Cat & Cloud Podcast

Cat & Cloud Podcast 
Cat & Cloud Coffee www.catandcloud.com/

Part 2: Cafe Imports Source "Where Do We Go From Here" Panel hosted by Chris Baca - Ep# 457
Welcome to Part 2 of this live panel discussion hosted by Cafe Imports recorded at the World of Coffee, in San Diego, CA. 
Cat & Cloud’s own Chris Baca moderates This Source Event as the conversation shifts into new territory.  We jump back in with Jeremy Lyman (Birch Coffee) in Brooklyn, Laila Ghambari (Guilder Coffee) in Portland, and Kali Solack (Café Regina) in Puerto Rico as they share how they develop team members, why training extends far beyond coffee skills, and what it means to build a company that creates successful people—not just successful cafes. They also discuss e-commerce, wholesale growth, brand identity, customer connection, and the challenges of standing out in a crowded coffee market today, and finding balance as owners. The episode closes with reflections on entrepreneurship, patience, work-life balance, and the lessons these owners wish they had known when they were just getting started.
Whether you're growing a coffee company, managing a team, or building something from scratch, this conversation is packed with practical wisdom from operators who have spent years learning what matters most.
Chapters
00:00 Intro/Growing People vs Growing the Company
 05:00 Creating Opportunities and Training
 09:00 Why Training Is the Best Investment
 15:00 The Value of Long-Term Team Development
 18:00 E-Commerce, Direct-to-Consumer & Online Growth
 22:00 Wholesale Growth & Strategic Partnerships
 25:00 Q & A, Presence and Strategy, Brand
 33:00 Advice for New Business Owners
Podcast Info and Contact: www.catandcloud.com/podcast
Instagram: www.instagram.com/catcloudcoffee/
Webstore: Coffee and Sweet Merch! www.catandcloud.com/
Roasters Choice Subscription www.catandcloud.com/collections/subscriptions
Wholesale Partners! Interested in serving our coffee at your business? Learn more about our Partner Program https://catandcloud.com/wholesale
Cat & Cloud Coffee was founded in 2016 by three friends who believe experiences and connections shape our lives. Former barista champions and lifelong coffee professionals, they envisioned a better way to do business and set out to create a values-driven organization that put culture first.
Our mission is to inspire connection by creating memorable experiences. Whether it's with guests in our 4 retail locations in Santa Cruz, our team members, or our wholesale partners across the country, we strive to leave everyone better than we found them. 
The Cat & Cloud Podcast is a space for us to share our experiences and adventures in coffee and business in hopes of inspiring more people to create culture and values-driven organizations. 
Hosted by Chris Baca and Jared Truby
Produced by Casey Ryan
July 2026

Cat & Cloud Podcast 
Cat & Cloud Coffee www.catandcloud.com/
Cafe Imports Source "Where Do We Go From Here" Panel hosted by Chris Baca 
Episode Summary
Recorded live at the World of Coffee, in San Diego, CA, Cafe Imports hosts the second SOURCE event, a panel discussion focused on “Where do we go from here?” - where business leaders in coffee tackle issues facing the industry today. Cat & Cloud’s own, Chris Baca moderates a candid conversation with cafe and roasting business owners from across the country. Jeremy Lyman (Birch Coffee) in Brooklyn, Laila Ghambari (Guilder Coffee) in Portland, and Kali Solack (Café Regina) in Puerto Rico share what they're seeing in coffee retail today, from profitability and menu strategy to pricing, staffing, and company culture.  In Part 1, the discussion explores whether cafes should expand food programs or focus on doing fewer things exceptionally well, how operators use data to make smarter decisions, and why many business owners deal with rising costs and raising their prices. The panel also dives into employee retention, creating healthy workplaces, and the role culture plays in long-term business success. 
Whether you're running one cafe or multiple locations, this conversation offers practical lessons from operators actively building businesses in today's coffee landscape.
Chapters
00:00 Welcome & Panel Introductions
 04:30 What's Changing in Coffee Retail Right Now?
 06:30 Food Programs vs Coffee-First Cafes
 14:00 Evaluating Real Guest Desires
 17:00 Revenue, Labor & Profitability Metrics
 20:00 Price Increases  
 25:30 Measuring Cultural Success
 28:15 Keep Your Team Happy
 32:15 Finding Benefits your Staff Wants
 38:20 Staff and Retention 

Podcast Info and Contact: www.catandcloud.com/podcast
Instagram: www.instagram.com/catcloudcoffee/
Webstore: Buy Our Coffee! www.catandcloud.com/
Roasters Choice Subscription www.catandcloud.com/collections/subscriptions
Wholesale Partners! Interested in serving our coffee at your business? Learn more about our Partner Program https://catandcloud.com/wholesale

Cat & Cloud Coffee was founded in 2016 by three friends who believe experiences and connections shape our lives. Former barista champions and lifelong coffee professionals, they envisioned a better way to do business and set out to create a values-driven organization that put culture first.
Our mission is to inspire connection by creating memorable experiences. Whether it's with guests in our 4 retail locations in Santa Cruz, our team members, or our wholesale partners across the country, we strive to leave everyone better than we found them. 
The Cat & Cloud Podcast is a space for us to share our experiences and adventures in coffee and business in hopes of inspiring more people to create culture and values-driven organizations. 

Hosted by Chris Baca and Jared Truby
Produced by Casey Ryan
June 2026

Cat & Cloud Podcast 
Cat & Cloud Coffee www.catandcloud.com/

Ping Pong Q&A with Cat & Cloud Owners, Chris Baca and Jared Truby - Ep# 455
Jared, Casey, and Chris try (and mostly fail) to follow the rules of a structured Ping Pong Q&A — but the detours are the good stuff. After a bird interrupts the studio, they dig into how basketball and skateboarding have shaped how they lead and work, touching on confidence, enrollment, team culture, and knowing your role. The conversation builds into a meaty debate about scarcity mindset in specialty coffee and business broadly — whether the industry is thriving or quietly contracting, and what separates brands that endure from ones that just survive. Jared makes a case for why they keep R&D-ing new food items even when the breakfast burrito dominates. It closes with a fun rapid-fire on the best coffee scenes in film history.

CHAPTERS
00:00 – Bird in the House & Rules of the Game
05:30 – How Has Your Sport Shaped Your Professional Life? 
13:00 – Pickup Ball Culture & Team Dynamics 
20:00 – Is There a Scarcity Mindset Problem in Specialty Coffee? 
28:00 – The Market for Specialty Coffee Is Bigger Than You Think
35:00 – A Race to the Bottom? 
42:00 – What’s the Big Deal…with Food?
48:00 –  In-N-Out vs. Cheesecake Factory: The Menu Philosophy Debate
55:00 –  Why We Keep Evolving the Food Menu and Culture
58:30 – Favorite Coffee Scene in a Movie 

Podcast Info and Contact: www.catandcloud.com/podcast

Instagram: www.instagram.com/catcloudcoffee/

Webstore: Buy Our Coffee! www.catandcloud.com/

Roasters Choice Subscription www.catandcloud.com/collections/subscriptions

Wholesale Partners! Interested in serving our coffee at your business? Learn more about our Partner Program https://catandcloud.com/wholesale

Cat & Cloud Coffee was founded in 2016 by three friends who believe experiences and connections shape our lives. Former barista champions and lifelong coffee professionals, they envisioned a better way to do business and set out to create a values-driven organization that put culture first.

Our mission is to inspire connection by creating memorable experiences. Whether it's with guests in our 4 retail locations in Santa Cruz, our team members, or our wholesale partners across the country, we strive to leave everyone better than we found them. 

The Cat & Cloud Podcast is a space for us to share our experiences and adventures in coffee and business in hopes of inspiring more people to create culture and values-driven organizations. 

Hosted by Chris Baca and Jared Truby
Produced by Casey Ryan
June 2026

CAT & CLOUD PODCAST
Cat & Cloud Coffee www.catandcloud.com/

From Soil to Service Part 6: Interview with Cat & Cloud Head of Retail, Herman Madrigal - Ep# 454 
EPISODE SUMMARY
Jared and Chris sit down with Herman Madrigal, Head of Retail and one of Cat & Cloud's longest-tenured team members at eight and a half years. They trace his unlikely path from championship cell phone salesperson to yoga teacher to barista to retail leader, and the specific moments — a TL who knew his order and his name, a cupping at Aptos, a raw conversation with Jared — that locked him in. The conversation goes deep on what it actually takes to build hospitality culture from the inside: why the details matter, how to make team members feel like experts, and the difference between giving people rules and giving people a reason. Herman also shares what he's still figuring out, including how to protect thinking time, empower shift leaders to coach, and whether the Cat & Cloud culture can live outside of Cat & Cloud. He ends with a dream: Mexican street food, intimate counter service, and a line worth waiting in.

CHAPTERS
00:00 – Cold Open Mustache Energy 
03:30 – Welcome Herman: Eight and a Half Years at Cat & Cloud 
08:00 – From Championship Cell Phone Sales to Barista 
13:00 – How Herman Fell in Love With Hospitality 
18:30 – Getting Tapped for Leadership (And Struggling at First) 
25:00 – The Hard Conversation That Changed Everything 
31:00 – Learning to Lead Through Systems, Not Doing 
38:00 – Why the Details Matter: The Seam of the Cup 
45:00 – Concierge Choice and Teaching Coffee With Stories 
52:00 – Autonomy, Fear, and Why Owners Clamp Down 
58:00 – Thinking Time: The Underrated Leadership Skill 
63:00 – Herman's Dream: Mexican Street Food & Taking the Culture Beyond Coffee 

CAT & CLOUD:
Podcast Info and Contact:  www.catandcloud.com/podcast
Instagram: www.instagram.com/catcloudcoffee/
Webstore: Buy Our Coffee! www.catandcloud.com/
Roasters Choice Subscription www.catandcloud.com/collections/subscriptions
Wholesale Partners! Interested in serving our coffee at your business? Learn more about our Partner Program https://catandcloud.com/wholesale

Cat & Cloud Coffee was founded in 2016 by three friends who believe experiences and connections shape our lives. Former barista champions and lifelong coffee professionals, they envisioned a better way to do business and set out to create a values-driven organization that put culture first.
Our mission is to inspire connection by creating memorable experiences. Whether it's with guests in our 4 retail locations in Santa Cruz, our team members, or our wholesale partners across the country, we strive to leave everyone better than we found them. 
The Cat & Cloud Podcast is a space for us to share our experiences and adventures in coffee and business in hopes of inspiring more people to create culture and values-driven organizations. 

Hosted by Chris Baca and Jared Truby
Produced by Casey Ryan
June 2026

Cat & Cloud Podcast 
Cat & Cloud Coffee www.catandcloud.com/
From Soil to Service Part 5: Interview with Cat & Cloud Head of Wholesale and Partner Program, Marc Gessler (contd)- Ep# 453  
In this episode, the team continues the conversation with Marc to explore what great hospitality actually looks like in practice—from cafés to wholesale partnerships. They cover the importance of core promises over rigid SOPs, creating memorable guest experiences, building authentic relationships, and why being a "good hang" is a business advantage. Marc shares insights on partner success, responsiveness, scaling hospitality without losing personal connection, and the role that fun, curiosity, and genuine care play in building lasting relationships. The episode is a reflection on service, culture, leadership, and staying true to the promise of taking care of people.
Chapters 
00:00 - Hospitality Starts with Intent
 03:00 - Core Promises vs. SOPs
 06:00 - Making It Right for Guests
 09:00 - The Spirit of Great Service
 12:00 - Building Strong Wholesale Partnerships
 15:00 - Why Being a Good Hang Matters
 18:00 - Fun as a Business Strategy
 21:00 - Taking Care of People at Every Scale
 24:00 - Growth, Leadership, and What's Next
 26:30 - Relationships Over Transactions
 27:30 - Closing Thoughts with Mark

Cat & Cloud:
Instagram: www.instagram.com/catcloudcoffee/
Webstore: Buy Our Coffee! www.catandcloud.com/
Roasters Choice Subscription www.catandcloud.com/collections/subscriptions
Wholesale Partners! Interested in serving our coffee at your business? Learn more about our Partner Program https://catandcloud.com/wholesale

Cat & Cloud Coffee was founded in 2016 by three friends who believe experiences and connections shape our lives. Former barista champions and lifelong coffee professionals, they envisioned a better way to do business and set out to create a values-driven organization that put culture first.

Our mission is to inspire connection by creating memorable experiences. Whether it's with guests in our 4 retail locations in Santa Cruz, our team members, or our wholesale partners across the country, we strive to leave everyone better than we found them. 

The Cat & Cloud Podcast is a space for us to share our experiences and adventures in coffee and business in hopes of inspiring more people to create culture and values-driven organizations. 

Hosted by Chris Baca and Jared Truby
Produced by Casey Ryan
June 2026