Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

Chris Deferio
  • 4.8 (254)
  • FOOD
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A coffee podcast providing coffee shop owners and leaders, with insights, inspiration, and the tools you need to grow and advance your coffee business or coffee career. We learn from experts both in and outside the coffee industry as they deliver specific, practical, and actionable advice about ownership, optimization, profitability, barista work, employee culture, management, scaling, leadership, personal development, and anything else that will help you achieve success in the coffee shop.

  1. 2D AGO

    595: Founder Friday | Advocating for Independent coffee shops w/ Peter Dore-Smith of Kaffeine London UK

    Creating an excellent cafe experience is a work of commitment and dedication to caring for both the staff and the community that you serve. The coffee shop functions as a cornerstone of a healthy social structure in any city and advocating for it needs to sometimes go beyond the operations of the shop itself but extend into action taken to change the civil environment a cafe operates in.  Today I am very pleased to welcome to the show, Co-Founder of Kaffeine in London, UK, Peter Dore-Smith Kaffeine is an award winning coffee shop business with 2 locations in London, UK whose stated aim is to be the one of the best coffee shops in the UK through tireless attention to every detail in quality and service. Peter Dore-Smith (originally from Melbourne) has been owner operator of the Kaffeine since its founding it in 2009. It stands today as a foundational cafe in the London coffee scene being one of the first to introduce customers to Aussie style coffee.  Today with two stores, Kaffiene is focused more than ever on the constant pursuit of excellence in the details and especially on making the work of the bar and the experience customers have, something transformative and beneficial to each persons life.  Recently Peter has been active in campaigning to lower VAT in the UK as the tax rate in harming coffee shops, pubs, and other shops similar. This is the activism born from a desire to create better conditions to sustain the great difference coffee shops make in communities.  We cover:  The Genesis of Caffeine and Coffee Culture Planning and Opening Caffeine Challenges in the Early Days Systems and Processes for Success Maintaining Quality and Brand Identity The Importance of Attention to Detail Navigating Trends and Staying Relevant Challenges Facing Small Coffee Businesses Grassroots Advocacy for Coffee Shops The Business of Coffee: Balancing Passion and Profit Links:  Change.Org Petition to Lower VAT https://www.instagram.com/indycoffeeguide/ Kaffeine on IG: @kaffeinelondon      KEYS TO THE SHOP ALSO OFFERS 1:1 CONSULTING AND COACHING! 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    Related episodes:  The Power of Questions and Connecting with Community 352: Music, Culture, and Coffee w/ Hip Hop Artist, Propaganda Four Steps to Inspiring Your Staff 563: Founder Friday! w/ Jared Linzmeier of Ruby Coffee Roaster

    55 min

  2. 3D AGO

    SHIFT BREAK! Fixing My Face: Why Optics Matter in the Shop

    I can hold an average weight business card in the furrow of my brow. Kinda proud of that. However in my career my natural resting face has inspired a lot of "interesting" assumptions. Now, to some degree, there is a limit to what I can do, but in my work I want to make sure that what I want to communicate and display is actually clearly seen and felt.  Today on Shift Break we will not just discuss my face, but we will discuss the importance of optics in the cafe and how each professional who desires to show hospitality should be open to adjusting how they present themselves in order to, like our friend Tom Henschel say on his podcast, be perceived in the work place the way we want to be perceived.   KEYS TO THE SHOP®  1:1 CONSULTING AND COACHING 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    Related Episodes:    SHIFT BREAK: Are You Open?   SHIFT BREAK! The Trend of Backwards Hospitality   SHIFT BREAK! Why The Best Hospitality Starts With The Transactional!

    13 min

  3. 4D AGO

    ROR #40 w/ Chris Johnson of Purefi Coffee Roasters, Spring Texas : Roasting Excellent Coffee With Purpose

    Roasting and brewing creates opportunity for mentorship and relationships that last longer than the sensory experience of the cup. Seriously pursuing technical excellence is a part of securing this opportunity and today's guest has been on a journey to bring both to the table. On this Rate of Rise we are talking with Purefi Coffee Roasters, Chris Johnson! Chris is the lead roaster and co-founder of Purefi Coffee Roasters in Spring, TX where they use the service of specialty coffee roasting to mentor the next generation and to partner with local and global initiatives that create positive change in the world.  He enjoys roasting coffee and aims to excel at highlighting the quality and consistency of each coffee sourced, roasted, and brewed by his hands.   We discuss: - His beginnings in coffee - How his story informs the vision and mission of Purefi - Highlighting the unique characteristics of each coffee - Why feedback from customers is crucial - Mentorship and relationship in the business - Sourcing simplicity - Having a wider variety for more customers Related episodes:  RoR #39: Making Big Impact with Small Batch Roasting w/ Adrian Seligman Founder of Scandinavian Alps Coffee Roasters! RoR#38 : A Better Way to Think About Roasting Dark, w Erik Johnson of Thinkwell Coffee RoR #34: Roasting for Different Cultivars w/ Rob Hoos | Rob Hoos Coffee Consulting RoR #30 : Challenging Dogma With Data w/ Coffee Roaster and Chemical Engineer Mark Al-Shemmeri Our Sponsor for Rate of Rise! www.millcityroasters.com

    48 min

  4. 5D AGO

    594: Encore : Don't Get Stuck: Retraining Staff on New Standards

    It is easy to become stuck in the ways that you first learned to do things. Especially if those ways have brought some degree of success. We take comfort in the familiar to the degree that even if it is not working, we will protect the known dysfunction rather than embracing something new better, but not known. Not to mention the fact that we can tend to reject it because we anticipate the resistance from staff. On today's episode we are going back to a very old podcast that addresses how you can successfully retrain your staff on new standards and navigate the change gracefully.   KEY HOLDER COACHING GROUPS 2026! Are you a coffee shop owner looking to join a community of other owners to help bring perspective, insight, encouragement, and accountability in a well curated setting?  Then you need to apply to join Key holder Coaching Groups!  Applications are now open for Spring 2026 Cohort: Click below to learn more:  APPLY TO KEY HOLDER COACHING GROUPS     KEYS TO THE SHOP ALSO OFFERS 1:1 CONSULTING AND COACHING! 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    Related episodes:  SHIFT BREAK : Setting and meeting Standards in the Coffee Shop SHIFT BREAK! When Changing Things, Pay Attention to the Heart of the Business SHIFT BREAK! New Managers: Learning Before Changing 080 : Changing things in the Cafe : A workflow for Refinement

    29 min

  5. MAR 19

    SHIFT BREAK: Cupping is Overrated

    I love cupping coffee. It is a great way to assess a coffee and learn how to identify defects, attributes, and nuances that allow you to make decisions about buying coffee and how to maintain consistency in roasting. But the issue we have in a lot of coffee is that cupping, a practice designed for the above scenarios, has been miss used in the front of house customer facing world of retail.  Today on Shift Break we will be talking about cupping's place in coffee quality control and what we should be doing instead of cupping to better manage the quality of our coffee and more clearly communicate a coffee's attributes to customers.    APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN!  KEY HOLDER COACHING GROUPS  Are you a coffee shop owner looking to join a community of other owners to help bring perspective, insight, encouragement, and accountability in a well curated setting?  Then you need to apply to join Key holder Coaching Groups!  Applications are now open for Spring 2026 Cohort: APPLY TO KEY HOLDER COACHING GROUPS   KEYS TO THE SHOP®  1:1 CONSULTING AND COACHING 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    Related Episodes:    586: How to Dial In Your Cafe   SHIFT BREAK! How to Think About Quality 533: Principles of Quality Control 406 : Five Ways to Immediately Improve Your Coffee Quality

    14 min

  6. MAR 17

    593: Why You Should Not Manage Gen Z

    The favorite past time of many an owner is to gripe about their younger Gen Z staff. Before them it was millennials. Before them it was Gen X, before them...well, you get the idea. For as long as coffee shops have hired employees, leaders have found it challenging to lead and manage a younger work force and the reason given is that there is just something about "That" generation.  Well, I have good news for you! On today's episode we will be talking about why you should not manage these Gen Z people! At least not the way you think you do. We will explore the counterproductive practice of studying cohorts of people vs the productive practice of actually managing the people you have right in front of you. I recently gave a talk about this subject at Coffee Fest and it really hit home to many struggling to find ways to manage their staff. I hope you find this episode to be both a relief and challenging at the same time.    Related Episodes: 558: Digital Natives and the Future of Coffee Shops w/Kosta Kallivrousis 194 : Encore Episode! Leadership in the Cafe: 10 Steps to being a People First Leader | Aired January 17 2017 579: How to Really Care For People in the Cafe 588: Prioritizing the Right Things as Your Cafe Grows Growth is Not Just For The Buisiness 415: The Best Lessons On How to Listen w/ Listening Expert, Oscar Trimboli   KEY HOLDER COACHING GROUPS 2026! Are you a coffee shop owner looking to join a community of other owners to help bring perspective, insight, encouragement, and accountability in a well curated setting?  Then you need to apply to join Key holder Coaching Groups!  Applications are now open for Spring 2026 Cohort: Click below to learn more:  APPLY TO KEY HOLDER COACHING GROUPS     KEYS TO THE SHOP ALSO OFFERS 1:1 CONSULTING AND COACHING! 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

    43 min

  7. MAR 12

    SHIFT BREAK! Become Immune to Fear-Based Coffee Marketing

    "Don't get left behind!" It feels like every post trying to sell you on a product relies on fear in order to make the sale. The idea of marketing to "pain points" as they say in the biz, is not entirely wrong since we do in-fact want to provide solutions for real needs. But where things go a step too far is trying to create problems in order to sell the solution. As a coffee shop, you have an opportunity to build your resiliency toward these tactics to make sober-minded decisions and you also have the opportun ity to apply that same steady and genuine approach to how you see and treat your staff and customers.  Today on Shift Break we will be talking about how to become grounded and intentional in a sea of marketing so you decide based on knowledge of need rather than imagined fear.  APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN!  KEY HOLDER COACHING GROUPS  Are you a coffee shop owner looking to join a community of other owners to help bring perspective, insight, encouragement, and accountability in a well curated setting?  Then you need to apply to join Key holder Coaching Groups!  Applications are now open for Spring 2026 Cohort: Click below to learn more:  APPLY TO KEY HOLDER COACHING GROUPS     KEYS TO THE SHOP®  1:1 CONSULTING AND COACHING 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    Related Episodes:  SHIFT BREAK: Making Sense of Marketing Promises SHIFT BREAK: The Best Marketing Strategy 485: Your Shop vs The Industry – How to Free Yourself From Dependency

    14 min

  8. MAR 10

    592: The Criteria For The World's Best Coffee Shop

    Ranking the best coffee shops in the world is a task that sounds like a neat idea! That is until you realize the sheer impossibility of such a task not to mention the cognitive dissonance required to pretend like the results of such a ranking are in any way definitive  or substantive. The world of coffee shops thrives on professional pursuits related to criteria anchored in locality and the nuance of that community's values.  On today's episode we will be talking about what we can learn from the World's best rankings stated criteria for cafe judging and why we, our staff, and our customers are the only ones who can truly decide on whether or not the criteria they allegedly consider are actually being carried out in ways that objective and meaningful. I will also add a few things they do not consider that are glaringly omitted but crucial to the quality of any shop.  The listed criteria we are told is considered but not told what it means.   -Quality of coffee -Barista Expertise -Customer Service -Innovation -Ambience and atmosphere -Sustainability practices -Food and pastry quality -Consistency -Community Left out:  Regular customer experience of the above criteria Staff experience of the shop and leadership    Related Episodes: 485: Your Shop vs The Industry – How to Free Yourself From Dependency Your peers are not your Customers   KEY HOLDER COACHING GROUPS 2026! Are you a coffee shop owner looking to join a community of other owners to help bring perspective, insight, encouragement, and accountability in a well curated setting?  Then you need to apply to join Key holder Coaching Groups!  Applications are now open for Spring 2026 Cohort: Click below to learn more:  APPLY TO KEY HOLDER COACHING GROUPS     KEYS TO THE SHOP ALSO OFFERS 1:1 CONSULTING AND COACHING! 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

    26 min
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254 Ratings

About

A coffee podcast providing coffee shop owners and leaders, with insights, inspiration, and the tools you need to grow and advance your coffee business or coffee career. We learn from experts both in and outside the coffee industry as they deliver specific, practical, and actionable advice about ownership, optimization, profitability, barista work, employee culture, management, scaling, leadership, personal development, and anything else that will help you achieve success in the coffee shop.

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