : Encore Episode: What you MUST Know About Employee Culture w/ Stan Slap 366: A Conversation w/ Chris Baca of Cat and Cloud Coffee 291 : What to do if Your Baristas Wont Listen to You 067 : 6 Truths About Power : The Responsible Approach to Power Dynamics in the Cafe Thank you to out sponsors! Everything you need for back of the house operations https://rattleware.qualitybystainless.com/
 
The best and most revered espresso machines on the planet: www.lamarzoccousa.com
 
 
 

Developing the wholesale arm of your coffee roasting company boils down to the  value can you offer your potential customers.  Beyond the coffee itself, your wholesale customer needs assistance in their own coffee journey and your company, specifically the reps, need to be able to be equipped to deliver that help. At the heart of what makes a wholesale program successful is relationships. Todays guest has been doing this now for 13 years and walks the talk of delivering value through services and relationships with wholesale coffee clients with one of the nations best roasters.
Honor Forte has been the Director of Wholesale at Olympia Coffee since 2011. He has worked as a Barista, Delivery Driver, and Trainer at Olympia Coffee, in addition to working in coffee on the East Coast from 2009 until 2011. He also serves as a Head Judge and Competition Committee member at the US Barista Competitions since 2013.
In our conversation we discuss how Honor developed as a coffee professional to focus on sales, what it took to get clients and grow partnerships long term, what makes a good sales rep, and what you need to know to take the next step in building your own wholesale program either from the ground up, or to the next level. 
Links:
www.olympiacoffee.com
Olympia Coffee Roaster : https://www.instagram.com/olympiacoffee/ 
Honor Forte IG: https://www.instagram.com/honorforte/
 
Related Episodes: 
246 : Selecting a Wholesale Coffee Provider 133 : 5 Keys to Successful Wholesale w/ Sarah Richmond 303 : Create Authentic Partnerships w/ Marc Gessler of Cat & Cloud Coffee Thank you to our amazing sponsors!
Get the best brewer and tool for batch espresso, iced lattes, and 8 minute cold brew! www.groundcontrol.coffee
 
The world loves plant based beverages and baristas love the Barista Series! www.pacificfoodservice.com
 

Welcome to another episode in the live from Coffee Fest interview series! 
This is a series of 4 conversations with presenters on the show floor at Coffee Fest NYC.
The topics range from how to connect with community, running a successful mobile coffee operation, getting your coffee into grocery stores, and how to approach roastery workflow and architecture. 
First up is Sarina Prabasi, co-founder of Buunni Coffee in NYC. We talk about how to truly connect with your community through your coffee shop. Next we talk with Eric and Destiny Rowell, founders of Grit and Grind Coffee. We discuss the keys to success in coffee trailers and mobile coffee Our next conversation will be with Asia Bites Consulting founder Sara Vettori about what we need to know in order to get our coffee in grocery stores. Finally we wrap up talking with Vice President of Mill City Roasters, Angie Davis all about roastery workflow and architecture  Links:
www.buunnicoffee.com
www.millcityroasters.com
www.gritandgrind.coffee
Asia Bites Consulting" Sara Vettori
 
Related episodes: 
367 : Designing Your Coffee Shop for Community w/ Dr. Lisa Waxman 230 : Making room for Community in your Shop 422: Coffee Truck Success w/ Vincent LaVolpa of Green Joe Coffee School 384 : How to Run a Successful Coffee Cart w/ Sarah Naylor of Daybreak Coffee Cart 196 : Understanding Customer Preferences w/ Peter Giuliano Transcript 361: Managing Roastery Relationships and Logistics w/ Corey Turner of Andytown Coffee Roasters 285 : Better Systems, Better Connections w/ Jon Ewald of RoasterTools 152 : Essential Advice for Starting a Roastery w/ Jen Apodaca Sponsor:
www.coffeefest.com
 

How many times have we fallen prey to assumptions about one another in the cafe that end up creating needless strife and hold back progress at maybe the most critical point in the supply chain? Answer, too many times to count. We create these characterizations and generalizations at our own peril and wonder why there is toxicity in the coffee shop. 
Today on Shift Break we will be talking why this type of thinking from both owners and baristas is so common and what we can do about moving past it to actually work together for a more positive coffee culture. 
If you are a cafe owner and want to work one on one with me to bring your shop to its next level and help bring you joy and freedom in the process then email chris@keystothshop.com of book a free call now: 
https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min
Listen to related episodes: 
Reasonable Expectations Proactivity in the Owner - Manager Relationship Blood Sucking Bosses! Things the Owner Can't do for You 427 : Encore Episode: What you MUST Know About Employee Culture w/ Stan Slap 366: A Conversation w/ Chris Baca of Cat and Cloud Coffee 291 : What to do if Your Baristas Wont Listen to You 067 : 6 Truths About Power : The Responsible Approach to Power Dynamics in the Cafe Thank you to out sponsors! Everything you need for back of the house operations https://rattleware.qualitybystainless.com/
 
The best and most revered espresso machines on the planet: www.lamarzoccousa.com
 
 
 

Being technically skilled as a leader is a small part of what makes one effective. The larger part of cafe effective leadership has to do with emotional skill and how we either create or destroy relationship in the daily life of our coffee businesses. The impact of our over-focus on technical skill leads to many cultural issues that eventually show up in the partial or total downfall of your business.
Today I am please to welcome back to the show Jonathan Raymond, who is the author of the book Good Authority, which we discussed on this show 5 years ago. He is back to help us learn about emotional leadership and the insights here are nothing short of revelatory. 
Jonathan is best known for his book Good Authority, How to Become the Leader Your Team is Waiting For. The book, awarded the Axiom Business Book Award Silver Medal in 2018, delves into the psychology and leadership required to be a successful manager. It introduces the groundbreaking concept of the Accountability Dial — a five-step model for addressing performance issues while nurturing personal growth in team members.
Fueled by the book’s success, Jonathan establishing Refound. At its core, Refound seeks to empower modern managers by addressing the crux of workplace discord – leadership authority left untapped. Jonathan’s vision extended further with the inception of Refound Academy, a virtual learning platform designed to transform managers into confident people leaders. Refound most recently introduced “Ren” — an AI-powered on-demand coach, serves as a 24/7 mentor programmed with two decades of Jonathan’s leadership wisdom.
Links:
www.refound.com 
Related Episodes: 
074 : The Life Changing Power of Good Authority w/ Jonathan Raymond 368 : Walking the Line Between Leadership and Friendship 232 : Rebuilding your Staff with Excellence w/ Dave Stachowiak 067 : 6 Truths About Power : The Responsible Approach to Power Dynamics in the Cafe Thank you to our amazing sponsors!
Get the best brewer and tool for batch espresso, iced lattes, and 8 minute cold brew! www.groundcontrol.coffee
 
The world loves plant based beverages and baristas love the Barista Series! www.pacificfoodservice.com