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ROASTERS REALM Continued from page 64 Classes held at the shops themselves offer a very different envi- ronment from those held at your facility. When training at your roastery or lab, you know that all of the necessary equipment is available, clean and functioning. You also control the environment and can ensure there are no distractions. At times, however, it makes sense in terms of scheduling and logistics to train at the client's café. These sessions should be scheduled before opening or after closing: Effective education is compromised when baristas are distracted by the daily demands of an open coffee bar. Always bring your own tools. Never assume that a shop will have the correct size tamper, shot glasses, gram scales, espresso machine cleaner and other utensils. Arrive early and familiarize yourself with their equipment. Trainers may encounter unfamiliar espresso machines or equipment requiring cleaning. When this happens, adapt and begin the class by leading the students through a deep cleaning. GETTING THEIR MONEY'S WORTH Training brings added value to your customers. Effective train- ing improves quality. Better quality increases sales, ultimately improving your customers' bottom lines. Training programs must incorporate cleanliness throughout each phase of every class. Dirty equipment leads to poor-quality coffee, no matter how it's brewed. Training your customers to keep their equipment clean is an important first step to superior coffee. Also, retailers with cleaner equipment see reduced main- tenance expenses. In addition, incorporating strategies to minimize waste will incentivize coffeehouse owners. Focus on waste reduction in every training. Several days prior to class, encourage your customer to save grounds before sweeping them off the counter and collect milk before it's poured down the drain. Then have them calculate the cost of coffee and milk being lost to carelessness. This provides a concrete example of training's value. Differentiate between coffee used to improve quality—such as purging coffee in the chute of the espresso grinder, using the cor- rect mass of coffee for the given brew method and rotating brewed coffee for freshness—and waste found on the counter, in the knockbox or in milk poured down the drain. When discussing the path coffee travels from seed to cup, give examples of coffee being sacrificed for quality, from floaters being skimmed at the wet mill to density sorters to AA versus AB classifications. Sacrificing a little coffee when purging an espresso grinder is one of many steps that improve quality. Attaching a price to training classes clearly demonstrates the value of your program. Even if you offer free training for whole- sale customers, it's advantageous to let those clients know the price of classes held through the SCAA or independent coffee schools. In so doing, you demonstrate the added value your customers receive by partnering with you. A typical three-hour class could cost upward of $300. When retailers realize the value of training from all perspectives, you deepen your busi- ness relationship. 66 Fresh Cup Magazine freshcup.com