In this conversation, Paul Ross reflects on the first year of operating Special Guests Cafe, discussing the emotional highs and lows of opening day, the challenges of navigating a competitive market, and the importance of building a strong team culture. He shares insights on financial management, the impact of recognition and awards, and the necessity of educating customers about coffee. Paul emphasizes the value of hiring experts and managing cash flow while also highlighting the importance of self-compassion in the face of business challenges. Looking ahead, he is optimisitic about growth and the potential for Special Guests Cafe.
Chapters
00:00 Reflecting on the First Year of Special Guests Cafe
04:01 Navigating the Challenges of a Competitive Market
08:30 The Importance of Team Dynamics and Personal Involvement
13:02 Financial Insights: Projections vs. Reality
16:27 Staying Ahead in a Competitive Landscape
19:20 Designing a Coffee Bar: Lessons Learned
21:16 Recognition and Awards: Balancing Expectations
22:37 The Coffee Experience: Flat Whites vs. Specialty Brews
27:34 Building a Knowledgeable Team for High-End Coffee
32:50 Integrating Roasting and Cafe Operations
34:54 Navigating the Coffee Business Landscape
36:42 The Balancing Act of Business and Personal Life
38:42 Growth Strategies and Future Aspirations
41:53 Reflections on Stress and Decision-Making
44:19 Building Relationships and Seeking Advice
46:52 The Reality of the Coffee Industry
47:20 Reflections from Andrew and Tibor
Today, we're exploring an extraordinary coffee journey that spans two continents and bridges farm to cup in the most direct way possible.
Our guests are the sister duo behind a unique family venture: Veruschka and Cliff, founders of Elevate Coffee in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and Vanessa and Yann, who run Muyu Coffee here in Ticino, Switzerland. Together, they've built something rare in the coffee world—a fully integrated supply chain driven by values, not just profit.
Bolivia produces less than 0.5% of the world's coffee. It's landlocked, mountainous, and faces high production costs that make competing on price nearly impossible. But what Bolivian coffee lacks in volume, it makes up for in quality. Elevate works directly with these producers. They are buying coffee and exporting it to their sister company, as well as roasting and serving it in their hometown of Cochabamba.
It's a model built on passion, family, and a commitment to elevating—pun intended—the voices and work of Bolivian coffee farmers, leveraging direct and close relationships at every link in the value chain.
This is a unique business model, but there are universal messages for others interested in starting coffee businesses.
Fundamentally clarity, vision and values that are authentic to you, are most important in starting and running your own business. Write your own story, don't copy the story of others.
This is our first podcast where we are interviewing 3 people and across 2 continents. But it is also the first business I am aware of that has this specific model of ownership and structure. So, we are going to learn more about the business, how and why it was founded, what are the pros and cons of working directly with producers and selling their coffee across 2 distinct markets, how do you promote the value of the coffee in these different markets and what are the opportunities for the future.
In this episode of the Coffee Knowledge Hub Podcast, hosts Tibor and Andrew delve into the rising popularity of matcha within the coffee culture.
They discuss the operational challenges of introducing matcha to coffee menus, the balance between specialty coffee and alternative drinks, and the health trends driving consumer preferences.
The conversation also touches on bar design, customer experience, and the potential for automation in beverage preparation. Throughout the discussion, they emphasize the importance of understanding customer needs and the evolving landscape of beverage trends.
Takeaways
Matcha is becoming a significant trend in coffee culture.
Operational challenges exist when introducing matcha to menus.
Balancing specialty coffee with alternative drinks is crucial.
Health trends are influencing consumer preferences for beverages.
Bar and menu design should enhance customer experience with new drinks.
The preparation of matcha can impact its taste and quality.
Quality sourcing of matcha is essential for business success.
Understanding customer demographics can guide beverage offerings.
Automation may play a role in the future of beverage preparation.
Creating unique experiences can differentiate cafes in a competitive market.
Chapters
00:00 The Rise of Matcha in Coffee Culture
02:35 Film Industry and Matcha's Popularity
05:24 Operational Challenges of Introducing Matcha
07:49 Balancing Specialty Coffee and Alternative Drinks
10:38 Health Trends and Matcha's Market Position
13:06 Whisking Matcha: Tradition vs. Convenience
15:44 Introducing Matcha to Your Menu
17:22 Quality and Pricing of Matcha Drinks
22:13 The Price Perception of Coffee vs. Matcha
23:43 The Rise of Health and Wellness Trends
26:53 Aligning Brand Values with New Offerings
32:27 Innovating Cafe Bar Design for Diverse Drinks
36:09 Understanding Customer Preferences and Market Trends
40:27 The Future of Automation in Coffee Shops
Join us for an inspiring conversation with Alejandro Gil Rivera, who inherited a coffee farm under challenging circumstances. With no prior experience, Alejandro has embarked on a journey to transform his farm into a thriving business. Discover how he leverages his project management skills to innovate and adapt, tackling issues like climate change, price volatility, and the complexities of the coffee market. Alejandro's story is a testament to resilience and the power of learning, offering valuable lessons for anyone facing adversity. Tune in to explore the intersection of tradition and technology in modern coffee farming.
Follow Alejandro
Stay in touch:
Coffee Knowledge Hub Instagram
In this episode of the coffee knowledge hub podcast, Tibor and Andrew speak to the co-founder of Lunjoe, Daniel Greenberg. Daniel discusses how Lunjoe (Lun-joe), a table reservation platform for coffee shops can help to optimise space and increase revenue for cafe owners. It also gives assurance to customers they will have a table, even in a crowded and bustling cafe.
He shares insights into the app's development journey, business model, user experience, and the challenges faced by coffee shops in a competitive market.
The conversation also explores growth strategies, membership programs, and the impact of the app on cafe culture.
As usual, Tibor and Andrew have a follow up chat about the conversation after saying good bye to Daniel. So stay tuned for the analysis at the end.
Takeaways
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Lungo: A New Coffee Experience
06:11 Understanding the App's Functionality
11:28 From Idea to Execution: Building the Team
14:15 Growth Strategies and Future Plans
16:33 Customer Engagement and Loyalty Programs
19:09 Navigating Cafe Culture and User Behavior
21:50 Technical Aspects and Payment Processing
23:38 Future Developments and Features
26:29 Conclusion and Call to Action
33:24 The Value of Meeting Spaces Outside the Office
33:46 Engaging with Coffee Shop Owners
33:54 Pricing Strategies for Coffee Shop Reservations
35:17 Delivering Value to Coffee Shop Owners
37:02 Understanding Average Transaction Value (ATV)
38:34 The Concept of Selling Unused Capacity
40:05 Challenges of Reservations in Coffee Shops
41:58 The Pros and Cons of Reservations
43:43 Onboarding and Daily Operations for Coffee Shops
45:10 The Importance of Feedback and Iteration
56:18 Reflections
56:25 The Flow of Conversation
56:44 Challenges in Cafe Management
57:42 The Role of Technology in Cafes
58:08 Evolving Cafe Culture
59:00 User Journeys in Cafes
01:00:10 Customer Training and Adoption
01:01:02 Competing with Co-Working Spaces
01:01:54 Creating Unique Cafe Experiences
01:03:25 Behavioral Adaptation in Cafe Culture
01:03:58 The Impact of Technology on Cafe Dynamics
01:04:20 Revenue Models for Cafes
01:05:34 The Future of Cafe Reservations
Find out more:
Daniel Greenberg is the co-founder of Lunjoe, the patent-pending platform that helps coffee shops become more profitable by offering reservations at select tables.
Lunjoe has been crucial in helping coffee shops with a lot of laptop users.
Recently, Daniel graduated from Brown University with a degree in Behavioral Decision Sciences and a data fluency certificate.
If you would like to join Lunjoe, feel free to reach out to daniel@lunjoe.com
Lunjoe’s website: lunjoe.com
Download “Lunjoe” On the Apple App Store (Android Coming Soon)
See how it works: Coffee Island case study
Keywords
Lunjoe, coffee shop reservations, cafe culture, business model, user experience, growth strategies, loyalty programs, payment processing, cafe operations, startup journey
Roasted coffee packaging options are a minefield of misinformation, imperfect solutions and over-engineering. Our guest in this episode is Micah Sherer, co-founder of Skylark Coffee in Brighton UK. Micah spent 2 years researching and looking for the best solution available for Skylark, with one clear objective - remove plastic from the packaging.
Micah discusses the purpose of packaging, the full life-cycle of different packaging types - foil lined, 'recylable' LDPE type 4, compostible and paper. He describes the solution that Skylark is now using (14 micron layer of Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), or PVAL on paper) and its pros and cons. Micah is not selling this solution and his honesty in describing its pros and cons is refreshing.
There is a lot to learn from this episode for roasters, cafe operators and really anyone who takes the waste management of the coffee they are buying into consideration when buying coffee.
If you're interested in finding better packaging solutions for the specialty coffee industry, let us know via the poll below.
The conversation emphasizes the need for transparency and consumer awareness in the coffee industry regarding packaging choices and sustainability efforts.takeaways
Links:
Micah's blog on why they switched to the new packaging
Our previous interview on sustainability reporting
Akshat is the founder of Coffee Futures Fund, a new initiative supporting early-stage coffee shop owners with capital, mentorship, and a trusted peer network.
Akshat has a background in brand storytelling and business strategy, he brings over a decade of experience as an operator, investor, and advisor to global growth-stage companies. He has supported founders in raising over $20 million in capital, building scalable systems, and aligning purpose with growth. He’s also the founder of the Coffee Owners Roundtable, a global peer community he launched during the pandemic to give coffee shop owners a space to connect, collaborate, and learn from each other.
The Coffee Futures Fund mission is to flip the industry’s survival rate, and help more coffee founders thrive, together.
In this interview we dig into how the fund is being set-up, the criteria for applying, the benefits of being selected and some of the challenges.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to the Coffee Futures Fund
05:54 The Genesis of Coffee Futures Fund
11:53 Understanding the Fund Structure
18:14 Investment and Revenue Sharing Model
23:50 Selection Criteria for Coffee Shops
29:50 Long-term Vision and Impact of the Fund
41:35 Understanding Revenue Sharing and Its Implications
43:46 Evaluating the Cost vs. Investment Perspective
45:52 The Importance of Revenue Growth for Sustainability
49:00 Flexibility in Investment Amounts and Revenue Shares
52:04 Mentorship Structure and Its Impact on Business Growth
56:56 Aligning Interests: The Investor and Cafe Relationship
01:00:04 The Role of Environment in Business Performance
01:03:02 Final Thoughts on the Coffee Futures Fund Model
We spoke to Jerome Ribot, founder of Coglode.com to get the behavioural scientists perspective on the concept of loyalty programs for cafes. Jerome is a coffee lover and was a regular at one of Andrew’s cafes from 2008. His passion for understanding people’s behaviours is contagious. In this interview we focus on the subject of loyalty.
Why are we talking about loyalty - because it is at the heart of the success of many coffee businesses. Through loyalty we can increase revenue and margins at a time when revenue and margin gains are hard to come by.
Fundamentally, loyalty is a positive tool we can use to support our businesses, our people and our communities.
The conversation flows. Starting with defining loyalty before Jerome offers 6 elements he would utilise in a cafe loyalty program. As we move past the hour, we were heading towards a conclusion but we kept talking. So stay to the end to hear the unscripted conversation about loyalty and the value of understanding our own behaviours for personal and professional growth.
Jerome Ribot
Coglode takes complex behavioural science research and distills it into practical insights that businesses can use for product development, marketing strategies, and customer experience design.
Coglode’s work has been used by large consultancies like BCGX, Mckinsey and Deloitte, alongside pioneering companies like Apple, Google, Spotify, Octopus Energy, Meta and Monzo Bank.
He also loves coffee...a lot.
Summary
In this episode of the Coffee Knowledge Hub podcast, Filip Bartelak discusses the complexities of coffee assessment, exploring both subjective and objective measures of quality. He shares his journey in the coffee industry, the evolution of sensory assessment systems, and the importance of understanding different coffee markets. The conversation delves into the Coffee Value Assessment System and the role of Q Graders in establishing a common language for coffee quality. Filip emphasizes the need for professionals to be well-versed in various assessment methodologies to effectively communicate and evaluate coffee quality in a global market.
Takeaways
Coffee assessment can be both subjective and objective.
Quality in coffee is defined by market preferences.
The Coffee Value Assessment System is a new standard.
Q Graders play a crucial role in coffee quality evaluation.
Understanding different coffee markets is essential for professionals.
Communication about coffee quality must be standardized.
The evolution of coffee scoring systems reflects market changes.
Subjectivity in coffee tasting can enhance the experience.
Training in sensory assessment is vital for professionals.
The future of coffee assessment will adapt to new trends.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Sensory Assessment in Coffee
02:55 Philip Bartolak's Journey in Coffee
05:25 Defining Quality in Coffee
07:11 Understanding Sensory Assessment Systems
09:43 The Role of Q-Grader and Coffee Value Assessment
11:58 The Evolution of Coffee Quality Definitions
14:14 Communication in Coffee Quality
17:16 Attributes vs. Quality in Coffee
19:05 The Paradigm Shift in Specialty Coffee
21:39 Cultural Perspectives on Coffee Quality
24:23 Subjectivity and Objectivity in Coffee Assessment
26:41 The Future of Coffee Quality Assessment
34:05 Understanding Sensory Assessment in Coffee
37:44 The Role of Training in Coffee Evaluation
42:37 Affective vs. Descriptive Assessment
42:44 Navigating Coffee Quality Standards
46:43 The Impact of Market Preferences on Coffee Quality
51:33 Addressing Quality Disputes in Coffee Contracts
52:47 The Future of Coffee Value Assessment
This is an expansive episode about the price of coffee at this inflection point in the market and how it is impacting different actors along the coffee value chain.
We talk to our friend Stuart Ritson, the European manager of Osito coffee. Stuart has worked in the coffee industry for 14 years in roles spanning barista to wholesale manager for Workshop coffee and then European sales director for Cafe Imports and now Osito coffee. This experience gives him a wealth of knowledge that he has shared with us here.
Stuart introduces what the C-market is, why it exists and who uses it. We then look at the impact of higher prices and volatility on the value chain. We consider pragmatic solutions for roasters and cafe operators to mitigate the impact of higher prices and hopefully improve their businesses.
Tibor and Andrew finish 2024, season 1 of the CKH podcast, reflecting on trends in the South East Asian coffee industry and why we should be paying close attention to what they are doing in other parts of the world.
We also discuss trends for 2025, C-price, latte art patterns and more.
Watch the video on Spotify or on the coffee knowledge hub
Guidance for buying, selling, starting and operating a café business
Insights from John Richardson
Whether you are buying, selling or operating a café business, you need to understand what drives the sellable value of that business. The Café Expert, John Richardson shares his knowledge – defining a sellable business, understanding leases, all the variables to consider in valuing a business and what to consider as a buyer, or seller in single and multi-site businesses.
The insights shared could save both time and money, it is essential learning for anyone working in café businesses. For those considering starting their own cafe, it is also worth listening because you should start with the end in mind.
We spoke about many topics in this interview and edited it mercilessly but it is still a long one. During the last 30 minutes with John we go into specific details and summarise how to create sellable value.
Tibor and I also do a wrap up at the end, reflecting on what John has said and hypothesising which cafes we would buy, if we were buying a business.
Find out more about John:
https://thecafeexpert.com
https://www.instagram.com/thecafeexpert/
If you’re a café operator struggling with rising costs and declining revenue, this episode of the Coffee Knowledge Hub Podcast is just what you need. We sit down with John Richardson, The Café Expert, to dive into the numbers and explore practical strategies to boost your margins. This episode is packed with actionable advice that you can start implementing right away.
With over 30 years of experience, John has founded, sold, and consulted on hundreds of successful businesses, helping them grow and thrive.
12 cups explainer: https://thecafeexpert.com/numbers/
Contact John:
Free cafe and coffee shop owners Facebook group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cafeandcoffeeshopprofits/
https://www.instagram.com/thecafeexpert/
Chapters:
0:00 - John's professional history, defining COGS and labour costs
41:00 - 12 cup model
44:00 - Wastage impact on profit as a percentage
46:50 - Increase revenue
51:00 - Evaluating the ‘we need more staff conversation
58:25 - Operational complexity
1:01.30 Top 10/bottom 10
1:09 - Improving variable costs
124:50 - Avoiding being overwhelmed
Paul’s voice has that croaky sound which is the product of long hours of work at the expense of sleep. While the cafe has dominated his time, he has also needed to continue working on the core business and his additional coaching work. At least he is not bored :)
In this episode we talked about the first month of opening of the cafe. Did it go as expected? Were our predictions accurate?
This is the final part of our series following Paul's journey in opening the cafe. You can start at episode 1 of the series to get the full picture of what it is like to open a cafe. His journey is unique in that it is his business and his location, but it is not unusual to face all the challenges that Paul has had to overcome. If you are considering opening a cafe, you can learn from Paul's experience as he describes it here.
You can watch the video on the coffee knowledge here: https://community.coffeeknowledgehub.com/c/podcast/
For quick reference here is the series:
Imagine going to a trade show on tractors and being served coffee that is better than any coffee you have had before. Or rocking up to a wedding in a field and being served coffee that is as good as your favourite local cafe.
In this conversation with Esther Maasdam, co-founder of Manhattan coffee roasters and founder of her eponymous events business: Esther Maasdam coffee connoisseur, we talk about how she has been bringing specialty coffee to the people at events for the past 20 years.
For many people operating coffee businesses, there are requests to serve coffee at events, but the reality of doing this versus the expectations of the customer are often completely misaligned. There is a specialist skillset to set up a bespoke coffee service, that incorporates events management but also the skills of a coffee technician, barista and cafe operator. It is no wonder, so few people and companies in the world can do this well.
https://esthermaasdam.com
https://manhattancoffeeroasters.com
Since launching the sustainability reporting course from the Chain Collaborative we have been curious about the real world impact of sustainability reports. Why would a company invest time and money in creating one, what are the pros and cons of doing it.
Micah Sherer, our friend at Skylark Coffee in Brighton, UK has been writing their transparency report since launching nearly 5 years ago and it has had a big impact on their growth and on communicating the mission and values of Skylark coffee to their community.
This episode was co-hosted by Nora Burkey to bring subject matter expertise. Andrew’s research was all done by doing the course, so if he sounds like he knows what he is talking about, it is all thanks to Nora.
We discuss:
Websites:
https://community.coffeeknowledgehub.com/c/sustainability-reporting-by-the-chain-collaborative
https://thechaincollaborative.org
https://skylark.coffee/pages/transparency
https://www.probaristas.com/
Social handles
https://www.instagram.com/skylark.coffee/#
https://www.instagram.com/thechaincollaborative/#
https://www.instagram.com/ProBaristas
Mentions:
Micah mentioned the charity under which Skylark operates - One Church Brighton. We also spoke with Ben Szobody about the great work that Pro Baristas do in episode 5 of this podcast. Pro baristas is one of the projects coordinated by One Church Brighton. https://open.spotify.com/episode/0ENVmjgfVWI2XnvpDkVDqY?si=8bce5e1313c640e0
This is the last episode recorded before Paul opened the doors to his cafe for the first time on October 5.
We discussed his menu, opening hours, vision for the cafe and its impact on different stakeholders and we did some predictions for sales in the first month.
Tibor and Andrew have started sharing their reflections on the conversation after the recordings, so stay tuned to hear our post interview thoughts.
In the 5th instalment of our podcast series following Paul Ross as he opens the bricks and mortar home of Special Guests Coffee, we hear about progress with recruitment and shop fitting. We now have a tentative opening date and the pressure is on to finish the build out and get all the equipment in on time. Will it be opening on International Coffee day, we shall have to wait and see.
Amongst other things in this episode we discussed POS systems, POS stands for point of sale. There are a lot of systems on the market with POS and it is an important consideration in a cafe space because it directly impacts the customer experience, administration burden, reporting and timeliness of information. At the same time, many systems have more features than a cafe actually needs.
Bonus video on the coffee knowledge hub - sneak preview of the cafe
www.coffeeknowledgehub.com
Our conversation includes insights into:
The theme that runs through the interview is people - designing an experience for all the people who are touched by the business, whether it is the people from whom Dagger coffee source products, to the way people are recruited and supported who work in the business and also the customer experience. It is evident that everything is designed as a personal experience.
This was a lovely conversation with and , we hope you enjoy it.
A bit about Dagmar:
Dagmar Geerlings is the founder of Dagger coffee in Utrecht, Netherlands, which she started in 2017.
She found her way into coffee during her undergraduate studies in User experience design. Then had a gap year in Melbourne, Australia where she worked at Seven Seeds, a highly regarded café and roasting business, before returning to the Netherlands to complete a Masters. Her masters in the multisensory experience of taste, exploring how sound impacts taste and her undergraduate studies have influenced her cafe business in multiple ways.
Dagger coffee, has 3 sites and source and roast their own coffee which is also available via their webshop.
Find out more:
https://www.instagram.com/daggercoffee/?hl=nl
https://www.facebook.com/Daggercoffee/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dagmargeerlings/
Major Cohen grew up with coffee, was a passionate consumer and hobbyist, mentored by George Howell in the 70's and went on to have a 25 year career with Starbucks from the age of 45. He subsequently left Starbucks during the pandemic and wrote the essential foundational coffee book - Coffee for Dummies.
Join Andrew and Tibor in this conversation with Major. His experience with Starbucks is full of valuable lessons and gives us a fascinating insight into the incredible growth of Starbucks from 100 to 25,000 + stores.
In this episode we cover:
Coffee for Dummies by Major Cohen
https://www.dummies.com/book/home-auto-hobbies/food-drink/coffee-tea/coffee-for-dummies-282727/
