What We Think Matters vs. What Actually Matters w/ Chris and Casey - Ep# 444

Cat & Cloud Podcast

Cat & Cloud

Education

4.8 • 727 Ratings

🗓️ 6 April 2026

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Cat & Cloud Podcast Cat & Cloud Coffee www.catandcloud.com/ What We Think Matters vs. What Actually Matters w/ Chris and Casey - Ep# 444 This episode opens with an introduction to Casey Ryan—his background in filmmaking and eventually as an independent school principal, and how he found his way into Cat & Cloud—but quickly shifts into a deeper conversation about hospitality, coffee culture, and business. At the center is the question of what guests actually care about versus what coffee professionals think they care about, leading to a thoughtful breakdown of service, empathy, and meeting people where they are. Chris reflects on the tension between passion and practicality in specialty coffee, how to build excitement without overwhelming people, and why creating a welcoming, human experience ultimately matters more than showcasing expertise. Chapters 00:00 Casey Ryan’s Path from Education to Cat & Cloud 08:00 What Guests Care About vs What We Think They Care About 17:00 Passion vs. Business in Specialty Coffee 22:00 Santa Cruz, Coffee Culture, and Meeting People Where They Are 29:00 Service as Soft Skill, Performance, and Human Connection 29:00 Training, Teaching, Enthusiasm and Not Overloading People 40:00 Coffee Curiosity, Guest Journeys, and No Gatekeeping 47:30 Gratitude for Team Cat & Cloud: Instagram: www.instagram.com/catcloudcoffee/ Webstore: Buy Our Coffee! 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 Links – Cafe Imports Event at World of Coffee: Moderated by Chris Baca https://www.eventbrite.com/e/source-where-do-we-go-from-here-tickets-1983895046489 The Truth! Colombia Truji y Angelita Thermal Shock Natural https://catandcloud.com/products/colombia-truji-y-angelita-thermal-shock-natural Jared Truby Zine https://www.flipsnack.com/965BBFD6AED/letter-to-young-coffee-owners-issue-with-jared-truby World of Coffee/SCA https://usa.worldofcoffee.org/ 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 April 2026

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Catin Cloud Podcast, episode four, four, four. All right, this episode, I sit down with Casey,
0:09.0	who is our new director of media and communications, and we talk a little bit about his history.
0:14.4	You probably heard his voice pop up here and there on the podcast, and maybe you've been
0:18.8	curious, who is this guy? Where does he come from?
0:22.0	We talk about the difference between loving coffee as a craft versus serving guests well in a real live business situation.
0:30.7	We talk about how Santa Cruz shapes Cat in Cloud's tone, identity, and approachability.
0:37.1	And we reflect on learning to teach and train in a way that gets people excited rather than
0:44.2	overwhelmed.
0:45.4	As you'll learn, Casey is also a teacher.
0:47.9	So we're sharing this passion for education.
0:51.1	And then we close with some gratitude for the team, collaboration, and just the
0:55.0	feeling of building something meaningful together. This is a good vibes episode. As always,
1:00.3	please enjoy. Episode four, 40. Four. All right, It's Monday for us.
1:29.3	Welcome to the podcast, everybody. Here's some news. Get ready. Take a deep breath. Jared's not here. He's gone. He's somewhere. I don't know. In the wind on the other side of the country. On the other side of the world could be anywhere. So you're stuck with me, Chris Baca and Casey Ryan on the other side of the table. Yeah. Stick with me too. So let's close the loop on this. Just, let's just make it tidy.
1:32.3	So you've probably heard Casey interjecting into the podcast here and there and maybe wondered,
1:37.3	who the heck is this guy? Where does he come from?
1:40.3	What's the deal here?
1:41.3	So Casey is our relatively new media and communications director.
1:48.5	And you've got an interesting story.
1:50.4	We'll just give like this snippet.
1:51.9	I'll give the snippet for you.
1:53.3	Yeah.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Cat & Cloud, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Cat & Cloud and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.