Build a Café - Ep# 448

Cat & Cloud Podcast

Cat & Cloud

Education

4.8 • 727 Ratings

🗓️ 4 May 2026

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Cat & Cloud Podcast Cat & Cloud Coffee www.catandcloud.com/ Episode Summary This episode explores what it really takes to build a café from the ground up—starting with a blank slate but bringing hard-earned experience along. The conversation moves from practical decisions like choosing the right neighborhood and building authentic community connections, to deeper reflections on mindset, motivation, and the emotional realities of ownership. Along the way, the hosts break down coffee program philosophy, hiring approaches, and the importance of aligning values with operations. The episode closes with a candid look at the mental load of running a business, offering a grounded perspective on sustainability, self-awareness, and building support systems as things grow. Chapters 00:00 – Climbing and a Shout out to Kiera 04:00 – Starting a Café from Scratch 06:30 – Why Location Matters Most 10:30 – Building Community Before Opening 14:30 – Authenticity vs Over-Marketing 18:00 – Feeling Like You’re Doing Everything at Once 22:00 – Defining Values and Systems 26:00 – Designing the Coffee Program 30:00 – Innovation and Brewing Concepts 33:00 – Choosing the Right Roasting Partner 36:00 – Space, Buildout, and Constraints 40:00 – Hiring for Culture and Fit 44:00 – Motivation and Early Ownership Mindset 47:00 – The Mental Load of Ownership 49:30 – Sustainability and Building Support Systems  Cat & Cloud: Instagram www.instagram.com/catcloudcoffee/. é Webstore www.catandcloud.com/ Roasters Choice Subscription www.catandcloud.com/collections/subscriptions Wholesale Partners! Interested in serving our coffee at your business? Learn more about our Partner Program https://catandcloud.com/wholesale Cat & Cloud Coffee was founded in 2016 by three friends who believe experiences and connections shape our lives. Former barista champions and lifelong coffee professionals, they envisioned a better way to do business and set out to create a values-driven organization that put culture first. Our mission is to inspire connection by creating memorable experiences. Whether it's with guests in our 4 retail locations in Santa Cruz, our team members, or our wholesale partners across the country, we strive to leave everyone better than we found them. The Cat & Cloud Podcast is a space for us to share our experiences and adventures in coffee and business in hopes of inspiring more people to create culture and values-driven organizations. Hosted by Chris Baca and Jared Truby Produced by Casey Ryan May 2026

Transcript

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0:00.0	Cat Cloud Podcast, episode 448. This week, sit down with Casey and Jared, and Casey poses the question,
0:14.1	you had to do it all over again. If you time traveled back in time and you were going to open up
0:19.8	your cafe, what would you do
0:22.4	differently? What would you do the same? What have you learned along the way that you want to
0:25.8	share with other people who are going through the same journey? So we talk about everything from
0:29.9	coffee, mindset, build out, location, and bonus, we get distracted a few times because it was
0:36.8	Kira's last day and there was a lot of really awesome energy in the office.
0:40.7	And you only have a last day once.
0:42.1	So it was really special for us.
0:43.3	So this one is for all you up-and-comers looking to open something or been toying with the idea of like, I think I want to open a coffee shop.
0:52.7	Is it for me?
0:53.5	We're here to tell you. But we can't answer the question for you.
0:56.9	Enjoy.
1:01.7	You're in there, though.
1:05.1	Ballet.
1:06.9	On belay?
1:07.8	I did one session.
1:08.9	One climbing session.
1:11.5	Did your talons get freaking so sore? I was very sore. I used too much arm and not enough leg. My natural instinct was to use my arms. Because you don't want to fall and die. And that makes a lot of sense. And then you just pull up after pull up and pull up. and it was easy at first because I got pretty good with pull-up stuff but then it's just like
1:30.7	you just pull up after pull up and pull up and it was like toes and it was easy at first because
1:28.1	I got pretty good with pull up stuff but then it's just like you just hit a wall so fast yeah
1:32.6	where I'm just like oh my forearms are just pumped out and it just doesn't work anymore then you
	...

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