The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by MAP IT FORWARD

Advertising Sponsor
This episode is brought to you by Map It Forward Podcast Advertising. Interested in advertising on this podcast. Email [email protected] to learn more.
Episode Description
This is episode 2 of a 5-part series with Isabela Raposeiras, founder of Coffee Lab Brazil. In this series of The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward, we’re discussing what’s changing about leading coffee businesses and why many of the systems, assumptions, and structures that built specialty coffee may no longer be serving the industry.
In this episode, host Lee Safar and Isabela explore whether the coffee industry is still building businesses based on outdated ideas of success, leadership, and café culture.
The conversation looks at how many coffee businesses continue to copy business models, café experiences, and operational structures from decades ago without questioning whether those systems still make sense for today’s consumers, workforce, and economy.
Lee and Isabela discuss the tension between tradition and innovation, why so many café businesses continue chasing the same formulas despite increasing instability, and how fear, ego, and industry conformity prevent many operators from adapting.
Isabela also explains why newer coffee-producing and consuming countries are beginning to challenge the traditional Western idea of what a coffee business should look like, and why that shift may ultimately redefine the future of quality coffee globally.
This episode is a direct conversation about innovation, leadership, culture, and whether the coffee industry is brave enough to evolve.
Connect with Isabela Raposeiras and Coffee Lab here:
https://www.instagram.com/coffeelab_br/
https://www.instagram.com/isabela.raposeiras/
If you found this episode valuable, make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast and follow along for the rest of this 5-part series. In the next episode, we explore how global geopolitics is impacting food supply chains.
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About Map It Forward
The Daily Coffee Pro is produced by Map It Forward, supporting coffee professionals globally across the supply chain.
Website: https://mapitforward.coffee
Mailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/
Contact: [email protected]

Advertising Sponsor
This episode is brought to you by Arcadia Green Coffee, Colombian coffee exporters taking fresh green coffee from Colombia to the world, farm to roastery, direct.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arcadiagreencoffee/
WhatsApp: https://wa.me/353877871523
Episode Description
This is episode 1 of a 5-part series with Isabela Raposeiras, founder of Coffee Lab Brazil. In this series of The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward, we’re discussing what’s changing about leading coffee businesses and why many of the systems, language, and assumptions that built specialty coffee may no longer be serving the industry—or the consumer.
In this episode, podcast host Lee Safar and Isabela explore what the coffee industry is getting wrong about managing quality coffee businesses around the world.
The conversation challenges one of the biggest assumptions in coffee: that consumers simply “don’t understand quality coffee.” Isabela argues that the problem may not be the consumer at all, it may be the industry’s inability to communicate value in ways that feel welcoming, inclusive, and relevant.
Lee and Isabela discuss how specialty coffee has often created environments that unintentionally alienate consumers through arrogance, overcomplication, and judgment-based culture. They explore why many cafés still prioritize proving expertise over creating connection, and how this disconnect is contributing to consumers walking away from specialty coffee experiences.
Isabela also explains why she no longer likes using the term “specialty coffee,” preferring instead to focus on “quality coffee” and hospitality-led experiences that invite consumers into coffee rather than making them feel excluded from it.
This episode is a direct and thoughtful conversation about ego, hospitality, consumer behavior, and why coffee businesses may need to rethink the way they define and communicate quality moving forward.
Connect with Isabela Raposeiras and Coffee Lab here:
https://www.instagram.com/coffeelab_br/
https://www.instagram.com/isabela.raposeiras/
If you found this episode valuable, make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast and follow along for the rest of this 5-part series. In the next episode, we explore how global geopolitics is impacting food supply chains.
***************************************
About Map It Forward
The Daily Coffee Pro is produced by Map It Forward, supporting coffee professionals globally across the supply chain.
Website: https://mapitforward.coffee
Mailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/
Contact: [email protected]

Advertising Sponsor
Need help with your business? Email us: [email protected] to learn more.
Episode Description
This is episode 5 of a 5-part series with Jan-Cort Hoban, founder of Mr. Hoban’s Coffee Roastery in Germany. In this series of The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward, we’ve been discussing the myth of being big in the coffee business and exploring whether leaner, more intentional businesses may actually be better positioned for the future of coffee.
In this final episode, Lee and Jan-Cort explore how business owners can practically begin running leaner businesses in an increasingly volatile economy.
The conversation moves beyond theory and into implementation—looking at downsizing, simplifying operations, reducing unnecessary overhead, and reconnecting with the original purpose behind building a coffee business.
Jan-Cort explains why many businesses may already be operating beyond what is financially or emotionally sustainable, and why now may be the right time to reassess whether growth is still serving the business or simply feeding ego and external expectations.
Lee and Jan-Cort also discuss the pressure being created by inflation, rising interest rates, geopolitical instability, coffee scarcity, and changing consumer behavior—and why operators who remain agile and connected to their communities may ultimately be better equipped to survive.
This episode is about taking back control of your business before external pressure takes that choice away from you.
Connect with Jan-Cort Hoban and Mr. Hoban’s Coffee Roastery here:
• https://www.instagram.com/mr.hobans/
• https://www.mrhoban.com/
If you found this episode valuable, make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast and follow along for the rest of this 5-part series. In the next episode, we explore how global geopolitics is impacting food supply chains.
***************************************
About Map It Forward
The Daily Coffee Pro is produced by Map It Forward, supporting coffee professionals globally across the supply chain.
Website: https://mapitforward.coffee
Mailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/
Contact: [email protected]

Advertising Sponsor
If you find value in what we do at Map It Forward and would like to work with us or support the business, here are a few ways to get involved:
• Work with us as your business advisors — [email protected]
• Advertise on the podcast — [email protected]
• Join our Patreon community — https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward
• Subscribe to our YouTube channel — https://www.youtube.com/mapitforward
• Or share this episode with someone who would benefit from it
Episode Description
This is episode 4 of a 5-part series with Jan-Cort Hoban, founder of Mr. Hoban’s Coffee Roastery in Germany. In this series of The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward, we’re discussing the myth of being big in the coffee business and why leaner businesses may be better equipped for the future of coffee.
In this episode, Lee and Jan-Cort explore the benefits of running a leaner coffee business and why downsizing may become a necessary strategy for many operators as economic pressure increases globally.
The conversation examines the emotional and financial pressure that comes with maintaining large café chains, investor expectations, staffing complexity, and debt obligations—and whether many businesses are actually making less money despite becoming bigger.
Jan-Cort explains why lean businesses are often more agile, more connected to their customers, and more capable of adapting to volatility in coffee prices, geopolitical instability, and changing consumer behavior.
Lee and Jan-Cort also discuss ego in business ownership, the fear many operators have around downsizing, and why stepping back from aggressive expansion may actually help owners reconnect with the reason they entered coffee in the first place.
This episode is an honest conversation about simplifying business before the market forces you to.
Connect with Jan-Cort Hoban and Mr. Hoban’s Coffee Roastery here:
• https://www.instagram.com/mr.hobans/
• https://www.mrhoban.com/
If you found this episode valuable, make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast and follow along for the rest of this 5-part series. In the next episode, we explore how global geopolitics is impacting food supply chains.
***************************************
About Map It Forward
The Daily Coffee Pro is produced by Map It Forward, supporting coffee professionals globally across the supply chain.
Website: https://mapitforward.coffee
Mailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/
Contact: [email protected]

Advertising Sponsor
Want to join our Map It Forward Monthly Community Discussion Group? Head to https://patreon.com/mapitforward to join the community by signing up to the "Roasted Coffee" tier for 20 USD per month. Find other like-minded people in the coffee industry.
Episode Description
This is episode 3 of a 5-part series with Jan-Cort Hoban, founder of Mr. Hoban’s Coffee Roastery in Germany. In this series of The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward, we’re discussing the myth of being big in the coffee business and questioning whether growth at all costs is actually sustainable in specialty coffee.
In this episode, Lee and Jan-Cort tackle one of the biggest assumptions in the coffee industry: that success automatically means becoming bigger.
Jan-Cort explains why he intentionally chose to remain a small roastery, even while many businesses around him chased rapid expansion, outside investment, and multiple locations.
The conversation explores the hidden pressures that come with scaling, from staffing and operational complexity to debt, rent, investor expectations, and the emotional toll of carrying a larger business structure.
Lee and Jan-Cort also discuss how social media has glamorized growth in coffee, why many owners feel pressured to constantly expand, and why downsizing should not be viewed as failure.
This episode is a direct challenge to the idea that “more” automatically means “better.”
For some businesses, staying smaller may actually be the thing that preserves quality, values, relationships, and sanity.
Connect with Jan-Cort Hoban and Mr. Hoban’s Coffee Roastery here:
• https://www.instagram.com/mr.hobans/
• https://www.mrhoban.com/
If you found this episode valuable, make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast and follow along for the rest of this 5-part series. In the next episode, we explore how global geopolitics is impacting food supply chains.
***************************************
About Map It Forward
The Daily Coffee Pro is produced by Map It Forward, supporting coffee professionals globally across the supply chain.
Website: https://mapitforward.coffee
Mailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/
Contact: [email protected]