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Coffee Knowledge Hub

Andrew Tolley

Do you work in the coffee industry or want to work in the coffee industry? This podcast is about the business of coffee, for people who want to improve their coffee businesses, start a coffee business, or be better at their jobs.
Learn from industry leaders and experts from across the globe. Learn from the mistakes many have made before.
Hosted by Andrew Tolley and Tibor Varady, whose experiences traverse cafe startup, management, training, retail, roasting, and leading diverse teams. We have a combined industry experience of over 30 years. We have been successful competitors, we are both past Chairs of the Barista Guild of Europe (as it was then).

We are excited to help you navigate the dynamic world of coffee businesses.

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  • 23 episodes
  • monthly
  • Avg 58 min
  • English

Episodes 23

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  • May 5, 2025 · 48 min

    The packaging waste management minefield with Micah Sherer

    Roasted coffee packaging options are a minefield of misinformation, imperfect solutions and over-engineering. Our guest in this episode is Micah Sherer, co-founder of Skylark Coffee in Brighton UK. Micah spent 2 years researching and looking for the best solution available for Skylark, with one clear objective - remove plastic from the packaging. Micah discusses the purpose of packaging, the full life-cycle of different packaging types - foil lined, 'recylable' LDPE type 4, compostible and paper. He describes the solution that Skylark is now using (14 micron layer of Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), or PVAL on paper) and its pros and cons. Micah is not selling this solution and his honesty in describing its pros and cons is refreshing. There is a lot to learn from this episode for roasters, cafe operators and really anyone who takes the waste management of the coffee they are buying into consideration when buying coffee. If you're interested in finding better packaging solutions for the specialty coffee industry, let us know via the poll below. The conversation emphasizes the need for transparency and consumer awareness in the coffee industry regarding packaging choices and sustainability efforts.takeaways Packaging is crucial for transporting coffee and communicating brand values. Freshness in coffee is affected by packaging materials and methods. Plastic is prevalent in coffee packaging, but alternatives are being explored. Sustainability in coffee packaging involves trade-offs and challenges. Consumer perception plays a significant role in packaging choices. Innovative packaging solutions can reduce environmental impact. Education on recycling and composting is essential for consumers. The coffee industry must address the issue of waste management. Transparency in packaging claims is necessary to combat greenwashing. Sustainable practices can enhance customer loyalty and brand reputation. Links: Micah's blog on why they switched to the new packaging Our previous interview on sustainability reporting

  • S2 · E20
    Apr 22, 2025 · 53 min

    The coffee futures fund with Akshat Khandelwal

    Akshat is the founder of Coffee Futures Fund, a new initiative supporting early-stage coffee shop owners with capital, mentorship, and a trusted peer network. Akshat has a background in brand storytelling and business strategy, he brings over a decade of experience as an operator, investor, and advisor to global growth-stage companies. He has supported founders in raising over $20 million in capital, building scalable systems, and aligning purpose with growth. He’s also the founder of the Coffee Owners Roundtable, a global peer community he launched during the pandemic to give coffee shop owners a space to connect, collaborate, and learn from each other. The Coffee Futures Fund mission is to flip the industry’s survival rate, and help more coffee founders thrive, together. In this interview we dig into how the fund is being set-up, the criteria for applying, the benefits of being selected and some of the challenges. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the Coffee Futures Fund 05:54 The Genesis of Coffee Futures Fund 11:53 Understanding the Fund Structure 18:14 Investment and Revenue Sharing Model 23:50 Selection Criteria for Coffee Shops 29:50 Long-term Vision and Impact of the Fund 41:35 Understanding Revenue Sharing and Its Implications 43:46 Evaluating the Cost vs. Investment Perspective 45:52 The Importance of Revenue Growth for Sustainability 49:00 Flexibility in Investment Amounts and Revenue Shares 52:04 Mentorship Structure and Its Impact on Business Growth 56:56 Aligning Interests: The Investor and Cafe Relationship 01:00:04 The Role of Environment in Business Performance 01:03:02 Final Thoughts on the Coffee Futures Fund Model

  • S2 · E4
    Mar 31, 2025 · 1 hr 25 min

    Loyalty with Jerome Ribot from Coglode

    We spoke to Jerome Ribot, founder of Coglode.com to get the behavioural scientists perspective on the concept of loyalty programs for cafes. Jerome is a coffee lover and was a regular at one of Andrew’s cafes from 2008. His passion for understanding people’s behaviours is contagious. In this interview we focus on the subject of loyalty. Why are we talking about loyalty - because it is at the heart of the success of many coffee businesses. Through loyalty we can increase revenue and margins at a time when revenue and margin gains are hard to come by. Fundamentally, loyalty is a positive tool we can use to support our businesses, our people and our communities. The conversation flows. Starting with defining loyalty before Jerome offers 6 elements he would utilise in a cafe loyalty program. As we move past the hour, we were heading towards a conclusion but we kept talking. So stay to the end to hear the unscripted conversation about loyalty and the value of understanding our own behaviours for personal and professional growth. Jerome Ribot Coglode takes complex behavioural science research and distills it into practical insights that businesses can use for product development, marketing strategies, and customer experience design. Coglode’s work has been used by large consultancies like BCGX, Mckinsey and Deloitte, alongside pioneering companies like Apple, Google, Spotify, Octopus Energy, Meta and Monzo Bank. He also loves coffee...a lot. Coglode.com Coffee knowledge hub video

Showing 21–23 of 23 episodes