RECAP: Sam Larobardiere, Theory Coffee Roasters
We recap our recent chat with Sam Larobardiere of Theory Coffee Roasters and Podium Coffee Club. We hare the key takeaways from his journey into the coffee industry as shared on the Coffee People podcast.
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
Thanks for coming back for the Coffee People podcast recap post featuring Sam Larbardiere from the recent episode. Thank you for being here and being a supporter of our Coffee People platform.
Check out the original column and episode featuring Sam here:
Ryan Woldt
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- For starters, Sam has a great beard, and we kind of look alike. It's actually why I reached out to have Sam on the pod. My wife saw a photo of him online and asked if it was me!
- He got his start in coffee by being a roaster. The first iteration of Theory was a mobile cart collaboration with another local roaster. At the time, there were three roasters in town. During a sourcing trip to Nicaragua, Sam and his future business partner Jason Miller, got to talking about what they wanted from the future.
- It came up that they wanted a lot of the same things from their future coffee businesses. They could either compete to the death of one of their companies, or join forces. By combining their efforts–each bringing their own customer base and ideas—they were able to be stronger, grow faster, and with the ancillary benefit of exponential growth of a supportive community that appreciated what they did for the art, craft, and care they put into it.
- The efforts they had made building an audience at pop-ups and farmers markets paid off when they finally opened the doors (before being licensed!) of Theory Coffee Roasters. The initial sales went beyond their expectations.
- The partnerships Sam has had in the ownership of Theory have changed over the years, and his role has changed, as well. He loved being the primary roaster, but was bitten by the unexpected desire to grow. Once the idea of growth was planted, he couldn't let it go. It was intoxicating. The byproduct of that growth was the necessity to put faith and trust in his team to take on day-to-day duties that he might otherwise done himself—including the roasting. He stays involved as the operator and green coffee buyer.
- We acknowledged that maintaining sanity is an admirable goal for an entrepreneur, but not a guarantee. Work—at the ownership level or even that of a manager who cares, doesn't stop just because a clock says it is time or the whistle blows. Sam proffered that the concept of entrepreneurial work/life balance is a myth! You should be prepared to put yourself out there in a way that pushes you to the limit, physically, mentally, and emotionally.
- Growth is sometimes the byproduct of opportunity as well. Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban was recently speaking on the value of being prepared to strike when the time is right. Sometimes that means doing nothing now, even if you can, because the time isn't right.
- The pandemic led to favorable lease terms for a second Theory Coffee location. It was only a few miles from the original shop, but an entirely different audience.
The caveat being the quicker you get to the espresso machine, the better. Just opening the doors and hoping for the best isn't enough, certainly not now as we're approaching a saturated specialty marketplace in some coffee-mad communities.
Secondarily, if you do open a shop, do it well. Not going into debt is great, but it sometimes reflects what you're presenting to the audience poorly. Learn to use debt wisely.
Thirdly, never underestimate lighting.Finally, you need a true passion for hospitality, for making people happy. The customer is cooler than you/us/Sam. It is a simple recipe for success that works.
Coffee Smarter segments are supported by Roastar.com.
- Be a duck—calm and cool above the surface, and kicking away furiously down below. Remember that you're there to offer a service. Don't suck the energy out of the room. Go do that in the Scream Closet, or whatever your variation of one is.
- Podium Coffee Club is a subscription coffee program that sells coffees from U.S.-based award-winning roasters, or roasting competitors who've stood on the podium at events like Golden Bean or the Roastronix Pro X Cup.
Finally, if Sam wanders through the door of your cafe, he's going to order an espresso and either a pourover or a filter coffee, depending on the menu. He mentioned that there has been a trend towards not including pourovers on menus in cafes. I haven't seen that, but I also haven't been looking. I'm curious as to what you think. Are pourovers essential to a specialty coffee shop? Let us know in the comments. Also, do you write "pourover" or "pour-over?"
Wherever you are, please tip your baristas, and of course, drink good coffee. Cheers everyone.
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