Celebrating my one year (feels like five) work-aversary at Gregorys Coffee this month. It has been an incredibly dense and impact driven year. For the previous twelve years I had worked exclusively as a consultant for multiple companies at a time. I would work on specific projects with outlined arches for each client. Some of these projects would last for years while others would be completed in months. This experience allowed me to be exposed to dozens of companies and their inner-workings and different approaches to culture and operations. This provided enough perspective to recognize a strong culture of innovation, inclusiveness and teamwork.
In 2024 Gregorys opened 15 new locations in eight new states. We doubled our roasted coffee output all while adding new products and updating existing location. Thankfully I've been working with a great team of driven, entrepreneurial-minded, experts in each of their departments. The entire leadership team (save the owner) has been there for less than three years, most of us joined in the last twelve months.
Gregorys has been operating since 2006 however it has managed to not be entrenched in its ways. There is a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation that allows and encourages each team member to take risks, make decisions and make mistakes without fear of immediate repercussions. Everyone is encouraged to be a leader and take ownership of their ideas and given the chance to fix their own mistakes. This is a very unique and progressive environment to operate within. The system and culture itself is a work in progress and that is exactly why it works even when it doesn't. The ability to adapt and heal itself are baked into people so no wrong turn seems to dire.
Coming into a company after working for over a decade as a free-agent, this environment has been the perfect transition back into the "traditional" workplace. I have been able to assimilate without feeling stifled. It has provided and environment where I can be creative and systematic at the same time.
Each department bleed into each other at certain points so we all work collaboratively while achieving independent goals. Working on special events with the marketing team one day then bleeds over into HR as turn it into a learning experience. Below is a bullet point list of some of the wins the coffee team was able to accomplish in my first year.
In the first 90 days...
we went from one coffee source to five
refreshed all blend ingredients and recipes
implemented new safety procedures
updated all roasting curves
introduced the rotating single origin program
implemented new maintenance and cleaning schedules at the roastery
reduced CoGs by 15%
by 180 days...
we refreshed the entire roasting team
renovated the warehouse (ceiling, roof, walls, floors)
tuned up all roasting equipment
launched a latte art competition series
re-launched the roastery to the company with an educational Open House event.
collaborated with marketing on events, copy writing and packaging
redeployed an updated QC program
sourced and implemented Direct Trade relationships in Brazil
by day 360…
designed and launched a holiday blend product
implemented GMP standards for roasting and packaging
opened 15 new locations (full company collaboration)
sourced and imported Direct Trade coffee from Rwanda
launched an equipment refurb program with our technicians
collaborated with HR to implement new training and certifications
doubled our roasted and packaged volume output while…
reduced labor costs
reduced wastage in production by 20%
increased product life by 23%
developed two new coffee category lines
passed our Dept. of Agriculture inspection
introduced the first Robusta on the menu in the history of the company (as a single origin)
All of this was accomplished in the midst of the worst green coffee market in history (pending 2025), in a time of increased automation and decreased interaction I was lucky enough to work with a group of passionate individuals that support each other so that together we rise.
Special thanks to our leadership team, I couldn’t have done it without you Minhee Hwang, Rene Puerta, Alex Greene, Lori Goldstrohm, Hank Strickland and Greg.
Written by Jake Leonti, F+B Therapy
Mr. Leonti has worked in coffee for over twenty-five years with disciplines at every link of the value chain from barista to roasting, green grading and importing. Jake is a columnist at Santé Magazine, member of the Roasters Guild and current Director of Coffee at Gregorys Coffee in New York City.
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