Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

In coffee we can often question the impact of our efforts. Over time though, small consistent steps in the right direction can not only carry you over many miles, it can transform you and those for whom you are working. What may seem like plodding work now, is the foundation for what will be built in the future. 
Today we are talking with someone whose work has taken several turns over the years. All of which were in the direction of uplifting farmers with whatever means were at hand. Today the massive impact of those consistent actions has led to impact beyond measure. 
We are talking with Ben Carlson of Long Miles Coffee.
Ben Carlson is a coffee industry leader and social entrepreneur with 23 years of global experience, including 16 years on the ground in East Africa. Based in Nairobi, Kenya, Ben serves as the CEO, Chief Culture Creator, and Sales Director of Long Miles Coffee—an impact-driven organization dedicated to producing world-class specialty coffee while uplifting smallholder farming communities out of generational poverty.
Ben's journey in East Africa began in 2010 following a quality survey of Burundi's coffee sector. Driven by a vision to challenge exploitative supply chains, he transitioned from coffee trading to hands-on production, founding Long Miles Coffee in 2013 alongside his wife, Kristy. What started with a single washing station serving 180 families in Bukeye, Burundi, has scaled into a multi-country operation employing over 130 team members and supporting more than 9,500 farming families across Burundi and Uganda.
Under Ben's leadership, Long Miles has consistently set benchmarks for quality and sustainability, earning numerous Cup of Excellence awards and achieving Burundi's highest coffee sales per pound. His current work focuses on pioneering climate-resilient agriculture, including building Africa's first carbon-neutral, minimal-water coffee processing facility and developing a regenerative model farm on Mount Elgon in Western Kenya.
Recognized as Imbibe Magazine's "Coffee Person of the Year," Ben is a frequent international speaker, event host, and competition judge on impact-driven business models and sustainable agriculture. He also serves as the regional distributor for Ecotact protective packaging in Uganda and Kenya. Ben lives in Kenya with his family, continuing his mission to reshape the future of African specialty coffee.
We discuss: 
The start of Long Miles Coffee and its initial vision
Impact of coffee on local communities in Burundi
Challenges and innovations in coffee farming and processing
Scaling the impact: From 100 families to thousands
The social programs: Coffee Kids Camp and community development
Market response and the future of Long Miles Coffee
Advice for those who want to make a difference 
 
 KEYS TO THE SHOP CONSULTING HELPS YOU MAKE YOU CAFE BETTER!
Book a free call now: 
https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min 
Related episodes:
COVID-19 Focus: Perspective from Burundi w/ Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian, JNP Coffee
451: Business Growth, Integrity, and Coffee Farmer Equity w/ Martin Mayorga of Mayorga Coffee
Sustainability Series #1 : The Farm
153 : Exploring the Peace Trade in the Congo w/ Mighty Peace Coffee
SPONSORS!
"Your Brand Cafe" for all your Cups, Sleeves printing and much more! 
 
The worlds best plant based beverages! The Barista Series!

Integrity is hard to identify unless you are actively looking for and working on it. But what is "it"? Well, in some ways it is consistency, but that is not enough. Integrity is more than production of the same thing the same way, it is more related to the mindset and spirit behind that consistency. In coffee, we have a lot of room to improve our consistency, because we are lacking in how seriously we take integrity. 
Today on Shift Break we will be talking about what integrity means and where it shows up in the work of the daily operations. If we can consciously build integrity in the moments where it counts, we will se ever aspect of our coffee shops improve. 
 
 
KEYS TO THE SHOP® CONSULTING HELPS YOU MAKE YOU CAFE BETTER!
Book a free call now: 
https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min 
 
Related episodes:
Coffee, Integrity, and A.I.
SHIFT BREAK! When Changing Things, Pay Attention to the Heart of the Business
SHIFT BREAK! Vendor Hospitality
SHIFT BREAK! The Urgent Need for Training in Today's Coffee Shop
SHIFT BREAK! Why The Best Hospitality Starts With The Transactional!
469: Unremarkable Hospitality and Cafe Terroir
 
Thank you to out sponsors!
Everything you need for back of the house operations https://rattleware.qualitybystainless.com/
 
The best and most revered espresso machines on the planet: www.lamarzoccousa.com

In order to provide excellence in the cafe, we need to focus on people. Building, caring for, and managing a team is the cornerstone of any great cafe. The potential of your coffee and hospitality depends on this! 
Today we are going to be talking with someone who has lead and managed at the highest levels of coffee. With her passion for logistics, people-first leadership, and team development, she has delivered consistent quality for staff and guests alike. I am thrilled to welcome to the show, Ewelina Kania! 
Ewelina has spent over a decade in hospitality, starting out as a barista before joining Prufrock Coffee in London. As General Manager during an eight-year stretch, she ran the entire operation, tested new concepts, and navigated the less glamorous realities of the industry - including leadership transitions, operational hurdles, and a global pandemic. She later worked as Chief Operating Officer at Barista Hustle Tools, diving deep into product logistics and global supply chains.
Today, Ewelina is Head of Operations and Logistics at Natoora Copenhagen, connecting small-scale growers with local chefs. For her, moving from specialty coffee to farm-grown produce is a seamless transition: both industries rely on passionate people who care deeply about origin and quality. Across every role, she stays focused on one core principle: a happy, supported team leads to a stronger business and a better guest experience.
We discuss:
How Ewelina Started in Coffee by Accident
Mastering Coffee Logistics and Workflow
Attraction to Leadership and Team Development
Lessons in Effective Leadership and Communication
Time Management and Supporting Teams
Effective Delegation and Empowerment
Managing Conflict in Teams
Similarities in Food and Coffee Supply Chains
Lessons from Food Industry for Coffee
Role of Coffee Shops in Supply Chain and Community
Links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ew__ka__/
Natoora: https://www.instagram.com/natoora/
 
KEYS TO THE SHOP CONSULTING HELPS YOU MAKE YOU CAFE BETTER!
Book a free call now: 
https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min 
Related episodes:
 
611: What Colin Harmon Knows About Growing Coffee Shops!
583: Unifying Teams Across Multiple Cafes
SHIFT BREAK! Walking Out Effective Leadership and Management
265 : Gaining Clarity on Transparency w/ Jonas Lorenz of The Pledge
Sustainability Series #2 : Importing & Roasting
 
SPONSORS!
"Your Brand Cafe" for all your Cups, Sleeves printing and much more! 
 
The worlds best plant based beverages! The Barista Series!

If we know anything it is that striking a balance in our communication is very difficult. It often feels like we are neglecting affirmation for fear of not addressing issues, or we neglect addressing issues and challenging our staff because we worry about how they will take it. So we stick to simply working a lot and mostly doing both poorly. No more!
Today on Shift Break we will be talking about why you and your staff need challenge and affirmation to both be real and regular practices in the daily work and life of the shop. How we view people and how we speak with and to them has an incredible impact on everything in your operation. 
I think this short Shift Break may have in it the key to unlocking the kind of culture and relationships you hope for in your cafe. 
 
KEY HOLDER COACHING GROUPS ARE BACK! 
The industry's premier coffee shop owner support and coaching cohort 'Key Holder Coaching Groups" is taking new applications now for the Fall 2026 cohort. 
If you are a coffee shop owner with at least 2 years experience in running your shop then you know how isolating it can be to run the business. 
Key Holder Coaching Groups (Apply Here ) Are purposeful 5-6 person groups that meet regularly over 6 months to help each other with encouragement, perspective, problem solving, and peer coaching that nourishes and advances you and your business. 
We are taking new application for the Fall 2026 cohort! Put in your application today! 
https://keystotheshop.com/key-holder-coaching-groups/
 
 
Sign up for 1:1 CONSULTING AND COACHING
If you are a cafe owner and want to work one on one with me to bring your shop to its next level and help bring you joy and freedom in the process then email chris@keystothshop.com
OR... book a free call now to talk about working together
https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min 
 
Related episodes:
4 Steps to Investing in Affirmation
The Affirmation Vacuum : How to make positive reinforcement a corner stone of your leadership and communication
SHIFT BREAK! Don't Waste Your Presence
5 Keys to Coffee Shop Staff Retention
Insecurity in Management

As we continue to see specialty coffee shops grow and expand into the furthest reaches of the globe, one thing remains an enduring value to customers. That feeling of belonging. A sense that the hospitality and the good will of those providing it are genuine makes every cup taste sweet and the memory of the experience even sweeter. 
Perhaps no professional in recent years better embodies these values than today's guest, Monique (Mo) Maravilla!
Mo is a Filipino entrepreneur, coffee roaster, educator, traveler, and champion of joyful hospitality.
Her journey began on the guest side of the bar, appreciating the way a single cup could hold identity, story, and connection all at once. Her passion for community and representation led her to open Kindness and Mischief Coffee Roasters in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles in 2016. Noticing a severe lack of women — and particularly women of color — behind the bar, at the roaster, and at the helm of their own shops, she started learning to roast in 2017 and became the first Filipino woman roaster in Los Angeles.

Coffee became her chosen medium to create meaningful connections, experiences, and safe, inclusive spaces for others, especially those in marginalized groups.

After 12 years running K+M, Mo created Studio Tigre to continue to challenge what the coffee world looks and feels like, and who gets to lead it. Inspired by her Filipino heritage and the symbolism of the tiger, she built a brand that is boldly designed, radically anti-gatekeeping, and rooted in community. Her mission: help people feel confident, capable, and celebrated in the spaces where craft and culture meet — because when you're not offered a seat at the table, you build your own.
 We discuss:
Going from audiovisual engineering to coffee entrepreneurship
The importance of community and authentic relationships in business
Designing coffee spaces for joy, warmth, and connection
Lessons learned from running Kindness and Mischief after 12 years
The role of boundaries and self-awareness in in being an owner
Studio Tigre as a creative extension and omakase coffee experience
The journey of learning roasting and sharing knowledge
Balancing passion, business growth, and personal well-being
 
REGISTER NOW FOR THE SUMMER WEBINAR SERIES! 
Build a Stronger Coffee Shop: One Step at a Time
Great coffee shops don't happen by accident. They are built by hiring the right people, training them well, and leading them with clarity and consistency.
In this live three-part Summer Webinar Series, Chris Deferio shares the practical systems and coaching insights that have helped coffee businesses build stronger teams, healthier cultures, and more resilient operations.
Each webinar includes:
Live instruction and Q&A
PDF workbook
One hour of virtual consulting for each live attendee
Lifetime access to the recording
Register for the individual sessions that fit your current needs, or scroll down to save 20% on the complete Summer Webinar Series.
REGISTER NOW FOR THE SUMMER WEBINAR SERIES! 
 
chris@keystothshop.com
of book a free call now: 
https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min 
 
Related episodes:
484: Demystifying Mentorship w/ Dr. Ruth Gotian, Author of "The Financial Times guide to Mentorship""
003: The Role of Mentorship in Specialty Coffee w/ Pete Licata
580: Four Cafe Leadership Mindsets to Adopt in the New Year
437 : The New Age of the Barista: Mindsets + Habits for Success
253 : Mindsets that Sabotage Success
 
SPONSORS!
"Your Brand Cafe" for all your Cups, Sleeves printing and much more! 
 
The worlds best plant based beverages! The Barista Series!