S4:EP16
Guest: Chad Bell, Achilles Coffee Roasters
From: San Diego, California
Instagram: @achillescoffee
Website: https://achillescoffeeroasters.com/
“What have I done today…” Chad muttered after I asked for his job title. It is a common thought for a boss, any boss. Chad’s superhero power is juggling multiple challenges simultaneously and not panicking. Like many in the industry, he thrives on the stresses and challenges of hospitality. Sometimes they are one and the same.
Chad has an engaged presence, even through a video chat. He is engaged and open, and if he weren’t slinging coffee, it would be easy to imagine him barking leadership techniques into a hands-free microphone while a roomful of future managers clap and stomp their feet before breaking into spontaneous applause.
About halfway through our interview for the podcast, Chad starts talking about his focus on the company’s future. It mainly revolves around two things.
Selling coffee. That is what Achilles Coffee Roasters does.
Refocusing on building a team of baristas who are well-paid, well-trained, have growth opportunities, and even health insurance.
If I were at a different stage in my hospitality career, I’d be buying the Kool-aid.
Achilles was the greatest of all the Greek warriors. He was felled when a single arrow pierced his heel. It was his one vulnerability after being dunked in the River Styx (also referred to as Hades) as an infant. The archer, Paris, was kind of a weasel.
Despite all his heroic’s, Achilles is best known in modern culture for his one weakness. Granted, it seems likely that many using the term Achilles heel didn’t make the connection to a (possibly mythical) war that occurred an estimated 3400 years ago.
With Achilles Coffee Roasters, Chad highlights the strength and heart that made Achilles famous, traits that have inspired books, operas, movies, and even architecture throughout history. He then took advantage of the pandemic to strip away the company’s Achilles heel—distraction. He is turning weaknesses into strengths.
FROM THE SHOW
Press pot coffee is another name for coffee brewed in a French press or coffee press. The precursor to the modern French press brewer was patented in 1852 by two inventors, Mayer and Delforge. The name French press is used primarily in America. In France, it is called a cafetière à piston.
Patent documents for cafetière à piston, filed in 1852 by Mayer & Delforge. Stauf’s Coffee Roasters in Columbus, Ohio, where Chad had his first quality coffee experiences, is still there. They’ve been roasting since 1988, which makes them a member of the old guard when it comes to coffee roasters. Since Chad’s time, they’ve expanded as well. They have five locations throughout greater Columbus, including their first in Grandview Heights.
Photo from www.staufs.com Roast Coach Coffee cart is also still open in the heart of downtown San Diego. I didn’t realize it when we were chatting, but I’ve been to that cart numerous times!
So…did I use it right on the show?
Definition courtesy of Merriam-Webster
R!WC INDUSTRY PARTNERS
Joe Bettinger (referenced in this podcast episode) is a coffee broker and buyer for Cape Horn Coffee Importers. He seems to have things figured out. He travels to beautiful coffee-growing countries on behalf of domestic coffee roasters to drink the best coffees and see beautiful places.
Joe’s view from the airplane on an origin trip to Guatemala. If you’re looking for someone who likes to talk coffee, share coffee experiences, and go to origin farms as often as possible to represent your coffee roaster in buying green coffee, Joe might just be the right guy. Check out www.capehorncoffee.com or shoot a message with the subject line reading “Attention Joe!” to: traders@capehorncoffee.com
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
LISTEN ON THESE PLATFORMS
APPLE PODCASTS • SPOTIFY • ANCHOR.FM • GOOGLE PODCASTS • AMAZON MUSIC • THE COAST NEWS • TUNEIN RADIO • I HEART RADIO • POCKETCASTS • BREAKER • RADIO PUBLIC • OVERCAST • YOUTUBE • STITCHER
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Roast! - Chad Bell, Achilles Coffee Roasters