CoCo Reflections from Michael Marchant:
This Week’s CoCo: Prepare for your Work
Preparing for your work is closely tied to being here physically and mentally. More specifically the notion of anticipating your needs and acting on them, but in this case we’re applying that thinking to setting up our teams and ourselves for success in a work environment.
Try to visualize what your day will look like, set goals and use a checklist if that helps. Be aware of your physical environment and know who your team is. Learn which tools and resources you will rely on to do your work and utilize them. Have supplies at the ready. Think ahead and be prepared for the possibility of having to reformulate a plan to stay ahead.
This week I leave you with some song lyrics for, uh, inspiration… The song is “Be Prepared” by the band Shellac:
I was born wearing pants
Be prepared
I was born standing up
Be prepared
Don’t be ashamed
You were born unadorned
Be prepared
I was born embroiled in an argument
Be prepared
I was born with twenty bucks in my pocket
Be prepared
Don’t be alarmed
We mean you no harm
Be prepared
I was born already bald
Be prepared
I was born wearing spats and a dickie
Be prepared
Don’t be ashamed
You were born unadorned
Be prepared
Next Week’s CoCo: Speak Up
Stone Creek Coffee is a business that relies on the unique perspectives of its employees to see a bigger picture from as many points of view as possible. Our brains have different ways of seeing the world and processing information and when we share our experiences we can gain the insight to avoid making mistakes and enact change for good.
I can tell you from experience that the ability to share a personal viewpoint or idea and have it actually be heard by the company you work for is unique compared to the bigger names I have been employed with over the years. You are welcomed here as a collaborator and that truly sets Stone Creek Coffee apart.
Fair warning, I’m about to bring up song lyrics again. There’s an older SCC poster floating around out there that I want to mention. It has the opening line of a Vanilla Ice song, but it directly relates to our company culture of speaking up (which alleviates some of the cringe associated with Vanilla Ice, right? A little?):
Stop. Collaborate and Listen.
If there is a process that you can improve, a tool that you could use to better do your job, something in need of repair, no matter how small or large- please share your ideas! Speak up!
CoCo Heroes:
- Prepare for your Work: This Core Commitment Hero comes from the Factory Cafe – Brianna Arnold! She is a great example from the Factory of someone who prepares for their work. Brianna always arrives to shifts prepared to assist customers with whatever they need. Brianna always comes to shifts prepared with not only the items she needs to accomplish her work for the day, but also items like her lunch and any other personal items she may need throughout her shift. Brianna is also a great example of helping her team prepare for the next day by always prepping items ahead of time. Whether this is backup pitchers or syrups, Brianna is always thinking ahead.
- Speak Up: This Core Commitment Hero comes from the Downer Kitchen – Aaron Johnson! Aaron speaks up frequently in the kitchen with tips, tricks, and recommendations to keep us on track with ticket times. He has been in charge of our ticket time accuracy for months and checks to make sure that we are all tracking with expectations and requirements. He also gives thoughtful feedback on how we might improve throughout the week. Keep Killing it Aaron and Thank YOU!
Coffee Talk: Green Bike
- What’s in this coffee?
- This composition is currently 25% Brazil Medium, 50% Nicaragua Medium, and 25% Light Costa Rica.
- How long has this been the composition?
- This has been the composition since mid-June. We always want our ‘spro to be as sweet, clean, and juicy as it can be, so this comp changes as harvest cycles change.
- How does this roast affect the flavor experience?
- The Nicaragua base component is roasted to a medium, which brings notes of chocolate and berries. The Brazilian component underwent a pulped natural processing method which contributes a rich sweetness. It is sweet and nutty when roasted to a medium but retains a subtle acidity. The light roasted, washed Costa Rican coffee offers a hint of juicy acidity that compliments the body and tactile feel of the espresso.
- Why does it have this name?
- This one is pretty simple – Our Managing Director and Founder, Eric, has a deep love for cycling. This has been the name of our espresso from the get-go! #FuelTheRide
Going-Ons:
- August 8th Company Update: Did you miss our last Company Update? Check it out here.
- Coffee Geeks Cycle Challenge | Brewing Change: Stone Creek Coffee is thrilled to be supporting Radar Vandentoorn, one of our Factory Cafe baristas, in their Brewing Change initiative! During the month of September, Radar will be participating in the Great Cycle Challenge to end childhood cancer and is excited to assemble a team of Coffee Geeks to join them. Please see a note from Radar below with more details about how you can participate!
- Every year, I participate in the Great Cycle Challenge to help raise money for the Children’s Cancer Research Fund. This year, I wanted to invite all of you to participate with me through Brewing Change! Our team is called Coffee Geeks.How does Great Cycle Challenge work? You set yourself a ride target and pedal it down over the month, logging your miles via a free app which is linked to your personal rider page. You can ride on or off road or on a stationary bike at home. You can also link your Great Cycle Challenge app to Strava or Map My Ride to track miles or manually enter them. To join our team, check out our team page here. I hope you can join Coffee Geeks and pedal with us this September to help end childhood cancer.
Wins & Shout-outs:
A Shout-out from Downer Kitchen: Aaron Johnson! He has completed his Kitchen Manager Training and has unlocked Full Blown KITCHEN MANAGER STATUS! He has worked incredibly hard to not only learn a new skill set in the kitchen, but also to be a leader in that skill set. We are super proud of the work he has done to get there! Way to go, Aaron!
Email the Employee Celebration Committee (celebrations@stonecreekcoffee.com) if you’d like to recognize or celebrate a teammate. Or if you want to make a public shout-out, email Val (vnewhouse@stonecreekcoffee.com) to include in the next Employee Newsletter!
Birthdays:
- 8/15 – Analisa Lopez
- 8/16 – Annaliese Frailey
- 8/16 – Corina Lopez
- 8/17 – Tori Kalman
- 8/26 Arabella Husson
- 8/27 – Zachariah Jones
- 8/28 – Quinn Hammerlund
- 8/29 – Gabija Mackonyte
- 8/29 – Molly Persin
- 8/30 – Anna Oelerich
- 8/31 – Radar Vandentoorn
Anniversaries:
- Amy Balestrieri – 4 years!
- Zoe Brown – 1 year!
- Cameron DeJong – 1 year!
- Natalia Duchesneau – 1 year!
- Sundance Duchow – 2 years!
- Raeven Eddy – 1 year!
- Hannah Galloway – 5 years!
- Anna Huntley – 1 year!
- Lauren Huskins – 1 year!
- Joshua James – 4 years!
- Joshua Jones – 1 year!
- Zachariah Jones – 4 years!
- Keegan Kasten – 2 years!
- Harmony Krafttakacs – 17 years!
- Krista Michels – 1 year!
- Happy Musonda – 5 years!
- Alison Nofrey – 3 years!
- Eric Resch – 26 years!
- Joshua Speer – 1 year!
- Manning Steinke – 2 years!
- Christopher Tammes – 1 year!
- William Thiemann – 1 year!
Welcomes:
- Riley Berhns (Downer Kitchen)
- Ren Arteaga (Oconomowoc)
- Leah Gaffney (Glendale)
Employee Discount Codes:
Please don’t share these with non-employees
- 20% Employee-Only Website Coupon Code
- August: Aug22sccemp
- 40% Employee-Only Mobile App Coupon Code
- August: Aug22sccemp
Catch up on all of our newsletters, company updates, recipes, and more in our Employee Blog here.
Ways to Speak Up:
Do you want to speak up about ideas, thoughts, and more? Send an email to Teams & People (teams@stonecreekcoffee.com) or use the button below to send a note anonymously.