Cat & Cloud Podcast - podcast cover

Cat & Cloud Podcast

Cat & Cloudcatandcloud.com
Chris Baca and Jared Truby are professional Baristas and are here to introduce the world to Specialty Coffee! From placing in the finals of the United States Barista Championship multiple times, winning regional competitions, to leading training and education for some of the most progressive coffee companies around - these two have learned a ton about coffee and want to share it with you. Tune in for weekly interviews, tutorials, and general mayhem from the brothers from different mothers: Truby & Baca. Learn more at catandcloud.com

Episodes

Having the Courage to Do - How anyone can make an extraordinary experience

Shorty, but a goodie. This week Jared and Chris Discuss what it takes to make an idea come to life. How it's truly something anyone can to, because its not about the steps you need to take, but rather the conviction to the idea. There are tools out there for any obstacle you face, but theres only one person that can bring your ideas to life. You. –––––––––––––––––– Do you have a question you’ve been dying to ask us? Do you wanna hear us talk about it on the podcast? Visit our website catandcloud...

Sep 16, 202418 min

Cafes Impacting a Community - How a small space can make a big impact

This week Chris asks Jared about a recent trip he went on to southern Californian, and what sort of coffee experiences he had while he was outside of out little coffee bubble that is Santa Cruz. Chuck asked some practical questions about Espresso extraction and what coffees might be best as espresso. Also he asks Chris and Jared what each of their idea espresso might be like. It’s a conversation that all swirls around what is possible when a cafe operates with intention, and how it can be an imp...

Sep 09, 202441 min

Hospitality Refresher Part 2 - The small things make a big difference

Welcome back to Part Two of the Hospitality Refresher! On this weeks episode Chris and Jared are talking about all the little things. Everything from the tools you use to the simplest solutions and attention to detail helps you provide an incredible experience to your guests. So whether you've listened before or this is all new, listen to this week's episode to get the full Hospitality Refresh. 00:42 What did we do 02:32 Why you serve the coffee you do 08:10 It's about the experience you give th...

Sep 02, 202441 min

Hospitality Refresher Part 1 - Reviewing the fundamentals of caring for your guest

This week on the Cat & Cloud Podcast we are rerunning a two-part episode on Hospitality. Hospitality is a fundamental value in everything we do as a company, and it's the key to providing incredible service. Listen to the first part to hear Chris and Jared’s review of some of the basics of hospitality and what they look like in practice every day in the cafe. Whether you’ve worked in service for a while, or are just getting started, it's always good to have a refresher. Come back next week to ca...

Aug 26, 202432 min

Competition Influence - How competing has impacted specialty coffee

This week on the Cat & Cloud Podcast the guys are reviewing the history of Barista Competitions, and what their ideal competition would look like today. Listen to this week's full episode to hear about their dream for an “All Stars” competition, how introducing new equipment changed competitions and cafe culture, and the influence of specialty Home Baristas in the competition world! 0:00: All Stars Barista Comp 5:50: Jared Presents, Systems are the Pathway to Freedom 11:02: Breaking out the Comm...

Aug 19, 202444 min

Business Cents - Thinking about the finances of your business

Welcome back to the Cat & Cloud podcast! This week Chris and Jared are getting a full class on Cafe Finance hosted by our very own Charles Jack. Listen to this week's full episode and join the finance deep dive and hear their perspectives on how to develop finance transparency in your own company. Cafe finance articles: Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Filings Increase for US Coffeehouses: https://stir-tea-coffee.com/features/the-big-business-reality-of-specialty-coffee/?utm_source=BenchmarkEmail&utm_campa...

Aug 12, 202427 min

Lessons Learned - The importance of company culture as you grow

This week the guys are sitting down and taking a look back over the last 8 years of being Cat & Cloud, what we’ve learned and what has changed from where we started. As a business grows it becomes much easier for things to get missed, and for the culture you build to get more diluted. It’s happened to us! It’s through those low points that you learn the most about the needs of your business. Listen to this weeks full episode to hear what Chris, Jared and Chuck have learned about building systems...

Aug 05, 202442 min

Charles Babinski - The perspective from nine years ago

Welcome back to the Cat & Cloud Podcast! This week we are busting out the throwback of all throwbacks with our very first interview. In this episode Chris and Jared sat down with US Barista Champion Charles Babinski to talk through the rapid growth of his business. Listen to the full episode to hear some espresso tips straight from the mouths of coffee geeks and barista champions, and get some of the lore on their first meeting and experience in the competition circuits! A very Merry Christmas f...

Jul 29, 20241 hr 20 min

Learning From Others - How outside industries give your perspective and help your growth

Welcome back to the Cat & Cloud Podcast! This week Chris and Jared are hopping in to share some thoughts on learning and growth. Are you limited by your industry, or is it possible to reach beyond and learn outside your bubble? We don’t always consider how multi-faceted the “Service Industry” is. Hospitality in Hotels looks a lot different than ours in the cafe, but it can still be useful or at the least interesting. Listen to the full episode to hear where they are looking for inspiration and t...

Jul 22, 202437 min

How Do You Rank - Comparing your work with others in the industry.

What if we talked about cafes the same way people talk about basketball teams? Looked at the movement of baristas from one cafe to another, and their performance the same way we do athletes. This week on the Cat & Cloud podcast the guys are looking at how you quantify a busy cafe and a successful cafe. Listen to this week's episode to hear their takes on what pro barista work looks like from their years of expertise. Do you have a question you’ve been dying to ask us? Do you wanna hear us talk a...

Jul 08, 202440 min

Communicating Your Needs - How expressing your desires leads to growth

This week on the Cat & Cloud Podcast we are throwing it back to an early conversation Chris and Jared had about the importance of communicating needs at work. As an employee, being able to ask for what you need and feeling empowered by your leadership team to speak up can be the difference between your team quitting or staying. Listen to the full episode to hear some of their first-hand experiences and get some tips on fostering an environment where the whole team knows what’s possible. Do you h...

Jun 24, 202437 min

Roasting Development - How much flavor is from roasting the coffee

This week on the Cat & Cloud Podcast Chris and Jared hop on the mic to discuss the complex process of roasting development. There are so many factors that affect the coffee that ends up in your cup, from water composition to the temperature of the air, but how much of your flavor profile comes straight from the way your beans are roasted? Listen to this week's episode to hear their thoughts on the intricacies of coffee roasting, and how your roast choices affect the flavor of your coffee. Do you...

Jun 17, 202444 min

Managing vs. Leading - Fostering creative thinking in your team

Why is it important for your company's mission to match the intention behind your training programs? How do you empower your team members to be leaders on their own? This week on the Cat & Cloud podcast Chris, Jared, and Charles sit down and take a temperature check on the business so far this year. Listen to the full episode to hear their thoughts on managing vs. leading, the importance of having a mission statement that properly reflects the values of your day-to-day operations, and ways to lo...

Jun 10, 202443 min

Cost and Value - What goes into what you pay

On this episode we discuss transparency in prices. How to give your team members the same coverage and care while also communicating to the Guest where the 5$ for their latte is going. and chris shares is option on what tipping someone should mean. Do you have a question you’ve been dying to ask us? Do you wanna hear us talk about it on the podcast? Visit our website catandcloud.com/podcast, or email us at [email protected] and tell us what it is, and maybe your question will be the one we...

May 27, 202442 min

Conversation with Beeline

This recording comes from January of this year, when Chris and Nick from Beeline sat down to talk through some of the challenges that come from running a business. Listen to the full episode to hear the guys talk through operational struggles and getting organized to tackle big projects. Do you have a question you’ve been dying to ask us? Do you wanna hear us talk about it on the podcast? Visit our website catandcloud.com/podcast, or email us at [email protected] and tell us what it is, an...

May 27, 202428 min

Making an Impact - How your guest are left feeling

How do you build in a curated experience to your business? Is greeting people when they come in, and helping them land enough? This week the guys are sharing what they believe is thee secret sauce to offering something so curated and so awesome, that your guests can’t help but recommend you to their friends, co-workers, and strangers on the street. Are you curious about our Best Friends Club? Listen to the full episode to hear Jared share a bit about his most recent trip to Honduras, and the imp...

May 20, 202455 min

Mail Bag

Ooooh the mail’s here! Cue the Blue’s Clues mail song! Welcome back to the second half of the Cat & Cloud Podcast, After Hours 👀 We’re back in the roastery with our cocktails, and Chris, Jared, and Charles are opening some mail from our listeners! Y’all have been sending in your questions about the coffee industry, running your own businesses, and even requesting career advice, and today the guys are gonna answer. Listen to this week's full episode to hear their thoughts on your burning questio...

May 13, 202447 min

SCA Retrospective - The Hot Goss'

Welcome back to the Cat & Cloud Podcast, After Hours 😎 This episode is dedicated to Andre. As promised. This week Chris, Jared, and Charles are sitting down with a couple of cocktails and bringing out the Hot goss about SCA. Jared revisits the debate topic of the moment from the expo; to co-ferment or not to co-ferment, and the guys spend some time really diving in on the ethics, and the impact these coffees will have on our coffee scoring systems. Just don’t yuck anybody's yum, ya know? Do you...

May 06, 202438 min

Progressing Your Career - The mindset for how to move forward

Welcome back to the Cat & Cloud Podcast! This week y’all are getting a blast from the past, we’re revisiting a previous episode where Chris and Jared were answering some questions about how to progress in the coffee industry. Whether that means in your career or your life at large, the guys shed some life on finding your vision for growth and working toward it. Do you have a question you’ve been dying to ask us? Do you wanna hear us talk about it on the podcast? Visit our website catandcloud.com...

Apr 29, 202434 min

Importance of communication - Clearly expressing yourself in order to do things better

Welcome back to the Cat & Cloud podcast! This week we’re back with Chris and Jared as they discuss how important common language is within an organization. Creating a lexicon that is universally understood in all aspects of your company can be a huge challenge, whether you’re talking about content creation or roast profiles. Listen to the full episode to hear their thoughts on how creating universally understood terms, and standards have helped them communicate and align with their teams. Do you...

Apr 22, 202439 min

Coffee Processing - Are exotic processing methods good or hype

Welcome back to the Cat & Cloud podcast and to White Ivy, Jared's long-lost email address! On this weeks podcast the guys are tackling a pretty huge question, what is your favorite processing method, and why. Listen to the full episode to hear some of their hot takes on why washed processing is the elite form, and why natural processes are sometimes more overwhelming than they are enjoyable. Do you have a question you’ve been dying to ask us? Do you wanna hear us talk about it on the podcast? Vi...

Apr 15, 202441 min

Conversation with Kent Bakke

Welcome back to the Cat & Cloud podcast! A couple of months ago Chris and our Marketing Team Leader Michael took a trip out to Seattle to hang out with La Marzocco. While there they had the chance to connect with Kent Bakke, their former CEO turned Board Member, and figured they might as well record a podcast! This week's episode is all coffee and espresso geekery; a chat between two friends about their lives in the coffee industry, and Kent’s lifelong obsession with coffee. Listen to this week'...

Apr 08, 20241 hr 1 min

Connecting the Dots - How experience and practice come together

Welcome back to the Cat & Cloud podcast! This week Chris, Jared, and Charles are covering a whole host of topics from prepping for SCA, the creativity that goes into connecting all the arms of our company, and even reminiscing on some of the weird and wild times of early Verve. Listen to this week's episode to hear how they’ve built their Quality Check skills and the work that goes into not just chasing goals but flowing through the process. Do you have a question you’ve been dying to ask us? Do...

Apr 01, 202441 min

Learning by Doing - Allowing yourself the room to grow

We’re throwing it all the way back to 2021 for this weeks episode. This week we are revisiting a freshly quarantined Chris and Jared as they discuss the natural eb and flow of progress. Listen to this weeks episode for some perspective on taking that first step into the unknown and how we learn and grow even in the failures. Do you have a question you’ve been dying to ask us? Do you wanna hear us talk about it on the podcast? Visit our website catandcloud.com/podcast, or email us at podcast@cata...

Mar 25, 202433 min

Hopes and Dreams

The Cat & Cloud podcast is connecting to the source. In this week's episode, Jared goes full Neo, talking about his experience test roasting for SCA, and shares his insight on intuitive forecasting. We also hear about the dream for a Cat & Cloud Beach Bodega, Chris’s East Coast-inspired limited menu surf shop. And finally, Chris gets to ask Chuck the big question; how do you live your dream? Listen to the full episode to hear Chuck drop some serious wisdom on finding your dream life in what’s ha...

Mar 18, 202441 min

Doing The Right Thing - Being true to yourself for your guests and producers

Welcome to the very first Cat & Cloud After-Hours Podcast 😎 Chris, Charles, and Jared are staying late tonight to chat about all the different facets of our business and industry. From the coffee buying experience online and in store, to the complicated world of Green Buying… even speculating on what might be our own brand stereotypes. Listen to this week's episode to hear from all three owners and their takes on how remaining true to yourself and your mission benefits both your business and th...

Mar 11, 20241 hr 7 min

Gaining Perspective - How getting away can help you see things differently

Welcome back to the Cat & Cloud Podcast! This week Chris and Jared have each returned from some pretty spectacular visits with our coffee partners, and are hoping on to sharing both their experiences and the insights they’re bringing home with them. Listen to the full episode to hear the guys share their unique experiences in Costa Mesa with the Steelehead team, and Seattle at the La Marzocco espresso museum. Do you have a question you’ve been dying to ask us? Do you wanna hear us talk about it ...

Mar 04, 202445 min