Keep Learning! Continual Coffee Training is Key for Baristas

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Smiling customers pose for a photo after a coffee training class.

Words by Christy Deen. Images courtesy of Drip-Thru Coffee®

Training is a key process in any company that wants to maintain mastery in its field, and companies in the coffee industry are no different. On-going training is important for staff development, product consistency and empowering a team to rock this third wave of coffee.

Drip-Thru Coffee® has and continually partners with Cafe Campesino’s Coffee Training Lab to fulfill these training goals. My husband and I successfully completed the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA)’s Barista Level One certification with the Coffee Training Lab before opening our first Drip-Thru Coffee® location.

Coffee Training Lab instructor helps student pour milk into mug.

Employees at both our locations have completed Espresso & Milk 101 with Hannah Mercer, an authorized SCA trainer and education coordinator for Cafe Campesino and its sister roastery in Florida, Sweetwater Organic Coffee.

Most recently, we took several baristas to a latte art class at the Coffee Training Lab in Americus, Ga., at Cafe Campesino. It was a great way to step back from the daily grind (“ha ha”) at the shop and really focus on the craft and knowledge behind creating latte art.

…the main takeaway for our staff is to never stop learning. There is so much knowledge in the world to gain!

Christy Deen, co-owner of Drip-Thru Coffee®
smiling barista shows off his latte art

Fun was had by all, and in addition to learning about latte art, the main takeaway for our staff is to never stop learning. There is so much knowledge in the world to gain!

Whether you are a coffee enthusiast, barista-in-training, or coffee shop entrepreneur, the Coffee Training Lab has something to offer you! Be sure to check them out.

Christy has worked for over 20 years in the food -and-beverage industry. She’s managed restaurants from the Walt Disney World Theme Parks to the Atlanta airport. She and her husband Martin opened their first location of Drip-Thru Coffee® in Stockbridge, Ga., in 2016. Shortly thereafter, they opened a second location in College Park. Drip-Thru Coffee® brings good, fast coffee to Atlanta commuters without compromising quality or service. Learn more about their company at: https://www.dripthrucoffee.com/

As a wholesale customer of Cafe Campesino, Drip-Thru Coffee® receives periodic training that is tailored to its needs. In addition to managing wholesale-customer training, the Coffee Training Lab offers Barista and Brewing classes that are a part of the Specialty Coffee Association‘s Coffee Skills Program . The Lab’s 2020 SCA classes have recently been listed online. Visit: www.coffeetraininglab.com for dates and locations.

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Brands We Love: PeachDish

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PeachDish supports farmers.

Atlanta meal kit service puts sustainable farmers & food first.

PeachDish, a national meal kit service based in Atlanta, exists to enrich and nourish lives through good food. They have high standards. They are an industry leader in quality, creativity and customer service. They’re also building transparent, innovative, and wholesome food systems.  Every day, PeachDish strives to bring the best, sustainably-grown food to an audience that cares.

Better Farming means Better Food

President Judith Winfrey came to PeachDish with over a decade of sustainable agriculture experience. Therefore, she knows that nutrient-dense, organic food can make a difference in our bodies and our lives. Plus, she knows that good farming practices can benefit the environment. When we eat food that is grown with care and attention – without being doused in chemical inputs (fertilizers and pesticides) – we are showing that same care and attention to ourselves and our planet.

Judith Winfrey and Joe Reynolds examine a new crop of lettuce in the evening sun.
Joe Reynolds and Judith Winfrey at Love is Love Farm, a sustainable, Atlanta-based farm supplying PeachDish.

As a result, this positivity resonates through our lives and our community.  We’re more alive, more whole, more in-tune, more responsive, more available.  In short, we’re better people when we eat better food. This may sound too simplistic or pollyannaish to you. But think about it this way: food is the only thing we ever buy that literally becomes who we are.  It provides the building blocks for everything we are: our brain, our eyes, our skin, our muscles and our hearts.

Sustainable Farms Showcased at PeachDish

A farmer drops off produce at the PeachDish warehouse Monday morning, and it’s packed to go out that afternoon. When you have better ingredients, you cook better, eat better and live better. Understanding your food, from seed to table, is the best way to integrate nutrition and wellness throughout your life.

We’re proud that PeachDish includes Cafe Campesino in its meal kit options and also sources ingredients from other farmers and artisans we respect and admire. Farms like Love is Love Farm, Rise ‘N Shine, Urban Sprouts, Decimal Place Farm, and businesses like Beautiful Briny Sea and more.

Like us, PeachDish sources from businesses that are working to make positive social impact. We could not be prouder to work with them. And we consider them an ally in the good-food movement.

Learn more about PeachDish, or take the plunge! Order a meal kit produced by some of the South’s most sustainable farmers.

A couple follows a PeachDish recipe, cutting tomatoes and preparing other vegetables to cook for a meal.
Support the South’s leading sustainable farms and businesses by preparing PeachDish meals at home.
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Richland Rum: Richland Distilling Company

Richland Distilling Company is located in Richland, GA. The owners Erik and Karin Vonk and master distiller Jay McCain are helping put Richland on the map by making authentic, quality products. Garden and Gun calls Richland Rum “the smooth amber liquid that had brought new life to this town.” It is a family-owned business and makes Richland Rum exclusively.

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White Oak Pastures: Grass-fed Georgia Livestock

We believe White Oak Pastures is a gem in Southwest Georgia, and we are so thrilled to have them featured on this year’s Southwest Georgia Tour de Farm. Primarily a livestock farm and processing facility, White Oak Pastures stands out nationally for its sustainable farming practices and commitment to land stewardship, animal husbandry and organics. Plus, the folks who work there are just so darn innovative, creative and committed to doing the right thing for their community, the land they live on and the animals that feed them.

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