IT’S JUST COFFEE!

What do you know about growing a coffee business? Not much? Well Colin Harmon knows a bit, in fact he’s written another book about it! The 3fe Founder shares a taste of the stories and lessons you’ll find in his book: like the scoop mix-up that wiped out a cafe's profit, why he turned down a half-million-euro deal, and how potato bags changed his roastery.

Plus! Colin runs us through real numbers on what scaling costs, the second-shop trap, and why growth might just mean more time with your family.

00:00 Is Growth Actually the Goal?

04:37 What Does Growth Really Mean?

06:52 Should You Open a Second Cafe?

10:35 The Problem With Scaling

14:24 Business FOMO

18:25 What Makes a Good Leader?

22:59 You’re Not a Bank

25:55 Outthink, Don’t Outspend

32:28 Getting More From a Small Cafe

36:58 Does Staying Small Work?

43:16 Keeping Personality as You Scale

50:10 When Is Enough, Enough?

53:20 Fixing Barista Competitions

58:16 Where to Get Colin’s Books

Massive thank-you to Colin for joining the podcast. Make sure you check out his book at https://3fe.com/products/what-i-know-about-growing-a-coffee-business/

Connect with Colin here: https://www.instagram.com/colinharmon/
3fe Coffee: https://www.instagram.com/3fecoffee/

If you're new here (welcome), our show dives into some of the best coffee conversations on the internet, but we will always remind ourselves at the end of the day - It's Just Coffee!

Want more coffee content?

IT'S JUST COFFEE: https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=4e8cead0-6644-4c4a-b419-28c825b1b236

Want to get in touch? Hit us up at hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com for any questions or comments.

Proudly sponsored by:

Apax Lab: https://apaxlab.com/

Condesa Co.Lab: https://condesacolab.com.au/


Thanks for listening!
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An Australian barista can earn enough for a cappuccino in about 10 minutes. In India, James Hoffmann’s Cappuccino Index puts it at nearly three hours. But what do those numbers actually tell us about the people making our coffee?

Rohan and Ben dig into the price of a cup, barista wages and the costs a café has to cover. Is Australia’s result a win for workers, or a sign that cafés are struggling to charge enough? And how much does the picture change when specialty coffee is an everyday drink in one country and a luxury in another? Plus, Condesa Co.Lab joins us with the weekly green coffee market report.

COFFEE BREAK! is your weekly inside scoop into the coffee community. Everything from on-the-fly barista tips and honest café reviews to hospitality stories and gatekept coffee secrets.

CHAPTERS!00:00 James Hoffmann’s Cappuccino Index01:02 Riverina Fresh01:46 How the Cappuccino Index Works02:08 Cappuccino Prices Around the World03:07 Barista Wages Around the World05:01 How Café Competition Affects Coffee Prices08:40 Is Specialty Coffee an Everyday Drink or a Luxury?10:18 Is Australia’s Cheap Coffee Sustainable?13:00 What the Index Misses About India15:52 How US Tipping Changes Barista Pay18:19 Are Coffee Producers Paid Enough?20:25 Condesa Co.Lab Market Report22:49 What We’re Drinking

James Hoffmann’s Cappuccino Index video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtlE3BW9Nqs

Want more coffee content?IT’S JUST COFFEE: https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod

Want to get in touch? Hit us up at hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com with your thoughts on coffee prices and barista pay where you live.

Proudly sponsored by:APAX LAB: https://apaxlab.com/Condesa Co.Lab: https://condesacolab.com.au/Riverina Fresh: https://www.riverinafresh.com.au/

Thanks for listening!#CoffeeBreak #CappuccinoIndex #SpecialtyCoffee
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A queue out the door doesn’t mean there’s money in the bank. Café consultant Erica Escalante joins Rohan and Ben to unpack why busy cafés can still struggle to pay the bills, and what owners can actually do about it.

From pricing your menu and selling more retail coffee to getting your team across the numbers, Erica shares lessons from nearly a decade running her own café and bakery business. We also get into burnout, better leadership and why loving coffee isn’t enough to run a healthy business. Somehow, the solutions involve colourful spreadsheets, puppets and taking ourselves a little less seriously.

If you’re new here, welcome! We get into the big debates, brilliant people and everyday chaos of the coffee world. There’s plenty to take seriously, but at the end of the day, it’s just coffee!

CHAPTERS!
00:00 Busy Doesn’t Always Mean Profitable
01:10 APAX LAB
02:02 Meet Erica Escalante
04:03 From Barista to Café Owner
06:27 Learning Your Costs the Hard Way
08:15 Is Your Café Actually Making Money?
11:25 Why Your Team Should Understand the Numbers
19:05 The Café’s Role in the Coffee Supply Chain
21:52 How Do You Raise Coffee Prices?
24:35 Better Margins Without More Customers
27:42 Getting Over Your Fear of the Books
33:00 Stress Is Not a Badge of Honour
42:47 Building Systems That Work
47:23 Where Café Leadership Goes Wrong
52:22 Why Owners Wait to Ask for Help
54:13 Inside The Cafe Operator
57:15 A Hotline for Café Owners
59:44 Erica’s Advice for Struggling Owners
01:01:49 Hot Take: Loving Coffee Isn’t Enough
01:04:55 Industry Shout-Out
01:06:19 Building a Café in France
01:07:28 Where to Find Erica

Find Erica:
Consulting, resources and workshops: [ericaescalante.com](https://www.ericaescalante.com/)

Want more coffee content?
IT’S JUST COFFEE: [Find everything here](https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod)

Want to get in touch?
Hit us up at hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com with your questions, hot takes or guest suggestions.

Proudly sponsored by:
APAX LAB: [apaxlab.com](https://apaxlab.com/)

Thanks for listening!

#EricaEscalante #CafeBusiness #ItsJustCoffee
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What if the secret to a better milk coffee was changing the milk itself? World Barista Champion Anthony Douglas is back to show us how freezing, freeze-drying and blending can turn an everyday ingredient into something that tastes like melted ice cream.

We break down three ways to level up your milk: freeze distillation, cryodesiccation and milk blending. Anthony explains what each method brings to the cup, which coffees work best and how to try these techniques at home or put them into café service. We get into sweetness, texture, supermarket milk powder and why more concentrated doesn’t always mean better. Then we taste regular milk and freeze-distilled milk side by side. Think grape bubblegum, butterscotch and a very convincing reason to make some room in your freezer.

Plus, Condesa Co.Lab joins us with the weekly green coffee market report.

COFFEE BREAK! is your weekly inside scoop into the coffee community. Everything from on-the-fly barista tips and honest café reviews to hospitality stories and gatekept coffee secrets.

CHAPTERS!

00:00 Giving Milk Coffee the World Champion Treatment02:41 Three Ways to Level Up Your Milk03:53 Riverina Fresh05:24 How to Freeze Distil Milk08:21 Finding the Right Balance of Coffee and Milk13:17 Could You Just Add Cream?15:48 Making It Work in a Café17:03 Freeze-Dried Milk Explained21:18 Freeze-Dried vs Freeze-Distilled: Taste and Texture23:55 Can You Use Supermarket Milk Powder?26:20 Blending Milks for Better Coffee28:52 Why Lactose-Free Milk Tastes Sweeter31:25 Milk Coffee Deserves More Love33:25 Finding the Right Milk Temperature34:37 Condesa Co.Lab Market Report36:16 The Taste Test: Starting with Regular Milk38:31 Trying the Freeze-Distilled Version40:17 Another Way to Balance Your Espresso41:49 Give It a Go and Tell Us What You Think

LINKS

Find Anthony and Homebody Union:Anthony Douglas: InstagramHomebody Union: InstagramShop Homebody Union: homebodyunion.com

Want more coffee content?IT’S JUST COFFEE: Find everything here

Want to get in touch?Hit us up at hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com with your questions, milk experiments or favourite coffee combinations.

Proudly sponsored by:APAX LAB: apaxlab.comCondesa Co.Lab: condesacolab.com.auRiverina Fresh: riverinafresh.com.au

Thanks for listening!

#AnthonyDouglas #CoffeeBreak #SpecialtyCoffee
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No matcha. No hot chocolate. No signature drinks. So what happens when a World Barista Champion opens a space entirely dedicated to coffee?

Anthony Douglas is back, and he’s opening a coffee bar with a very clear rule: coffee comes first.

The 2022 World Barista Champion’s new Melbourne space, Homebody Union, takes its cues from wine bars. Think 40 seats, a long menu of coffees, and no matcha, hot chocolate or signature drinks.

We get into the espresso techniques behind the concept, how to make specialty coffee feel welcoming, and why Anthony has put buying a house on hold to make it happen.

A world title might get people through the door, but can it take the nerves out of opening your first place? Plus, we test his hospitality skills with an order for two strawberry matchas.

If you're new here (welcome), our show dives into some of the best coffee conversations on the internet, but we will always remind ourselves at the end of the day - It's Just Coffee!

Anthony Douglas: https://www.instagram.com/anthony_jdouglas/
Homebody Union: https://www.instagram.com/homebodyunion/
Shop Homebody Union: https://homebodyunion.com/

CHAPTERS

00:00 What Happens When a World Champion Opens a Coffee Bar?
02:53 Why Anthony Isn’t Calling It a Café
07:54 Choosing a Coffee Bar Over Buying a House
09:07 Home Baristas Are Raising the Bar
10:30 Rethinking Nine-Bar Espresso
12:22 Why Build a Coffee Bar Around Decent Machines?
15:04 Trying Modern Espresso at Home
17:23 Is Competition Keeping Up With Coffee?
19:20 APAX LAB
20:22 Finding the Right Roast, Ratio and Temperature
23:55 What China Gets Right About Signature Drinks
26:25 The Money, Risk and Fear of Opening
34:10 Making Specialty Coffee Less Intimidating
38:53 Unlearning Competition Habits
40:13 Training Baristas Beyond the Numbers
44:05 Telling Coffee Stories Customers Care About
48:13 Putting Anthony’s Hospitality to the Test
51:28 Do Flavour Notes Really Matter?
55:18 Breaking the Usual Café Routine
57:21 Anthony’s Advice for Opening Your Own Place
58:47 Hot Take: Is There Such a Thing as Bad Coffee?
1:02:01 Ben’s Positivity Corner: Shout-Out to Sue
1:02:58 Where to Find Anthony and Homebody Union

Want more coffee content?
IT’S JUST COFFEE: Find everything here

Want to get in touch?
Hit us up at hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com with your questions, hot takes or guest suggestions.

Proudly sponsored by:

APAX LAB: apaxlab.com

Thanks for listening!

#AnthonyDouglas #SpecialtyCoffee #ItsJustCoffee
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