Is Coffee Training Worth It

Knowing how to use your coffee machine correctly is incredibly important if you want your business to thrive – but is coffee training worth it?

Although you may know how to use your machine successfully (you use it every day, right?) it could be worth getting a refresher; you never know, you may learn a new technique or a more efficient way to do things. That’s why we’ve decided to look into ‘is coffee training worth it?‘

New staff who start with you may require training, or you may need to know how to make the most out of each bag of coffee you order. Either way, coffee training is something to revisit from time to time.

What’s more, Two Chimps coffee training is FREE for our wholesale customers.

New Members of Staff

Often, when a new member of staff starts with you, you may be too busy to show them how to use your espresso machine properly. Maybe your new member of staff has had previous experience with a coffee machine? Even so, the coffee machine they used in their previous job may be entirely different to the one you are currently using. So when wondering ‘is coffee training worth it?’ – you have the consider the benefits to for new staff.

Maybe they were never shown correctly in their last position either? Maybe they made it up as they went along? Either way, coffee training is a way of making sure your new team member is continuing forward as you want them to.

For instance, without receiving proper training, a new member of staff may make a cup of coffee differently to how another member of staff makes it. This results in a lack of consistency in the coffee making, which can be offputting for customers; customers may question how much value they’re getting for their money.

For example, you go into a coffee shop at the start of the week and ask for a cappuccino which is served in a large cup, using a double shot of espresso. At the end of the week, you go into the same coffee shop and ask for a cappuccino, and you receive a single shot in a smaller cup made by a different team member. What would you think? Which gave you value for money?

Next time, would you walk by and see who was working first, before heading in?

“I Don’t Drink Coffee.”

Often, coffee is made by staff who don’t drink coffee. This can make things slightly harder, as these team members don’t really know what to expect when they make a particular coffee. For example, they may not know what a particular coffee should look or taste like. If these team members received coffee training, they would know exactly what to expect from every cup of coffee they make.

As you may have worked out by now, coffee training is something we always recommend. However, it may not be feasible for your business to stop completely while the training takes place. To get around this, we recommend that your key staff are trained first allowing them to pass on their knowledge to the rest of the staff when it is more convenient. Let’s keep looking at some of the other areas to consider when wondering ‘is coffee training worth it?’

Maintaining Your Coffee Machine

Receiving training on how to clean your machine is equally as important as receiving training to make drinks from it.

Knowing how to correctly clean your machine will save you money in the long run as it will always be in great condition. A coffee machine can last a very long time if it is looked after correctly.

A lot of the time, team members focus on how to make the perfect cup of coffee and don’t think about maintenance. Or if they do think about it, they won’t think it’s that important. This can mean that when it comes to it, they don’t know how to clean your espresso machine properly and most likely will ‘leave it for someone else’, or do it incorrectly.

Saving Your Money

One of the areas to consider when asking ‘is coffee training worth it?’ is the potential money savings you could make. If your staff are not trained, you could find that stock is being wasted. For example, they may pull a double shot rather than a single or waste milk by being unsure of how much to use. You could find yourself spending money to replenish stock when, if your staff were trained correctly, you wouldn’t have to do restock quite as frequently.

As mentioned, keeping your coffee machine clean could also save you money on repair visits.

Benefits Of Coffee Training

The benefits of coffee training counter the common problems owners face, which are listed above.

In addition to these, having coffee training could help you to leave a positive lasting impression on your customers. If you have a coffee machine in your restaurant for instance, more often than not, diners will finish their meal off with a coffee. If the coffee they receive from your restaurant isn’t excellent, a sub-standard coffee is the last thing they ordered from you. Would this stick in their head? Would it stick in yours?

Just think that every person who walks out with a coffee in their hand is an advert for your business. If someone were to walk out and not like the coffee, they would tell others. If they loved it, they would tell others too. Which would you prefer?

With coffee training, you may also find more information about the coffee you are serving. This information can then be passed onto your customers, allowing them to have a better understanding of the coffee they are drinking. Happy faces all round we think.

If your staff are interested in the coffee and are excited to start learning about it, this will show when they are talking to customers about the coffee or when they are making drinks for customers. If team members are not that interested in the coffee they serve, this will be picked up by your customers. They could consider going somewhere else where the staff are more passionate about what they are serving.

Our Coffee Training

As mentioned, we offer FREE coffee training to all our wholesale customers. This means every coffee that leaves the coffee shops, restaurants and pubs we supply is the best that it can be. If we didn’t offer training to our wholesale customers, they could run into the problems that are listed above, and we don’t want that. We are here to help. Not only would poor quality coffee look bad on them, but it could also look bad on us. The customer may blame the coffee and no one wants that.

Our coffee training includes:

How to pour an espresso
Dialling in your grinder
How to make various drinks
Steaming your milk correctly, so it doesn’t look like bubble bath
How to clean your machine
Basic latte art, plus much, much more.

Our top tip

To make sure all staff always know how to make each drink, we recommend you put together an operations manual. This would explain how you like your drinks to be made, (in what size of mug, using how much milk etc.) along with other useful bits of information.

It is also recommended to add your cleaning schedule to the manual. An operations manual is especially useful for new members of staff. This will allow them to understand how you like things to be done. It can also help with consistency.

Benefits Of Our Coffee Training

We understand that your business comes first, and it is often challenging to take time out for other things, such as coffee training. To make things easier and more time-efficient for you, we can come to you. If some of your staff are unable to attend, we can come back another time to complete their training also.

Remember, our coffee training is free, so we can visit as many times as you’d like. We recommend a refresher every 6-12 months or so too.

We offer hands-on training, allowing every member of staff to practice making coffees while we are there. Providing hands-on training means we are not just talking at your members of staff; we give them the opportunity to practice making drinks until they are entirely comfortable with doing so.

Whether it’s early in the morning before you open, later in the evening when you’ve closed, or during the week in your quieter periods, training up your baristas can be completed at a time to suit you.

If you want your staff to have a better understanding of how the coffee is sourced, grown and roasted, we can take the training a step further by organising a coffee school for you and your staff. They can pass on the information gathered to all customers who wish to know too.

Having coffee training can be what sets you apart from your competitors. If your staff produce consistently good coffee, know what they are talking about and can answer questions about the coffee they are serving, this will impress your customers and will put you one step ahead of your competitors.

So, is coffee training worth it?

Coffee training is definitely worth it. It will give your staff a better understanding of the coffee they serve, your team will be able to consistently make good drinks, and it can be what sets you apart from your competitors.

Our coffee training is for our wholesale customers only. We supply our coffee to businesses up and down the country who want to stand out from their competitors. You will find us in smaller, local businesses rather than in larger chains.

If you’re looking for a new wholesale coffee supplier and would like some training too, give us a bell, and we’ll be more than happy to help.

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