Matthew Scott

Male

Holland

United States

Profile Information:

What is your position in the coffee industry?

barista, coffee shop owner

Where are you located? ( City and Country )

Holland, Michigan

How many years have you been in the industry?

14

If you are a barista or shop, are you interested in a barista exchange with another coffee shop/barista?

maybe

Tell us more about your coffee shop or barista skills.

We are a medium-high volume independent shop just off the campus of Hope College in Holland, MI. We are also in the heart of a busy downtown area. Between the college, downtown residents and employees, and summer tourism (due to Lake Michigan) we keep pretty busy. We can offer a diverse clientele, a true "third place" environment, a fair trade education, and constant drive to learn to do this better individually and as a team.

About Me:

I am the owner, Matt. I started as a barista in 1998 in a shop that very poorly trained me. I wanted to learn more about coffee and its preparation, so I sought employment at every cafe in town and in a few other cities around the country while I spent some time traveling. No one would hire me because I had manager experience that they didn't want to pay for (even if I only asked for minimum wage). Eventually, I landed a bakery job and started teaching myself about espresso on their crappy old single group water-fill machine. It didn't take long to significantly increase the cafe's drip and specialty coffee sales. After the owner saw that and the business plan for Lemonjello's Coffee that I had written, she offered me the space to take over and flexible terms on paying her back for equipment I kept. I've been learning as I go since we opened in January 2003.

About My Company:

Lemonjello’s Coffee exists to accurately & deliciously serve fairly traded coffee & espresso beverages, to provide a space that is a forum for community, and to introduce people to music that is sincere, beyond fashion, and an infusion of pop culture and artistic integrity.

Our coffee is organic, fairly traded, and from small farmers. It is grown, imported, roasted, and served with the mentality that fair and quality go hand in hand. Our roasting team at Equal Exchange lives this philosophy and is our
partner and mentor in this effort.

Great coffee lends to great baking, so we serve our very own goods made right here and baked fresh every day. Alongside our standard muffins, cookies, & scones, we offer a number of gluten-free, vegan, organic, and fair products.

At the end of the day, we think that combining great people and great products can make a world of difference.

Website:

http://www.lemonjellos.com

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