It's Founder Friday! Today we are visiting the wonderful city of Bangkok, Thailand as we have a very interesting and inspiring  conversation with Varat Vichit-Vadakan. On top of being the 2014 barista champion of Thailand, Vichit or "Tae" as his friends call him, is the founder of Roast Coffee & Eatery and Roots Coffee Roaster in Bangkok, Thailand. Over the years he has expanded to many other food and beverage concepts but always with the coffee at the center. At Roots Coffee Roaster they source 100% Thai coffee and they are heavily invested in creating a virtuous circle from farmer to consumer through their direct relationships.  In our conversation we get to hear about the early years where many important and hard lessons were learned that informed how they conduct business today.  This is a fantastic conversation that shines light not only on the great work of Varatt and his team, but also on what is happening more and more at origin as consuming markets in coffee growing countries are gaining momentum. After this I m sure you will want to pay a visit to to Bangkok and taste the awesomeness for yourself.  We discuss:  Beginnings in coffee from a marketing career Hard lessons form early failures Tapping into success through listening Coffee culture in Bangkok Evolution of Thai coffee Building a customer base over time Expanding and evolving form past experiences The keys of service style and consistency  The consumer market in Thailand Complete circle value chain in Thailand Sourcing and serving Thai coffee Meeting your customers where they are Links: www.rootsbkk.com Instagram   The BEST in commercial coffee equipment! www.prima-coffee.com/keys   Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks? www.pacificfoods.com/food-service