Coffee People is an independent publication launched in the fall of 2020 by Ryan Woldt. It was originally branded as Roast! West Coast (R!WC), but as the effort has grown so has our need for an umbrella company.

This site, coffeepeoplepodcast.com, is the home of the Coffee People, Coffee Smarter, and Nick & Ryan Drink Coffee podcasts. It shares the collected wisdom of the coffee industry. All of the content falls under the banner of Roast! West Coast.

We have simple missions:

1. Share the stories and collected wisdom of the humans in the coffee industry.
   1. With a particular spotlight on small businesses and entrepreneurs.
2. Uplift the community surrounding coffee.
3. Drink good coffee.

Coffee People is one of the premier coffee and entrepreneurship podcasts, featuring interviews with professionals in the coffee industry and coffee education. Host Ryan Woldt interviews roasters, CEO's, founders, techpreneurs, head roasters, packaging experts, coffee shop owners, scientists, artists, baristas, farmers, green coffee brokers, and more.

SPONSORED

Coffee People is presented by Roastar, Inc., the premier coffee packaging company utilizing digital printing. Roastar enables small-to-gigantic coffee businesses tell a big story.

VISIT ROASTAR.COM

Along with Roastar, this show is also supported by Marea Coffee, Vournas Coffee, Sivitz Roasting Machines, Relative Coffee Company, Coffee Cycle Roasting, MAMU Coffee, and Hacea Coffee Source.

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THE HOST: RYAN WOLDT

That’s me below. I grew up in the hospitality industry, and despite my best efforts never escaped. I’m grateful for that now. What a cool place to be! I grew up in the Midwest, but have been able to move around quite a bit. I spent my formative youth in Wisconsin before moving to New York, Brooklyn, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Pasadena, San Diego, Carlsbad, and now Salem, Oregon.

In addition to Coffee People, I write books and make something like art under the banner of One Wild Life. eelance design, consult with various restaurants, and offer management services to struggling hospitality businesses.

My passion for coffee began when I chose not to pursue the opportunity to open a craft coffee and beer bar, primarily because I didn’t understand the coffee side of the business. When a friend was opening his cafe in the neighborhood, I asked if I could pay him to teach me about good coffee.

Instead, he put me to work. At first, it was one day a week learning to be a barista. Then it was two. Then it was three, and…you get the picture. I was immersed in learning about coffee while working behind the bar for a year. I should mention I was also running my own restaurant at the time. The days were long!

I finally had to step away from the daily coffee education, but I was hooked. The business of coffee was harder than I imagined. The history of coffee was longer and more complex. The magic of brewing a good cup was infinite. When the pandemic forced a slowdown on us all, I reached out to local coffee people for a chat. Roast! West Coast/Coffee People was born.

Thanks for reading, listening, and sharing this effort. My mission is to share stories and uplift a community of people I care about while drinking good coffee along the way. I'll see you out there.

Best,
Ryan Woldt