Where did the World Coffee Championships come from? How did things go wrong? How were they fixed? Across six episodes, we'll hear from people who come together every year to celebrate specialty coffee and push the industry forward, exploring the role competitions play in different communities and recognizing the large network of volunteers who make these annual events possible. While we're disappointed that the competitions aren't happening this year, we hope this podcast will help us feel m ...
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Chris Baca and Jared Truby are professional Baristas and are here to introduce the world to Specialty Coffee! From placing in the finals of the United States Barista Championship multiple times, winning regional competitions, to leading training and education for some of the most progressive coffee companies around - these two have learned a ton about coffee and want to share it with you. Tune in for weekly interviews, tutorials, and general mayhem from the brothers from different mothers: T ...
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Competition Influence - How competing has impacted specialty coffee
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This week on the Cat & Cloud Podcast the guys are reviewing the history of Barista Competitions, and what their ideal competition would look like today. Listen to this week's full episode to hear about their dream for an “All Stars” competition, how introducing new equipment changed competitions and cafe culture, and the influence of specialty Home…
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Business Cents - Thinking about the finances of your business
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Welcome back to the Cat & Cloud podcast! This week Chris and Jared are getting a full class on Cafe Finance hosted by our very own Charles Jack. Listen to this week's full episode and join the finance deep dive and hear their perspectives on how to develop finance transparency in your own company.Cafe finance articles: Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Filings…
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Lessons Learned - The importance of company culture as you grow
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This week the guys are sitting down and taking a look back over the last 8 years of being Cat & Cloud, what we’ve learned and what has changed from where we started. As a business grows it becomes much easier for things to get missed, and for the culture you build to get more diluted. It’s happened to us! It’s through those low points that you lear…
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Charles Babinski - The perspective from nine years ago
1:19:54
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Welcome back to the Cat & Cloud Podcast! This week we are busting out the throwback of all throwbacks with our very first interview. In this episode Chris and Jared sat down with US Barista Champion Charles Babinski to talk through the rapid growth of his business. Listen to the full episode to hear some espresso tips straight from the mouths of co…
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Learning From Others - How outside industries give your perspective and help your growth
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Welcome back to the Cat & Cloud Podcast! This week Chris and Jared are hopping in to share some thoughts on learning and growth. Are you limited by your industry, or is it possible to reach beyond and learn outside your bubble? We don’t always consider how multi-faceted the “Service Industry” is. Hospitality in Hotels looks a lot different than our…
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Giving Ownership - How empowering team members can make everything improve
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Giving Ownership - How empowering team members can make everything improve by Cat & CloudBy Cat & Cloud
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How Do You Rank - Comparing your work with others in the industry.
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What if we talked about cafes the same way people talk about basketball teams? Looked at the movement of baristas from one cafe to another, and their performance the same way we do athletes. This week on the Cat & Cloud podcast the guys are looking at how you quantify a busy cafe and a successful cafe. Listen to this week's episode to hear their ta…
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You Are More Than Your Work - Having hobbies gives perspective
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Communicating Your Needs - How expressing your desires leads to growth
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This week on the Cat & Cloud Podcast we are throwing it back to an early conversation Chris and Jared had about the importance of communicating needs at work. As an employee, being able to ask for what you need and feeling empowered by your leadership team to speak up can be the difference between your team quitting or staying. Listen to the full e…
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Roasting Development - How much flavor is from roasting the coffee
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This week on the Cat & Cloud Podcast Chris and Jared hop on the mic to discuss the complex process of roasting development. There are so many factors that affect the coffee that ends up in your cup, from water composition to the temperature of the air, but how much of your flavor profile comes straight from the way your beans are roasted? Listen to…
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Managing vs. Leading - Fostering creative thinking in your team
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Why is it important for your company's mission to match the intention behind your training programs? How do you empower your team members to be leaders on their own? This week on the Cat & Cloud podcast Chris, Jared, and Charles sit down and take a temperature check on the business so far this year. Listen to the full episode to hear their thoughts…
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Cat & Cloud x Valor Coffee - Burn Out, Human Dignity, Tacos & Dunking
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This recording comes from January of this year, when Chris and Nick from Beeline sat down to talk through some of the challenges that come from running a business. Listen to the full episode to hear the guys talk through operational struggles and getting organized to tackle big projects.Do you have a question you’ve been dying to ask us? Do you wan…
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Cost and Value - What goes into what you pay
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On this episode we discuss transparency in prices. How to give your team members the same coverage and care while also communicating to the Guest where the 5$ for their latte is going. and chris shares is option on what tipping someone should mean.Do you have a question you’ve been dying to ask us? Do you wanna hear us talk about it on the podcast?…
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Making an Impact - How your guest are left feeling
54:52
54:52
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How do you build in a curated experience to your business? Is greeting people when they come in, and helping them land enough? This week the guys are sharing what they believe is thee secret sauce to offering something so curated and so awesome, that your guests can’t help but recommend you to their friends, co-workers, and strangers on the street.…
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Ooooh the mail’s here! Cue the Blue’s Clues mail song!Welcome back to the second half of the Cat & Cloud Podcast, After Hours 👀We’re back in the roastery with our cocktails, and Chris, Jared, and Charles are opening some mail from our listeners! Y’all have been sending in your questions about the coffee industry, running your own businesses, and ev…
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Welcome back to the Cat & Cloud Podcast, After Hours 😎This episode is dedicated to Andre. As promised. This week Chris, Jared, and Charles are sitting down with a couple of cocktails and bringing out the Hot goss about SCA. Jared revisits the debate topic of the moment from the expo; to co-ferment or not to co-ferment, and the guys spend some time …
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Progressing Your Career - The mindset for how to move forward
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Welcome back to the Cat & Cloud Podcast! This week y’all are getting a blast from the past, we’re revisiting a previous episode where Chris and Jared were answering some questions about how to progress in the coffee industry. Whether that means in your career or your life at large, the guys shed some life on finding your vision for growth and worki…
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Importance of communication - Clearly expressing yourself in order to do things better
38:37
38:37
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Welcome back to the Cat & Cloud podcast! This week we’re back with Chris and Jared as they discuss how important common language is within an organization. Creating a lexicon that is universally understood in all aspects of your company can be a huge challenge, whether you’re talking about content creation or roast profiles. Listen to the full epis…
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Coffee Processing - Are exotic processing methods good or hype
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Welcome back to the Cat & Cloud podcast and to White Ivy, Jared's long-lost email address! On this weeks podcast the guys are tackling a pretty huge question, what is your favorite processing method, and why. Listen to the full episode to hear some of their hot takes on why washed processing is the elite form, and why natural processes are sometime…
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Welcome back to the Cat & Cloud podcast! A couple of months ago Chris and our Marketing Team Leader Michael took a trip out to Seattle to hang out with La Marzocco. While there they had the chance to connect with Kent Bakke, their former CEO turned Board Member, and figured they might as well record a podcast! This week's episode is all coffee and …
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Connecting the Dots - How experience and practice come together
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Welcome back to the Cat & Cloud podcast! This week Chris, Jared, and Charles are covering a whole host of topics from prepping for SCA, the creativity that goes into connecting all the arms of our company, and even reminiscing on some of the weird and wild times of early Verve. Listen to this week's episode to hear how they’ve built their Quality C…
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Learning by Doing - Allowing yourself the room to grow
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We’re throwing it all the way back to 2021 for this weeks episode. This week we are revisiting a freshly quarantined Chris and Jared as they discuss the natural eb and flow of progress. Listen to this weeks episode for some perspective on taking that first step into the unknown and how we learn and grow even in the failures. Do you have a question …
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The Cat & Cloud podcast is connecting to the source. In this week's episode, Jared goes full Neo, talking about his experience test roasting for SCA, and shares his insight on intuitive forecasting. We also hear about the dream for a Cat & Cloud Beach Bodega, Chris’s East Coast-inspired limited menu surf shop. And finally, Chris gets to ask Chuck t…
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Doing The Right Thing - Being true to yourself for your guests and producers
1:07:06
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Welcome to the very first Cat & Cloud After-Hours Podcast 😎Chris, Charles, and Jared are staying late tonight to chat about all the different facets of our business and industry. From the coffee buying experience online and in store, to the complicated world of Green Buying… even speculating on what might be our own brand stereotypes. Listen to thi…
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Gaining Perspective - How getting away can help you see things differently
45:13
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Welcome back to the Cat & Cloud Podcast! This week Chris and Jared have each returned from some pretty spectacular visits with our coffee partners, and are hoping on to sharing both their experiences and the insights they’re bringing home with them. Listen to the full episode to hear the guys share their unique experiences in Costa Mesa with the St…
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Fostering Leadership - Giving your team what they need to grow
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42:29
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This week on the podcast is a Rerun from 2021 where Chris Jared and Charles Talk about ways to grow leaders in your company, how hands off or hands on to be, and what they had been discovering as owners of a small business. If you have heard this before or if you are listening for the first time it is a great conversation with a lot of insight. Enj…
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Investing In Your Growth - How community and mentorship help you achieve goals.
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Mr. Miyagi, Yoda, Jaime Escalante - all great mentors that helped those around them improve and become better. On this weeks episode of the podcast Chris asks Chuck about this same idea, as Charles is apart of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO). EO is a community of people in similar entrepreneurial roles, who gather together helping one another …
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Your Work Matters - The Importance of Confidence
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Well, Chuck didn’t come back this week…. But maybe next week! We’ll hold the space for him. This week on the podcast Jared gives us his full list of dream cafe improvements; from new grinders for improved product management to speakers that play the podcast in the bathrooms. And Chris dives in on how to help people find their opportunities at work,…
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Scoring Yourself - The Importance of Guest Feedback
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49:31
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Chuck is back on the podcast (maybe forever??)! This week on the Cat & Cloud podcast the whole ownership team sat down to discuss the importance of guest feedback. In an industry like hospitality, it can be hard to measure the success of guest interactions through all of our cafes, all of the time. But is it more important to hear from the folks wh…
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Have you ever been old people tired? It’s rough sometimes. But fatigue or not Chris and Jared are here sharing some thoughts on the year ahead, changes coming to the podcast, even their opinions on moving to New York! Listen to the full episode for some reflections on the Vintage Chris Baca, the downfalls of “transitional time,” and ideal workspace…
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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. Liste…
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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…
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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 member…
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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 w…
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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…
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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 fo…
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Something To Someone – A Conversation with Steven Monti
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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, t…
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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…
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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 coffe…
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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 …
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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 …
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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 othe…
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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 wit…
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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 …
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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 …
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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 Sud…
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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 bus…
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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 comi…
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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 pr…
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