The change in seasons is an always a good time to reflect on the past, present and future. The fall always prompts me to think about my career in coffee and how I got here. As with everything in life it was coincidence, mixed with luck and good choices that have blessed me with a seventeen year career in coffee.
Being a women in the specialty coffee industry is like being a women in any industry.
Every single day, millions of people indulge in a cup of the sweet nectar of life we call coffee. If you partake in this daily ritual, recent studies suggest your cup of coffee stands proudly among the 330 millions cups of coffee that are daily consumed in the US alone. That’s a lot of coffee! With such staggering statistics, it’s easy to see why many individuals want to open a coffee shop. In today’s business environment however,
Envisioning a coffee school conjures images of eager eyed baristas clutching clip boards and cupping spoons. However there is another coffee school much nearer at hand. Being a great barista means opening the doors of coffee school every day. There is only one instructor: the barista. The student might also be the barista, or it might be the guest on the other side of the counter. Either way, let the learning commence!
The self-taught barista syllabus is driven by curiosity and creativity.
When people say they are “in training,” they mean that they are practicing or learning a set of skills with their eyes on a specific goal. They may be in training for a marathon, in technical training on a new system at work, or in obedience training with a new puppy. Sometimes a coffee shop approaches training the same way. Give a prospective barista a week, or perhaps two weeks, of training, then leave them behind the counter to make consistent beverages the way they were taught to make them for the rest of their tenure.
Seasonality is a word that is ingrained in the vocabulary of specialty coffee. Coffee is a seasonal crop, just like strawberries and other fruits. Throughout the year, specialty coffee offerings will vary based on harvest schedules in different countries, and many coffees can only be found at specific times of the year. Seasonality is more than just a buzzword though, it signifies freshness, provides transparency and can be utilized to increase variety and add value to your products and your menu.