The Coffee Show with Kirk Pearson

This week we have Sam Keck of Commonfolk Coffee on the podcast to talk about an upcoming program coming up called Good Coffee Month.

Good Coffee Month is looking to raise money to help fund some equipment upgrades for coffee producers in Uganda at the Zukuka Bora washing station.

Commonfolk have partnered with Zukuka Bora for many years now are every year have seen increases in the quality of coffee and have helped uplift a coffee community in what could easily be described as a powerful form of social innovation.

So we want our listeners to participate this month and help raise money for Good Coffee Month, you can find the details in the link below.

Plus, Kirk and Sam deliver some spicy hot takes in the second half of the podcast that you may or may not agree with.

Where to support Good Coffee Month:

A Cup That Counts: https://www.thecupthatcounts.org/

Commonfolk Coffee: https://www.commonfolkcoffee.com.au/

Every Cup Counts Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoGzmFqqxgk

Lukas Martin is a young entrepreneur looking to revolutionise how hospitality venues connect with suppliers/wholesalers.

Lukas has been bemused by high fees and lack of functionality from other online ordering software providers and decided to make his own.

In this podcast which has a new format, we get interactive with CarePack and show you live how to set up an account and use it.

Plus, Kirk and Lukas get off topic to talk about their favourite games, whether they would participate in a revolution and much more.

To use Carepack, follow this link and get set up in minutes: https://cafecarepackage.com/wholesale/

This weeks podcast will be audio only because we had some issues with the camera recording this. The honest story is we were in a venue where chefs were butchering some freshly caught tuna (which looked lovely) and so the camera was out of focus and thus we couldn't use the footage.

Kay Cheon is the United States Barista Champion of 2025 and founder of Parterre Coffee.

This podcast was the last of our series in the USA and was recorded inside of Hooked Venice Beach.

Kay's story is something many people can resonate with, he started as a home barista in another career and transitioned to coffee through pure love of the game.

Plus, we get a surprise cameo from influential LA barista Nicely Abel!

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Chris Maybury is a disruptor in coffee and this episode has been a long time coming.

Chris and Kirk have a lot in common: They both embrace pre batched espresso, embrace automation and hold dear the very thing customers love about coffee: People!

Kirk and Chris discuss what they think the barista profession will evolve to and how baristas in the future may end up becoming sommeliers.

Plus, the fallout of the infamous Specialty Coffee Factory Outlet Interview continues…

Australian coffee professionals have been up in arms about a new concept called Specialty Coffee Factory Outlet (SCFO). Kirk interviewed the founders Julian Moussi and Cory Slater to get their perspective.

The team who founded Inglewood Coffee are trying a new strategy in specialty, selling high quality coffee for ultra cheap prices and betting on selling high quantities. They're going for a larger degree of marketshare by lowering costs wherever possible.

The most controversial element of the strategy is their roaster callouts, where they compare their own coffee to that of another roasters and juxtapose them on price.

Beyond this concept, Julian and Corey have had much success with many venues in Melbourne and offer some wisdom on where hospitality is going from here on, and how they're structuring their own venues.

Whatever your thoughts on them, this is a fascinating listen and we thank Julian and Cory for taking the time to come on!

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Do you want to quit the job you hate and start a new career you love? This podcast might be the encouragement you need.

Dennis Do last year had never made coffee in a cafe, now he runs Project Zero Coffee and competes in the Brewers Cup!

This is a great podcast detailing how Dennis was able to change careers and a great example for other cafe owners to consider hiring staff with no experience.

If you hate your job and need a push, then listen to this podcast!

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Greg Cornes is a New Zealand based cafe owner and operator with multiple venues.

Greg's profile has grown this year thanks to his viral videos dissecting and analysing what it takes to be successful business in 2026.

In this podcast Greg discusses his strategy and playbook in a marketplace that has frankly turned upside down after the Pandemic, multiple supply chain issues and a protracted cost of living crisis.

This is a must listen for anyone that wants to open a coffee shop or currently owns one.

Greg is running online workshops which you can sign up to and directly work with him.

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Andrew Sinclair is without a doubt one of the best ranters in specialty coffee, and should probably have a podcast of his own.

Until then, Kirk sat down with him at his roastery and discussed what its like operating a coffee shop in the US and just how hard it can be for people to make it, especially in the City of Angels.

This podcast was done just by the cooling tray of Andrew's roaster!

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Derek Taylor is a cafe owner based in Los Angeles California. His cafe Noun, is serving coffee that has been pre batched and we recorded this mini podcast in the middle of service there!

Derek is unique in his approach to business. Customers can pay with bitcoin and he has been making sure people have been caffeinated at Coachella for a number of years.

This was a short but interesting podcast that opens up new ways to do business in coffee.

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On the Austin stop of Kirk's USA Tour he met up with old friend Jak Michael Ryan and new friend Zack Talender.

Zack Talender is a US musician who wen't omega viral in Australia for his videos about the coffee. Zack's whole thing was to try and find a 'bad coffee' and he was unable to, which found him adored by pretty much every Melburnian.

Jak Michael Ryan is the new US Barista Champion, together we all contrast how coffee is different in the US vs Australia and some unique Australian terms!

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This week The Coffee Show and Keys to the Shop are doing a crossover episode in Nashville Tennessee, the closest point that could meet. Kirk and Chris Deferio are both outspoken in the coffee industry. They agree on a lot of things, and disagree on some things as well. This podcast has been months in the making but we both wanted to do it in person and it was great to make that happen. No studio, no amazing production, just two people in a room speaking about what we love. Chris is an amazing advocate for what should be the foundations of coffee shop. Tech and innovation are the talk of the industry right now, but what actually matters? What moves the needle for running a succesful business in coffee and keeping customers coming back day after day? If you're wanting to open a coffee shop or improve your operation, this is an amazing resource for you that is 100% free. All we ask is that you give us both a follow on youtube and socials, tell some friends, like or comment. These things all help massively. But most of all, brew yourself a cup of coffee, put it on at work and enjoy!

Jak Michael Ryan, originally from Australia, is the United States Barista Champion.

Jak is one of the most unique personalities you will find anywhere in life. Jak is a professional dancer, dedicated boxer with ambitions for great things and just casually, the best barista in the USA.

This podcast looks into his journey and discipline and the many years of hard work it took to reach this point.

Jak and Kirk discuss the emerging US coffee scene and what is going on back home in Australia, and Kirk goes nuclear on 'foodie' creators.

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Music by prettyjohn1 from Pixabay

Davy Ball is the Founder of Draped in Blue and one of the Co-Founders of Now and Then, a now closed coffee bar that provided a fine dining coffee experience.

In this podcast Davy and Kirk are recording in Chef Sean Brock's office in Nashville with all of his cook books, as you can see there are many!

Kirk and Davy discuss how fine dining and coffee can work together and the future of coffee experiences of that nature.

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Kirk has reached the means streets of Calgary, Alberta in Canada.

In Calgary one of the worlds most reputable specialty coffee roasters is there, Rosso Coffee Roasters.

Rosso was started by David Crosby who is a 2x World Barista Championship coach, coaching both Mikael Jaisin and Boram Um to victory in consecutive years.

David and Kirk have been friends for years now and it was great to catch up at the Rosso roastery.

This is a crossover podcast where we both interviewed each other really and makes for an excellent listen.

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George Howell is the Founder of George Howell Coffee and one of the most influential forces in the coffee industry ever.

Many know him as the man who created the Frappuccino, which he sold the rights of to Starbucks. Such was his influence in the 90’s he sold all of his venues to Starbucks as well, and has devoted his entire life to the betterment of the specialty coffee industry.

In this podcast Kirk and George discuss tech in coffee, what concerns him and what the future holds.

Plus, Kirk and George reflect on his life, which he is writing about in his biography. Things get emotional when we look back and ponder the world he will leave behind.

A bucket list moment for Kirk, an extraordinary podcast for you.

Enjoy.

Nemesis Coffee are based in Vancouver and have multiple venues spanning specialty coffee focused venues and bakeries.

The owners Jes and Albert blew Kirk away with the coffee quality and service throughout the Vancouver leg of the 'Freedom Tour!'

We sat down in their Great Northern Way store and spoke about the origins of Nemesis and the near terminal challenges they faced along the way.

An excellent podcast for all!

Dr Doran Pennington is a former student of someone the coffee industry knows well: Dr Christopher Hendon.

Doran and Chris story has shades of Good Will Hunting, Doran the former student recruited his teacher to form a start up that has the change to change the beverage industry as we know it. It is called Overpotential.

In this episode Kirk visits the ‘Engine Room,’ a start up accelerator within the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the #1 ranked university on the planet by many. While walking through the building Kirk was even introduced to someone making lasers for mini nuclear reactors. Only startups with extremely high potential are accepted to work within the Engine Room.

Doran and Chris are working on machines that will alter the chemical composition of liquids and thus their flavour. Kirk was lucky enough to try some altered instant coffee by Nescafé and it was very nice.

The group spent too much time looking at cool stuff at MIT that there was only room for a small interview over some Turkey sandwiches, which were delightful.

Among topics discussed were startups, innovation ecosystems, water for coffee and more.

Not an episode you want to miss!

Last year the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) announced sweeping changes to what is known at the Coffee Value Assessment. Coffee professionals were furious that a seemingly functional system of assessing a coffees quality was being replaced by a system that was far more complex. Craig Simon is Australia's leading coffee trainer who was one of two certified Q Grade instructors in the country. Craig has embraced the new changes and teaches the course at Criteria Coffee, his co roasting and education space. Kirk and Craig discuss the new form and whether or not it is practical. Among other things, Craig recounts a notorious incident involving chocolate milk and orange juice and the pre batch topic comes up.... Again!

'Breakfast Shirts' or Mark Crotti is a content creator who travels Australia as a touring musician and cafe connoisseur.

Mark has compiled some data from a survey sent out to his followers.

It seeks to find out: Who is Australia's favourite coffee roaster? What is Australia's favourite coffee order? And where is the best breakfast in the country?

Kirk and Mark discuss all this week on The Coffee Show!!

Nic Petrie is the Head of Coffee for Born and Raised, a Melbourne based coffee roasting supplying cafes and sharpening their focus to go direct to consumer.

Nic has been one of the lead agitators with pre batched coffee, something Kirk is very familiar with. Additionally, Nic has been big on Co-Fermentation.

Kirk and Nic discuss the potential problems that Co Ferments could create and also discuss future UFC match ups for those that are interested.

Kirk also delivers a nuclear hot take in the 'Grind My Bean' segment that may well and truly get him cancelled!

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