Barista Magazine is your home for the worldwide community of coffee and the people who make it.
Issue link: http://baristamagazine.epubxp.com/i/84829
"Let's just say that Kaldi's truly feels like home. I don't "Let's just say that Kaldi's truly feels like home. I don't forEsee myself going anywhere in the future, unless HilLary Clinton needs some campaign advice." forEsee myself going anywhere in the future, unless HilLary Clinton needs some campaign advice." As we made progress, it was ever so important to bring that community along with us. The process always seemed to move a little slower than you wanted, especially to [Intelligentsia owner] Doug Zell, I'm sure. I remember having several "sidewalk conversations" with familiar "since- day-one" customers who wanted to express their anger about a recent change. Asking customers to be an inclusive part of the change rather than judging them for not immediately being on board always made a world of difference. BMag: When did you realize that you could make coffee your career? MB: While working at Intelligentsia, I also picked up another job doing merchandising and retail management work for a well-known retailer on Michigan Ave. While I enjoyed burning the candle at both ends and finding new circles to meet friends in Chicago, I was truly yearning for a place to plant my feet, work hard, and work alongside a remarkable product and team. I knew there was incredible potential with Intelligentsia, and when I saw an opening as their business-department manager, I quickly applied. The position allowed me to prove my work ethic to Intelligentsia leadership and further gain some incredible insight 64 barista magazine into an emerging specialty coffee roaster. It didn't take long to realize what an amazing opportunity I had come across. The harder and smarter I worked, the more rewarding the experience became! BMag: And yet, when you moved into the management position, you continued to pull shifts behind the bar. Why? MB: Well, the skill level of Intelligentsia baristas was advancing so fast. If it was my job to define success amongst the retail channel, and the biggest factor in that success was the unique coffee experience we were promising, it was absolutely imperative for me to understand the challenges baristas were facing in delivering on that commitment. What were the customers saying? How were we balancing café operations and continual skill development? Why the hell do we keep losing connectivity to process credit cards? How long does it take to put away the milk order? I had some wonderfully driven people like Kyle Glanville, Geoff Watts and Doug Zell to remind me that we can always push the envelope further, and incredibly supportive folks like Amber, Ellie, Bob Quinlan, and Sarah Riddle to inspire me through the work ahead of us. It takes a village, people!