"I tell them on the
first day, 'If you
can remember 10
percent of what
you're going to
learn today, you're
a better person
than I am.'"
—Jerry Kalal
So that's our training program in a nutshell. Start to
finish, it could be, I'd say, two and a half to three months.
In the world of coffee,
there's a big difference
between making a latte
and making a living.
Successful baristas and coffee bar owners from around the
world have honed their skills at Midwest Barista School.
Here's why our training is so beneficial:
Business Startup &
Barista Training
Hundreds of Graduates and
Successful Clients
2:1 Student to Trainer Ratio
Small Class Size
20 Years Ongoing Profitable
Coffee Operations
(JP'S COFFEE IN HOLLAND, MI)
Top-of-the-Line, Up-to-Date
Equipment
Dozens of Sponsor Partners
Coffee Fest "BEST NEW PRODUCT"
Coffee Bar System CDs
Barista and Latte Art Training
DVDs
"At Your Location" Training and
Consulting
NEW!! Equipment Maintenance
Class
For more information about how we can
give your coffee career and business an
extra shot at success visit:
Midwest Barista School.com
RATZE: We bring them in in the evening and we'll spend about
three hours. The first hour [is] just going over policies and
philosophies that we have set for the café. We'll let them grind
and tamp. We'll take one group and let them do that, and then
we'll take the group that just did that and begin to allow them to
steam, and show them how to do that properly. And then we'll
just continue in our downtime to work with them.
If we think that they're pretty good at grinding and tamping
and getting the shot ready to be pulled, we will allow them that
task. If we feel like they're doing well at steaming the milk,
we'll say, "Hey, steam the milk for these drinks," and just show
them how you can tag-team to get a lot of drinks done in a
quick amount of time. Show them how to have a clean bar—
just all the shortcuts that we all know, and making sure you
get through the line quickly but efficiently, so that the drink
is consistent.
KALAL: Day one is just learning what the equipment is.
We don't go into great detail. We say, "This is Bella. She's a
Simonelli three-group. This is my espresso machine. There are
many like it. Without it, I am nobody." I tell them, "This is the
most expensive piece of gear here, and the one you're going to
love the most." We show them how to do dishes, which sounds
kind of silly, but we've got a very fast, efficient way to get them
done, to wash, rinse, sanitize and dry.
I tell them on the first day, "If you can remember 10 percent
of what you're going to learn today, you're a better person than
I am." So if they make it through day two, we have them back
for more. And they're just giddy about that. Day three, they
still have the same duties. They have the dishes, and we show
them our 10 Commandments we have behind the bar on the
bulletin board. Clean up the table. How to keep the dressing
station clean and restocked. Check the bathroom every hour.
