EP8: Scaling the Brand, Not Just the Business

In this episode, we sit down with Anthony Fassio, Chief Retail and Operations Officer at Verve Coffee Roasters—a 14-unit third-wave coffee brand based in Santa Cruz, known for its relationships with growers, surf-town roots, and quality-first approach.

Anthony’s specialty is taking craft brands from cult-favorite to national name without losing their “soul”. From Shake Shack to Salt & Straw to now Verve, he’s led the operational growth of beloved brands by building the systems and team development strategies they need to scale.

He shares:

• How Verve is preparing for East Coast expansion
• Why “the checklist” isn’t always just a checklist
• How his early days growing up on a farm shaped his leadership style.

From launching task forces to rolling out training platforms, Anthony offers a practical, people-first approach to operations that’s built to last.

This conversation is a deep dive into what it takes to grow a values-driven business—from identifying sacred elements of a brand to making change stick across regions. Anthony opens up about building trust with founders, what most leaders get wrong during early scale, and why being “number two” is where he thrives most.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Anthony Fassio and Verve Coffee Roasters
02:31 Understanding Third Wave Coffee
06:45 Assessing Brand Culture and Team Dynamics
09:34 Balancing Tradition and Evolution in Brand Systems
12:32 The Importance of Task Forces in Brand Development
14:39 Indicators of Readiness for Brand Expansion
16:44 Early Wins in Communication Strategies
19:50 Learning from Misjudgments in Operations
23:08 The Shift in Training Leadership Roles
24:54 The Evolution of Content Creation
25:52 Finding Your Niche in the Food Industry
27:15 The Role of a Number Two
28:35 Building Trust in Teams
31:01 Identifying Builders vs. Optimizers
32:46 The Importance of Passion in Hiring
34:43 Curiosity as a Key Indicator
36:34 Training as a Priority for Growth
40:43 Lightning Round: Quickfire Questions

About Us
Opus is the hospitality training platform purpose-built for the frontline. Train 100% of your team in 101 languages on the job to quickly get them up the productivity curve. With full visibility across your workforce, you get the frontline business intelligence needed to drive your business. 

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