16 Years of Texas Coffee School

This month, Texas Coffee School turns 16. That’s a fully licensed-driver of creating, refining, and elevating our coffee business education programs. 

Our own journey as a small business has been anything but a straight road. As entrepreneurs, we know that every phase of business comes with unique challenges–from idea to start up to growing through hurdles. “How can we possibly make this work?” is a question we gotten to know intimately through the past 16 years. 

We are a business that started during the 2008 financial crisis, weathered through a global pandemic, and pushed forward during a recession. We have had to pivot and adapt our model, but we have never had to change the purpose that grounds us: we are passionate about coffee, and we are passionate about people. There is nothing we love more than seeing our graduates thrive in their businesses and careers in specialty coffee. We get to help people follow their dreams! That makes every challenge worth it. 

If you have been part of our 16-year journey, thank you. We are so grateful that you trusted us to become a part of your story. In this article, we’re sharing a few highlights from our story–from our humble beginnings to our students’ successes. 

The Beginning of Texas Coffee School

Similar to many of our own students’ stories, Texas Coffee School founder Tom Vincent didn’t start out in coffee. He spent his early career as a graphic designer and creative director working in advertising. In 2006, a chance elevator conversation with specialty coffee pros led him to a coffee cupping (a tasting event similar to wine or beer tastings). Once he discovered the magic of specialty coffee in that cupping, he knew was hooked forever.

He spent the next two years apprenticing with some of the most respected figures in specialty coffee at the time. They taught him the craft, honed his barista skills, and provided deep knowledge of the broader coffee world. 

But it was the 2008 financial crisis that shifted Tom’s life dramatically. After being laid off from his advertising job, he spent months working as a barista and doing day labor to support himself. When he spent his last few dollars on what turned out to be a disappointing cappuccino, his idea for a barista training “coffee school” took root. 

Fast forward 16 years. (Add a lot of trial, error, grit, and iterations of the business.) Today, we celebrate with: 

• A team of talented and experienced full-time training professionals 
• A state-of-the-art Arlington facility with the industry’s best equipment
• A comprehensive range of coffee education classes, from business to operations to barista training
• Thousands of graduates from all around the world

Listen to Tom tell Texas Coffee School’s origin story on the Unstoppable CEO podcast and the Pathways to Success podcast.

16 Years of Success by the Numbers

Almost every single weekend throughout the year, we host coffee business and barista classes. Even though we keep our classes small, we still meet hundreds of students each year. We try to keep track of our graduates and the businesses they open after taking our 3-Day Coffee Business Master Class® (or the businesses they’re elevating through our barista training and operations courses.) 

Our students have gone on to open thriving businesses all around the world. We can’t quantify the impact, but here are some numbers that stand out to us. 

This data below excludes coffee shops open before 2016. Despite our efforts to stay connected with as many graduates as possible, we know our data isn’t totally complete for the years 2016-2025. These numbers are approximations at the time of publication of this article.

Operating Coffee Shops Opened By Our Graduates: 

• Total: 500+ 
• In Texas: 200+
• US states represented: 46 states and Washington DC
• Opened in 2025: 80+
• Opened Each Year Since 2020: 50+ every year since 2020
• Countries With Coffee Shops from Our Students: 10+

Metrics That Make Us Proud

In addition to our students’ success after they leave us, we are also deeply committed to their experience inside the classroom. For that reason, we are incredibly intentional about the training and experience our education team brings to the table, along with the curriculum itself. These metrics reflect highlights that happen inside our classroom in order to offer an unparalleled experience to every student who walks through our doors. 

• Over 500 5-Star Reviews (most in the industry)
• More classes taught per year than any other coffee business training program
• 300+ pages of training manual content students receive
• Our educators receive hundreds of hours of training before teaching students in our classes
• Our team offers decades of combined management, training, and operating experience in the specialty coffee industry
• Our graduates save hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential mistakes, inefficiencies, professional services, and wasted time as they open their businesses

16 Years of Success Stories from Texas Coffee School Graduates

Seeing our impact in numbers makes us proud. Seeing it in action makes us even prouder. It brings us such joy to visit our students’ coffee shops in person–to see them serving customers, building community, scaling, and thriving. 

Many students come into our classroom when they’re seeking confidence or validation to follow a dream. “How can I possibly make this work?” they ask. We don’t sugar-coat the realities of entrepreneurship because we’ve lived them. We don’t send students blindly into an endeavor that will fail. Instead, we are honest about both the challenges and the solutions that will give them the best possible chance to be successful. 

To see that success in action is truly why we exist. 

Read the archives of some of our most recent student success stories. (Or, simply click the “Success Stories” tab on our blog to see them all.) 

• Drip N’ Sip Coffee: This Sister’s Tribute Channels 90s Nostalgia
• Serenity Sips: Coffee Meets Wellness in this Family Enterprise
• Pan Pan Goes Viral: The Story Behind Laura Molinar’s Mexican-Japanese Fusion Cafe
• Odd Roots Coffee: From Corporate HR to Coffee Trailer in Austin, TX

Source: Arlington Report

Cheers to 16 More Years (and Beyond!)

We can’t wait to see what the next five, ten, and twenty years of Texas Coffee School will bring. We hope you’ll be a part of our future story. If you’re even considering starting a coffee business, we’d like to be your first step. Sign up for our 3-Day Coffee Business Master Class® today. 

If you have already played a role in our past 16 years, we are so grateful for you! Thank you for being a part of our journey.