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Lisa-Laura Verhoest, Barista Trainer and Account Manager at Climpson & Sons joins us at iZettle’s London HQ to talk about a coffee business’ most important asset – its people. 2018 UK Brewers Cup Winner Lisa-Laura and Nasos chat about the qualities an independent coffee shop should look for in a good barista, the kind of trajectory business owners should expect to see in their staff and how to keep your team motivated and maintain their development.

Nasos Papadopoulos is joined by Lisa Lawson, founder of Dear Green Coffee Roasters and the Glasgow Coffee Festival to talk about operating a sustainable and ethical business. In this episode, Lisa and Nasos discuss what independent coffee shop owners can do to make sure you treat suppliers, customers and employees fairly, what you need to know about industry classifications such as ‘fair trade’ and ‘organic’, and how best to minimise your impact on the environment.

Nasos Papadopoulos catches up with Andrew Tolley, co-founder and Head of Coffee at Taylor St Baristas to chat about the things the mechanics of building and running a profitable business. During this episode, Andrew discusses the coffee shop economics he used to grow his businesses successfully, the back of the envelope calculations and mental models they use to choose new locations and the value of training and rewarding your staff.

Nasos Papadopoulos meets Jeffrey Young, founder of The London Coffee Festival to find out about the latest trends in the UK industry. As Managing Director of Allegra Strategies – one of the UK’s leading hospitality research consultancies – Young is uniquely placed to offer insight into market trends and consumer behaviour. Themes discussed include the impact of premiumisation, how the fifth wave of coffee is influencing businesses, and how to balance retail change while you run your store effectively.

Nasos talks to Dale Harris, HasBean’s Director of Wholesale and former World Barista Champion about managing supply chain, quality and product in the coffee business. Topics covered in this episode include how to pick the right roastery to work with and the characteristics of a good supplier, what good coffee actually looks like and how to educate yourself so you can select the best quality product for your customers.

Nasos Papadopoulos welcomes Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood, 3-time UK Barista Champion, founder of Colonna Coffee and specialty coffee expert to discuss the importance of understanding your customers. Maxwell shares his practical strategies for engaging customers and how these strategies can turn visitors into regulars, the classic mistakes most indie coffee shop owners make, and how to stay on top of consumer trends, learn from the big brands and separate fads from real insights.