This episode is one of two educational ones around creating culture. Both Baca & Jared gave lectures at the Specialty Coffee Expo in Seattle. They were both asked to post their lectures for others to learn from. If you are in leadership, own a business or want more insight into how Jared, Baca & Charles approach business, this is your episode. Pt. 1 includes Values & Hiring Practices. Enjoy!
This episode is full of real talk, updates and fun. As we continue to push toward a 2nd store life continues to be busier and harder to manage. We let you in on it and debrief a bit more about the SCA barista competition. There have been some blogs and ideas thrown around on how to create a more exciting and consistent competition experience for both competitors and spectators. Enjoy the convo. Oh and hear about Jared's Vasectomy. Super tight. Shout out to Wilbur Curtis!
Taylor is a crusher of a roaster out of Amarillo, Texas. She just placed 3rd in the US in the roasting competition and runs the Evocation roastery. In this episode we talk about Taylor's first experience at the Global Coffee Expo, what she does to prepare for competitions and a bit about her life. If you like roast curves, fun conversations and insights into our epic industry than holler. This is a fun one. Thanks Wilbur Curtis
We are up to our neck in preparing to open the new shop, SCA hangover etc. This never made the internet before we left but it's up now. We have guests being lined up as we speak and cannot wait to get back to it. To those who came to our lectures, thank you. They will be available soon via our website and podcast. Thanks Wilbur Curtis as always!
We take some time to recap Australia & what it's like to visit the other side of the world. We answer a question or two and speak into some of our past experiences at the US Barista Championship's, The Specialty Coffee Expo & speak a bit about how our lectures are going. If you want to know more of the history of coffee from our perspective, have some laughs and learn some things through our rants, this is your episode. Thanks Wilbur Curtis for your Support!
Tim Williams & Tim Varney have set out to accomplish some fun and exciting things. Through the W.A.C. (World Aeropress Championships)and the Bureau Collective these tight bros have made an awesome new footprint for themselves and specialty coffee. They are straight out of Melbourne and have worked with Intelligentsia, Tim Wendelbo and many others in fields expanding from the culinary, to the green coffee sourcing side of our industry. These lovely mates sure do know how to make us warm and f...
Specialty Coffee to a burn from the latest UK McDonalds commercial and we kind of love it. Join us as we break down the commercial and deliver our thoughts on how they marketed, the attention to detail & their intention. Thank you so much for sharing this journey with us! Thanks, Wilbur Curtis
In this episode we talk a bit about our origin stories, both personal and Cat & Cloud. Through reflection on this we speak to the power of dedication vs. passion or doing what you love. We speak to the trials of commitment and share some personal stories about achieving goals in the face of hardship. We also speak on ways to stay motivated by sharing stories of the things that help activate us. Enjoy! Thanks Wilbur Curtis for The Love!
We are overwhelmed but still plugging away. In this episode we talk about some up and coming events in Australia & Seattle as well as a few local talks. We answer some listener questions on taking orders, roasting decaf, curves & the fun one...Tipping. Tipping is a big talk and we weigh in a little more about how we perceive tipping and some ideas for those who are potentially trying to rid their business of the tipping process. WE also talk turnover and growth opportunities. Cheers and ...
In this episode we talk about our approach to steaming & creating drinks. Do we change our approach for different drinks? We also answer a little questions surrounding opportunities to change paths and what you should consider. Finally we talk about some of the hard guests that come through the doors and ways to approach them when they are having a bad/hard time. All that and more on this episode. If you want to help Baca gather information for his lecture at the Global Specialty Coffee Expo...
We are still plugging away on the long list of questions from guests and the most poignant one in this episode refers to the Barista. Why do we place all the emphasis on the Barista in this coffee culture. How come they are the "cool" job. Why do we put all of our emphasis in the cafe experience on the interaction with Baristas specifically? All of that and more on this episode. Thank you as always to Wilbur Curtis!
Couple of fun updates from our lives alone with follow up questions. Do we think External education is worthwhile? Why did we get an SBA loan? Do we think investors are good or bad? Why do we give our team $20 to gift drinks? All of this and more on this weeks episode of C&C podcast. Thanks Wilbur Curtis!
We partially answer a few questions for Unpacking Coffee, another coffee podcast and then jump into a few questions about communication, teamwork, & our past. Learn about our struggles with leaving previous companies and pursuing our dreams & celebrate our 100th episode with some classic melodies. Cheers & Thanks to Wilbur Curtis
Listen to our first ever Live Podcast at the KEXP radio showroom in Seattle where La Marzocco has their first cafe. We take questions from both the internet and the audience: Thoughts on farmers, NDA policy, Roasting, Dialing in and all things great. Special Thanks to LA Marzocco & KEXP for being such great hosts! Enjoy & Thanks to Wilbur Curtis. We have Coffee Subscriptions available @ catandcloud.com
We had a live Instagram video asking what questions we should answer and so here it is. We close out 2016 talking about our highs & Lows as well as ranting about giving away drinks and how it affects us all. If you haven't, please vote for us at sprudge.com/vote for best coffee podcast, best new cafe & Real Chris Baca on Youtube. We appreciate you all and Wilbur Curtis for the love this year!
What are some of the tipping models? What do we think about cafe tipping? Sharing knowledge is hard, here's why we think posturing yourself to share and be confident is wise. What's up with trying to improve and implement service in places that are already established? How does the layout play a role? All that and more on this episode of the Cat & Cloud Coffee Podcast. Thanks, Wilbur Curtis for the love!
WE have been nominated for best coffee podcast, best coffee video & best Cafe. Vote Cat & Cloud & Real Chris Baca at sprudge.com/vote In this episode we interview Anne Nylander who has taken on consulting after her long stint in coffee. She has worked with the Specialty Coffee Association of America, Starbucks & more. She talks of her story, asks us some questions about our Values & how we are applying them and walks us through some of the vision for how she hopes to help you...
Liz Chai is an avid coffee lover with a background in design. She fell in love with coffee in Atlanta through Octane & Counter Culture Coffee companies. Through the years she has helped with Aeropress Championships, Photographed, Freelanced as a writer and done part time barista work. She has learned a lot through traveling. She took her airstream trailer on a tour of the US while in transition to Portland, Oregon, where she lives now. Enjoy!
Scott Rao has written multiple books about coffee roasting, extraction & theory. His story includes founding coffee shops, studying physics, traveling, blogging, writing & everything in between is very fun. IN this episode he talks application, perspective, context & answers many questions. If you ever wondered, WHO IS SCOTT RAO? Now you can know.
This episode is super fun. We answer some questions about cafe flow, operations, dialing espresso & tasting varieties. We talk about top gun, beans not seeds, and just have a fun time. In a world of running a coffee shop it's nice to blow off steam and reflect on how proud you are of whats happening. Thanks for listening and thanks Wilbur Curtis for everything!
We had the opportunity to visit San Diego & the coffee scene down there. We worked along side Dylan & his father at Hawthorn Coffee in North Point. This episode shares some of that story, the background on the cafe and a bunch of Baca's beautiful voice. Enjoy! Thanks Curtis!
Have you ever heard the term 3rd wave and wondered why we use it, or why people talk about coffee and waves together? This is your episode. We talk Starbucks, Peets, Specialty Coffee, Espresso Machines, La Marzocco & More. This episode has some good history and classic trubaca trash talk. Fun right?
People keep asking how we tuned our espresso machine to make coffee. It's definitely different than brewing espresso and a lot of fun. Chris also rants about serving espresso, dialing in espresso & whether we make it too hard on ourselves. Perhaps we do. Cat & Cloud loves you a lot.
What are some strategies to keeping your grind setting consistent when making a lot of coffee? What are our thoughts on keeping your hoppers clean? How can we reduce waste & what are some things we do at our shop? That and many more fun things in this episode. We recorded in our shop & have some random guests say hi from Verve, Chromatic, St. Frank & Temple. Cheers
Chris is out with the Flu so Jared takes us on a ride through a few service opportunities, answers some questions & updates us on the busyness of opening a cafe. The shop has been open for 2 weeks and it's been insane. How did the motivational based/values based interview questions work for Cat & Cloud? How did Cat & Cloud prepare and pre-market themselves to aid in their attempted success? Check and see. Shout out to Califia & Wilbur Curts
Benjamin Paz is a Honduran coffee producer who is near & dear to our hearts. He has produced award winning coffees & we are happy to have one of them in our shop. In this episode we talk about his history, what relationship/direct trade means to him, how it has affected him & his country as well as what motivates him. We also talk about the impact of specialty coffee growth at the producer/farmer level when we grow our industry with passion & love. Thanks Califia & Wilbur Cur...
Chris & I decided to soft open the cafe & it's been super fun. We talk about the challenges as well as how an epic team can soften the blow of how daunting it can be to get running. We also answer a question about approaching roasting & beginning the journey down the road to potentially opening your own place. Thanks for listening, sorry this is a day late. Thanks Curtis & Califia
In this episode we speak on some of the philosophies we have in our attempts to treat employees with value. We talk about incentives, ideals, profit sharing, & why we are willing to invest in our team. We also talk about medical benefits, the challenges of opening a new company & emotionally connecting with our team. Plus, we answer a couple of questions about Geisha, by the cup & dialing in. Cheers! Thanks Califia & Curtis Brewers!
How do we stay motivated? Do we dislike the French Press? How's the shop coming along? Is our crew tight? DUH. Who are we looking to sell to? What are some of our strategies and beliefs? Do we think 2nd wave shops are in jeopardy? What's a clever? Listen & we'll share a bit. Thanks Califia & Curtis
Jasper is one of the most passionate women we know. She cares very deeply about the coffee craft & it's contagious. She is heavily into the BACC, has competed in barista competitions & is an educator for Ritual Roasters in San Francisco. She talks women's rights, calls us out a bit & speaks about what drives her. This is a must listen.
