S4:EP12
Guest: Jay Freedman, Compa Coffee Roasters
From: San Diego, California
Instagram: @compacoffeeroasters
Website: https://www.compacoffeeroasters.com/
Compa is short for compadre. A compadre is a close friend or companion. Spend an hour with Jay Freedman of Compa Coffee Roasters, and you get the feeling that he is compadres with anyone and everyone who walks through the front door of the roastery or the roastery’s companion cafe Hawthorn Coffee in San Diego.
Jay came to coffee after working fighting fires. I sometimes joke that being a manager in hospitality is just putting out one fire after another, but that is just a throwaway joke. Fighting wildfires, especially here in California, has become a full-time job and one that takes a toll. My soapbox statement of the week: we need to create more full-time career positions for wildfire fighters in California.
As for my conversation with Jay, we covered a lot of ground. Most of it wasn’t specific to coffee. He talked a lot about empathy and his goals as a manager to uplift his team. We discussed how every person has a different metric to determine the success of their business, career, and even life.
I hadn’t realized it, but many of the moments I spend with my cup of coffee each morning are spent pondering that very question. I think the coffee is my token, enabling me to take on those deep philosophical questions. Of course, sometimes coffee is also just a coffee.
Jay also hosts his own podcast on behalf of Compa Coffee Roasters. Check it out on Youtube.
FROM THE SHOW
The black Power Ranger does seem pretty cool.
Scott Rao writes books about coffee roasting and coffee preparation. He is pretty famous for it. I own a few of them including his guide for baristas. He got his start opening his own roastery in his early 20s. Selling it. Moving to New Zealand for awhile. Opening another restaurant and coffee shop. Selling it. And then writing books as a coffee expert.
Lance Hedrick is a former latte art world champion and has a great YouTube channel. He does a lot of very in-depth product reviews and, obviously, latte art education videos. This Urbanic 070 coffee grinder got really popular after he recommended it.
R!WC INDUSTRY PARTNERS
For a limited time, Camp Coffee Co. in Oceanside is honoring St. Patrick’s Day by adding Irish Cream Syrup to the menu. Add it to your favorite drink before it’s gone.
Thanks to Zumbar Coffee for letting me hang out on the patio last week.
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Click these R!WC Industry Partners links. Drink their coffees and whiskeys. Visit their cafes. Support local coffee shops. You won’t be disappointed.
Zumbar Coffee & Tea • First Light Coffee Whiskey • Leap Coffee • Steady State Roasting • CAFÉ LaTERRE • Mostra Coffee • Cape Horn Coffee Importers • Marea Coffee • Coffee Cycle • Camp Coffee Company • Ignite Coffee Company
COFFEE JOBS: Check out the R!WC Coffee Jobs thread here.
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Roast! - Jay Freedman, Compa Coffee Roasters