466: The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection w/ 2024 U.S. Barista Champion, Frank La, Be Bright Coffee

The craft of coffee and cafes is as much a personal pursuit as it is a service to others. Providing a remarkable coffee experience to guests through coffee is what initially inspired Frank La to begin a career in coffee. Since then his dedication to exploring service, mentorship, business operations, and coffee itself has been guided by the Japanese philosophy of "Kodawari" or, the relentless pursuit of perfection.  Before launching Be Bright Coffee, Frank La developed his skills and became a coffee professional in LA in 2010. La has held jobs at notable coffee companies acros the city including Cafe Dulce, Lamill Coffee, and Copa Vida. Now with Be Bright Coffee, Frank has overseen the growth of his business with e-commerce, wholesale, cafe and events. His skills as a coffee professional has earned him a 6th place finish at the 2023 USBC, and most recently taking the title as the USBC in 2024. In today's episode we will explore the genesis and development of Frank's coffee journey through barista work, illegal pop up coffee shops, competition, a 9 year break from the competitive barista world, operations management, and crafting a championship winning routine.  Perfection can sound too exclusive or high minded at first, but I believe the way Frank explains things and demonstrates through his own practice of the discipline shows us that it can be pursued with humility and empathy that brings about a wonderful result. Links: https://bebrightcoffee.com/ @bebrightcoffee @flaless    Related episodes: RoR # 21 : Data, Community, and the Art of Roasting w/ U.S. Roasters Champion Andrew Coe of Elevator Coffee 410 : A Conversation w/ 2023 U.S. Barista Champion, Isaiah Sheese of Archetype Coffee 036 : A conversation with WBC ’14 champion, Hidenori Izaki 191 : Retraining your Staff on new Standards 307 : 10 Simple ways to Level Up your Coffee Shop 339 : What Good Barista Training Produces   Want to run an amazing coffee shop? Hire Keys to the Shop Consulting to work with you 1:1 to transform your coffee shop operations, quality, and people. Custom consulting for your unique business. Schedule a free discovery call now! https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min   Thank you to our amazing sponsors! Get the best brewer and tool for batch espresso, iced lattes, and 8 minute cold brew! www.groundcontrol.coffee   The world loves plant based beverages and baristas love the Barista Series! www.pacificfoodservice.com