What does it really take to bring the world’s best coffee from farm to cup?

In this episode, Cole Torode shares his experience living and working in Panama for six months... cupping over 2,000 coffees, navigating government red tape, and seeing firsthand the struggles and triumphs of coffee producers.



From the challenges of sourcing rare geishas, to why the global market still undervalues specialty coffee, Cole pulls back the curtain on an industry that most of us only experience at the cafe.

58. Behind the Scenes of the World’s Rarest Coffee with Cole Torode of Forward Coffee

In this episode, we sit down with Luke Waite [https://www.instagram.com/lukedwaite/?hl=en] a coffee consultant who’s been through it all.

From brewing in a back-alley café chasing Michelin-star standards, to running operations at top roasters, to helping cafés and roasteries figure out the brutal truth of profitability



Luke shares the stories, struggles, and strategies behind building a coffee business that lasts.



Like, comment, and subscribe for more episodes of Guess The Drip!💌 Join a Global Audience with BUY THE DRIP WEEKLYGet our personal coffee insights, brewing tips, and behind-the-scenes content delivered straight to your inbox every week...https://buythedrip.beehiiv.com/subscribe☕ ROSSO COFFEE ROASTERS, since 2007Anyone can be a specialty coffee drinker, and that means you. We roasted for the last two World Barista Champions and would love to roast a coffee for you too – try our world-class coffees: www.rossocoffeeroasters.com🎓 COACHING & CONSULTINGElevate your coffee game or business with personalized coaching and consulting: www.buythedrip.coffee

57. The Brutal Truth About Running a Coffee Business with Luke Waite

Morgan Eckroth [https://www.instagram.com/morgandrinkscoffee/?hl=en] coffee journey started at sixteen with a simple mocha in Corvallis, Oregon and has taken them all the way to becoming the 2022 U.S. Barista Champion [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4tRg6zJFZE] and placing second in the World Barista Championship [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agLdXmYYb54].



With 8.7 million followers across social media, Morgan has built a global community through what they calls “digital hospitality” creating moments of connection both online and behind the bar.

In this episode of Buy the Drip, we talk about..

☕ How Morgan went from barista to world-class competitor

📱 Building a massive social media presence around coffee

🏆 The intense preparation for U.S. and World Barista Championships

💡 The meaning of hospitality in both physical and digital spaces

📖 The upcoming coffee book and signature beverage creations



Whether you’re a barista, a coffee lover, content creator or a fan of inspiring career stories, this conversation is full of insight, humour, and behind-the-scenes moments from one of coffee’s most recognized voices.

56. Your Friendly internet barista with 8.7 Million Followers… and the U.S. Barista Champion Title - ⁠Morgan Eckroth⁠!

Tyler Hagan [https://www.instagram.com/commonlycoffee/] didn’t get into coffee to go viral. He followed curiosity, stayed consistent, and turned storytelling into influence.

What started as a personal passion of brewing, experimenting, and sharing his journey online [⁠https://commonlycoffee.com] became something bigger. Now Tyler has built a reputation as one of specialty coffee’s go-to content creators, trusted for his storytelling and perspective.



In this episode we explore the mindset behind his content, the challenge of staying original, and what it takes to build a voice in an industry that’s still figuring out what to do with creators.

This one is about curiosity, storytelling, and building trust one post at a time.

Follow Tyler on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/commonlycoffee [https://www.instagram.com/commonlycoffee/]

Read his blog

https://commonlycoffee.com [https://commonlycoffee.com/]

55. Coffee. Content. Community. How Tyler Hagan Found His Voice in The Coffee Community

Most people don’t start roasting coffee at 18 and end up building one of the biggest green coffee import companies in Canada.

But Jeff Fleming did.

In this episode Jeff breaks down how he went from barista, to roaster, to running Apex Coffee Importers [https://apexcoffeeimports.com/] without outside funding, without a roadmap, and without cutting corners.

Here’s what we get into:

• What specialty coffee looked like in the ‘90s and how it’s changed

• Why he walked away from a stable job to go all-in on importing

• The ugly side of green buying: cash flow, gatekeeping, and pricing politics

• How he turned a gap in the Canadian market into a thriving business

• The real cost of starting from zero and the mindset it takes to keep going



No fluff. No theory. Just real stories from someone who built it brick by brick.

Whether you’re a roaster, a founder, or just obsessed with coffee this is one worth studying.


54. What It Really Takes to Build a Green Coffee Import Business with Jeff Fleming Apex Coffee

What does it take to turn a family farm into one of the most legendary names in specialty coffee?



In this episode, Cole sits down with Wilford Lamastus [https://www.instagram.com/wlamastus/?hl=en] of Lamastus Family Estates [https://lamastusfamilyestates.com/] fourth-generation producer and the force behind Panama’s iconic Elida Estate.



From surviving the coffee crisis of the '90s to putting Geisha on the global map, this is a masterclass in resilience, innovation, and legacy.



We talk 100+ years of history, the hard choices behind world class coffee, and how one mountain in Boquete became a benchmark for the entire industry.

Tune in. This one’s special....

53. The Untold Story Behind One of the World’s Most Famous Coffee Farms with Wilford Lamastus

What do you get when two adventurers get tired of bad trail coffee?

A new coffee category...called No Normal Coffee [https://nonormal.com/?srsltid=AfmBOophLnetXfXuOk6Xh8l_MzN2Mhckgltf0dArVNwSUOn7y-L-r_-j]



Alexander and Philipp created a first-of-its-kind coffee paste in a tube...designed for explorers, built through grit.



In this episode, they share how a love for the outdoors turned into a physical product, how they hacked R&D, launched with crowdfunding, and built a brand that’s redefining convenience in specialty coffee.



You’ll hear how they:

 * Battled through R&D setbacks with no guarantee it would work

 * Used crowdfunding to prove demand and fuel their launch

 * Scaled production from idea to reality without losing their soul

* Built a brand that stands out in a crowded coffee market



This isn’t your average origin story. It’s a look at how innovation, grit, and community can reshape how we think about coffee when and where we drink it.



Join a Global Audience with BUY THE DRIP WEEKLY [https://buythedrip.beehiiv.com/subscribe]



Get our personal coffee insights, brewing tips, and behind-the-scenes content delivered straight to your inbox every week...https://buythedrip.beehiiv.com/subscribe

52. They Turned Coffee Into a Paste and Built a Brand From the Alps to the Outdoors

What happens when a design student accidentally becomes a barista and ends up changing the global coffee game?

In this episode, we sit down with 2012 World Barista Champion from Guatemala, to unpack his wild journey: from his first training shift to going rogue on the WBC stage with Intelligentsia coffee and making James Hoffmann laugh in the process.

But this isn’t just about competition...

We get into the real stuff:

→ What it actually means to represent an origin country

→ The hard challenges of coffee sourcing in Guatemala

→ Labor shortages, pricing pressure, and global market chaos

→ How innovation in processing is changing what’s possible



Raul gets real about purpose, identity, and what it takes to survive and lead in the coffee industry.This is the untold story of hustle, heartbreak, and how a single cup can change a life!

👉 Like, comment, and subscribe for more episodes of Guess The Drip!

💌 Join a Global Audience with BUY THE DRIP WEEKLY

Get our personal coffee insights, brewing tips, and behind-the-scenes content delivered straight to your inbox every week...https://buythedrip.beehiiv.com/subscribe

51. From Barista to Champion to Leader at Origin. Raul Rodas on Coffee’s Real Challenges

we sit down with Laila Ghambari [https://www.instagram.com/lailaghambari], a barista-turned-champion-turned-consultant whose journey through coffee competitions, family business, and specialty retail [https://guildercoffee.com/] offers a masterclass in what it takes to build a sustainable coffee career and cafe.Laila shares how growing up in her dad’s Seattle cafe laid the foundation for a lifelong commitment to coffee and how she transformed that passion into a high-impact consulting business [https://lailaghambari.myflodesk.com/readytogrow?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAac7_3XaJ0aYU-0pRTzrgFTwOti_FBFPMhGB5JACx4uV_mi92KV1DMEdyTTBHg_aem_ZBDRqU-1MUqijgwb6nNBdA#]. We talk about the mindset shift that led her to win the U.S. Barista Championship [https://uscoffeechampionships.org/], what many cafe owners get wrong about profitability, and the unseen challenges of scaling coffee businesses.Whether you’re a cafe owner, aspiring competitor, or just coffee-obsessed, this episode is full of grounded insights and real talk about what it takes to survive and thrive in the coffee industry👉 Like, comment, and subscribe for more episodes of Guess The Drip!💌 Join a Global Audience with BUY THE DRIP WEEKLYGet our personal coffee insights, brewing tips, and behind-the-scenes content delivered straight to your inbox every week...https://buythedrip.beehiiv.com/subscribe☕ ROSSO COFFEE ROASTERS, since 2007Anyone can be a specialty coffee drinker, and that means you. We roasted for the last two World Barista Champions and would love to roast a coffee for you too – try our world-class coffees: www.rossocoffeeroasters.com🎓 COACHING & CONSULTINGElevate your coffee game or business with personalized coaching and consulting: www.buythedrip.coffee🎙️ Listen to the PODCASTCoffee and business insights:Apple | Spotify📺 Subscribe on YOUTUBECatch all our videos: @buythedrip.coffee📸 Follow us on INSTAGRAMStay updated with the latest: www.instagram.com/buythedrip.coffeeFollow Dave: www.instagram.com/crosbyandcoffeeFollow Cole: www.instagram.com/torodeo

50. Laila Ghambari on Competition, Cafe Profitability, and Coffee Consulting

We sit down with one of the most influential figures in specialty coffee with Rachel Peterson [https://www.instagram.com/rachlpeterson] of Hacienda La Esmeralda [https://haciendaesmeralda.com/].Known globally for introducing Geisha to the world, Rachel shares the full story behind how their farm transformed the coffee industry, winning Best of Panama three times in one year a historic first!We talk about:How Geisha was first discovered and introducedThe rise of Best of Panama and record-breaking auctionsGenetics, varietals, and the evolution of Esmeralda’s portfolioFamily business dynamics and the legacy of qualityThe real business of producing the world’s most celebrated coffeesWhether youre a barista, roaster, green buyer, or a specialty coffee fan this conversation is a masterclass in coffee history, strategy, and flavor!👉 Like, comment, and subscribe for more episodes of Guess The Drip!💌 Join a Global Audience with BUY THE DRIP WEEKLYGet our personal coffee insights, brewing tips, and behind-the-scenes content delivered straight to your inbox every week...https://buythedrip.beehiiv.com/subscribe☕ ROSSO COFFEE ROASTERS, since 2007Anyone can be a specialty coffee drinker, and that means you. We roasted for the last two World Barista Champions and would love to roast a coffee for you too – try our world-class coffees: www.rossocoffeeroasters.com🎓 COACHING & CONSULTINGElevate your coffee game or business with personalized coaching and consulting: www.buythedrip.coffee🎙️ Listen to the PODCASTCoffee and business insights:Apple | Spotify📺 Subscribe on YOUTUBECatch all our videos: @buythedrip.coffee📸 Follow us on INSTAGRAMStay updated with the latest: www.instagram.com/buythedrip.coffeeFollow Dave: www.instagram.com/crosbyandcoffeeFollow Cole: www.instagram.com/torodeo

$10,000/Kilo Coffee? Rachel from Hacienda La Esmeralda Reveals the Story Behind Panama’s Iconic Geisha

David started Rosso Coffee Roasters over 10 years ago. His 'bootstrap' business
technique got the company to where it is today. Who gave him a microphone? We're
not exactly sure... but through this podcast, he'll uncover the awesome stories
of fellow entrepreneurs and business-minded friends. From green coffee to magic
mushrooms and more—it's time to discover your new favourite podcast, Buy the
Drip!

David Crosby

Shows