About this episode

Kris Fulton discusses his journey in the coffee industry, the importance of consistency in building community trust, and the challenges faced during the pandemic.

In this episode of The Truth In This Art, returning guest Kris Fulton is back! About Kris Fulton : Kris Fulton is a self-described coffee nerd, Baltimore-based coffee roaster, and co-owner of Sophomore Coffee , a neighborhood coffee shop in Charles Village . He opened Sophomore Coffee in April 2019, just months before the pandemic, and has spent seven years building it into a trusted community fixture. His journey in coffee began at a local café and evolved through his pivotal role at the Four Seasons Baltimore in 2011, where he honed his skills in luxury hospitality and elevated service that would shape Baltimore's food and beverage scene. We talk about his evolution from "punk kid working coffee on the side" to wearing multiple hats—plumber, janitor, counselor, delivery driver—as a small business owner who opened Sophomore Coffee without knowing all the ins and outs of running a business. He discusses the meaning behind the name "Sophomore"—embracing the second attempt, learning, and growth—and his philosophy of focusing on two pillars: coffee quality and service quality. He shares insights on surviving the pandemic, which forced him to start roasting coffee himself when…

People in this episode

Host: Rob Lee

Guest: Kris Fulton

Topics covered

• coffee
• small business
• community trust
• pandemic impact
• hospitality

Keywords

• coffee
• Baltimore
• small business
• community
• pandemic
• hospitality
• service quality

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Sophomore Coffee, Four Seasons Baltimore

Places: Baltimore, Charles Village

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