Coffee People ft. Sam Larobardiere, Theory Coffee Roasters
Sam Larobardiere shares his path into enrepreneurship with Coffee People. We discuss how he went from the coffee cart and roaster to operating a full-scale Theory Coffee roastery with multiple cafes and the subscription based Podium Coffee Club.
Full video posted below, or watch and/or listen to Coffee People on:
Apple Podcasts • YouTube • Spotify • All Your Favorite Platforms
Guests: Sam Larobardiere, Co-Founder of Theory Coffee Roasters and Podium Coffee Club.
Based: Redding, CA
What they drink: Espresso and a filter coffee or pourover
Find Online: https://theorycoffee.com/ • https://podiumcoffeeclub.com/
Theory: Instagram • Facebook
Podium: Instagram • Facebook • Tik Tok
How did we get here? Me talking to Sam for an episode of the Coffee People Podcast? It may surprise you to learn that not everyone we reach out to comes onto the podcast, and quite a few that reach out don't make it either. For every season featuring 10-12 guests, I consider, on average, about 100.
I keep a running "potential guest" list running in a doc that features specific people who would be interesting to have a conversation with—Jimmy Butler at Big Face Coffee popped into mind—and roles or titles that might have something to offer our audience. For example, a psychologist who works with entrepreneurs, someone who studies the overlap between personality types and coffee shop owners, or the person who invented the widget that became the thing you love to use to brew your morning coffee.
None of those inspired me to reach out to Sam. He's been on a podcast before, and when I was looking for educational coffee shows to download for a trip a few months ago, I stumbled onto the Algrano blog linked below.
This is what I was looking at when my wife walked by and said, "When did you get that hat?" And on closer examination, I could see it. I sent Sam a message and asked if he'd appear on the show. He said, "Yes," and here we are. Sometimes, the world provides.
As it turns out, we share a lot of similar opinions on hospitality, if not a similar entrepreneurial journey. We also share a bent for collaboration. Sam's Theory Coffee Roaster empire* originate out of his own smaller roaster effort that brought him in contact with Jason Miller, another local roaster.
As they chatted about their future goals during a sourcing expedition to Nicaragua, they only had to express that, "Hey! I want that too," so many times before it struck Sam that the two of them would either be competing until the (likely) death of one of their companies, or they could combine forces.
They turned their growing coffee roasting roles into a successful community inspired pop-up and Farmer's Market offering before opening a brick-and-mortar before going their separate ways with Sam at the helm of Theory's daily operations with other incentivized partners.
More Theory coffee shop locations have opened since then. The idea of growth became an intoxicant for Sam, and it changed his role in the business day to day. During the episode, he shares quite a few thoughts and bits of advice for burgeoning entrepreneurs about what it means to be a boss, the value of hospitality, and why it is important to use debt wisely.
We also delve into his new venture, Podium Coffee Club, a subscription-based coffee club that only sells coffees from roasters who have stood on the podium at a major U.S. coffee roasting competition. It's another collaboration that evolved out of a conversation where the thought, "Hey! I want that too," kept arising.
In the hour we spent, I took a lot of notes. I'll share more takeaways in a recap episode of the podcast later this week. I only wish I had someone to collaborate with on the editing of this podcast. Stay tuned.
New to designing a coffee bag for the shelf? Roastar shines a light on the legalese you may need to include in their recent blog post: Coffee Labeling 101: Legal Must-Haves, Smart Strategies & Shelf-Stopping Ideas.
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JUST FOR FUN: TRUE TALES FROM THE COFFEE SHOP
I watched the barista drop a single creme-filled donut-pastry thing-a-ma-jig from a tray that was heading for a predictable tragedy long before the actual fall. The pastries were piled high and their torpedo-esque shape unsuitable for stacking.
I would have said something, but fate had set this sacrifice in motion long before I sat down at the end of the coffee bar. The pastry was dense. When it landed on the rubber floor mat, only a squidge of creme oozed out, and briefly, there was a collective uptake of breath from the barista duo. After a beath, the sole other barista smiled, and said, "It happens." They proffered a thumbs up. The work must go on.
As it goes in hospitality, the young person settled themselves, continued with her task, and set about placing the remaining breakfast desserts into a display on the counter. On her way back towards the curtain delineating the front from the back of the house, she deftly bent a knee and scooped up the donut without missing a step.
I watched as she tore off the flaky bits dirtied by impact with the floor and set them to the side of the register. Free breakfast is free breakfast. Well done.
Listen to our classic interview with heart transplant recipient Matthew Hankes on YouTube.
