What I’ve Learned About the Coffee Industry So Far...

Four observations from my short time working in the coffee industry!

Instagram: @thgbrian

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Timestamps
Intro/My Background 0:00
Size of Coffee Orgs 2:05
Careers + Growth 4:23
Ego in Coffee 7:35
Passion is the Greatest Filter 9:27
Wrap Up 12:25

Filming Equipment:

#coffeeindustry #coffee #career

[needmorebeans]

I really resonated with you when you talk about people working in coffee because they're passionate. I work in a Christian charity and I definitely don't do it because it's popular or pays well, but because I have a passion for it and it aligns with my values. I also work at a cafe on Saturdays slinging pourovers; it doesn't pay incredibly well either but I love sharing the experience with customers. The most rewarding compliment is when someone drinks a filter coffee and says "I didn't know coffee could taste like this".

[russAGE]

Ego and passion unfortunately go hand in hand from my experience. Keep going man, your content is always interesting to watch.

[roasterkat]

Love these reflections on the industry. Very astute observations, and things we don't talk about enough imho. Thanks for sharing!

[FernandoHernandez-xqzi]

The overall thing about the upward mobility about coffee is that a career in coffee, no matter where in the chain you work in, is VERY underpaid. Having passion is the ultimate fuel in the industry.

Instead of an upward path, it feels like it’s a career of pivots (barista to shop owner, barista to roaster, roaster to green buyer, and the list goes on).

[ozespresso]

Hey Brian,

Great video and very honest, I can see the change you have been through moving from Fellow to XBloom, seems like you have more creative freedom.

I have been in the specialty coffee industry for 10 years, 5 of them as a business owner
here in the Bay Area, it is very true that passion is the motivation filter as I could easily go work in tech and make double the money years ago and I always kept saying it to people, you actually made a video about it.

It is very true that there is no clear path to "climbing the ladder" I think this can be a topic of its own and I also think that being a "coffee influencer" is becoming a more popular carrier path for a lot of folks in the industry.

Altogether this is a great idea for an ongoing discussion as I believe more folks need to talk about this stuff. All the best and wish you luck -Yossi

[Ryan-Espresso]

I follow my own path in coffee. Levers are a big part of it.

[melkermillton]

Love this kind of content, Brian! It is very interesting for someone who is enamored with coffee but does not, and probably will not, work in the coffee industry. Best of wishes.

[jdgordon]

Love your honesty and frankness. It's very enlightening to hear your thoughts as an up and coming coffee "star". It would be a treat to see you and some other influencers doing a roundtable and discussing all things coffee. Thanks for the content!

[tzhaki]

idk if anyone has ever told you this but if you ever made a podcast I'd totally listen to it

[cmortel]

Being one of those older folks, I've seen clicks, tribes, and alliances in all walks of life. The constant desire to keep one's own business and relationships afloat really flushes out the lanes for people. Within your experience at X-Bloom, you've probably seen the CEO also be the Accountant, the Receptionist, and the Research and Developer, all in one day. Very similar with small businesses in the coffee sector. Each Mom and Pop shop is trying to establish their coffee, as a new startup, trying to gain market share, while wearing many hats, just to keep the lights on.

[junyuanchai]

Hi! I really love and feel like I need these insights to the industry! These are some content that are lacking on youtube within the coffee realm. As someone new to the coffee industry and is wanting to get into it, it would be very interesting to get into details of what you are talking about when you mentioned about the pay/salary of the industry, such as what exactly what industry are you comparing the salary to? It is very interesting and definitely content that are much needed!

[mindybaum]

Everything you mentioned is 100 percent Brian it is also a BIG problem for the people on the other end. Buying
At times being treated terrible as customers , and an attitude on excepting us to except bad quality & bad behavior towards their customer's
🤯

[weiszCoffee]

One of your best videos. Thank you Brian

[IWannaFerrari]

Not the video I was expecting but you always make it interesting and have a good take. I’m not in coffee but what you said makes sense. Happy to see more “think pieces” like this in the future.

[TheDustyne]

Haha the ego thing is something you can see online as well. Maybe slightly different. I have some people in mind hearing you saying that. You see a lot of strong opinions and believes. In the end it’s always helpful to simply be open minded and try things yourself. One great thing about the young specialty coffee industry is that there are still so many things to discover and explore.

[TheJamesMReid]

Super interested in hearing more about the coffee industry from you as time goes by.

[BBB_]

5:32
I agree in general with the point that there are no degrees designed to get students a job in the coffee industry, but it does make me wonder what Brian thinks of the courses at the UC Davis Coffee Lab.

Their website currently lists 3 undergraduate courses focused on coffee and their graduate page says they are actively developing a master's degree in coffee science (which they admit will take years to jump through all the university's hoops for program development). Their website also lists a course on Home Roasting and Q cupping as continuing/professional education and opportunities for graduate students to conduct research in the coffee lab.

[zeropuckprep]

Thanks for spelling out my thoughts about this industry that I was initially very excited to be a part of and then I bought a Decent and discovered there was an insane amount of ego coming from the people in the sector I believed I would identify most closely with “espresso people” 😂. I was told by several in the community that no one wants what I’m working on. And that no one would be interested in using it because I didn’t consult with them first. Sorry 😅 I’m still here. We’re still working on 🦑 Squid. Someone *cough* may use it at the championships in Portland in April. That would be dope. If you’re in Cali this month maybe I’ll road trip on south after the storm ⛈️ ☔️ passes. I’m at a crossroads in regards to my next steps. I have a product it’s ready to go. Expecting the next iteration soon Squid V1/E. This will be the final premium version lot. I think the next steps will be to redesign some parts to reduce the cost of manufacturing and hit a launch price target similar to the xbloom. Cheers Bryan. Teddy @ Squid 🦑

[fatherhooding]

Thanks for your insight and transparency Marth. I’m just getting into coffee and honestly thinking about doing a coffee cart. Also, had no idea about the ego thing. Interesting.

[johncoleman]

Honestly as a student who got into coffee during quarantine in the U.S, who has no experience with the industry at all (except for being a barista for a small time). I really enjoyed this video and hearing your perspective. I'm in school for my MPH in Nutrition, but am quite passionate about coffee and would love to potentially one day open my own cafe/roaster. I would love to hear more about your experience, your perspective, and honestly potentially even a series interviewing people in the industry and hearing the how, why, pros/cons, etc. of the industry.