MAP IT FORWARD ☕️ | Coffee Industry Podcast

Our next series is going to challenge a lot of people for all the right reasons. Next week on The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast, we’re releasing a 5-part series with @isabela.raposeiras from @coffeelab_br This is not a series that's designed to be provocative for the sake of it, but because Isabela is willing to say out loud what many people in coffee quietly know but are too uncomfortable to discuss publicly. We talk about: • Why “specialty coffee” may be failing as a value proposition • Who gets to define quality • Why coffee businesses are still stuck in outdated leadership models • How café culture has become alienating for consumers • and why producing countries are beginning to challenge the way the global coffee industry operates What I appreciated most about this conversation is that Isabela isn’t just criticizing the industry from the sidelines. She has spent decades building businesses, leading teams, teaching café owners, and creating alternatives through Coffee Lab, an industry leader in Brazil. Recently, Isabela made headlines in Brazil and was invited to address Congress about her pioneering move to give her cafe staff a 4-day work week, despite the country following a 6-day work week! Coffee consumption in coffee origin countries is becoming the new normal, and people like Isabela are leading the conversation on what that should look like. This conversation is for everyone in the industry, no matter where you are in the supply chain. The full series is already available for our Patreon community and YouTube subscribers. For everyone else, a new episode will drop each day next week on podcast apps and YouTube.

One of the reasons Jan-Cort Hoban from @mr.hobans Hoban’s Coffee Roastery and I connected so quickly in this conversation on The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast is that we’ve approached building our businesses in very similar ways. Lean, intentional, and sustainable. Not every growth opportunity is worth taking. In this clip, Jan-Cort talks about something I think a lot of small business owners quietly wrestle with: The cycle that starts when growth creates more hiring… which creates more pressure… which then requires even more growth to sustain it all. More staff, more overhead, more stress, more pressure to constantly increase revenue just to maintain the structure you’ve built. And somewhere in the middle of all that, many people end up disconnected from the reason they started the business in the first place. Jan-Cort has made conscious decisions to grow carefully and avoid building businesses that trap him in endless expansion for the sake of ego, scale, or external validation. That doesn’t mean staying small forever. It means growing intentionally, in ways that preserve quality of life, connection to the work, and the ability to actually enjoy the business you’ve built. Something tells me that this business model is going to become the new flex, and overbuilding businesses for the sake of getting to a top that no longer exists will become less appealing. This clip is from our new 5-part series: “The Myth of Being Big in the Coffee Business.” The full series is available now for our Patreon community and YouTube subscribers, with public episodes dropping daily this week. We’ll be focusing on more of these kinds of conversations (business model-focused) moving forward.

Is the youngest generation of cafe employees in Australia shying away from learning the hard soft skills that hospitality jobs teach when dealing with people and learning to communicate in the workplace? @fridadeguise Frida Deguise from @l.adonuts Donuts in Sydney, Australia share insights from her experience. Do you agree with Frida? —— オーストラリアの若い世代のカフェスタッフたちは、 接客業を通して身につく「人と向き合う力」や「職場でのコミュニケーション能力」といった、“難しいソフトスキル”を学ぶことから離れつつあるのでしょうか？ シドニーのL.A Donutsを経営するフリーダ・デギーズが、自身の経験から感じていることを語ってくれました。 あなたはフリーダの意見に共感しますか？

What if the smartest move in coffee right now is to stop trying to grow? Next week on The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast, we’re releasing a 5-part series with Jan-Cort Hoban from @mr.hobans Coffee Roastery in Germany. This series asks a question I think more coffee business owners need to be asking themselves right now: What if getting bigger isn’t actually the goal? For years, our industry has glamorized scale - more stores, more staff, more investment, more growth. But what if that pressure is actually pulling people further away from why they got into coffee in the first place? In this podcast series, Jan-Cort and I talk about: • The myth of “success” in coffee • The emotional and financial cost of growth • Downsizing without shame • Why lean businesses may be better positioned for what’s coming next • How staying smaller can actually keep you closer to your customers, producers, and product This conversation is beautifully honest, and something I feel might be helpful to those who have overbuilt their businesses "chasing the status quo" and might be wondering if downsizing and "running lean" is the next move. Jan-Cort is running a successful business that's not without its challenges. There is risk to running lean, but in times like this, the advantages seem to outweigh the drawbacks. Early access to the full series is available for our Patreon community and YouTube subscribers now. For everyone else, a new episode drops each day next week on podcast apps and our YouTube channel.

There’s a question that I have received this year more than any and it’s time that I address it. Over the last day or so, quite a few people sent me a great article written by @coffeegirlstravels from @onebiggislandinspace about WOC San Diego. The article is great and you should go read it. People wanted to know what I thought about it because it raises really important questions about the SCA, their agenda, what role we’re playing by enabling the circus (my words not Michelle’s) and how the cognitive dissonance of it all sits with those of us who see the cringe worthy irony that this wealth is being celebrated will most smallholder farmers are getting ready to leave their farms forever. This cognitive dissonance is why I do not go to SCA trade shows. I know me being there or not means nothing to the @specialtycoffeeassociation , nor does it do anything to solve the problems that so many of us so desperately know need fixing. My protest only serves to make sure I can maintain my integrity, not be a hypocrite, and maintain my dignity in the face of coffee producers, who I care so much for. This position that I have taken has raised one question I have been constantly been asked the past 2 years, and more so from people who have shared Michelle’s article with me. I thought it was time to answer it publicly. Details in the video. Happy to answer any questions or clarify things further in the comments if there’s something you’re not clear on. ✌️

@fridadeguise - standup comedian, entrepreneur, and the founder of world famous @l.adonuts and @fridas.pies is one of kind! She’s saying all the parts out loud about owning a small business! This series on the Daily Coffee Pro podcast, Frida joins me for a refreshing 5 episodes of not holding back about the challenges of building a business when you don’t have any experience but all the talent. If you have sensitive ears or don’t like real talk, this series is not for you. For everyone else, this series is pure joy! We laughter and talked shit about everything business related for hours. She’s the queen of donuts! I’m super proud of what she’s achieved and to have her on the podcast! Enjoy! They don’t make them like Frida anymore!

Wow, do we have a treat for you next week on The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast! It's the donut queen herself, @fridadeguise ! Frida is the founder of @l.adonuts and @fridas.pies in Sydney as well as a stand-up comedian. THIS SERIES IS HILARIOUS! Those who have come across Frida's often viral content on socials will know what to expect, but in case you haven't, brace yourself for some real talk about what no one tells you when you start a business in the hospitality industry. It’s fun. It’s unfiltered. And it’s grounded in real experience. Frida has been in the trenches of small business for years, and what she brings to this series is a level of honesty that you don’t hear often enough in conversations about entrepreneurship. There’s a lot of laughter in this series. There’s also a lot of truth. If you’ve ever run a business, or are thinking about it, this is the kind of conversation that will feel familiar in a way most content doesn’t. The full series is now available to our paid Patreon members and YouTube subscribers. (Thank you for supporting Map It Forward) For everyone else, episodes will drop daily starting next week. Get it on YouTube and Patreon now by searching "Map It Forward"

Are you waiting for coffee to get cheap again? If so id love you to reconsider! We should all be hoping that coffee never goes “Cheap” again. Particularly if we want to give coffee farmers a reason to keep farming coffee. The future is going to get complicated in coffee. I hope you’re ready for it! What are your thoughts?

Vol.15 “Why do you love coffee?” Presented by Rieko Arai @arai_rieko Founder of @arco_espresso For @mapitforwardjapan We talk about the value of coffee. But when did you last ask yourself why you love it? Coffee is not just a drink. It’s a moment to pause. In Japan, there is a Zen phrase: “Kissako” — have a cup. If we reconnect with that feeling, how would it change the way we share coffee? ——— Piece for PEACE is a relay-style Reel series, sharing voices from the coffee community. Join the movement #pieceforpeace ✌️ ☕️ Vol.15「なぜコーヒーが好きですか？」 コーヒーの価値をどう伝えるか。 でもその前に、 なぜ好きなのか、考えたことはありますか？ コーヒーは、ただの飲み物ではなく、 立ち止まる時間を与えてくれる。 禅の言葉にある「喫茶去」に通じる感覚、 大切にしたいですよね。 —— Piece for PEACEは、バトン形式でつながるリール動画シリーズ。毎週水曜朝8時に発信。 一方通行の発信じゃなくて、それぞれが“Peace”を願って想いを伝えるコーヒー業界の小さなピース（かけら）。 その積み重ねが、もっと良いコーヒー業界、そして世界をつくっていく。 #pieceforpeace で、あなたのピースもつないでください✌️

Did the q evolving into the CVA make things better or worse for the quality professionals in the coffee industry? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

There’s something about the way we validate expertise in coffee that hasn’t sat right with me for a long time. In this conversation with Bruno Souza @grandebruno from @academiadocafe , we get into the reality of certification systems (i.e the Q vs the “evolved Q”), and what they actually mean. When someone can spend years developing their skills, investing thousands into maintaining a qualification, and someone else can arrive at the same place in a matter of days, you have to ask: “What exactly are we measuring?” This isn’t about dismissing education. It’s about being honest with ourselves about the difference between learning something and being able to do it effectively, with confidence, and experience in the real world. This series with Bruno looks at coffee quality from the perspective of origin, and it challenges a lot of the structures we’ve come to rely on in the industry. The full 5-part series is available for our YouTube Premium and paid Patreon members immediately. For everyone else, a new episode drops each day this week on podcast apps and our YouTube channel. p.s. If you’re sensitive to cursing, real talk, and hearing opinions about some of the associations in our industry (e.g., SCA and CQI)...this series is not at all for you! If you are down with those things...run to this series. You will have a blast! Bruno is old school and making no apologies for it!

Not all “Japanese grown coffee” is the same. But right now, it’s all treated equally. Let me explain why. — New insights on the Japanese coffee scene. Every week with Keisuke Kuga (@kk5jp ) from @mapitforwardjapan . ☕️ 「国産コーヒー」はすべて同じではない。 でも今は明確な定義がなく、全て同じように扱われている。 それは本当に健全なのでしょうか？