Todd Carmichael
person on 1 show · 16 statements across 2 episodes · said 1 times in 1 episodes since 2021
On the record as a speaker too: Todd Carmichael across every show, appearances and statements → this page counts the times other people say the name.
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How I Built This 1
2021 1 mention in 1 episode
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16 statements about Todd Carmichael, every show
Carmichael once held the world speed record for unassisted South Pole treks
“By the way, in addition to founding La Cologne, Todd also once held the world's speed record for trekking to the South Pole on foot, unassisted.”
La Colombe clashed with its first PE backer over canned cold brew
“We did the deal, and that lasted 52 days to the first board meeting.
I said, ok, I believe that cold brew is going to be a thing, and La Colombe needs to be the father of it.
We also need to create ready-to-drink drinks that include milk, and hopefully one, if…”
Carmichael offered to surrender his La Colombe shares during a mental crisis
“So, I went to JP, and I said, you can have my shares. I don't want to ruin this thing, you can have it all.”
Commodity coffee traders ignore specialty buyers due to their small purchase volumes
“And traders that are trading over borders, or they're, you know, taking big lion's share, and it ends up in some Maxwell House blend. They're looking for giant volumes, and we're not disrupting that. We're looking for this creme de la creme, and often they lea…”
Direct coffee sourcing requires repeat visits to earn skeptical farmers' trust
“The problem is, in places like Haiti, or in Africa, or even El Salvador, there are loads of gringos that show up making promises and then never come back. You have to show a resilience that you're coming back time and time and time again.”
Carmichael designs food and beverage products for just one or two individuals
“I think it's really hard to make food and beverage for everybody. It's like Kurt Vonnegut wrote for his sister. He wrote for one person. And I think that when I make food and beverage, I have like one or two people I think about.”
La Colombe built its original Philadelphia cafe entirely without municipal permits
“In fact, we built the cafe by our, like, with no permits. Like, I did all the wiring, all the plumbing. Like, we asked forgiveness rather than permission on pretty much anything.”
Carmichael vented La Colombe's first roaster through a 20-story outdoor garbage chute
“I jackhammered a hole into a garbage chute that runs the outside of the building, and I think it's about 20 stories high. And I piped the, then cemented the piping into the garbage chute and told JP to fire it up.”
La Colombe was founded to supply an expected American fine dining renaissance
“We had a deep, deep belief that there would be this restaurant renaissance in America. There was gonna be this huge inflow of French and Italian high-level cuisine, and that the coffee in America wasn't going to accommodate it. Coffee in America was just dedic…”
Carmichael needed to raise $95,000 to launch La Colombe with J.P. Iberti
“I knew I needed to put together 95,000 dollars so I could start this coffee company with my best friend.”
Starbucks rejected Todd Carmichael as a barista before he founded La Colombe
“What I really wanted to do, and this probably exposes the kid in me, but I wanted to be a barista. I wanted to be the cool kid, right? And Starbucks wouldn't let me do it. You know, come on, I mean, I was a flannel-wearing farm boy, you know, I cut my own hair…”
Carmichael: La Colombe founders cut their salaries to zero during COVID-19
“JP and I, we just, we cut our salaries to zero. We went to the executive crew, we cut everyone 50%.”
Carmichael: Offered to give all his La Colombe equity to co-founder Iberti
“So, I went to JP, and I said, you can have my shares. I don't want to ruin this thing, you can have it all.”
Carmichael: Food and beverage should be crafted for one or two people
“I think it's really hard to make food and beverage for everybody. It's like Kurt Vonnegut wrote for his sister. He wrote for one person. And I think that when I make food and beverage, I have like one or two people I think about.”
Carmichael: La Colombe's first cafe was built entirely without permits
“In fact, we built the cafe by our, like, with no permits. Like, I did all the wiring, all the plumbing. Like, we asked forgiveness rather than permission on pretty much anything.”
Carmichael: American coffee was unprepared for an incoming French and Italian fine-dining boom
“We had a deep, deep belief that there would be this restaurant renaissance in America. There was going to be this huge inflow of French and Italian high-level cuisine, and that the coffee in America wasn't going to accommodate it.”