Caterer to develop nationwide trained barista team

The Barista Academy will create a business-wide team of qualified baristas through a purposely designed training programme overseen by James Hoffmann, the UK's first World Champion Barista. Every year more than seven million cups of coffee are served by the 1,500 strong service teams across the 500 sites operated by BaxterStorey. Alastair Storey, chief executive, BaxterStorey, said: "The recent coffee boom has seen investment in the machinery and raw ingredient as the way to deliver the best product. But even the highest quality machines, coffee and milk can still produce a variable output. The key to delivering excellent coffee every time is the people who make it. By investing in our teams and providing them with world class tuition, we'll elevate the position and role of barista in our business and grow our own barista team who are passionate about the coffee they serve and are skilled in transforming each bean into a fantastic drink." It is expected that 100 members of BaxterStorey's service team will complete the Barista Academy every month. The Barista Academy currently provides service teams with an introduction to becoming a barista with the programme covering the history of coffee, the coffee bean journey, recipe management and customer service. BaxterStorey is planning to launch an Advanced Barista Certificate later this year.