RESPECT FOR THE BARISTA?
It’s EARLY Sunday morning, and I’m anxiously awaiting my first cup of Finca Los Planes and eating my Cheerios when I see, yet again, the story on one of our baristas, Pete Licata, published in a newspaper in Montana. I wonder - have we as an industry really made any progress in attaining respect for the Barista since the late 90’s, or do consumers still view the Barista on the level of a convenience store or fast food employee?The Associated Press story on Pete Licata has been published roughly 5,978 times. Okay, that might be an exaggeration, but I’m just shocked how much this story has been published in newspapers and on the internet across the country. It’s as if the media is surprised that someone might take their role as a Barista seriously enough to be good at it.This is not the first story thats made me ponder this question. Another of our Baristas relayed a story to me recently. It was that time of year when the Topeka Capital-Journal was doing there annual Best of Topeka vote and a random customer joked with her (our Barista) that she wouldn’t be voting for the “owners” (me) as “Best Boss” would she? The Barista told me she didn’t laugh, “honest,” but did find it an odd question, so she asked, why? The customer responded, “well they (owners) probably don’t even offer you insurance, do they?”Basically implying that the job of a “Barista” really isn’t that great of a job. It’s not uncommon for the public to not understand what the Barista does or how much we, at PTs Coffee Roasting Co., value the position and the staff. Just for the record, of course we offer insurance to our staff. We’ve made that a priority since 1993 when we opened our doors for business. But enough of that, back to the story… Our Barista, kind of surprised at this point said, “of course we have insurance.” By the time she finished explaining her role in our company to the customer, explaining that we not only offer insurance but many other benefits, the customer left with a really surprised look on their face and a new understanding of what a Barista does and has to go through to become a barista at PTs. I think she also mentioned she’d been working for us for 13-years. So what will it take to gain respect for the position of Barista?Before I get into that, I should first spell out the definition of the term “Barista.” In Italian the word/title means: Bartender. In Italy most cafe’s/coffeehouses serve alcohol as well as coffee. So the Barista, in Italy, is required to be both Bartender and coffee maker at the same time. It’s a well respected position in Italy and highly competitive as well. It’s not uncommon for a Barista in Italy to keep the job for a lifetime and make a very livable wage for doing so. But they also spend the first 10 years just learning the job. I can’t say that length of training is the case in the US at this point, but we are headed that direction. At PT’s we spend a great deal of time training baristas. With good reason! Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world, behind oil. And as such, there is so much to learn, it could take a lifetime to attain the title of an “expert” in the industry of coffee. But a Barista doesn’t need to know that much information, do they?A Barista needs to understand just enough to communicate with the consumer. right? Technically, yes. A Baristas most important job is communicating with the consumer/customer. Without good, clear, positive and informative information being shared with the customer we would never sell anything. So we at PT’s view the position with a great deal of respect. Thats why we not only participate, but excel at the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s Barista Competition - The United States Barista Championship. Its a great way to teach our staff about coffee in a fun, competitive way that also gets them involved in the industry. And our staff has had amazing success in the SCAA United States Barista Competition over the years. We haven’t placed 1st yet, but we are certainly still trying.The story on Pete came about because of the success he has had the last couple of years in the USBC and because he placed first, for the third time, in the Midwest Regional Barista Competition. He’s not the first barista on our staff to have success, just the most recent. In our Roasting Facility virtually every employee was a Barista first. We like to promote from with in when ever possible. This story on Pete though has gotten a lot of play. More than other stories on Baristas that I’ve seen. Why, I wondered? Is it because the Barista is coming of age? Is it because Pete was such a great interview (and I’m sure he was )?I’m still wondering, why?Why a Barista who excels and loves his job is such a surprise to the media? Why, it’s surprising enough for a reporter to write a story on someone who is 30-years old would still be working as a Barista? I think these questions are puzzling for a couple of reasons.One, we have a Barista on our staff thats twice that age and has made a career out of it. He started working for us in 1994 and is still going strong. He still does and amazing job and customers come in just to see him every evening. Know one’s done a story on him? Maybe they should?And two, because I’m in the industry and I see many 30 year-old Baristas who are passionate about there jobs. But, I guess, maybe the public hasn’t met these remarkable new generation workers. Workers who are doing what they love, not chasing the dollar.Being a Barista is a challenging career. And not for everyone thats for sure. But if you are looking for something that is inspiring everyday, coffee might be for you too. Just imagine, one coffee tree only produces about 1 pound of coffee per year! I find that inspiring everyday to help me find the perfect coffee and the that tree it came from.The SCAA in the past couple of years has quietly shifted its focus from farmers and green coffee to the Barista. For all the right reasons. The Barista, as I stated earlier in this blog, is the face of the coffee industry. The Barista represents the farmer. The Barista represents the Roaster. The Barista represents the shop owner and all the people that touched the coffee along it’s path from tropical country to your morning cup. Your morning coffee, in it’s journey to your hands, was handled by no less than 20+ people. Each taking great care to make sure it was stored in the proper climate with perfect humidity or sorted with special care to extract any bean that was not perfect. Our motto at PTs Coffee Roasting Co. is “without the love, it’s just coffee!”It was Ezra Anderson that first said that nearly 12 years-ago. He still works for us and does a great job now delivering our coffee to wholesale customers on a weekly schedule. But that saying is just as true today as it was when he said it working as a Barista and making my morning Cappuccino back then.It is with good reason the SCAA focus its training efforts on the Barista. As an industry we need educate our front-line. At PTs Coffee Roasting Co. we’ve been doing that for years and will continue to increase our efforts everyday.Well, with that said, my Finca Los Planes is finished brewing and I’m in need of my morning cup!As I head to the kitchen, I encourage you to remember to tip your Barista. They know their business just as you know yours and might help you find the perfect coffee for the holidays, or tell you about our Direct Trade coffees and the farmers we work with if you ask.
Warm Regards from the guy that did not win “Best Boss” yet…? ;o)
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