THE ROAST! WEST COAST COFFEE NETWORK
The Roast! West Coast coffee network is a newsletter and series of podcast that shares the entrepreneurial—oft motivational—stories of coffee professionals, as well as coffee education for the at-home consumer, professional coffee industry member, and anyone who is making a go of it as an entrepreneur.
In this newsletter we share four coffee podcasts. You can choose to follow one particular thread or all four!
THE SHOWS:
COFFEE PEOPLE
We interview coffee professionals to learn about their journey through coffee, what motivates and inspires them, and often end up on plenty of tangents. Coffee People is an entrepreneurial show that is wrapped in a coffee wrapper. Guests include roasters, cafe owners, farmers, green coffee importers, coffee artists, museum curators, and more. If they are connected to the world of coffee they may end up on this podcast.
COFFEE SMARTER
Coffee Smarter is focused on helping you brew a better cup of coffee at home. Have you ever gone to a great roaster’s cafe, enjoyed a lovely cup of coffee, bought a bag, brewed it at home, and thought, this is not as good?
Coffee Smarter is for you. We’ll help fix that problem by breaking down coffee chemistry, flavor, brewing methods, and more in bite-sized podcasts.
COFFEE SMARTER PRO
Industry level coffee education for the coffee professional, or for that matter, the aspiring professional. CSPro takes a more advanced look at all aspects of the coffee industry to aid baristas, roasters, owners, green coffee buyers, and more.
One of the greatest compliments we’ve received came from a listener who was inspired by our Coffee People interviews to start roasting coffee. Listened to our episodes to learn more, and eventually opened their own successful roastery and cafe.
THE BEAN JOURNAL
When we have free time, we’re still exploring coffee. The Bean Journal is our catchall thread where we interview baristas, celebrate design in coffee, review products, and share coffee experiences.
INDUSTRY PARTNERS:
This coffee effort wouldn’t exist without the support of our coffee industry partners. A huge thank you to:
Roastar • Zumbar Coffee & Tea • First Light Coffee Whiskey • Steady State Roasting • Mostra Coffee • Coffee Cycle • Camp Coffee Company • Ignite Coffee Company • Ascend Coffee Roasters • Marea Coffee • Cape Horn Coffee Roasters • Hacea Coffee Source • Crossings Coffee • Acento Coffee Roasters • Sivitz Roasting Machines
Support the growth of the craft coffee community by becoming a supporter of Roast! West Coast. E-mail Ryan at roastwestcoast@gmail.com for details.
LISTEN TO THE PODCAST ON YOUR FAV PLATFORM:
SUPPORT THIS COFFEE EFFORT
This show exists because of the support of our partners and paid newsletter subscribers. Thank you for supporting the community of craft coffee.
Want to support the show without subscribing? Help keep us caffeinated by buying us a cup of coffee. Thanks for all your support.
THE HOST:
That’s me below. I grew up in the hospitality industry, and despite my best efforts never escaped. I’m grateful for that now. What a cool place to be! I grew up in the Midwest, but have been able to move around quite a bit. I spent my formative youth in Wisconsin before moving to New York, Brooklyn, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Pasadena, and finally the San Diego, CA region.
In addition to Roast! West Coast, I write books. You can find them here: https://www.onewildlifebooks.com/. I also work in freelance design, consult with various restaurants, and offer management services to struggling hospitality businesses.
My passion for coffee began when I chose to pass on the opportunity to open a craft coffee and beer bar, primarily because I didn’t understand the coffee side of the business. When a friend was opening his cafe in the neighborhood I asked if I could pay him to teach me about good coffee.
Instead, he put me to work. At first, it was one day a week learning to be a barista. Then it was two. Then it was three, and…you get the picture. I was immersed in learning about coffee while working behind the bar for a year. I should mention I was also running my own restaurant at the time. The days were long!
I finally had to step away from the daily coffee education, but I was hooked. The business of coffee was harder than I imagined. The history of coffee was longer. The magic of brewing a good cup was infinite. When the pandemic forced a slowdown on us all, I leapt at the opportunity to reach out to local coffee people for a chat. Roast! West Coast was born.
Thanks for reading, listening, and sharing Roast! West Coast, and be sure to drink good coffee!
Best,
Ryan Woldt
Follow @RoastWestCoast on Instagram. Learn more about Ryan on LinkedIn.
