The Strange Bird Podcast

On this episode I speak with coffee and hospitality professional and barista competitor, Meg Skop. Meg has worked in the coffee and hospitality industry for 9 years. She began as a barista and specializes in general management and market development. In 2017, Meg moved from North Carolina to Northern California to begin working for Equator Coffees. There, she began competing in the barista competitions, representing Equator for the 2018-2019 season, taking 13th place in the semi-finals. Meg left Equator in 2019 and competed as an independent barista for the 2019-2020 season, where she placed 11th in the semi-finals. Meg and I discuss her introduction to coffee and hospitality, her motivations for competing, the challenges of competition and why barista competitions are important. Tweet me! @strangebirdpod

On this episode I speak with coffee professional and entrepreneur, Gabe Boscana. Gabe has 20 years of experience in the coffee industry. He has worked as a barista, production roaster, production manager and green coffee buying and logistics manager. In 2015 he founded Maquina Coffee Roasters, a nano-coffee roasting company specializing in high quality coffee and transparent buying practices. Gabe and I discuss his start in the coffee industry, self love, micro-moments in the face of capitalism and the dark passenger. Tweet me! @strangebirdpod

On this episode I speak with coffee professional and entrepreneur, James Parrish. James has over a decade of experience as a barista, cafe manager and business owner. In 2009, he founded Alchemy Collective: a worker owned and operated cafe and coffee roasting company. In 2015, James founded his current company, Rhetoric Coffee: a coffee roasting company that specializes in melange style blends and showcases original artwork by local artists on every coffee bag. James and I discuss ethical business practices, the complicated nature of the coffee industry and how to manage challenging life moments while on the clock. Tweet me! @strangebirdpod

On this episode I speak with coffee professional, Umeko Motoyoshi. Umeko is an award-winning coffee writer and educator. A licensed Q Arabica Grader with fourteen years of experience, they founded coffee sustainability platform @wastingcoffee and authored the book Not Wasting Coffee. Umeko is also founder of Umeshiso.com, an online coffee supply shop specializing in rainbow cupping spoons. Umeko’s mission is to make coffee accessible, empowering and welcoming for people of all backgrounds and identities. Umeko and I discuss coffee competitions, creating opportunities within specialty coffee, consumer buy in and the challenges of coffee pricing. Tweet me! @strangebirdpod

On this episode I speak with coffee professional and entrepreneur, Jessica Caisse. Jessica has been in the coffee industry for 15 years. Over the course of her career, she has been a barista, coffee roaster, cafe manager and in 2014 founded her own business, Eureka Coffee. She is currently the Community and Events manager for Fellow Products, a company based in San Francisco committed to making beautifully designed products for brewing delicious coffee. Jessica and I discuss the worldwide coffee community, consumer interest, transparency and industry marketing. Tweet me! @stevejimdave

On this episode I speak with entrepreneur and coffee professional, Fernando Diaz. Fernando has coffee in his DNA: his family have owned and operated coffee farms in Oaxaca Mexico for over 100 years. In 2014 Fernando founded Proyecto Diaz Coffee, a coffee roasting company representing his family's culture, legacy and history. Fernando and I discuss the hustle of starting your own business, working with family and what it takes to succeed. Tweet me! @stevejimdave

On this episode I speak with restaurant and hospitality professional, George Perezvelez. George has over 35 years specializing in restaurant management and direction. His experience spans from local mom and pops, fast casual, all the way to Michelin star rated restaurants. George and I discuss the joys and challenges of being a restaurant manager, the importance of leading by example, the value of empathy and why hospitality is so important to the success of a business. Tweet me! @stevejimdave

On this episode I speak with restaurant and hospitality professional, George Perezvelez. George has over 35 years specializing in restaurant management and direction. His experience spans from local mom and pops, fast casual, all the way to Michelin star rated restaurants. George and I discuss the joys and challenges of being a restaurant manager, the importance of leading by example, the value of empathy and why hospitality is so important to the success of a business. Tweet me! @stevejimdave

On this episode I briefly share my thoughts on what it means to create and maintain accessibility in the specialty coffee industry. For me accessibility is multi-formed, taking on the shape relative to the person and situation; disability, gender identity, race, culture, mental wellness, etc. It is complex and very different for every person. But imo, the effort on behalf of myself and others to listen and dialogue to make information and facility more accessible and equitable just makes sense to me. Tweet me! @stevejimdave

On this episode I speak with specialty coffee professional, Anderson Stockdale. Anderson is a licensed Q Arabica Grader and has worked in coffee and hospitality for 19 years. She has owned her own coffee company, is a Head Judge for the Specialty Coffee Association’s Brewers Cup and was second place in the Specialty Coffee Associations 2017 Cup Tasters competition. Anderson specializes in green/roasted coffee quality control and coffee roasting. We discuss the path she took to get where she is today and the challenges (and possible solutions) of creating accessibility in the coffee and hospitality industry. Tweet me! @stevejimdave

On this episode I briefly share my experience of how I learned to roast coffee, why qualitative data is helpful but not absolute and the moving target of deliciousness. Tweet me! @stevejimdave

On this episode I speak with specialty coffee professional, Cheyenne. Cheyenne has been working in the specialty coffee industry for over 25 years. She is a master roaster, specializing in quality control, research and development and coffee education. Cheyenne and I discuss the complex process of roasting coffee, collecting qualitative data to inform your decisions/preferences as a coffee roaster, the importance of exploration and the philosophical conundrum of paying higher prices for coffee. Tweet me! @stevejimdave

On this episode I explore the ideas within the specialty coffee industry of perceived quality vs actual quality, marketing, inclusivity with regard to micro vs macro concepts and climate change. Tweet me! @stevejimdave

On this episode I speak with specialty coffee professional, Kelly Sanchez. Kelly is a licensed Q Arabica Grader and has worked for Blue Bottle Coffee for eight years. Over the years he has specialized in quality control, data analysis, barista training and research and development. Kelly and I discuss perceived quality vs actual quality of coffee and how every aspect of the consumer experience can potentially contribute to a person’s idea of what coffee really is. Tweet me! @stevejimdave

The Strange Bird Podcast is a place for me to share my thoughts about the coffee industry and interview others to share their experience and learn more. This episode is a quick introduction to what's to come. Tweet me! @stevejimdave