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S6:E8 - Coffee Smarter: The Efficient Bar · Coffee People Podcast

0:12
Hey, good morning everyone. Welcome to season 6 episode. 8
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of the roast West Coast coffee podcast.
0:18
I'm Ryan Walton. This is the show where I bring
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you the stories of coffee professionals entrepreneurship
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and coffee education. Today is one of those education
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days, particularly geared to the coffee.
0:30
Be professional or aspiring Cafe.
0:32
Owner, looking to create a more efficient coffee bar.
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That said, anyone who deals with the small kitchen will get a lot
0:39
out of this episode. To today's coffee smarter
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expert, is Alden Hosiery. If you listen to the show you
0:46
may recognize that name. All the is the founder and head
0:49
roaster of Crossings Coffee Roasters and he is the operator
0:53
of Cafe litter. One of this shows roast industry
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Partners in Southern California. The cafe lechera shops are a
1:00
collaborative business effort with Salon World.
1:03
Suites a chain of Salon, co-working spaces, the coffee
1:07
shops can be found inside the salons and as such are given a
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very, very small footprint to work with aldens, going to walk
1:15
us through the process from concept, to lay out to adapting,
1:18
to the unanticipated consequences of putting this
1:21
thing there. And that thing over here, as for
1:24
me, this morning, I'm drinking a pour-over cup of Ethiopia that I
1:28
brewed is a V6. And I'm using my new gooseneck
1:31
water kettle, which I'm very excited about.
1:34
I'm going to take this cup and sit on the steps under the
1:36
overhang and I hope wherever you are.
1:38
You decide to Brave the outdoors a little bit to today.
1:41
But if not, that's okay too, because the weather be pretty
1:44
crazy everywhere. It was so hot.
1:47
And So Cal this week, I actually went to sleep with ice packs,
1:50
and I invested in some cans of cold, brew for the mornings
1:53
wherever you are. I hope that your coffee mug is
1:55
full and you're ready to get coffee smarter today.
1:59
With Alden Hosiery of Crossings Coffee Roasters and Cafe litter
2:03
on this episode of the roast West Coast coffee podcast.
2:23
Why don't we get? Just get started real quick and
2:25
just I know you you've been on the show before some of those,
2:28
there's no you but some don't do do us a favor and say, just let
2:33
us know what your name is and what it is that you do in the
2:36
world of coffee. My name is Alden Hosiery and I
2:42
do a little bit of everything in coffee, you know, I think kind
2:47
of like what you were alluding to before my my goal is to kind
2:50
of build an Empire, but not for myself.
2:52
The goal is to kind of build this Empire with the yes,
2:58
maintaining the three principles of how I live my life and how I
3:01
run my businesses. And those pillars are
3:03
foundations of kindness community and in the pursuit of
3:07
Excellence, By the way, I try to manifest or instill, these
3:13
virtues is through a few different branches of my
3:17
business, one of, which is a roasting side.
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I wholesale, I source and curate coffees specific for shops, and
3:25
whatever, you know, or restaurants kind of to match the
3:29
flavor profile that they're seeking.
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I have a Consulting Branch where I do help and offer support
3:37
training. Que si bar flow management, you
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know, everything that it takes to kind of get to the
3:43
nitty-gritty. And even as far back out as like
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you know, scale development of businesses and within that, I
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have been more recently involved with helping several shops, open
3:56
up, develop manage their own coffee Concepts.
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The biggest, which right now is a chain of cafes that I'm
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currently building for a company in San Diego, called Cafe
4:06
litter. The concept is kind of like a
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joint mixed space with a salon, so our cafes are inside of a
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high-end kind of Boutique Salon. We've got a bunch of locations
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across the Southwest planned, currently one in Solana Beach.
4:24
Another in Encinitas, will soon be expanding up into a la Pasion
4:28
Vegas and looking to actually open our first stand-alone brick
4:32
and mortar for the concept somewhere in North County all
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within the next year or so. It never ceases to amaze me when
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I talk to you. How much stuff you have going on
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your work with Cafe litter. Is one of the reasons that I was
4:47
excited to have you back on as a coffee.
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Smarter expert, the season. The cafe with tears spaces are
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unique, Lee efficient in the way that this closet that I'm
4:59
sitting in his small, your cafes Footprints are very small
5:02
because they, you know, any extra space that those cafes
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take is. Taking away from the salon
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space. That is also a revenue driver
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for that business. So you you go into these one
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where every Cafe is going to be a little bit different based on
5:18
the space and the retail space that your allotted indoor and
5:23
outdoor. And there's going to be
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different rules for different landlords and if you know,
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everything's gonna be a little bit different.
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But you're also given a very small footprint.
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So one of the things that I was excited to talk to you about
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this on the show is how how you go about setting up a coffee bar
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efficiently because it's something you're uniquely
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qualified to do. And I'd like to take it all the
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way to kind of the very beginning of that process when
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you're looking at like a blank empty space, how do you begin to
5:53
Envision what it's going to look like in the future?
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Where does that process start for you?
6:00
That's a terrific question. I'd say for me, it really starts
6:03
with looking at the menu, we're trying to create, you know,
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workflows are kind of built out born from, you know, your your
6:10
menu. So if you know, you're trying to
6:12
build a coffee concept and when I sat down with these folks, you
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know, that was actually one of the first questions we talked
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about was, what kind of Cafe are we looking for?
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Is just can be coffee tea, or looking to do food.
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Do you want Espresso Bar? You know, how much of an
6:24
experience are we trying to create for not only the tenants
6:27
of the salon, but also the community at large, we're not
6:29
trying. Pigeonhole ourselves into just
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serving tenants and their clients.
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But also, you know, our neighbors, you know, the
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residencies that are all around us and they said
6:40
enthusiastically, we want a full coffee bar, we want everything,
6:44
we want to let people know that. Hey, we've got a, you know, a
6:46
kick-ass program director. We've got an amazing menu, and
6:50
you can come and rely on us for a cup of your morning.
6:52
Joe. So that was a little thrilling
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and a little also, in line with I had Obviously helped another
7:01
business in San Diego. Open up a tiny little Coffee
7:03
corner inside of an existing business.
7:06
And through that experience, I was able to kind of get a better
7:08
feel for what ergonomically is really important for not only
7:13
storage and where equipment is going to go but like the
7:16
specific placement of each equipment, you know, how can we
7:19
can make sure one person can kind of man or woman or
7:23
personify you know as many stations as possible without
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scrambling or running back and forth to you know knock out
7:29
drinks. So when I sat down actually used
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like a kind of like a cheaper version of, you know, kind of
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like a cat software to kind of just like render out what the
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space would look like. I even got a little paper cut
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outs, just to make sure that, you know, I could move things
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around and see what would make sense and kind of putting myself
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into the position of whoever standing behind bar with the
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first location that we opened up in Solana Beach.
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There was an added level of complexity because they had also
7:56
wanted to open up a window, kind of a serving window.
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So now Only would we have a point-of-sale facing inwards
8:02
inside the salon, but another one pointed outside to the
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community at large, let me interrupt you just to clarify
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something for anyone listening that's Solana Beach base that
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you're talking about right now. Can you give us an idea of
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roughly? What the square footage of that
8:17
inside? Footprint is, I can give you an
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exact square footage. It's 199 square feet, okay?
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So, 199 square feet is very small when you are thinking
8:27
about the size of a cafe. So So, knowing that we're
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playing with that, that sub 200 number, I'll let you continue
8:35
apologies for the interruption. All right.
8:37
Totally fine. So we've got, you know, a list
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of all of my equipment that I'm going to eat, okay.
8:42
If we're doing an Express brininess, press machine, I need
8:44
an espresso grinder. I probably need a d craft
8:46
grinder, I'm going to need a coffee brewer because when
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you're working with a space, that small usually you're going
8:52
to be working with one person. Maybe two people Max at a time.
8:55
I don't really want to take time away for them to stop and do
8:57
pour overs or French. Press I need Ocean but maybe
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automation again with excellence in mind so I already had that
9:03
equipment picked out. I'd like to do a water tower so
9:06
I can have hot water ready for teas.
9:08
Oh we're a cafe concept. I need a three comps think.
9:12
I need floor drains. I need a refrigerator.
9:14
I need a grab and go for things like bars and juices and things
9:17
like that. So very quickly you're able to
9:20
kind of build out what is all the equipment.
9:22
I'm going to need and then I started looking at like building
9:25
code and Ada American diaper. Act requirements for spaces as
9:32
well, what kind of materials do we need to use in all these
9:36
different things? And then also, you know, the
9:38
added level of complexity and cost Effectiveness as well.
9:41
You know, we were brand new concept, we were opening up in
9:43
the middle of covid and even though we had full faith that,
9:46
you know, with a good product and a good service, you know,
9:49
build it and they will come, you know, comes to mind.
9:53
But, you know, to kind of take one already tiny space, fit all
9:57
the equipment that we need, keep in mind.
9:59
And codes. And again, these ADA compliance
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has really starts to. I wouldn't I would even say it
10:05
makes things a little easier because there isn't a whole lot
10:07
of flexibility on what you're able to do.
10:10
Oh, this fridge needs to go Hero action, can't put it up there.
10:12
We need to get an under counter because the upright would take
10:15
away from counter space that we could use for food prep.
10:17
You know, the three comps think, you know.
10:19
Okay. Well, getting a full length
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wise, you know, straight line takes up a lot of space.
10:25
I get an L shape. I can stuff that in the corner
10:27
and I can build a pony wall, so that my specimen, Go next to it
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and I don't to worry about Splash over from the sink.
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Next, you know, all these different things are coming to
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mind. So I kind of position myself in
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one space and okay. What am I doing?
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Where am I knocking? My portafilter out.
10:42
Where's my trash bin? Going to go?
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Where can I reach more easily to have teased accessible.
10:46
Okay, cool. I'm going to Pivot around.
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Okay, milks. Mmm.
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If I'm doing this, you know, a hundred times a day.
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That could get a little overwhelming.
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So I want to move the refrigerator a little over this
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way so I can get that to be even more efficient for when As you
11:00
know, 17 tickets deep and they're trying to you know catch
11:03
up again and so slow you kind of Whittle down side by side until
11:07
you were left with more or less a rough shape on what the space
11:11
is going to look like. We're equals going to go and the
11:14
next level is to kind of apply the things like counter height
11:17
and then you know, okay I've got this much counter space
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available for my Espresso Bar. How am I going to set up my
11:23
stress machine? Where my arms going to go?
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What makes most sense for me to you know, knock the Porta filter
11:28
out or brush it? It out, you know, grab another
11:32
dose of espresso, and I kind of just play with these things in
11:36
my head and try to think about, if I'm doing this 20 times 50
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times, 100 times a day, how can I drop into a good Rhythm that?
11:44
Doesn't take away or create disruptions in keeping up with
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demand that you might have? And all the while that you're
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thinking about that, you are also have to be aware of what
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the user experience will be, which kind of a web term but in
12:00
real life you're talking about what I like, what are people
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going to see when they're standing at the counter?
12:04
What are people going to see when they're standing at the
12:07
window? The window I think is a
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something that maybe you wouldn't think about it first,
12:12
if you weren't in this position regularly, but by having that
12:15
window, you're also taking away from space that, You could have
12:19
something above counter height because people need to be able
12:24
to see in that huge window that people come up to and get their
12:27
food and their coffee and their whatever from has to be clear
12:30
and open. So you at the Solana Beach
12:32
location, which I've been to, you have two separate lines of
12:36
sight for customers one inside and one outside and you have to
12:40
be aware of both. So, when you're setting up your
12:44
coffee bar efficiently, you're not only thinking about how and
12:47
tell me if I'm wrong here. You're not The about how it will
12:50
be for your Barista, who's doing all these things, and how
12:53
efficient it will be for them. But you're thinking about how it
12:56
looks from a visual standpoint. Yes, absolutely.
12:59
I was so glad you brought that up.
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So that kind of for me falls under my category in the pursuit
13:03
of excellence and you know I use the word pursuit of Excellence
13:06
because I don't think you're ever going to always just be
13:09
excellent and you know they were in a constantly flowing and
13:11
dynamic landscape. And so for always in the pursuit
13:14
of it it kind of allows give space for curiosity and to
13:18
improve upon. What we've already created.
13:20
So to your point being mindful about the the the customer
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experience is a whole other, like, you know, Rabbit Hole.
13:29
I absolutely love going down, you know, in my mind, I'm
13:31
thinking, okay, what is this person thinking of, when they're
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waking up and being like, I need a cup of coffee.
13:37
Who are the first shops that come to mind?
13:38
Maybe they're going to Google coffee shops in my area or a
13:41
great how to get to the top of that list.
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How do we become the most visible?
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Unless they do happen to choose us and they come on through.
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What is their experience? The first walk up and perceive
13:50
us. What do we look like?
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What is the setup is? It organized?
13:52
Is it clean? Is it messy?
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Is it chaotic? How do we kind of not hide, but
13:58
Shield away parts that maybe take away from their perceived
14:01
experience of what they're about to participate in, you know,
14:04
from the salon side of things, I have a glass wall that kind of
14:07
extends out to block people's view of like the three comps
14:11
thing because I don't know I'm making an assumption here but
14:14
some people might be a little mmm.
14:15
That's you know a bit of a turn-off to see you know syncs
14:18
with Dishes or Cleaning Solutions, things like that.
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And from the other side, how do I also make sure their pores
14:25
from the window can still get a clean shot of the espresso
14:27
machine? Oh, I also really love the look
14:29
of this grinder. I think it's a bit of a
14:31
showpiece where can I position that?
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So when people see they be like, wow, that is a really strange
14:34
piece of equipment. What is that?
14:36
Great talking point. Let me tell you all about it and
14:39
it goes on and on until you know, it comes down to how are
14:41
we preparing the drink? How do we, you know, kind of
14:44
bring in a little bit of the theatrics and the beauty when it
14:48
comes to Pulling a shot tamping at, you know, steaming milk
14:52
pouring it. So it's in view of whoever's
14:53
either at the counter inside or out the window outside and then
14:56
the delivery, what is the cup look like?
14:58
What are the lids look like? Make sure they fit properly.
15:00
How we handing it off to them. You know.
15:02
I want to make sure that we're on their minds throughout this
15:04
entire process and you know when they finally finish that cup and
15:09
toss to recycle it, what is that final set for them?
15:12
Like you know I think that's a big part of also that experience
15:15
as well. I don't want that last sip to be
15:17
the thing that I remember the most.
15:19
Just because you know, if it's a big drink and to get to that
15:21
last sip, it might be cold maybe you know the espresso shot died.
15:25
Maybe some of the milk separated and you know that lasts it might
15:29
be representative to their entire experience, you know, how
15:32
do we greet them? How do we maintain conversation?
15:34
What is the exit look like? These are all different pieces
15:37
that come into play with. Curating, that experience, for
15:40
them. The idea that you're thinking
15:42
about the last sip is really interesting to me, because I
15:45
always remember places by my first sip My first engagement.
15:50
And that first moment of, oh, yeah, this is what I wanted or,
15:55
oh, no. This isn't or walking in and
15:58
seeing, you know, tables that aren't clean or whatever over
16:04
the last couple of years, I've actually adjusted what my
16:06
expectations of hospitality are because there has been in
16:12
addition to covid you know, covid limits, some things and a
16:16
changing Workforce has changed, you know how much We can do how
16:20
much a business can do in the space that they have with how
16:23
many employees they have. And so maybe my expectations
16:27
were predicated on my experience in Hospitality pretty covid.
16:30
And so I had to adjust that, but the the idea that you're
16:33
thinking about their last sip being the one that is the most
16:35
important, and I go into it thinking about the first.
16:37
I would also kind of change track a little bit and just as
16:42
you're talking about this, you meant you kind of referenced it
16:46
earlier as you're thinking about the layout in the set.
16:49
You know how many times you're going to do this?
16:50
I think replication is something people forget about.
16:53
There are some very beautiful beautifully designed restaurants
16:58
in particular in the San Diego area that I've been to.
17:01
That are very clearly, not designed by anyone who's ever
17:04
worked in a restaurant. I don't know how to say that
17:08
without it, kind of sounding like a dig, and it's not because
17:10
they're so beautiful, it's worth the experience.
17:13
But when you are doing something over and over and over again,
17:18
and try And to maintain consistency that gets more
17:21
difficult. When the steps to complete an
17:25
activity are greater. And so, for an example, if you
17:28
need to turn and you can tell me how you try to, to figure this,
17:33
this part out, I think having a small space helps, but if I'm
17:37
taking an order at the window and then I have to turn to the
17:40
grinder to grind the beans and that takes me two and a half
17:44
steps. That is an extra second, both
17:47
ways where Not engaged. I'm not looking out at my
17:50
customer or that it's taking between customers.
17:54
Now, that doesn't sound like much, and if it's a slow day,
17:57
it's probably not, but if there's 20 people in line and
18:00
that last person in line is, now, waiting an extra two or
18:03
three minutes, that could be enough to inspire them to go
18:07
across the street. And, you know, we might change
18:10
our experience and for my Barista, those extra two steps
18:13
are now multiplied. That's an extra 500 steps, that
18:16
will I'm getting tired faster, I'm getting Sore faster.
18:20
It doesn't sound like much. But you just have to think about
18:23
it, in terms of multiplication, tamping.
18:26
You know, if you're tamping the wrong way, a hundred times a
18:30
day, five days a week, you will eventually blow your elbow out
18:35
or your wrist. And so, how do you think about
18:38
that in terms of you've already referenced?
18:40
How you think about in terms of how the customer sees things,
18:43
how do you do that in terms of your earrings, your staffs your
18:46
employees? Another amazing question.
18:50
So when I'm interviewing for these locations, it's nice to
18:54
have someone come up to me with coffee experience, you know,
18:58
Starbucks or local cafe or you know, Java shock you wherever
19:03
you're coming from. If you, you know, give a damn
19:07
pardon my language about what you're doing and you have that
19:09
show up factor that, you know what, I am.
19:12
I'm investing my time into something and my time is
19:15
something I value. So I'm going to show up with
19:17
everything I got Like that X-Factor is the thing I look for
19:20
first and foremost. So even if you don't have
19:22
experience and you're just passionate about wanting to show
19:25
up, I can work with that. And I want to hinge on that
19:29
point because I'll get people coming in and thinking, I know
19:33
what I'm doing, you know, I've been in coffee for five years.
19:36
I've been in cough for seven years.
19:38
Like, I know how to pull a shot and I'm sure they do and I do a
19:45
few things differently and they might be exposed to something
19:47
that maybe they haven't seen before.
19:48
So when they come on board and we agree were like yeah we think
19:51
would be a good fit, the chemistry feels right.
19:53
They're not immediately just like thrown on bar, you know by
19:56
themselves and left to their devices.
19:57
It's they drop into what I call comic, a two-week intensive
20:01
training period And this is a two-way street for us both to
20:04
kind of gauge and assess where we're at.
20:06
You know, they might have experience and I want to see
20:09
what areas they might need support or opportunities for
20:11
growth in. They might even want to be able
20:13
to see See what the scope of this working space would look
20:17
like, you know, like like with most employment it's blinking on
20:21
the word right now, but basically there's like there's
20:23
no commitment. They could realize, you know
20:25
what, I thought I'd like this. And I don't, I'm so sorry, and
20:28
that's totally fine, you know, I want to be able to know that
20:31
earlier ahead of time before we invest time in each other before
20:34
realizing that you're not really enjoying your time here.
20:36
Or we're not feeling like the dynamic is working out here, but
20:39
that two week intensive. Training is really kind of like
20:42
a, if your Ever played Sports in high school.
20:45
It's kind of like a week where we're going to be doing things
20:47
over and over and over again because I want to see how is
20:49
your Tamplin. Look, you know what is your body
20:51
posture when you're steaming milk?
20:53
What's your bottom past? When you're pouring, I've seen
20:54
some people come in and they're like, you know, contorting
20:57
themselves to try to pour this cup so that the customer can see
21:00
what they're pouring. And, you know, I'm looking at
21:01
their back, I'm like, oh my God you're back.
21:03
I feel so bad for your back, right, relax.
21:05
I shake it out, like we're good. Like let's let's try this.
21:09
Try reframing and reprogramming. A lot of these these ways that
21:12
you've been used to doing things and create Something that's more
21:14
postural comfortable looks a little bit more presentable and
21:16
professional and will give you the longevity, you need to get
21:19
through an entire day because that repetition does really add
21:22
up especially in such a tight space where you might be doing a
21:26
lot of the same way, micro kind of explosive movements, you
21:29
know, bending over open the door, pulling milk all throwing
21:32
milk back in you know these things they do Stack Up in
21:35
compound over the course of a day and it's important to like
21:39
recognize what are the areas that might wear out the fastest?
21:42
And You brought up a point earlier when you've got, like,
21:45
20 people in line for days like that.
21:48
You know, I did build the space or these spaces with the ability
21:51
to be able to fit two people inside at a time to make it even
21:54
hyper-efficient. So one person's, you know,
21:56
running the window, the other person's running the actual
21:58
machine. And at that point, we get to
22:00
practice communication, you know, it's always like my my
22:06
heart hums and my ears feel like it's gold.
22:08
When I'm going to kind of just in, I'm watching them, work and
22:12
all here, one. Sun' taking an order at the
22:14
window and I'm watching the person on espresso.
22:17
Are you starting to hear it? Like they already know what's
22:19
going on there already. Attuned to what's going on at
22:21
the. One of the you start preparing
22:21
ahead of time because they know the early start on this drink,
22:24
the more prepared they'll be for the drink after that.
22:26
And after that, and after that, yeah, that's the Barista
22:29
Shuffle. You have to learn that exactly.
22:32
When we're talking about 200 square feet, you're actually
22:35
actual Barista space, maybe 3 feet by 5 feet.
22:38
If that of space that they are adjusting each other around.
22:43
Be a very tight space. I think for the year that I did
22:47
spend as a barista, we had, we stood on a platform that had
22:50
pushed rubber mat on it to help protect our her joints.
22:54
But it was 28 inches by thinks 60 inches.
22:58
That was the space that we had and we would sometimes have
23:01
three employees on their working, you know
23:03
simultaneously. So you learn to be very quick to
23:09
you learn each other's movements and some people move in a
23:11
different way. And as an employee Why it's
23:14
important to know that that that's the case.
23:17
I want to recap before I get lost or I lose the thread.
23:21
But in the beginning you are looking at an empty space and
23:25
essentially working on a layout based on the equipment list that
23:30
you have and trying to keep in mind, in that case you're doing,
23:35
you were doing it on a CAD program.
23:36
You might actually be doing it on a piece of paper.
23:39
I think a lot of times cafes start on the back of a napkin or
23:42
a notebook and you kind of Drawing out sinks in tables and
23:45
things and then go into three dimensions.
23:48
So you're keeping in mind, the physical layout.
23:51
You're keeping in mind, the visual layout that a, both a
23:54
customer, and employee might have your keeping in mind how to
23:59
do the job to the best quality, as efficiently as possible to
24:04
try to limit problems or concerns, you know, not just
24:09
injury from repetitive or repetitive injury.
24:11
But I'm thinking of like, if my milk Is down over here and to
24:15
get it. I have to reach around a door,
24:17
the door opens awkwardly. I might spill that milk once a
24:20
week, well now that's a gallon of milk.
24:22
I've lost in time lost to a mess, and I feel like there was
24:25
a fourth thing. What was the fourth thing I'd
24:28
say like, building code? Building code?
24:30
That's right. The most important one, if you
24:32
would like to be open for business and they don't care
24:36
about the rest of these things. So you have to factor that in.
24:41
I can offer a modified one piece.
24:43
Of additional support, you know, for this space.
24:46
I think the one thing that was helpful because there's not
24:50
going to be like a recipe, just to follow.
24:51
You do follow steps a through G, and you hit success.
24:54
It's very much trial and error. Like, I can't tell you how many
24:57
hours I spent starting down One path or like building layout and
25:00
then, you know, you know, 16 hours in and I realize, there's
25:03
a critical, you know, flaw or something.
25:05
We're not going to work around. I've got a scrap it.
25:07
And start all over again, but starting with like the things
25:10
that you can't change. So, when I came into that space,
25:13
that building was Already built out, you know, we couldn't
25:15
retrench, we couldn't, you know, move the window that window was
25:19
already there. The the floor drains were
25:22
already there. So that kind of again, it did
25:25
restrict what flexibility I had. But it also did give me a few
25:28
seeds to start from like, okay, obviously, this is where we're
25:31
starting here. What can I do to build out from
25:34
this concept and then everything was kind of falls into place.
25:37
So even though they're restrictive, they offer, as, you
25:40
know, kind of like a filter, so, you know, filter out all the
25:43
options. Options that don't work and I
25:45
just get to work with the ones that do.
25:46
And then you kind of, you know, massage it for the gold for all
25:50
the ergonomics we talked about before.
25:53
A few months ago, I had stopped by the newest cafe lechera
25:56
location in Encinitas. And that day, you were dialing
26:00
in a Guatemala coffee that you roasted with your company
26:04
Crossings Coffee Roasters. It's been all summer since since
26:10
then. How did that coffee turn out for
26:12
you and to what are you drinking?
26:14
And roasting these days that you're getting excited about and
26:17
I should say that a lot of your roasted coffee is what is being
26:20
served in Cafe lechera currently.
26:23
Yeah, that coffee turned out great.
26:25
It's something that there's a, there's a fine line.
26:28
I, you know, I have my preferences on the cup of
26:30
coffee. I like to roast with a cup of
26:32
coffee. I like to drink and then there's
26:34
also kind of a pandering is not the right word, but, you know, I
26:38
had to look at what our demographic is drinking.
26:40
What do they like? And what's the coffee that?
26:44
Again, you know, being mindful of the consumer experience.
26:47
Something that matches the flavor profile.
26:49
They enjoy something that's in line with what I can stand
26:51
behind. Something that matches the rest
26:54
of our menu pairs well with syrups pairs.
26:56
Well with the milks that were choosing and that ultimately
26:59
ends up being a coffee. That is not a dark roast but a
27:02
little darker than how I typically like to roast.
27:05
And so it's been kind of a work in progress to dial that coffee
27:09
in and at the same point, you know, trying to be mindful of
27:13
knowing that that's a coffee or a varietal or a region that I
27:18
can Source from consistently you know I love How some shops are
27:24
able to rotate through. I'm envious and if anything
27:27
actually you know like this month's special is going to be a
27:30
Peruvian, you know, Peabody or next month is a Kenyan a a you
27:34
know and be able to have that rotational coffees on hand.
27:39
We found in our, our polls, in our studies when kind of walking
27:43
through the neighborhoods that they wanted something
27:45
consistent, somebody could get that taste of the same in March
27:47
as it does in December and I don't want to buy a container
27:52
full of coffee. And have it sit, you know, I
27:54
think over the span of, you know, eight, nine months that
27:56
coffee will probably be fine, but I do want to make sure that
28:01
the coffee were sourcing is as fresh as possible.
28:04
And but still matches the menu that they've come to expect so
28:09
fast forward to now. I'm you know, I'm loving that
28:12
Guatemala. I'm actually sitting on a
28:13
Columbia right now actually slipping on my Columbia espresso
28:17
right now, which is the coffee that I roast dark enough for
28:21
espresso. But lightning If that if you
28:23
want to brew it on like a French press or something that has a
28:26
little bit more of like that full immersion type.
28:28
Of fact, it does pull through with a nice solid, you know,
28:33
punch to the face. What?
28:38
I certainly appreciate that. Punch to the face.
28:40
Every morning helps get me going, Alden.
28:43
I really appreciate you coming and being on the show again, and
28:46
taking some of that time. I'm not sure when you sleep
28:49
actually with all the roasting in the operations in the
28:51
planning. And I know there's The future
28:53
things, I'm going to assume that you've got that all figured out
28:55
and you've got some sort of diamond system that you sleep in
28:58
at night to help rejuvenate. You I'll an old terrible Bond
29:02
movie. Thank you for being here, I'm
29:05
looking forward to having you back on the show.
29:07
We're going to talk about some of the equipment next week that
29:10
we were that you were setting up today in our in our chat and
29:13
I'll swing down and try that Columbia.
29:16
I can't wait. It's been a pleasure chatting
29:18
with you today. Okay, to recap, the creation of
29:27
an efficient coffee bar means being aware of human impact and
29:30
movement within the physical space.
29:33
If you're building out a cafe, you also need to consider the
29:35
rules and regulations put upon you by the health department and
29:39
building codes. If you're at home, you'll need
29:41
to be more concerned about space and convenience and space.
29:45
I said space twice because we have a very small kitchen and
29:49
we're constantly making choices about what stays out on the
29:52
Counter. And what doesn't success in your
29:55
efforts. Towards efficiency will come
29:57
with trial and error. Alden recommend starting with
30:00
things you can't change, for example, where a drain is or
30:03
what power outlets, you may have to work around.
30:06
It is kind of like playing a real life Minesweeper, don't be
30:09
afraid to adapt as you go. The three pillars that Alden
30:13
runs his life and is businesses by our kindness community and
30:17
the pursuit of Excellence. The parameter of those ideals
30:20
will be a little bit different for everyone but I do think it
30:23
helps to have an ethos or a motto to fall back on when
30:27
you're confronted with decisions, both in business and
30:29
in life, that's all for today's show.
30:32
Alden will be back again next week to continue our journey
30:35
into coffee smart. Earnest coffee smartening,
30:39
growing our coffee intelligence. I think that's the right one.
30:42
The show's industry Partners include the aforementioned Cafe
30:45
litter as well as coffee cycle, roasting ignite, coffee company.
30:49
And first, like whiskey, don't forget to use the discount code
30:53
RWC on bar bank.com to get. 15% off your order of First Light
30:58
coffee Whiskey's. That's RWC all capital letters
31:02
on bar bank.com. I'll add that link in the show
31:05
notes and on roast westcoast.com.
31:08
I also want to thank our partners.
31:09
Maria coffee assigned, Coffee Roasters cape Horn coffee,
31:12
importers Camp coffee company and steady state coffee
31:16
roasting, Who besides being a top-notch Roastery and Cafe are
31:20
hiring, if you're looking for a job in coffee and you live in
31:24
North County, San Diego. I know that is a very specific
31:27
portion of the audience, you can apply by sending your resume to
31:31
hello at steady state roasting.com.
31:34
And if you get the job, I will definitely see you there.
31:37
If you are listening to this show for the first time and you
31:39
want more coffee content, head to roast.
31:42
Co-star calm. Sign up for the free or paid
31:45
newsletters and be awesome. Thank you all for listening and
31:48
for supporting the show, this episode of the roast West Coast
31:52
coffee podcast is was has been written produced and recorded by
31:57
me Ryan Walt. I hope this episode is found you
32:00
happy healthy and with at least enough sanity to make it through
32:04
the day, always tip your Baristas and be sure to drink.
32:08
Good coffee. Hey there, thanks for sticking
32:41
around. I'll see you in a couple days
32:43
with part two of the interview with Ryan.
32:45
SB and David Elizondo a first light whiskey.