Omaha Coffee Extravaganza (LIVE)

·1 hr 4 min·5 clips

Isaiah explains why coffee tariffs threaten small farms and why prices are skyrocketing.

This live episode of Restaurant Hoppen features host Dan Hoppen and three Omaha coffee shop owners: Autumn Pruitt of Hardy Coffee, Isaiah Sheese of Archetype Coffee, and Abby McClay of Zen Coffee. Each owner explains their unique concept, with Zen bridging specialty and corporate coffee through drinks like coffee flights, Archetype focusing on farm-direct, world-renowned coffees, and Hardy aiming for excellent, approachable products rooted in community. They discuss the profound global connections in coffee, describing visits to family-run farms in countries like Colombia and Peru where they share meals and build relationships. The conversation covers practical sourcing, with owners relying on importers to find quality beans from Brazil, Guatemala, Rwanda, and beyond. Recent tariffs and volatile commodity markets are addressed, with Isaiah noting coffee prices jumping from four to six dollars a pound, impacting both businesses and farmers. Autumn emphasizes choosing to maintain relationships with farmers despite rising costs, while Abby highlights the challenge of balancing quality with affordability. The owners explore coffee shops as vital "third places" that foster community, with Isaiah citing historical examples and Abby sharing how a mall location failed due to a lack of regulars. Coffee is described as an "affordable luxury" that breaks down socioeconomic barriers, allowing diverse patrons to connect. Trends like labor-intensive cold foam and experimental co-fermented coffees are examined, with Isaiah noting only a few of the latter are excellent despite widespread industry debate. Processing methods, from washed to natural and honey processes, are highlighted as ways farmers create unique flavors. Isaiah elaborates on coffee as a complex "recipe" involving soil, processing, water chemistry, and brewing variables to ensure consistency. Autumn and Abby compare this to baking, discussing the challenges of scaling recipes and the importance of saying "no" to maintain quality. The standardized practice of "cupping" is explained as a crucial, slurping-intensive method for evaluating coffee from hot to room temperature to detect defects. Transitioning from coffee lovers to business owners involved steep learning curves in branding, finance, and operations, especially post-pandemic with rising costs and fast-moving trends. The owners debate balancing consumer demands, like coffee flights or cold foam, with their core brand identities and values. The tone is conversational, educational, and deeply personal, blending industry insights with candid business reflections. This episode is ideal for Omaha locals, coffee enthusiasts interested in sourcing and craft, and aspiring small business owners. Listeners seeking a quick, purely entertainment-focused podcast or those uninterested in detailed discussions of agricultural economics might find it less engaging.

As heard by us

A loose live panel that treats coffee like a recipe worth getting precise about.

Restaurant Hoppin' turns coffee into a loose, practical conversation about craft and repetition. Dan Hoppin' stays in learning mode, which helps the episode feel open rather than polished to death; he asks smart questions and gives Autumn Pruitt, Isaiah Sheesh, and Abby McClay…

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Why you'd press play

Press play if you want coffee talk that thinks like a chef and sounds like a hangout.

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