S5:EP1
Guest: Kenny Fletcher of Paper Tiger Coffee Roasters
From: Vancouver, Washington
Instagram: @papertigercoffeeroasters
Website: www.papertigercoffee.com
I’m always nervous about the first interview of the new season. I feel out of practice. I usually drink too much coffee. I worry about technical problems with the audio. I worry that the guest and I won’t click. I worry that I look weird in the video chat. My anxiety spikes with a few flip-flops, and then we begin.
Pretty quickly, it feels like old hat. I’ve done nearly 90 of these episodes, after all. It helps when the first interview is with someone like Kenny Fletcher of Paper Tiger Coffee Roasters.
A paper tiger is an old political term about something that looks big and scary but ends up being just paper, not scary at all. The term is an English translation of an old Chinese phrase popularized in the 1940s by Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party. He often referenced the term when talking about the United States, the atom bomb, and geopolitical politics.
The term has gone wide since then, and I kind of love the concept. So many things in our daily lives feel scary, but when examined up close or with just a slight change in perspective, they become not so scary at all. So much of entrepreneurship can feel like a paper tiger—permits, business loans, marketing, changing trends. Often with a little guidance and some focus on the details, the fear disappears, and the work begins.
Sometimes it is best to learn as you go. Ignorance can be bliss at the beginning. If you knew all the pitfalls, you’d never make the leap! After you’ve already leapt, you’ve got to make it work.
Very early on in our conversation, I realized that Kenny is the type of person who often says simple yet insightful things without realizing their power. He’s a quote machine.
Here are a few of my favorites.
“We’re going to do the best possible job every time someone is coming in the door because we appreciate that they are coming through the door.”
“We’re not just going to be in the community. We’re going to be part of the community.”
Kenny’s coffee roasting experience led him to a unique opportunity—teaching deaf or blind students from a local school how to roast coffee. On the podcast, he gets emotional talking about how the community stepped up to help supply the equipment needed and again recalling how he learned very quickly that any hang-ups or fears he may have had to teach the students were his own. They were ready to rock n’ roll.
His theory on teaching to the individual and meeting the students where they are is how I wish all schools were run. He points out that everyone has the capability to learn, but sometimes it takes the willingness to think outside the box to find the right teaching technique that will enable the students to succeed.
FROM THE SHOW
Check out this feature video on Vancouver, Washington coffee roasters including Kenny Fletcher and Paper Tiger Coffee Roasters.
The Washington School for the Deaf is located just down the street from Paper Tiger Coffee Roasters. When the annual Liger coffee collaboration roast comes out, I’ll be sure to let you know.
THE BEAN JOURNAL
The Bean Journal is a new section on Roast! West Coast, where I’ll be featuring what coffee I’m drinking and the experience at the cafes and coffee roasters where I’m drinking it.
I shared the first journal entry—about Seaborne Coffee—with The Coast News. Look for future editions in the tab on the top of the homepage. Read the column here.
NOT FROM THE SHOW
This is legit crazy and a great example of how there are people working on a whole ‘nother level. Scientists are using spent coffee grounds to create more sensitive receptors to measure brain waves.
“…there is a potential for significant real-world impact. Traditional electrodes are made of carbon fiber, which are difficult and expensive to produce, often requiring the use of harsh chemicals. Used coffee grounds, on the other hand, are cheap and ubiquitous and provide an environmentally-friendly alternative.” Read the article on Sprudge.com.The Starbucks unionization saga continues. National Labor officials have alleged that the company has engaged in unfair labor practices in response to unionization efforts that have been on-going nationwide over the past year. The Starbuck’s flagship location in Seattle became the most recent location to vote to form a union. Read the article on SanDiegoUnionTribune.com.
R!WC INDUSTRY PARTNERS
First Light Whiskey: Did you know FLW started as a university class project? SDSU recently featured CoFounder David Elizondo who developed the business in a marketing class. Read the full article here.
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
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Roast! - Paper Tiger Coffee Roasting