Hylan Joseph, CTG Chair, On His Coffee Journey

Meet Hylan Joseph, CTG Chair

In conversation with Stuart Ritson

Please introduce yourself and what you currently do?

My name is Hylan Joseph. I am West Coast Service Manager for a company called Espresso Partners. I handle both in-house technicians and national contractors. I also train and develop staff and run the west coast operation on a day-to-day basis.

How are you involved with the Guilds?

I have been a member of the Barista Guild since its inception. I am one of the founders of the Coffee Technicians Guild with Shad Baiz.

What was your first position in the coffee industry?

 In 1987, I finished a degree in clothing design in San Francisco, but all the degree really taught me was how to throw a party, how to attend a party, how to dress for a party, and how to talk about “who wore what” after the party — although I can still make a mean evening gown. After that adventure, I was seriously lacking direction. I took a job managing an Italian place called The Blue Parrot Café. We had an old Gaggia piston machine. During the day, I worked at a café called Polk St. Beans that had an old San Marco. That’s where I made my first espresso. I worked for Trieste for a bit.

Then in the 1990s, the coffee industry was hitting its first growth spurt. Consumers were becoming aware of espresso and espresso-based drinks. Starbucks was expanding exponentially. It was a very new and exciting time for our industry. In 1991, I ended up in Santa Cruz at Café Pergolsi. Then I got hired by a company called Espresso Royale. These people were well ahead of their time: we had barista jams, coffee tastings; the focus was on coffee, drink quality, and speed of service. I fell in love with specialty coffee because of them. All these innovations were driven by a small company in Ann Arbor, Michigan. About 1995 I decided to pursue the entrepreneur path in specialty coffee. 

What was one piece of advice that was given to you in your career that genuinely helped you?

Be pragmatic and have a growth-oriented mindset — this advice really set me straight. Back in 2006 third wave was really taking off. Companies like Verve, Counterculture, Intelligentsia, and Blue Bottle were changing the culture of coffee. For no real reason, I became a huge detractor. An old man resisting change. Then, the first Verve opened here in Santa Cruz. I was blown away by the new ideas and innovation they brought to coffee. The initial drivers of the third wave really changed the entire culture and experience of coffee. This was around the time I stopped managing cafés. I decided to pursue a career with Pacific Espresso as their sales/service manager.

“Do it until it’s done” was another good lesson. Sure, it seems simple: work hard. I’ve found that to really capture it, you have really embrace the concept. It’s about exhausting all options in solving problems and completing the tasks at hand. I’ve opened about a dozen coffee shops in my life as an employee or I’ve been hired to fix volume. Early on, I was taught this philosophy and it has stuck with me.

How did you begin progressing to work in machine maintenance/roasting/green buying or sales?

By this point, I had been in the industry for 16 years, off and on. I really loved the sense of belonging that working in a local coffee shop provided. I loved being a barista and running cafes. Although the social aspect of what I did was very satisfying, my family was constantly struggling. We were living paycheck to paycheck. Tim O’Connor and Paula Berman of Pacific Espresso were my service company. I had jokingly told them once that I was in their office so much picking up coffee, they should just hire me. So, they did. They were both very active with the SCA and the specialty coffee industry, so it was fertile ground for me. They were both incredible teachers. There is no doubt in my mind that the two of them hold a good deal of responsibility in guiding me to my success in the coffee industry. That’s something that I have found in this industry that I’ve not found in others: a lot of examples where leaders in our industry really went to great efforts to see newcomers succeed.

You’ve worked in larger companies, as well as small businesses, could you talk about the benefits and difficulties in each?

I’ve always skirted working with large companies. I’ve done a lot of consulting for them. My current employer Espresso Partners is a good-sized company. I found with Espresso Partners that while we are trying to grow, we are also trying to remain true to the specialty coffee sensibilities, like being employee-centered, valuing the importance of quality service.

One key lesson I’ve learned in my career is the importance of velocity and agility. To grow you need to move fast, embracing new trends, but also recognizing when something does not work. An organization needs to have the agility to make these changes quickly. Large organizations tend to get muddled down by bureaucracy and inefficient processes, but a smaller business can move more quickly.

From an employee perspective, I prefer large organizations, to a point. They have the resources to support staff, provide benefits, etc. The problem is, in most cases, they don’t. Small business is bound by main street economics. They don’t have the buying power that a large business does. They are very influenced by local economic constraints. One of the reasons I really love specialty coffee is it is still the domain of the entrepreneur. There is so much real talent in specialty coffee. One concept I’ve been keen to follow recently is the profit-driven collective business model.

What would you suggest someone do if they were keen to know more about machine maintenance?

First of all, join the Coffee Technician Guild. I would say the same thing for the Barista Guild or the Roasters Guild. The CTG constituency is a great mix of seasoned veterans and people new to the industry. Supporting newcomers to our industry is one of the mandates of the guild. There is a lot of support to teach new techs and get them in the right direction. The next step would be to find a mentor or offer to intern with a company. The intern program is something we’re looking at as part of the CTG.

Is there any technical project you dream about doing which you haven’t done yet?

Nothing specific really. I’m an old hacker/maker. I really really want a lab/workshop where I can experiment.