Prepare to immerse yourself in the intricate world of coffee, encompassing every facet from the coffee bean to establishing a flourishing business. Whether your ambition is to start a coffee business or to nurture your own coffee roastery, Valerian’s Podcast is here to help to inspire you. Our podcast features in-depth discussions with industry leaders, designed to impart essential insights into coffee cultivation, coffee roasting mastery, precision brewing, and, most importantly, the critic ...
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Ditching the 9-to-5 to Launch a Coffee Roasting & Retail Business with Mable & Ming - Moonwake Coffee
1:13:44
1:13:44
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1:13:44
In this episode of the Coffee is Me podcast, Valerian interviews Mabel and Ming from Moonwake Coffee. They discuss their first sip of coffee, their professions, and why they decided to start a coffee company. They also talk about the meaning behind the name Moonwake and their sales channels, including direct-to-consumer, farmers markets, and wholes…
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Two Women Shaping the Mexican Specialty Coffee Culture, Tueste Café - Veracruz, Mexico
50:54
50:54
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50:54
In this conversation, Mariana Moreno from Tueste Café in Mexico shares insights into the Mexican specialty coffee scene and the growth of specialty coffee in the country. Mariana discusses the challenges and opportunities of being a woman in the coffee industry and the unique aspects of their coffee company, which includes a coffee school and a cof…
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Mom 'n 'em Coffee Brings Specialty Coffee to Cincinnati, OH - Start Coffee Business Podcast
1:07:59
1:07:59
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1:07:59
In this episode, Austin and Colin from Mom and M Coffee share their journey from San Francisco to Cincinnati and the challenges they faced in opening their coffee shop. They discuss their decision to start roasting their own coffee and the process of choosing a roaster. They also talk about the benefits of owning their real estate and the foreign c…
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How Billy Li Generates $15,000 Monthly with a 20-Hour Workweek at Hydrangea Coffee
1:16:18
1:16:18
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1:16:18
In the bustling world of specialty coffee, where the beans tell stories and the aromas transport you to distant lands, one brand has been quietly brewing a storm, not just in a cup, but in the entrepreneurial world as well. Welcome to the universe of Hydrangea Coffee, a small specialty coffee brand that has managed to blend the rich notes of passio…
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From a humble coffee trailer to five coffee shops with Sameer Shah - Voyager Coffee
1:24:29
1:24:29
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In this episode, Sameer takes us back to the origins of Voyager Coffee, a concept born out of a desire to revitalize their city, San Jose. As natives of the area, Sameer and his partner Lauren noticed a trend of friends and acquaintances leaving for more exciting urban centers. Determined to inject vibrancy into their hometown, they envisioned Voya…
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There is a future in selling expensive specialty coffee with Erich Joiner from goodboybob coffee
1:13:16
1:13:16
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1:13:16
In this episode, we chat with Erich Joiner, founder of goodboybob coffee in Los Angeles, California. GBB has gained a reputation for sourcing the world's best coffees, including top lots from Cup of Excellence. Initially catering to his friends and colleagues in the film industry, Erich's passion for specialty coffee was sparked by the unique flavo…
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How to start a legendary coffee roaster in California with Hiver van Geenhoven - Chromatic, California
1:56:14
1:56:14
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How and why did Hiver start Chromatic coffee? His origin story is really inspiring. So many people say “this is what I want to do,” but what are you ready to give up? Would you give up your comforts, free time, and risk your financial security? Difference in doing business in the central EU and USA. What kind of personality you have to be in order …
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Starting a farm-to-cup coffee shop at a college campus with Sebastian Ramirez - Cafetal Coffee, Arizona
1:35:21
1:35:21
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Talking with former student of mine Sebastian Ramirez about his tips for new coffee shop entrepreneurs. Cafetal Coffee is a Specialty Coffee shop located near ASU in Tempe, Arizona. offering coffee from their family farm in Colombia and serving Latin infused breakfast and lunch! Sebastian was very generous and shared a lot of useful tips for everyb…
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Starting a super cool coffee brand in India with Rahul Reddy - Subko Coffee Roasters, Mumbai
1:41:28
1:41:28
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1:41:28
Come explore the specialty coffee scene in India with us and Rahul Reddy. Rahul is the founder of Subko Coffee Roasters, a revolutionary coffee concept that sources the best lots from local farmers for the local consumers. This is the first episode recorded with video, so if you want to see our faces, join us on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/cha…
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Can You Make Money with a Cold Brew Cart? - with Eddie Alaniz from Coffee Conspiracy
1:00:09
1:00:09
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In this episode we talk with Eddie Alaniz about his brand Coffee Conspiracy. Eddie's brand is a lockdown businesses. While most cafes had to be closed, Eddie offered single origin cold brew to the beach crowd in Santa Cruz. Despite his humble beginnings, Eddie did not stop with his cold brew cart. His next move was to start to roast his own coffee …
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Starting a cafe empire and why should you start to roast your own coffee - with Sandra and Joey from Pink Owl, California
1:55:18
1:55:18
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In December, we held the Roasting Lab PRO Course, where future coffee entrepreneurs study efficient ways of roasting, developing products, packaging and branding, understanding sales channels, not to mention having an awesome time exchanging ideas and meeting like-minded people from all over the world. I run this course every 3 months; it is limite…
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Daniel claims that $2500 is enough to start a coffee roasting business... with Daniel Streetman from Bird and Bear Coffee
1:19:54
1:19:54
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In this episode, Daniel Streetman explains how you can start a coffee roasting business with minimal investment. After Daniel was laid off during the pandemic, he and his wife Ella looked deep into their wallet and figured out that the most they could spend on their new company was $2500. I love to brag about how I started Green Plantation with onl…
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Starting a coffee brand with a 2kg roaster and a school bus: Gleason Jones from Minimalist Coffee, Opelika, Alabama
1:12:40
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In this show, I interview Gleason Jones from Opelika, Alabama and founder of Minimalist Coffee. Minimalist Coffee is the brand new venture of this 25-year-old entrepreneurial gentleman, addressing the need for a good, freshly roasted coffee with associated charity contributions in the local community. Gleason dared to violate my rule for the size o…
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Your questions about coffee roasting, blends, best coffee on the planet and Q Grading answered
1:29:29
1:29:29
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For this episode we asked you, our listeners, to send us questions - and to plug your business. You sent thought provoking questions which challenged us -- Valerian and Marcus to think outside the box, share their experiences, and call upon their combined experience to come up with possible answers. We have tasted and drank a lot of coffee, and lis…
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We were born in the fire - the story of Café de Leche a café and coffee roaster from L.A. - with Matt & Anya Schodorf
1:22:10
1:22:10
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Anya and Matt are prime examples of the American dream: they had a dream and they invested all their time, money, and energy to make it a reality. The result has enriched the L.A. coffee culture and brought a unidog to the bottom of the cup. As a European living in the USA, I have always admired the entrepreneurial spirit of my American friends, an…
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This is how you build a coffee drive through, with Darren Spicer, Clutch Coffee Bar
1:01:56
1:01:56
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In this podcast I interviewed Darren Spicer of Clutch Coffee Bar, a fast-growing coffee drive-through chain. Drive-throughs are a bit foreign to me. I've never used one and personally I consume coffee differently, but most Americans welcome a good coffee on the long commute to work. I am always intrigued about the unknown, so I was very happy when …
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Kelly bought herself a coffee company and this is how it went down...
1:32:00
1:32:00
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1:32:00
Last year my business partner William Murad and I offered our coffee roasting company, Unleashed Coffee, for sale over this podcast. You know me by now, I live for experiments like this. I was curious whether this podcast was influential enough to sell a company. Spoiler alert! The answer is YES. For this episode I interviewed the new owner - Kelly…
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The best roast profiles, green coffees and roaster size for a coffee roasting startup - Black Friday Edition
1:06:46
1:06:46
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1:06:46
In this podcast I welcome back Marcus Young from Boot Coffee. This is an episode where we discuss the most common questions we get from our consulting clients. No, you do not have to pay a dime for this, but a review on Apple Podcasts is welcome. Thanks. We start the podcast with a discussion about designing a roast profile. Is there such a thing a…
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Empowering Women in Coffee with Lee Pike - International Women's Coffee Alliance
52:35
52:35
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52:35
In this podcast I talked with Lee Pike from the International Women's Coffee Alliance, about the role of women in the industry and what the IWCA does to help improve the life of women coffee producers. The IWCA is a global network of self-driven chapters focused on achieving sustainable livelihoods in their communities. Each chapter sets and pursue…
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Becoming Q Grader at 12 and Starting a Coffee Brand at 14 with Frankie Volkema - Joven Coffee
42:40
42:40
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42:40
I met Frankie at one of the Q Grader courses at Boot Coffee. She was 12 and taking part in cupping with us. In this episode I am talking with Frankie Volkema about her brand, Joven Coffee. Frankie's mission is to introduce consumers to young coffee producers. Her goal is to help these producers stay in the coffee industry and to create a sustainabl…
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Buying Coffee Brands with Tim Volkema - Schuil Coffee & Sparrows Coffee
1:13:45
1:13:45
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1:13:45
Tim is not new in the business world, he built and sold a few successful ventures. When he moved to Grand Rapids, MI, he decided to skip the line and buy his next venture instead of doing the startup hustle. In this podcast Tim elaborates on why he decided to buy in rather than start up, and whether it was a good idea. He also gives us valuable tip…
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A New Coffee Startup is Born with Stephen Ezell - Sequential Coffee
1:12:48
1:12:48
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My guest in this episode is Stephen Ezell. Stephen is my old buddy, who together with Jonathan Shepard started Sequential Coffee. Jonathan is the business brain and Stephen is the coffee brain of this operation. It is a dream combo for every coffee nerd out there. Lucky Stephen! In this episode, we talked about the first steps and challenges when s…
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Crossing the Line to Work with Haitian farmers - Cafe Kreyol - Joseph Stazzone
1:08:42
1:08:42
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1:08:42
I am not sure whether it is Joey's fascinating story or the current global situation, but this episode got a bit personal. Joey first started trading in “commodities” as a drug user and later dealer. Today he is the CEO of Cafe Kreyol -- a direct trade coffee importing and roasting company based in Manassas, Virginia. His path was not straight, but…
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Building family coffee business with Mitchell Popadziuk - [CxT] Coffee Company
1:19:58
1:19:58
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1:19:58
Mitchell Popadziuk managed to fall into a perfect team. He is the business mastermind, his brother Tristan brings the coffee passion, and their mother Kelly is the soul of sales and marketing. I am jealous! In a good way ... :) [CxT] is a very young but dynamically growing company which, despite to the fact that Mitch is a podcast listener, fell in…
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The rebel heart of Flag and Wire Coffee
1:11:05
1:11:05
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1:11:05
Nick Walton is a rebel... was a rebel. He grew up on a milk farm, but his revolutionary attitude towards his parents drove his dad to say "enough! Time to grow up!" Nick's coffee story starts with sleeping in a car while homeless. Was this the push he needed to take life seriously, which finds its conclusion in a mysteriously-named coffee roasting …
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