In this episode, Kenneth sits down with Wendy Pavin of Baba Java Coffee to talk about providing the perfect coffee shop experience. The perfect experience leads to sustainable coffee shop growth.  If you own (or are thinking about starting) a coffee shop, this is the episode for you!  They discuss getting the setting right, keeping customers informed, selling, and creating a community. 

They discuss how the layout of the café, décor, what is served, and who serves it all affect the coffee-drinking experience for customers.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• Wendy and her team realized that for many people specialty coffee shops seem pretentious, even off-limits. Their café is designed to eliminate this feeling.
• You need to employ approachable people.
• Baba Java took design inspiration from the Middle East where coffee drinking is very much a relaxed and social experience.
• Coffee is part of the hospitality sector, so taking inspiration from the hotel industry makes sense.
• Showcasing how the coffee is grown and produced helps customers to identify with the hard work the farmers and roasters do.
• The design has to put the customer first - for example, charging ports for every table and good wifi.
• Listen politely to your customer’s suggestions and act on them when it makes sense.
• Successful cafes put a strong emphasis on community.

BEST MOMENTS

‘We intentionally chose the way our bar is shaped. It’s curved. We wanted the baristas behind the bar to be accessible.’

‘We've all been in a place where you feel like you're going to ask a question, and you feel dumb, and we just don't want people to feel that way.’

‘Everyone who works for us …enjoys people.’

EPISODE RESOURCES

Baba Java Coffee Website - https://www.babajavacoffee.com/

Coffee U Podcast / https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coffeeu/id1613247330

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Award-winning single-origin specialty coffee: https://umblecoffee.com/

You’re disciplined and high achieving. You never settle. Shouldn’t the fuel that helps you reach your goals be held to those same standards? Instead of a crash-inducing cup of jo, you need coffee with optimal antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. A coffee so good that you can drink it black.

At Umble Coffee, we only roast specialty-grade arabica coffee from around the world with cupping scores 84 and above. Don’t sabotage yourself in pursuing your goals - drink coffee that tastes better and is better for you. No crash, great taste, and better long-term health benefits. That’s Umble Coffee.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/umblecoffee/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/umblecoffee/

Twitter:  https://mobile.twitter.com/umblecoffee

ABOUT THE HOST

As a coffee lover, physician, chemical engineer, serial entrepreneur, competitive runner, writer, and family man, Kenneth knows what it’s like to push yourself to achieve goals very few accomplish. He’s one of the best specialty coffee roasters in the United States as he’s a multi-year US Coffee Roasters’ Competition Finalist. He created Umble Coffee Co with the belief that, if sourced and roasted right, coffee can taste phenomenal and be good for you.

“Life’s too short to drink bad coffee.”

Podcast Description

Coffee 101 is an educational show on all things coffee. The host, Kenneth Thomas, starts with the most basic questions about coffee and builds your knowledge from there. If you love coffee, are curious about coffee, or you’re a business just looking for a resource to train your team, Coffee 101 is without question the show for you!  Season 2 is all about coffee's journey from shelf to sip.