Coffee is ME - Start Your Coffee Business

Kelly and Brandon are lucky to grow, process, roast and serve their coffee. They are in full control over the quality from the seed to cup. In this two episodes they will tell their fascinating story starting a coffee farm and a coffee roasting company in Hawaii. As always I use special interrogation techniques to extract plenty of wisdom about their branding, website, Instagram, social media also how to roast properly Hawaiian coffee and finally how to purchase a coffee roasting company. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit valeriancoffee.substack.com

Stephen Leighton answers your questions about roast profiles, the new flavor wheel, barista skills and much more. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit valeriancoffee.substack.com

In this episode we are continuing having fun with Stephen Leighton from Has Bean -- one of the pioneers of specialty coffee in Europe and also one of the pioneers of coffee videos on YouTube. How does it feel to make your first videos? How does it help your brand and whether it helps all the time. Also in this episode I will ask Stephen how would he start a coffee company if he would not have Has Bean. Interestingly his answer is not what we are accustomed to. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit valeriancoffee.substack.com

How did has bean become one of the icons of the European coffee scene? Check out the latest episode with Stephen Leighton and get inspired to do the same... if thats what you fancy. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit valeriancoffee.substack.com

Questions about starting or running your cafe with Devorah Freudiger fro Equator Coffees and Teas This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit valeriancoffee.substack.com

In this episode we continue our journey of starting a cafe. We are going to talk about your baristas and how can you make them feel that they are part of the company. Next we are going to talk about the soft opening which can help you with testing your cafe concept, logistics, efficiency, quality control and even start to spread the word that your coffee is ready to open. When does the coffee turn profitable? Devorah will tell you what to expect and how fast did their cafes turn profitable. Would you drop a cafe which will butcher the quality of your coffee? We share our views on this, it is only fair that you share yours. You can do so for example in our Facebook group. How can you score a VIP wholesale account like French Laundy ?(runs under famous Chef Thomas Keller) Finally - Super automatic espresso machines, shall you use them? "… oh… what? what?" I know what you think, but you do want to listen to this Devorah has amazing take on this. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit valeriancoffee.substack.com

Some of the most popular episodes of this podcast were about opening a cafe with Gwilym Davies. I decided to go deeper into this topic with my virtual barista mentor, Devorah Freudiger, who helps open cafes for the rapidly growing San Francisco Bay Area brand Equator Coffees and Teas. Devorah will tell us what the main criteria should be for selecting a cafe location, what kind of businesses do you want as your neighbors, and answers the question whether it's good to have a big coffee chain in your neighborhood. Once you set up your location, you will need to hire baristas. What is more important, personality or skills? We will also discuss your favorite topic: what kind of espresso makers, grinders and technology to use in your cafe, and what Devorah considers the most important features when selecting these beasts. We will talk about the menu: are sweet drinks a good idea? How about drink sizes? What about non-coffee items, how do they improve your check average? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit valeriancoffee.substack.com

How does specialty grade coffee doing in Iran? Reza Kosar from SAM cafe will let you know. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit valeriancoffee.substack.com

Discussing web presence and social media with Henry Wilson from Perfect Daily Grind. In this episode you will learn what platform and web host to use for your web sites, how to use Facebook and Instagram to improve your social reach and we will give you few tips how to use email marketing so your customers will be excited to get your emails. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit valeriancoffee.substack.com

Listeners questions about how to ask for green coffee samples, how to network and buy coffee directly from origin, how to create relations with coffee farmers and much more. We will also go a bit off topic and talk about interesting concept like Bulletproof coffee and not so interesting concept losing weight with green coffee. As always thank you for tuning in! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit valeriancoffee.substack.com

Rodolfo has a great job. In winter he oversees harvest and processing of coffee and in spring and summer he helps European coffee roasters to get hold of his best lots. We will talk about his amazing job, discuss the quality of coffee at origin, but also the European coffee scene. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit valeriancoffee.substack.com

Your questions for mike Perry about coffee business, coffee roasting, business management and much more. You can ask questions via coffeeis.me facebook group. See you there! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit valeriancoffee.substack.com

In this episode Mike Perry from Klatch Coffee talks about Espresso. Klatch won multiple national and international awards for their espresso coffees so I asked if single origin or blend is the way to go. Mike talks also about techniques to develop an award winning espresso blend, roast profiles for espresso blends, the ideal espresso machine for startups, coffee business in Asia and much more! Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit valeriancoffee.substack.com

In this episode, our guest is Mike Perry from Klatch Coffee who will share his over 20 years of experience in the coffee industry over the upcoming 3 episodes. Mike and his wife Cindy started Klatch in 1993, and have been honored with multiple prestigious national and international coffee awards. In the first episode Mike will talk about his coffee story and how bad coffee at the office and a lack of decent cafes for a date can lead to the start of a great coffee venture. The Klatch cafe came first, rather then roasting, and through the interview we'll learn how a cafe can be an amazing catalyst for a successful roastery. Mike will tell us one of those cool “how I found my roaster” stories, which can happen once every ten years. I have a few stories of my own, so if you haven't heard them, go ahead and listen to the previous episodes. Mike found a 24 kilo Diedrich, which initiated a debate about the ideal roaster size for a coffee startup. Mike will also discuss what the minimum load is on a 24 kilo roaster. Mike will tell us if roasting in a cafe in is a good idea or not, and point out the milestones as Klatch Roasting grew from selling a few hundred pounds in 1997 to 400,000 pounds today. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit valeriancoffee.substack.com

You asked Daniel about coffee roast profiles, roasting management, business tips and much more. Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit valeriancoffee.substack.com

Daniel Smith started First Fruits Specialty Coffee, Brisbane Australia after his military service with only $2000 in his pocket (wallet). I love his story and I love his innovative ways of thinking out of the box. I am sure you will love this one too. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit valeriancoffee.substack.com

In this episode I am asking your question from Benjamin Myers from 1000 Faces Coffee. If you want to submit a question This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit valeriancoffee.substack.com

In this episode, I talk with Benjamin Mayers about how he started his coffee roasting company, 1000 Faces Coffee. He started the company with one roaster, one container of coffee and an idea to prove to coffee growers that it is possible to make a living while producing coffee with sustainable growing practices in mind. Ben tells us about the initial investment they put into this project, and how a slow-growing company can be an advantage when your goal is also to learn through the process of building the company. We will talk about our experiences of getting our initial wholesale customers, and Ben will give you a roadmap for how to approach your first wholesale customer. The key word here is compassion — understanding the place your potential wholesale customers are coming from, what are their needs, and what is their view on life. Ben will also reveal why he enjoys making mistakes and why should you make mistakes too, and sometimes even need to fail. 1000 Faces is using Diedrich as a production roaster and Behmor for sample roasting. Before they got their Behmor they used a barrel sample roaster. Why did they decided to “downgrade” ? I love to discuss how people select their coffee portfolio, and Ben was kind enough to share. We will talk about the advantages of having a small vs. big portfolio, and why you should select one over the other. In 2013, 1000 faces won the Good Food Award. For me it was a great opportunity to ask if a coffee award like this makes a difference in our business? Is it the same as winning the Aeropress World Championship? Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit valeriancoffee.substack.com

Have you ever wondered what coffee importers do besides taking our hard-earned money? Well if you did, this episode is for you. In this episode, Jean Heylen from 32 Cup will tell us how the coffee gets from its origin to our roasters. I asked him his opinion on direct trade--when roasters buy coffee directly from the farmer. He will give you the good and the bad aspects of this kind of relationship. I tortured him with questions about samples: when is he happy and when he's not happy to send out samples to his customers. If you decide to go and source your own coffee, listen to him explain his ways of finding gems in the coffee-producing world. I get so many requests for helping to unload green coffee, and finally I had the chance to ask how farmers and producers can contact a coffee importer who can help them to sell their coffee. Finally Jean will reveal what is the ideal customer relation for a coffee importer. Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit valeriancoffee.substack.com

In this episode we will discuss roasting related topics with Gwilym Davies like our take on dark roasts, importance of solubility in lighter roasts for espresso. We will also discuss what is the specialty coffee industry’s market share and why it is so important to share and stick together if we want to succeed. We will also touch on problems with consistency during roasting. Gwilym thinks the problem is caused by the nature of the coffee roasters, which are notoricaly temperature unstable. I take a slightly different approach: I see the problem in the nature of the always-changing ingredient – coffee. We agree that we have to recognize this issue and we have to work with it in mind. What if a coffee roaster ruins a batch? We’ll give you a few tips on what to do with coffee that is not up to your standards. Speaking of standards, Gwilym will tell you how they define standards at Prufrock Cafe and how they can help you to stay in harmony with the expectations of your customers. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit valeriancoffee.substack.com

Did the last episode motivate you to start a coffee cart? It certainly made my brain tick. What is the next logical step after a coffee cart? More coffee carts? In this episode, Gwilym Davies will talk about synergy, starting a joint venture with a business that shares your values but is in a different industry. This was one of Gwilym’s stops on the way to opening his Prufrock Coffee. We will talk about the importance of passion when building your coffee business. We will try to avoid cliches. According to Gwilym, you might not need expensive equipment to start a cafe, all you need is to … DO IT. He reveals the example of a very successful cafe where customers were waiting in line for 45 minutes — and the cafe didn’t even have an espresso machine. There is much more in this episode, including why you should not copy existing businesses if you really want to succeed, how important the quality of your coffee is, and the ideal relationship between the cafe owner/barista and the roaster. Gwilym shares many other ideas, and if you want to discuss them or you have a question, join our Coffeeis.ME Facebook group. The easiest way to do so is to go to coffeeis.me website and click “Community” on the top menu. That will take you to the Facebook page; simply apply and I will approve you. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit valeriancoffee.substack.com

In this episode I will interview Gwilym Davies, who changed the coffee scene in London, won the 2009 World barista Championship, and, despite the fact that he trains the best baristas on the world and is a judge in the most prestigious barista competitions, once said that “espresso is disappointing”. In this episode, we will talk with Gwilym about his experience starting and running a coffee cart in London. Coffee carts are one of the best ways to get into the coffee business; they are very low risk and tons of fun. We will talk about the business versus creative side of a venture. A lot of us wanted to start a business because we love coffee, but is having a coffee business the same as working with coffee? Gwilym will reveal a risk factor for coffee roasters that cafe owners do not have and enjoy! You will hear from my voice that I got a brain freeze. He will tell you what made him start his coffee cart, how he found a partner in crime, how they built their business and run it on a very tight budget, and much more. You can find notes for this episode here: https://coffeeis.me/coffee-cart/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit valeriancoffee.substack.com

Ryan will share his experience with crowdfunding his business. He raised $6000 on IndieGoGo, which will help him to start his coffee roasting business. Ryan will share also other perks of doing crowdfunding like letting the world know that you are coming or finding real estate or other potential investors. I will share Green Plantation's story of funding Handground on KickStarter. Join us and let's discover the power of crowdfunding. If you have personal experience with crowdfunding you are welcome to share in our Facebook group Coffeeis.ME. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit valeriancoffee.substack.com

In this episode of coffeeis.me podcast we will talk about how to select your brand name. I will share a mistake I made when selecting the name of my company - Green Plantation - and how we fixed it. How to get an time proof logo for your brand starting from $5. Ryan will reveal what is he doing with social media before the launch. We will have a short discussion on how popups can help build your email list. Would they annoy your customers? Do you like this podcast? Review us on iTunes and help us to get more listeners. Thanks! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit valeriancoffee.substack.com

In this episode I will interview Ryan O'Rourke about how he prepared to start a coffee roasting company. Ryan is starting Ironclad Coffee Roasters in Richmond, Virginia. In this episode, Ryan talks in detail about how he selected his production roaster, how he goes about buying green coffee and selecting an importer, his portfolio and pricing policy. The AHA! moment for Ryan came through getting to know Has Bean and its coffee subscription service. Ryan also mentions his virtual mentor Stephen Leighton , CEO of Has Bean. We have a short chat about the advantages and complications of connecting a cafe with a roastery. Ryan reveals why he decided to start his venture in Richmond and we talk about his competition: Lamplighter Roasting Company, Blancharts. We finish with Stephen Leighton and his amazing strategy for keeping coffee fun and avoiding snobbery. Enjoy and do not forget to leave us reviews. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit valeriancoffee.substack.com

In this episode Willem Boot talks about the past and future of Central American coffee, reveals the hidden gem of the region and describes how to start a successful coffee farm. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit valeriancoffee.substack.com

What is Coffeeis.me and why would you benefit from listening to it? This episode #0 will explain all that, plus introduces the host Valerian Hrala. Did you know he used to drink Turkish coffee in Kosovo? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit valeriancoffee.substack.com

Willem talks about the Central American coffee and his coffee farm La Mula, gives tips how to start a coffee farm. Let me know what you think. THANKS.Twitter: @valerianEmail: [email protected] page: https://www.facebook.com/BootCampCoffee This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit valeriancoffee.substack.com