Best Chris Deferio Podcasts (2025)

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192 | How to achieve roasting consistency - BBP and warm up 31:03

18h ago31:03

31:03

EP192

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RoR #34: The Core 7 Practices Disciplines for a Successful Roastery w/ Luke Waite | Pomelo Coffee Consulting 45:55

3d ago45:55

45:55

There are an incredible number of tasks associated with running a coffee roastery. The busy work of keeping things going often gets in the way of working on the main areas that will actually move the needle and build a successful operation. Today's guest comes to us with a lot of experience working in roasteries and consulting operators in the area…

1
SHIFT BREAK! Two Types of Continued Education for Baristas 10:30

4d ago10:30

10:30

When you onboard baristas, the work is just beginning. Part of the privilege of leadership is to provide ongoing coaching and training to all staff. This creates the kind of quality and excellence we want customers to experience and the kind of ongoing education you give to staff will determine if they are well equipped to serve. Today on Shift Bre…

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536: What It Means to Set Up Staff For Success 24:22

7d ago24:22

24:22

The world of cafe management is full of great ideas that, if applied well, would indeed change things for the better. The idea around leader ship role being primarily about "setting people up for success" is one of those principles. The trouble is it often stops with just the idea and is not as often applied in a tangible way. Today we are going to…

1
191 | Why coffee roasters need to plan for a difficult year with Edwin Martinez 1:10:46

8d ago1:10:46

1:10:46

The coffee industry is going through unprecedented changes. C-Market has nearly doubled within a few months, political and economic uncertainty, and supply and demand changes are creating a storm the industry has yet to have experienced. We talk with Edwin Martinez, CEO of Onyx Coffee, about what he’s seeing behind the scenes, the current state of …

1
535: Founder Friday! 30 Years of Coffee! w/ Ana Burgos and Amanda Jones of Hyperion Espresso, Fredricksburg, VA 57:45

11d ago57:45

57:45

Simplicity, focus, community, and legacy. These are some words that I feel apply to the steady and excellent service of Hyperion Espresso these last 30 years of operation. When you can measure your business in decades and look back with pride and a full heart, you now you have crafted something lasting and valuable. Today we are going to explore th…

1
SHIFT BREAK! Don't Force The Wrong People To Do The Right Work 11:29

11d ago11:29

11:29

It is a common weakness of hiring managers and desperate owners alike. We hire people that are not the right fit and spend most of our time trying to get them to change once they are working in the cafe. This leaves us burned out, it leaves the employee frustrated, and the business suffers in the process. Today on Shift Break we will be talking abo…

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534: Encore! Helping Your Team Work Through Their Strengths w/ Lisa Cummings of lead Through Strengths! 53:17

13d ago53:17

53:17

Once you hire the right people for your cafe you move on to the next decision, how to work with them to give them to set them and the business up for success. Too often the way we place and lead people is based on their job description and not so much based on their individual characteristics. How much better would your shop run if your team was gi…

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190 | How To Level Up Your Iced Coffee Game 35:33

15d ago35:33

35:33

Iced coffee is quickly growing in popularity and especially amongst Gen Z. With summer around the corner, sometimes an iced coffee is refreshing however it often lacks the nuance and flavor profile we like in hot coffees. In this episode, we share how to get the best out of your iced coffee, the kinds of coffees we found that work well, and how to …

1
SHIFT BREAK: Getting Over the Awkwardness of Leadership 11:44

17d ago11:44

11:44

Why does it feel so awkward and difficult to take action the way we know we need to as leaders in the coffee shop? If you are human, you feel a kind of resistance when it comes to making decisions, having those conversations, and generally taking decisive steps into leadership. What are we worried about? Well, there surely are some things we can fa…

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189 | How World Class Coffee For Competitors Is Sourced with Juan Diaz 59:20

22d ago59:20

59:20

Juan Diaz, owner of Know Where Coffee, is always on the search for the best coffee in Colombia. Over the last several years, he has not only competed in the national competitions but also sourced coffees used by some of the top competitors in the country. We chat with him about what he's doing with Know Where Coffee and his approach to sourcing inc…

1
533: Principles of Quality Control 45:14

25d ago45:14

45:14

The quality of your product matters. Some might get the idea that if only we are kind and hospitable then all will be forgiven or overlooked when it comes to quality fumbles. Actually, quality and the delivery of excellence in the product is part of how you show kindness and hospitality. Therefore how we approach it must be with a mindset that star…

1
SHIFT BREAK: The Myth of a Saturated Market 12:17

26d ago12:17

12:17

"I cannot open a coffee shop because my market is too saturated!" Does this sound like something you have heard or even said yourself? Today there are indeed a LOT of coffee shops. Way more than there ever have been. But does that mean the market is really saturated? Today on Shift Break we will be talking about a different way to view market satur…

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532: Start with Hospitality 28:40

29d ago28:40

28:40

The question we sometimes ask interviewees is, "What is more important, quality, or hospitality?" Spoiler, it's a trick question and the answer we like to hear usually is "Both". Well, today on the show we will dive into why the answer should actually be hospitality and how our approach to this question and the order in which we pursue things actua…

1
188 | How To Master Your Milk Steaming at Home 34:00

30d ago34:00

34:00

You bought an espresso machine for home. Your espresso tastes good, but you can't get your milk steaming and texturing right. It's something we commonly hear and that's why this episode is all about nailing your milk steaming at home. This podcast episode addresses common milk steaming issues, how to get the right texture, how milk affects your ste…

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RoR #33: Roasting for Different Cultivars w/ Rob Hoos | Rob Hoos Coffee Consulting 46:45

1M ago46:45

46:45

Roasting coffee sets the stage for how much potential enjoyment a customer has in drinking it. In order to truly bring out the best in a particular coffee, you need to consider details about the coffee that impact its behavior and development. One of the big ones of course is the cultivar you are roasting and being able to start determine a profile…

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SHIFT BREAK! Why Following Through is the Key to Better Coffee Shops 14:02

1M ago14:02

14:02

In order to assure our staff that we are listening and want to provide them solutions for issues they bring up we will often promise things in the moment, but then life gets in the way. In the moment it does not feel like a big deal, but slowly trust is eroded, and we see less engagement and loss opportunity for growth. Today on Shift Break we will…

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531: Why the Rise Convenience Coffee is a Good Opportunity for Coffee Shops 28:01

1M ago28:01

28:01

It is easy to get caught up into the vortex of convenience in automation in the industry today. Whether it's the giant chain drive-through's popping up across America- or super automatic promises that aren't kept, or ready to drink products that promise profitability, but rob us of energy, we could be spending in more sustainable things - the curre…

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187 | How To Grow Your Coffee Shop and Get Unstuck! With Chris Deferio 58:50

1M ago58:50

58:50

We sit down with Chris Deferio from Keys To The Shop to give you clear, practical tips on how to grow your coffee shop business. Ideally, your coffee shop is growing 10-20% year over year and if that's not happening, we break down how to make that a reality. Chris shares so many valuable insights on how to scale your coffee business. Boasting more …

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530: Founder Friday w/ Aisha Bullard and Modou (MAD) Diongue of Original Drip in Dakar, Senegal 44:27

1M ago44:27

44:27

Creating a coffee shop that is not only for the community but built with the community is a pretty magical thing. It requires a deft balance between decisiveness, confidence, and openness to collaboration with others to make it truly sing. Today we are talking with someone who has taken this challenge on and in the process set the tone for what a c…

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SHIFT BREAK! How To Get The Most From a Coffee Event 11:30

1M ago11:30

11:30

Whether it is a trade show, local business event, online or in-person summit, or a local throw down, coffee events are a way to connect and offer a lot of opportunities to grow and gain value for your career and business. That opportunity is there, but only if you know how to really take advantage of it. Today on Shift Break we will be talking abou…

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529: 10 Years of Coffee w/ Luke Adams of Standart Magazine 43:09

1M ago43:09

43:09

Coffee has always been about connection. The coffee shop brings people together inspiring conversations and playing a role in developing relationships that promote growth in a community. Within the industry we have events and we also have various forms of media that also bring us together around ideas and inspire conversations around topic both dir…

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186 | Avoiding stale coffee & how to keep coffee fresh at home 35:18

1M ago35:18

35:18

How you store roasted coffee at home can have a huge impact on its flavor. Coffees should be rested off of roast, especially if they're roasted light, however, how you rest coffee matters! It's the difference between a vibrant, juicy cup and a cup that tastes subdued and leaves you hoping there was more. In this episode, we dive into how to store c…

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SHIFT BREAK! Holding Baristas (and Yourself!) Accountable 11:17

2M ago11:17

11:17

At a certain point a manager or owner will need to have a difficult conversation with a staff member that ultimately is about accountability. This conversation is often done with a lot of pent up emotion and the stard being applied may or may not have been very well communicated or trained. On top of this we rarely see a structure put in place AND …

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185 | Guide to Coffee Flavor Profiles by Varietal 30:59

2M ago30:59

30:59

We wrap up our series on coffee flavor profiles by diving into varietals. There are many coffee varietals in the world with nearly all coffees being under two main categories: arabica coffee and robusta. Within arabica coffee, you find many different varietals and each have their unique characteristics. When combining varietals, processing, and ori…

1
528 : Growing Yourself and Your Cafe Through Delegation 30:52

2M ago30:52

30:52

When you start a coffee shop you find yourself doing a lot of the jobs yourself. Scheduling, inventory, event management, training and onboarding, meetings, shift coverage, developing SOPs, hiring etc. Initially these tasks and others like them are things you want to be involved with, but as time goes on, instead of delegating, we keep the same tas…

1
SHIFT BREAK! Adding Value in the Cafe 12:17

2M ago12:17

12:17

These days a lot of coffee shop owners are thinking about how they can add value for the customer. Of course this is a question that should be asked and right now with costs and competition the desire to add value is at an all time high as we seek to attract and retain customers. But are we going about it the right way? Today on Shift Break we will…

1
527: Thoughts on How to Approach Training and Onboarding 33:20

2M ago33:20

33:20

Besides hiring the right person for the role in your coffee shop, onboarding and training is the most important thing to get right so those you bring on and the customers who trust you brand, are set up for success. It is therefore little wonder why, when training and on-barding are skimped on, the hospitality, quality, and then sales go down as cu…

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184 | Guide To Coffee Flavor Profiles by Processing Methods 32:44

2M ago32:44

32:44

Coffee processing plays a huge role in flavor. It's one of the biggest variables that impacts the end flavor profile. We have already covered the core three processing methods, washed, honey, and natural, however, in this episode we dive into a few of the experimental processing methods. We cover thermal shock, carbonic maceration, and mosto proces…

1
SHIFT BREAK! The Work of Offering Kindness in the Cafe 11:50

2M ago11:50

11:50

When we talk about the virtues of hospitality, one of the ones that comes up a lot is kindness. The extension of this grace to others in spite of our mood is a discipline that requires us to find motivation beyond receiving thanks. Today on Shift Break we will be talking about why, if we are serious about kindness becoming what we are known for amo…

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Chris Deferio Podcasts

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