We were lucky to catch up with Daniel Krenzer recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Daniel, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?

Sustainability is a serious priority in the coffee industry. In my experience, creating sustainability includes ensuring that baristas are being taken care of regarding their duties at work in their duties and in their wages. Environmental sustainability is equally important. At the roastery and our coffee shop (Converge Coffee Bar in Burlington, NC) we have switched to using compostable and recyclable material for our retail coffee bags. This past summer, we also were able to secure certification from the Rainforest Alliance. The Rainforest Alliance organization ensures that forests, climate, human rights, and livelihoods are protected across the whole supply chain, from farmers to producers.

Daniel, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

What started out as a creative outlet on the hobby level at home quickly become a growing project that was shared with friends and family. I roasted coffee for fun in the garage for a year in 2016 and into 2017. I was having a great time and was curious on what it might to start a business. I was encourage to write a business plan and was glad that I did. During this time, I learned from talking with other small business owners and knew I wanted a business embedded in the community. My team and I would go to any vendor event or community market there was to get the name out and handout countless cups of coffee. We were able to get on the shelf a a couple local grocery stores that first year or two. As a team, we decided to open a coffee shop about a year and a half after opening our roastery. Its been its own education. The experience of having a roastery and cafe has allowed us to participate in fundraisers for community organizations, meet celebrities, and work with the community. I am most proud of our staff and baristas, we have an amazing team. They are creative, smart, hardworking, and a joy to work with at the shop.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Relationships have been key in getting started in the coffee business and have been integral in continuing to reach our goals. In my coffee experience, ‘word of mouth’, although, not fancy, has truly been a large component to our growth. As far as the coffee, ensuring that we find great coffee from interesting origins has been interesting. When I get a new coffee, I sample roast it to develop an ideal roast profile that will provide for a great drinking experience.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

My interpretation of leadership revolves around empathy and awareness that I work for my staff. I work to get to know our staff and what they would like to get out of their job beyond pay. We have recently started evaluating our processes to ensure we are being as efficient as possible. My goal is to support our staff and make their jobs easier. The end goal is to ensure they feel heard, are safe, and like their job as much as possible.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.akwcoffee.com/
• Instagram: alamance_kaffee_werks
• Other: convergecoffeebar instagram for our coffee shop

Image Credits
I took my own pictures