You want to start a coffee business.
You want to bring awesome coffee to your customers.
And you want to help people in the coffee chain. You know that many people are at a disadvantage when it comes to selling their coffee.
But you’re probably asking yourself: “How do I reach those goals?”
No doubt you’ve already tried searching the internet for information about coffee.
However, as you do research, you may have found a problem.
It’s easy to get lost in the vast amount of coffee knowledge available. You’ve read the articles and watched all the videos – but you’re still not sure where to start, what to focus on first, and how to achieve success.
Given the abundance of (often confusing) coffee knowledge out there, it’s understandable that you could feel lost – and feel that your goals are farther away than ever.
How can a coffee course help you reach your career goals? In this article, we talk about four ways.
Just the facts, ma’am
First, a good coffee course will guide you to the vital information you need. And only that information.
You’ll learn just what you need to know to reach your present goals. That means…no fluff.
Because yes, there is a ton of coffee information out there…but you don’t need to know it all. (Yet).
A course will lead you directly to the information you need at the time you need it. That way, you’ll eliminate the confusion – and the wasted time.
Get on the express train
A coffee course is like the express train of coffee education.
It will teach you what you need to know…fast.
Taking the right coffee course for your level will save you weeks – or even months – of time.
Get where you’re going faster with a coffee course directed towards your needs.
Get the big picture
There’s tons of information online. But have you ever felt that it’s hard to make sense of it all?
You pick up a little bit here and a little bit there. It can seem like a jigsaw puzzle before it’s assembled. You may look at that jumble of pieces and know it will one day be a beautiful image…but it’s still hidden from your eyes.
A good course will put all the pieces together. You’ll get a comprehensive view of coffee. It will do more than just scratch the surface of coffee knowledge and give you a deeper understanding.
You’ll be led from one subject to the next in order. You’ll build on each foundation block until you understand that big coffee picture.
Personalized guidance
A good coffee course is also going to bring you into close contact with people who can be your mentors in the coffee world.
Those coffee mentors will answer your questions, give you suggestions, and help guide you so that you don’t make common mistakes.
A course will bring you into a lasting relationship with a coffee expert who has the same viewpoint as you do about the coffee industry. That lasting relationship can be the key to help you reach your goals.
What are the different kinds of coffee courses?
Coffee courses may be broken down into 6 general areas:
- general coffee knowledge (which gives a solid foundation for everyone who works in the coffee industry)
- barista skills (for baristas)
- coffee roasting skills (for roasters)
- coffee cupping (for coffee graders)
- green coffee purchasing (for importers/exporters)
- business management (business owners/coffee shop owners or managers, etc)
What kind of coffee course is right for you?
Since there are a lot of different courses, you need to be careful to choose the course that’s right for you. However, if you’re just starting out, it can be a bit confusing to decide.
For instance, if you’re going to be a barista, obviously you’ll need to learn the hard skills involved in brewing. There are plenty of online and in-person courses that you can take.
If your goal is to be a roaster, then you need to take hands-on roasting courses in your area.
If you’re going to manage or open a café, you’ll need the business skills to succeed in administration. You may also need to know about branding and storytelling.
Where should you start?
There are coffee courses that costs hundreds or thousands of dollars that will teach you everything you need to know about coffee, all the minute details.
However…do you really need all that information NOW to get started working with coffee?
Well…Perhaps not at this stage in your learning.
Right now, what you may need is just one specific course (like barista skills) or a more comprehensive overview of coffee.
Because maybe you’ll work as a barista and need a barista course – but maybe you won’t. So why take the course if you won’t use it?
Or maybe someday you’ll be a roaster, but what you need to understand NOW are the fundamentals of coffee.
Perhaps you’ll decide to be a Q Grader, or professional coffee cupper, someday. But taking a weeklong course for a couple of thousand dollars is not going to help you get an overview of coffee.
The kind of course you should start with depends on your immediate goals. If you want to work with a specific company, they might tell you exactly what training you need.
A simplified coffee course
Are you looking for a course to help you understand the diverse aspects of the world of coffee – cultivation, processing, cupping (tasting), and sustainability?
A course that will help you piece all of those aspects together in an understandable way?
A simple course that will advance your business?
Take a look at our Slurp Fast! Coffee Course. It’s a simple, straightforward, easy course that teaches you the fundamentals of coffee in just a few hours.
(And if you want to know why it’s called Slurp Fast!, check out this article and video to understand what slurping has to do with the coffee industry).
