The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by MAP IT FORWARD

MAP IT FORWARD
  • 4.5 (39)
  • Careers
  • Updated Daily

The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by MAP IT FORWARD provides content to the Global Specialty Coffee Industry every weekday. Episodes are released Monday to Friday at 1 am PT. Each week, a 5-part series is released with a single guest exploring a theme that the guest is an expert in. Series are relevant to current events happening in the specialty coffee industry, including business, logistics, economics, geopolitics, industry challenges, and more. Episodes are hosted by specialty coffee veteran, entrepreneur, and business advisor, Lee Safar. All episodes are unedited and typically run 15 - 20 minutes. The content on this podcast is suited to members of the global coffee industry keen on challenging the traditional narrative within the fast-evolving industry from a constructive and curious perspective. This is a conversational podcast, and from time to time, you will hear cursing because of the conversational nature of the discussions. Our values at MAP IT FORWARD are curiosity, integrity, authenticity, and openness. Our mission at MAP IT FORWARD is "Conspiring to each other's success". The video version of this podcast is available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/mapitforward Find out more about MAP IT FORWARD at https://www.mapitforward.coffee

  1. 19h ago

    EP 1644 Part 4 of 5 | Pricing, Power and the Coffee Supply Chain (Lee Safar) Map It Forward

    Advertising SponsorThis episode is brought to you by Map It Forward Podcast Advertising. Interested in advertising on this podcast? Email support@mapitforward.org to learn more. Episode Description This is episode 4 of a five-part solo series of The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward titled Saying the Quiet Parts Out Loud. In this episode, Lee Safar examines why coffee pricing models so often fail to reflect the real cost of operating a business. Across the supply chain, producers, importers, roasters and cafés frequently set prices based on what the market will accept or what competitors are charging, rather than what is required to cover operating costs and generate sustainable profit. Lee explains the difference between gross profit and net profit, and why failing to account for rent, labour, debt, utilities and other expenses leaves many coffee businesses underpriced from the start. She also explores how every part of the coffee supply chain becomes a price taker. Producers are influenced by the futures market, importers and exporters carry risk, roasters compete against market pricing, and cafés face resistance from consumers. This episode argues that responsible pricing begins with better financial understanding, greater supply-chain awareness and more open conversations about what each participant actually needs to be paid. Connect with Lee Safar here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leesafar/ https://www.instagram.com/leesafar If you found this episode valuable, make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast and follow along for the rest of this 5-part series. *************************************** About Map It Forward The Daily Coffee Pro is produced by Map It Forward, supporting coffee professionals globally across the supply chain. Website: https://mapitforward.coffee Mailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/ Contact: support@mapitforward.org

    EP 1644 Part 4 of 5 | Pricing, Power and the Coffee Supply Chain (Lee Safar) Map It Forward

  2. 1d ago

    EP 1643 Part 3 of 5 | Most Coffee Businesses Aren’t Actually Profitable (Lee Safar) Map It Forward

    Advertising SponsorWant to join our Map It Forward Monthly Community Discussion Group? Head to https://patreon.com/mapitforward to join the community by signing up for the "Roasted Coffee" tier for 20 USD per month. Find other like-minded people in the coffee industry. This community is open to all stakeholders in the coffee industry Episode Description This is episode 3 of a five-part solo series of The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward titled Saying the Quiet Parts Out Loud. In this episode, Lee Safar examines why so many coffee businesses appear successful while their owners remain unpaid and their margins remain dangerously thin. Many cafés, roasteries and farms generate significant revenue without producing sustainable profit. Owners often work long hours without paying themselves properly, while mistaking money moving through the business for financial success. Lee explores coffee’s low barrier to entry, the difference between revenue and profit, and what she calls the success fallacy—the belief that a busy café, polished brand or high sales figure automatically represents a healthy business. She also distinguishes between the custodians of coffee—the producers, exporters, importers, roasters and cafés responsible for moving coffee through the supply chain—and the businesses built around them, including landlords, banks, equipment manufacturers, software providers and industry associations. While the custodians often operate on razor-thin margins, many of the surrounding businesses continue to profit from them. This episode challenges the industry to stop valuing appearances, branding and revenue over sound financial fundamentals. A responsible coffee business must understand its numbers, pay its owner and employees properly, price its products responsibly and generate enough profit to survive. Connect with Lee Safar here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leesafar/ https://www.instagram.com/leesafar If you found this episode valuable, make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast and follow along for the rest of this 5-part series. *************************************** About Map It Forward The Daily Coffee Pro is produced by Map It Forward, supporting coffee professionals globally across the supply chain. Website: https://mapitforward.coffee Mailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/ Contact: support@mapitforward.org

    EP 1643 Part 3 of 5 | Most Coffee Businesses Aren’t Actually Profitable (Lee Safar) Map It Forward

  3. 2d ago

    EP 1642 Part 2 of 5 | Why Coffee Businesses Don’t Pay Their Bills on Time (Lee Safar) Map It Forward

    Advertising SponsorThis episode is brought to you by Arcadia Green Coffee, Colombian coffee exporters taking fresh green coffee from Colombia to the world, farm to roastery, direct. New office now open in the UK.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arcadiagreencoffee/WhatsApp: https://wa.me/353877871523 Episode Description This is episode 2 of a five-part solo series of The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward titled Saying the Quiet Parts Out Loud. In this episode, podcast host Lee Safar addresses one of the coffee industry’s most persistent open secrets: businesses routinely fail to pay their suppliers on time. Payment terms are not suggestions. When a supplier gives a café, roaster, importer or buyer seven, fourteen or thirty days to pay an invoice, that deadline forms part of the commercial agreement. But throughout the coffee supply chain, businesses frequently delay payment because they do not have enough cash available when the bill becomes due. Lee explains how this behaviour moves through the industry. Cafés delay paying roasters, milk suppliers, bakers and produce distributors. Roasters delay paying importers or producers. Importers carrying unpaid invoices may then struggle to pay exporters and farmers. One business’s cash-flow problem quickly becomes somebody else’s financial risk. The episode examines why this keeps happening. Many coffee businesses use most of their available capital on fit-outs, equipment, design, branding and opening expenses, then begin trading with little money left to cover ongoing operations. They expect revenue to arrive quickly, but when opening hype disappears and sales settle into reality, there may not be enough cash to pay every supplier. Some businesses then begin moving between suppliers. Once one supplier restricts their account or demands cash on delivery, the business opens an account elsewhere while leaving the original debt unpaid. This is not always driven by deliberate dishonesty, but the impact on suppliers can be severe regardless of the intention. Lee argues that the problem is rooted in fragile business models, razor-thin margins and a culture of competing through price. Businesses undercut competitors, give away equipment, chase volume and rely on future growth to compensate for work that is already unprofitable. The result is an industry built like a city of houses of cards. Rising coffee prices, labour costs, rent, logistics, foreign exchange pressure and declining consumer purchasing power are now shaking those businesses at the same time. When a café eventually closes, the consequences do not end with the owner. Employees may lose their jobs and wages without warning. Suppliers may never recover what they are owed. Roasters lose customers, importers lose volume and producers lose future demand. This episode is not about shaming business owners who are struggling. It is a warning about what happens when businesses open without enough operating capital, price irresponsibly and treat suppliers as an involuntary source of finance. Lee encourages struggling owners to confront the situation early, seek a responsible recovery plan and, where recovery is no longer possible, close with dignity rather than transferring the cost of failure to employees and suppliers. Connect with Lee Safar here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leesafar/ https://www.instagram.com/leesafar If you found this episode valuable, make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast and follow along for the rest of this 5-part series. *************************************** About Map It Forward The Daily Coffee Pro is produced by Map It Forward, supporting coffee professionals globally across the supply chain. Website: https://mapitforward.coffee Mailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/ Contact: support@mapitforward.org

    EP 1642 Part 2 of 5 | Why Coffee Businesses Don’t Pay Their Bills on Time (Lee Safar) Map It Forward

  4. 3d ago

    EP 1641 Part 1 of 5 | When Coffee Branding Becomes the Business Model (Lee Safar) Map It Forward

    Advertising SponsorGet “The Coffee Report by Map It Forward” directly to your inbox every Friday by signing up for either our Green Coffee or Roasted Coffee Patreon tiers in our Patreon community. Head to https://www.patreon.com/collection/2275485 to read the first report free. Sign up for as little as $5 per month. Episode Description This is episode 1 of a five-part solo series of The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward titled Saying the Quiet Parts Out Loud. This series was not originally scheduled to be a solo series. A guest who had recorded a five-part discussion about the rise of branded coffee producers asked for the episodes to be withdrawn shortly before publication. Rather than abandon the subject, podcast host Lee Safar uses this episode to examine the argument herself: has building a recognisable personal or farm brand become more important than building a responsible coffee business? Lee explores how producers, roasters, baristas and other coffee professionals have increasingly used visibility, competitions, public relations and social media to differentiate themselves. She traces part of this evolution through Panama’s most prominent producer estates, whose global recognition helped create demand for highly exclusive coffees while giving select roasters a powerful point of differentiation. The success of estates including Hacienda La Esmeralda and the Lamastus family estates demonstrated that strong producer brands can create considerable value. But their success also established a model that many producers are now encouraged to emulate without necessarily having the capital, access, infrastructure or customer base required to make it work. Building an internationally recognised producer brand requires far more than producing excellent coffee. It can involve extensive travel, marketing, media exposure, relationship building and significant long-term investment. That makes the model inaccessible to most of the millions of coffee producers operating around the world. Lee also questions what happens when the same attention-based model is adopted by roasters and coffee professionals. A large audience may generate recognition, invitations and free products, but it does not automatically produce profitability or a commercially sustainable business. The episode examines whether the coffee industry has begun confusing visibility with value, revenue with success, and brand recognition with sound business fundamentals. The conclusion is not that producers or roasters should avoid building brands. A strong brand can be an important business asset. The problem begins when branding becomes the primary strategy rather than one component of a responsible business with a responsible pricing model. This episode asks the coffee industry to consider whether its obsession with exclusivity, recognition and high-profile coffees is building a sustainable future—or simply creating another business model that only works for a very small group at the top. Connect with Lee Safar here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leesafar/ https://www.instagram.com/leesafar If you found this episode valuable, make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast and follow along for the rest of this 5-part series. *************************************** About Map It Forward The Daily Coffee Pro is produced by Map It Forward, supporting coffee professionals globally across the supply chain. Website: https://mapitforward.coffee Mailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/ Contact: support@mapitforward.org

    EP 1641 Part 1 of 5 | When Coffee Branding Becomes the Business Model (Lee Safar) Map It Forward

  5. 6d ago

    EP 1640 Part 5 of 5 | Why Nobody Can Predict Coffee Anymore (Jonas Leme Ferraresso) Map It Forward

    Advertising SponsorMIF Coffee Business Plan Review Service: AI can write a business plan. We'll help you determine whether it will work in the real world. Email support@mapitforward.org or DM @mapitforward.coffee to get started. Episode Description This is Part 5 of a 5-part series with Brazilian coffee agronomist Jonas Leme Ferraresso and Map It Forward Founder Lee Safar, examining the realities behind Brazil's coffee harvest and the growing uncertainty shaping the global coffee industry. Coffee businesses often focus on weather forecasts, crop estimates, and C Market prices. But what if one of the biggest risks to coffee has nothing to do with rainfall or production? In this final episode, Jonas explains why geopolitics, fertilizer availability, global logistics, and international trade have become just as important as climate when trying to understand the future of coffee. Brazil depends heavily on imported fertilizers to sustain one of the world's largest agricultural industries. Much of that supply originates in regions experiencing political instability or relies on shipping routes that have become increasingly vulnerable to conflict. As governments compete for critical minerals and global supply chains become more fragile, coffee producers are facing a new layer of uncertainty that extends well beyond the farm. We explore why fertilizer availability matters long before coffee is harvested, how rising geopolitical tensions can influence agricultural costs around the world, and why simple assumptions about expanding coffee production overlook the practical realities farmers face every season. Perhaps the biggest lesson from this conversation is that uncertainty is no longer the exception it has become the operating environment for the global coffee industry. Rather than making bold predictions, coffee businesses need to become better at managing risk, adapting to change, and making decisions with incomplete information. Jonas also shares a thoughtful reflection on empathy, leadership, and what he hopes the future of the coffee industry can become a fitting conclusion to one of our most important conversations this year. Connect with Jonas Leme Ferraresso here: https://www.instagram.com/jonascoffeeagronomist https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonas-leme-ferraresso If you found this episode valuable, make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast and follow along for the rest of this 5-part series. *************************************** About Map It Forward The Daily Coffee Pro is produced by Map It Forward, supporting coffee professionals globally across the supply chain. Website: https://mapitforward.coffee Mailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/ Contact: support@mapitforward.org

    EP 1640 Part 5 of 5 | Why Nobody Can Predict Coffee Anymore (Jonas Leme Ferraresso) Map It Forward

  6. Jul 16

    EP 1639 Part 4 of 5 | El Niño Could Change Everything for Coffee (Jonas Leme Ferraresso) Map It Forward

    Advertising SponsorThis episode is brought to you by Map It Forward Podcast Advertising. Interested in advertising on this podcast? Email support@mapitforward.org to learn more. Episode Description This is Part 4 of a 5-part series with Brazilian coffee agronomist Jonas Leme Ferraresso and Map It Forward Founder Lee Safar, exploring the realities behind Brazil's 2026 harvest and why the coffee market continues to struggle with uncertainty. Every year, long before coffee is harvested, predictions begin to circulate about how large the next crop will be. Markets react. Businesses make purchasing decisions. Expectations are formed. But how reliable are those predictions? In this episode, Jonas explains why forecasting Brazil's 2027 coffee crop is far more complicated than many market participants appreciate. While current growing conditions suggest the potential for a very large crop, coffee is an agricultural system—not a manufacturing process—and potential means very little until weather, disease, flowering, and fruit development have all played out. We explore how El Niño influences rainfall and temperature patterns across Brazil, why excessive rain during harvest can create unexpected problems, and how fungal diseases, leaf loss, and delayed harvesting can affect not only this year's production but also the crop that follows. Perhaps most importantly, Jonas explains why the health of the coffee tree after harvest is just as important as the harvest itself. Leaves damaged by disease, stress from excessive heat, and interruptions to photosynthesis all reduce the plant's ability to support the next flowering cycle. This conversation is an important reminder that coffee production doesn't operate on certainty. It operates on biology, climate, and time. If you've heard confident predictions about Brazil's 2027 crop, this episode provides essential context for understanding why those forecasts should always be treated with caution. Connect with Jonas Leme Ferraresso here: https://www.instagram.com/jonascoffeeagronomist https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonas-leme-ferraresso If you found this episode valuable, make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast and follow along for the rest of this 5-part series. *************************************** About Map It Forward The Daily Coffee Pro is produced by Map It Forward, supporting coffee professionals globally across the supply chain. Website: https://mapitforward.coffee Mailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/ Contact: support@mapitforward.org

    EP 1639 Part 4 of 5 | El Niño Could Change Everything for Coffee (Jonas Leme Ferraresso) Map It Forward

  7. Jul 15

    EP 1638 Part 3 of 5 | How Trump Changed the Global Coffee Trade (Jonas Leme Ferraresso) Map It Forward

    Advertising SponsorWant to join our Map It Forward Monthly Community Discussion Group? Head to https://patreon.com/mapitforward to join the community by signing up for the "Roasted Coffee" tier for 20 USD per month. Find other like-minded people in the coffee industry. This community is open to all stakeholders in the coffee industry Episode Description This is Part 3 of a 5-part series with Brazilian coffee agronomist Jonas Leme Ferraresso and Map It Forward Founder Lee Safar, exploring the realities behind Brazil's 2026 coffee harvest and the forces reshaping the global coffee industry. Coffee doesn't move around the world in isolation. It moves through relationships, trade agreements, logistics, and geopolitics. In recent years, few political decisions have had a greater impact on international trade than the tariff policies introduced during Donald Trump's presidency. While much of the public discussion focused on manufacturing and technology, the ripple effects extended into agriculture, including coffee. In this episode, Jonas explains how tariffs and political tensions changed the pace of Brazilian coffee exports to the United States, why American roasters began sourcing coffee differently, and how Brazil responded by strengthening relationships with other trading partners around the world. More importantly, this conversation explores why coffee businesses can no longer afford to ignore geopolitics. Trade relationships that once seemed stable are evolving rapidly, forcing producers, exporters, importers, and roasters to rethink how they manage risk. Rather than viewing these events through a political lens, Jonas encourages us to see them as examples of how governments, trade policy, and international partnerships directly influence the movement of coffee across the global supply chain. Whether you work in coffee sourcing, importing, roasting, green coffee trading, or simply want to understand why coffee markets have become so unpredictable, this episode offers valuable insight into one of the biggest structural shifts happening in the industry today. Connect with Jonas Leme Ferraresso here: https://www.instagram.com/jonascoffeeagronomist https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonas-leme-ferraresso If you found this episode valuable, make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast and follow along for the rest of this 5-part series. *************************************** About Map It Forward The Daily Coffee Pro is produced by Map It Forward, supporting coffee professionals globally across the supply chain. Website: https://mapitforward.coffee Mailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/ Contact: support@mapitforward.org

    EP 1638 Part 3 of 5 | How Trump Changed the Global Coffee Trade (Jonas Leme Ferraresso) Map It Forward

  8. Jul 14

    EP 1637 Part 2 of 5 | Why Coffee Stock Levels Matter More Than You Think (Jonas Leme Ferraresso) Map It Forward

    Advertising SponsorMIF Coffee Business Plan Review Service: AI can write a business plan. We'll help you determine whether it will work in the real world. Email support@mapitforward.org or DM @mapitforward.coffee to get started. Episode Description This is Part 2 of a 5-part series with Brazilian coffee agronomist Jonas Leme Ferraresso and Map It Forward Founder Lee Safar, exploring what every coffee professional should understand about Brazil's 2026 harvest and what it means for the global coffee market. One of the biggest misunderstandings in today's coffee market isn't how much coffee Brazil is producing, it's how much coffee is actually available. When people hear that Brazil has coffee stored in warehouses, many assume those inventories provide a comfortable safety buffer. The reality is far more complicated. In this episode, Jonas explains the difference between coffee that physically exists and coffee that is commercially available. We discuss why warehouse inventories have become so important after the volatility of recent years, what remains from previous harvests, and why declining stock levels can amplify market uncertainty even when a new crop is arriving. This conversation also explores how producers, exporters, and traders think about inventory management after several years of weather disruptions, supply chain instability, and historically volatile coffee prices. Understanding coffee stocks isn't simply about counting bags—it's about understanding risk, liquidity, logistics, and timing. If you're trying to understand why the coffee market continues to react so strongly to seemingly small changes in supply, this episode provides critical context that goes well beyond production estimates. Whether you're a producer, importer, exporter, roaster, trader, café owner, or anyone working across the coffee value chain, this discussion will help you better understand one of the least appreciated drivers of today's coffee market. Connect with Jonas Leme Ferraresso here: https://www.instagram.com/jonascoffeeagronomist https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonas-leme-ferraresso If you found this episode valuable, make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast and follow along for the rest of this 5-part series. *************************************** About Map It Forward The Daily Coffee Pro is produced by Map It Forward, supporting coffee professionals globally across the supply chain. Website: https://mapitforward.coffee Mailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/ Contact: support@mapitforward.org

    EP 1637 Part 2 of 5 | Why Coffee Stock Levels Matter More Than You Think (Jonas Leme Ferraresso) Map It Forward
See All (301)

4.5
out of 5
39 Ratings

About

The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by MAP IT FORWARD provides content to the Global Specialty Coffee Industry every weekday. Episodes are released Monday to Friday at 1 am PT. Each week, a 5-part series is released with a single guest exploring a theme that the guest is an expert in. Series are relevant to current events happening in the specialty coffee industry, including business, logistics, economics, geopolitics, industry challenges, and more. Episodes are hosted by specialty coffee veteran, entrepreneur, and business advisor, Lee Safar. All episodes are unedited and typically run 15 - 20 minutes. The content on this podcast is suited to members of the global coffee industry keen on challenging the traditional narrative within the fast-evolving industry from a constructive and curious perspective. This is a conversational podcast, and from time to time, you will hear cursing because of the conversational nature of the discussions. Our values at MAP IT FORWARD are curiosity, integrity, authenticity, and openness. Our mission at MAP IT FORWARD is "Conspiring to each other's success". The video version of this podcast is available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/mapitforward Find out more about MAP IT FORWARD at https://www.mapitforward.coffee

Information

You Might Also Like