The boys are back and bringing high-level looks at the difference between “you” and “your work,” and communicating our values through a feeling rather than the scripted words. Chris shares a bit about his experience diving back in with the marketing team, and Jared reflects on the changes currently in process with our retail leadership teams. Listen to the full episode to hear their thoughts on the progress they’ve made in their departments, and how all that work intersects. Stay tuned till the ...
Jan 22, 2024•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome back to the Cat & Cloud podcast! This week Chris and Jared are keeping things fresh and are hopping on Instagram live to answer the questions that come through from our followers, and the end result is pretty awesome! Y’all sent out a wide variety of questions; from how to progress in your own coffee journeys, to their dream origin trips or cafe cities, and even get into the nitty-gritty of our business structure. We loved having this chance to hear directly from our virtual community an...
Jan 15, 2024•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s 2024 y’all! First podcast of the new year, which means it’s time for some self-reflection, and intention setting in the upcoming year. The start of a year is always a good time to look back on all the things we’ve learned, about our business and about our team. Listen to the full episode to hear Chris and Jared discuss, discovering team members hidden talents and passions through interviewing, finding ways to engage curiosity on the day-to-day, and bringing your team in on the process of cr...
Jan 08, 2024•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Let’s talk automation. This week on the podcast Chris and Jared discuss Chris’s recent visit to the La Marzocco innovation gallery tour. La Marzocco has been touring the country with Mahlkonig showing off some of their newest innovations, and one of them has made quite a stir. The E80W Grind by Sync is the latest in automation technology, syncing with your espresso machine so that it can adjust itself to ensure the perfect grind. It has brought up the question of “how much automation is too much...
Jan 01, 2024•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Happy holidays y’all! We’re coming to the end of the year and that means setting new intentions, company goals, and clearing out the grey areas. This week on the podcast Chris and Jared sit down to discuss their roles as Cat & Cloud owners. It can be hard to define your job as an owner of a company, but gaining clarity into your duties, writing out your own job description, and building intentional teams around you will create the solid foundation you need to grow. Listen to this week's episode ...
Dec 25, 2023•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast The podcast crew is on the move! We are recording from the car this week, and we have a captive interviewee, Marc Gessler. Chris takes this opportunity to ask his favorite question, “Why do you work here?” Whether it’s being able to contribute to and grow the community he grew up in or seeking those moments of connection, Marc shares his passion for working in the service of others. Listen to the full episode to hear Marc's take on why he connects so deeply to his work with Cat & Cloud. Do you h...
Dec 18, 2023•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast We’ve got a guest on the pod this week! Chris sits down with our good friend and designer of the Dialed Tamper Steven Monti. Steven, the owner of Artpresso Designs, got his start in the coffee industry by trying to solve the problems faced by professional baristas every day and has since created some of our all-time favorite bar tools. This week, the two are hopping on the mic to discuss his creation process and the understanding that you can’t be everything for everyone. Listen to the full epis...
Dec 11, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast We’re nearing the end of 2023 and a new year calls for new challenges, new directions and new ideas. This week Chris and Jared are sharing their what they’re looking forward to in 2024; Jared is excited for both his eyes to work, Chris wants his left knee to stop hurting, and they’re both stoked for the opportunity to let go of what is and work for what could be. Listen to the full episode to hear their thoughts on how they’re approaching growth in 2024, and how they’re working to paint a clear ...
Dec 04, 2023•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast The guys are on their own this week! Chris and Jared sit at the mic to discuss the “Event Experience.” What are we looking to share when we attend expos and what makes being at these events so special? Listen to the full episode to hear some of their experiences on the expo floor, and how refreshing and connective it can be to be surrounded by coffee folks who care about the industry as much as they do. No matter why you go; whether you want to learn, get connected, or just want to be around the...
Nov 27, 2023•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast We’re taking a lot of left turns today, but we end up in the right direction. This week on the podcast the guys are talking about everything! What they’ve been thankful for through their growth in the industry, an incredible fine dining coffee experience, and how authenticity isn’t just something you practice, but something you feel. Listen to the full episode to hear their thoughts owning your work, and loving what you do enough to want to share it. Have you tried the newest coffee from Benjami...
Nov 18, 2023•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast How do you see the Forest beyond the Trees? In an organization like ours, there is a lot of balancing that needs to happen every day, the abundance of daily tasks necessary to run the cafe, and, the over-arching mission that we are working to achieve at all times. How do we keep it all in mind, and more importantly how do we as leadership help the newest members of our team learn to hold it all? This week on the podcast, the guys sit down to discuss how we educate our team on both the requiremen...
Nov 13, 2023•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast What is the job of the owner? As a company grows it becomes more natural for owners to step away from the day to day work, but how does that happen? What would a job listing for the person to take over charge of the thing that you’ve poured yourself into growing? The role of an owner or a CEO is to see the patterns that are often overlooked by others. An effective leader needs to be able to track changes in customer needs, and be able to see from the perspective of the guest experience. Listen t...
Nov 06, 2023•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we have a very special guest… First place winner of the Cup Tasters Prelim and our very own Green Coffee Coordinator, Dulce!! So this week we brought Dulce to the mic to walk us all through the breakdown of a Cup Tasters competition and her experience going through that process. Listen to the full episode to hear about Dulce's history with Cat & Cloud, what it was like to connect with the specialty coffee community in such a focused setting, and what inspired the head-first dive into t...
Oct 30, 2023•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast We rolled out some pretty exciting new developments for the Cat & Cloud team last week. From a new handbook, to road maps to growth, our retail teams are now fully set up to be the pros we know they are. This week on the podcast Chris, Jared and Michael sit down to share the motivations behind the redesign of our employee handbook and the creation of the Cat & Cloud passport. We believe that our mission and values should touch every aspect of our business, and we hope that these new tools will h...
Oct 23, 2023•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jared went to Australia! This week on the podcast Michael and Jared sit down to review his experience with the coffee industry on his recent visit to Australia. Listen to the full episode to hear his thoughts on their espresso-focused coffee culture, the types of coffees they use, and even a few thoughts on how their economic structure affects the industry culture! If you’re interested in becoming a Cat & Cloud Partner email us at wholesale@catandcloud.com! Do you have a question you’ve been dyi...
Oct 16, 2023•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to ChuckTalk! This week on the podcast Chris and Michael are joined by Cat & Cloud’s third owner Charles Jack! Have you ever wondered about Cat & Cloud’s elusive third owner? Maybe you want to know how he got his start in coffee, how he met Chris and Jared, or why he left his Wall Street career to work with TechnoServe and live in South Sudan? Well Chuck is on the mic this week to answer all of those burning questions. Listen to the full episode to hear about his life, career and all the...
Oct 09, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Did you know that Cat & Cloud has a partner program? This week on the podcast Chris and Michael are joined by Director of Coffee Marc Gessler to chat about our wholesale program! The guys sit down to discuss why we try and build such close relationships with our coffee partners, and the intricacies of adapting what we offer to the needs of each business. Listen to the full episode to hear their thoughts on how we find our partners and set them up to have the best experience with our coffee. If y...
Oct 02, 2023•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast What is the lifetime value of a customer? What is the importance of providing guests with “delightful” experiences? Hospitality extends farther than making people feel welcome, it’s about meeting guests where they’re at and doing what you can to get them stoked. This week Chris and Michael are sitting down to talk about how you can keep people coming back to your business time and time again. Every interaction is an investment in your guest, and the more you’re able to make someone feel taken ca...
Sep 25, 2023•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Does coffee have a place in the slow food industry? What would that even look like? This week on the podcast the guys discuss what it means to provide a highly specialized experience, and the challenges that cafes would face fighting the high volume nature of the coffee industry. Listen to the full episode to hear their thoughts on how cafes can provide a little bit of the slow food experience every day through hospitality, enthusiasm, and knowledge. Let us know your thoughts on a slow bar coffe...
Sep 18, 2023•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast We’re getting sample roasted. This week on the podcast the guys sit down to go over some of the challenges that come along with cafe succession planning and the work experiences that inspired them to build Cat & Cloud with a positive company culture. Listen to the full episode to hear their thoughts on how to face the unknowns of your business while remaining open to the adventure, and how to break the negative work cycle that keeps most of us from doing what we love, and finding positivity in w...
Sep 11, 2023•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast Where do you find your inspiration for things? Do you go to the same place to find what you are looking for, or do you find inspiration striking when you least expect it? This week Wiser tries to ask Chris and Jared where they find their inspiration, and it goes about how you would expect. 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@catandcloud.com and tell us what it is, ...
Sep 04, 2023•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s surprising how much the law of improv can apply to other parts of our lives. Collaborating on teams becomes a real challenge when you’re not meeting each other in a “yes, and” space. Work is not always perfectly aligned all the time, but it’s our ability to show up, approach roadblocks with optimism, and believe something is possible even if there is no proof of it. Listen to the full episode to hear Chris, Jared and Michael discuss the importance of clear communication, adaptability and 36...
Aug 28, 2023•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week the guys sit down to discuss Delorean prices, how coffee culture has changed, and what, if anything, in the culture should be held sacred. Listen to the full episode to hear Chris, Jared and Michael discuss the process of creating our current coffee and cafe culture, all of the ways it’s had to change to get to this point, and how to continue to adapt as pieces of that culture change. Listen to the full episode to get the rundown on how you could utilize the concept in your own cafe! D...
Aug 21, 2023•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast What are the 7 Steps of Service? We reference it pretty often when talking about daily life in the cafes but how do they work and what are the actual steps? This week on the podcast Chris, Jared and Michael dive deep on fundamentals of Cat & Clouds “7 Steps of Service.” These steps were designed to simplify some of the complexities of hospitality for our new hires. They are the building blocks to our ability to connect with our guests, soften their landing in the cafe, and provide a meaningful e...
Aug 14, 2023•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast We all spend a majority of our lives working. It’s a necessity, and impacts your life whether you intend it to or not. Not everyone likes every part of their job all the time, but how do you zoom out and turn the thing you “have to do” into a best case scenario? This week on the podcast Chris, Jared and Michael sit down to discuss how to remain motivated in your work and take advantage on every opportunity you may have to learn more. Listen to the full episode to hear their thoughts on the impac...
Aug 07, 2023•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week on the podcast we are checking our work. Last week we posted on our Threads account asking y’all to send in your questions for us and y’all did not hold back! So this week on the podcast Michael, Chris, and Jared are reviewing the questions you sent in and the answers we gave. Listen to the full episode to get Jared’s surprisingly thorough breakdown on proper fishing technique, how to play forward even when you don’t have all the answers, and how to create the perfect mix of human and ...
Jul 31, 2023•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week on the podcast Michael and Jared are joined by another new voice on the Podcast, Director of Coffee Marc Gessler! The guys are hopping on the mic to talk about barista competitions, shameless plugs and Marc’s experience of finding artistry through his work with coffee. We’re diving into coffee competitions! We are thrilled that our Director of Coffee Marc and our Green Coffee Coordinator Dulce are going to be breaking us in to the competitive world of coffee for the first time this yea...
Jul 24, 2023•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast We have a new guest on the pod this week, our Roastery Team Leader Andre! This week Michael, Jared and Andre sit down to review our recent origin trip to Honduras. Origin trips are a really important part of our culture of connection, getting to meet the people and see the communities that our coffee comes from has a huge impact on the way we share our coffee with you. Listen to the full episode to hear Andre’s experience on his first Origin trip, and how that experience has changed the way he c...
Jul 17, 2023•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast How do we handle disagreements as an organization and as a team? How can you approach compromises with an open mind, and especially as an owner how do you navigate the feeling that the business is a direct tie to who you are as a person? This week on the podcast Chris, Jared and Michael sit down again to talk about some of the hard conversations that have to happen when you’re running a business. Not everyone on your team is going to agree all the time, and that’s okay. Listen to this weeks epis...
Jul 10, 2023•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast On this week's episode, we are giving you a peek behind the curtain! Chris, Jared, and Michael sit down to discuss all the thoughts and considerations that go into creating the podcast. How do you create compelling podcast questions, that are interesting to the guys and our listeners? And what is the best experience we can provide to our audience? Listen to the full episode to hear their thoughts! Do you have a question you’ve been dying to ask us? Do you wanna hear us talk about it on the podca...
Jul 03, 2023•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
