EP 1020 Part 5 of 5 | Why “Specialty Coffee” Is Failing as a Value Proposition (Isabela Raposeiras)

EP 1023 Part 3 of 5 | The Real Risk in Growing a Coffee Brand (Nawar Adra) | Map It Forward

Advertising Sponsor Want to join our Map It Forward Monthly Community Discussion Group? Head to https://patreon.com/mapitforward [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 Stitch Coffee founder, Nawar Adra, and Map It Forward Founder, Lee Safar. In this series of The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward, we’re discussing what it takes to expand a coffee business in this economy, and this episode goes straight to the heart of growth: risk. Nawar explains that he doesn’t see risk as a spreadsheet exercise alone. He sees it through hospitality, human interaction, and what a brand can make people feel. That perspective shapes how he thinks about expansion into China, how he handles difficult customer interactions, and why engagement often matters more than trying to impress people with coffee jargon. Lee and Nawar also talk about generosity as a growth tool, saying no to deals that look good too quickly, investing in technology as a strategic barrier, and why branding can be an even bigger risk than people. This is a candid conversation about instinct, discipline, founder ego, and what it really means to build something bigger than yourself. Connect with Nawar Adra and Stitch Coffee here: - https://www.instagram.com/stitch.coffee/ [https://www.instagram.com/stitch.coffee/] - https://stitch.coffee/ [https://stitch.coffee/] - https://www.instagram.com/nawar.adra/ [https://www.instagram.com/nawar.adra/] - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nawar-adra-12909516a/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nawar-adra-12909516a/] 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: ht [https://mapitforward.coffee]tps://mapitforward.coffee [https://mapitforward.coffee/workshops] Mailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist [https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist] Patreon: https: [https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward]//www.patreon.com/mapitforward [https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/ [https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/] Contact: support@mapitforward.org [support@mapitforward.org?]

EP 1022 Part 2 of 5 | How Smart Coffee Businesses Decide What to Grow (Nawar Adra) | Map It Forward

Advertising Sponsor This episode is brought to you by Map It Forward Podcast Advertising. Interested in advertising on this podcast. Email support@mapitforward.org [support@mapitforward.org?subject=I%27m%20interested%20in%20Advertising%20on%20the%20MIF%20podcast]to learn more. Episode Description This is episode 2 of a 5-part series with Stitch Coffee founder, Nawar Adra, and Map It Forward Founder, Lee Safar. In this series of The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward, we’re discussing what it takes to expand a coffee business in this economy, and in this episode we focus on one of the hardest parts of growth: deciding what actually deserves more investment. Nawar explains that growth decisions become clearer when operators stop thinking romantically and start reading the business properly. He talks through how Stitch looks at years of P&L history, margin pressure, department-level performance, and real market adoption before deciding where to keep pushing and where to stop. The conversation moves through RTDs, drip bags, steeped coffee, and why some products fail not because they’re bad, but because the market infrastructure isn’t there yet. Lee and Nawar also discuss why great operators need to study brands outside coffee, how strategy becomes sharper with maturity, and why sequence matters in growth. This is a practical episode about data, product discipline, and getting honest enough to cut what isn’t working so you can back what is. Connect with Nawar Adra and Stitch Coffee here: - https://www.instagram.com/stitch.coffee/ [https://www.instagram.com/stitch.coffee/] - https://stitch.coffee/ [https://stitch.coffee/] - https://www.instagram.com/nawar.adra/ [https://www.instagram.com/nawar.adra/] - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nawar-adra-12909516a/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nawar-adra-12909516a/] 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: ht [https://mapitforward.coffee]tps://mapitforward.coffee [https://mapitforward.coffee/workshops] Mailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist [https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist] Patreon: https: [https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward]//www.patreon.com/mapitforward [https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/ [https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/] Contact: support@mapitforward.org [support@mapitforward.org?]

EP 1021 Part 1 of 5 | Growing a Coffee Brand When the Economy Tightens (Nawar Adra) | Map It Forward

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/ [https://www.instagram.com/arcadiagreencoffee/] WhatsApp: https://wa.me/353877871523 [https://wa.me/353877871523] Episode Description This is episode 1 of a 5-part series with Stitch Coffee founder, Nawar Adra, and Map It Forward Founder, Lee Safar. In this series of The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward, we’re discussing what it takes to expand a coffee business in this economy without pretending the crisis isn’t real. In this first conversation, Lee and Nawar unpack why Stitch Coffee didn’t respond to pressure by retreating. Instead, Nawar explains how the business used timing, brand clarity, and a deep understanding of consumer behavior to grow while many operators were just trying to survive. The conversation is grounded in real decisions: investing in packaging when others thought it was frivolous, treating retail as a strategic growth lever, and building experiences that make customers feel something tangible when they interact with the brand online or in store. They also explore why the Queen Victoria Building site became such an important turning point for Stitch, what Nawar looks for in high-potential locations, and why the combination of tourists, locals, and business customers matters so much when choosing where to grow. This episode is a practical conversation about brand recognition, retail mix, confidence, and how to move when the market is tight but the opportunity is real. Connect with Nawar Adra and Stitch Coffee here: - https://www.instagram.com/stitch.coffee/ [https://www.instagram.com/stitch.coffee/] - https://stitch.coffee/ [https://stitch.coffee/] - https://www.instagram.com/nawar.adra/ [https://www.instagram.com/nawar.adra/] - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nawar-adra-12909516a/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nawar-adra-12909516a/] 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: ht [https://mapitforward.coffee]tps://mapitforward.coffee [https://mapitforward.coffee/workshops] Mailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist [https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist] Patreon: https: [https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward]//www.patreon.com/mapitforward [https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/ [https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/] Contact: support@mapitforward.org [support@mapitforward.org?]

EP 1020 Part 5 of 5 | Why “Specialty Coffee” Is Failing as a Value Proposition (Isabela Raposeiras)

Advertising Sponsor Need help with your business? Email us: support@mapitforward.org [support@mapitforward.org?subject=Looking%20for%20a%20business%20consultant] to learn more. Episode Description This is episode 5 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’ve been discussing leadership, hospitality, workplace culture, and the future of coffee businesses. In this final episode, host Lee Safar and Isabela ask a difficult but important question: Why is “specialty coffee” failing as a value proposition? This conversation challenges many of the systems, assumptions, and power structures that have shaped the global specialty coffee industry over the last two decades. Lee and Isabela explore whether the modern specialty coffee movement has drifted away from its original intention of creating a more equitable and values-driven coffee supply chain, and whether it has instead recreated many of the same extractionist behaviors it originally claimed to oppose. The discussion looks at who gets to define “quality coffee,” why producing countries are increasingly challenging Western-centric definitions of specialty coffee, and how organizations like the SCA and CVA continue shaping industry standards without adequately including the voices of producers and producing countries. Isabela also argues that “specialty coffee” is not simply a product category, it’s a cultural and political concept, and that unless the industry becomes more inclusive, more self-aware, and more willing to redistribute power, it risks losing credibility altogether. This is one of the most direct, provocative, and important conversations we’ve had on the podcast in a long time. Connect with Isabela Raposeiras and Coffee Lab here: https://www.instagram.com/coffeelab_br/ [https://www.instagram.com/coffeelab_br/] https://www.instagram.com/isabela.raposeiras/ [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: ht [https://mapitforward.coffee]tps://mapitforward.coffee [https://mapitforward.coffee/workshops] Mailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist [https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist] Patreon: https: [https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward]//www.patreon.com/mapitforward [https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/ [https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/] Contact: support@mapitforward.org [support@mapitforward.org?]

EP 1019 Part 4 of 5 | Why Old Leadership Models Are Failing (Isabela Raposeiras)

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 — support@mapitforward.org [support@mapitforward.org?subject=Interested%20in%20MIF%20Business%20Advisory%20Services&bcc=lee%40mapitforward.org] • Advertise on the podcast — support@mapitforward.org [support@mapitforward.org?subject=I%27m%20interested%20in%20advertising%20on%20the%20podcast&bcc=lee%40mapitforward.org] • Join our Patreon community — https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward [https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward] • Subscribe to our YouTube channel — https://www.youtube.com/mapitforward [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 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 assumptions that built specialty coffee may no longer be serving the industry, or the people working inside it. In this episode, host Lee Safar and Isabela explore what’s fundamentally changed about leading people in hospitality and coffee businesses over the last decade. The conversation examines how younger generations entering the workforce are asking different questions about work, identity, balance, dignity, and leadership, and why many older leadership models are struggling to adapt. Lee and Isabela discuss the emotional labor of leadership, why businesses can no longer rely on fear, pressure, or hierarchy to retain staff, and how the economic and social realities facing younger workers are reshaping expectations around employment altogether. Isabela also shares why empathy, communication, and flexibility are becoming essential leadership skills in hospitality, and why many businesses are still resisting the reality that workplace culture now matters just as much as pay. This episode is a thoughtful conversation about leadership evolution, generational change, emotional responsibility, and the future of work in coffee businesses. Connect with Isabela Raposeiras and Coffee Lab here: https://www.instagram.com/coffeelab_br/ [https://www.instagram.com/coffeelab_br/] https://www.instagram.com/isabela.raposeiras/ [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: ht [https://mapitforward.coffee]tps://mapitforward.coffee [https://mapitforward.coffee/workshops] Mailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist [https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist] Patreon: https: [https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward]//www.patreon.com/mapitforward [https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/ [https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/] Contact: support@mapitforward.org [support@mapitforward.org?]