The TriBeCa Community Project

We love to see Coffee Companies making a difference to their communities and TriBeCa Coffee are doing just that with their Community Project which offers an entry level barista training course free of charge to willing applicants who need a leg up in the industry.

We chatted to Shannon Venter from the Coffee Quality Department of TriBeCa who is spearheading this initiative

What motivated TriBeCa to start this project?
We are approached constantly by people leaving their CV’s with us and I just thought that maybe there was something we can do as in our industry there are always positions popping up! And with this small amount of training a job is so much more accessible. I approached Martin, the MD, and he gave us the go ahead to run a Free Training Course for up to 6 people once a month. We just had our 2nd event today (20 April) and it went so well! I come from a teaching background so I just love teaching people the skills of making coffee!

What do the trainees leave with at the end of the day?
We run a half day beginners training course from 9am-1pm. This includes Crop to Cup theory and question time, so they learn all about where coffee comes from.Then getting them behind the machine, pulling the perfect espresso and practicing until they are proficient in milk steaming enough so they can pour some sort of latte art! We also brief them in hygiene and service. They leave with a certificate and a t-shirt and I keep all their details on file so I can contact them should an opportunity arise.

How can people qualify for this course?
They have to be unemployed, preferably under 40 and have a good attitude. Everybody knows someone who is unemployed and we hope that the word will spread to individuals who can really benefit from this beginners training. If you know of someone who can get to the TriBeCa Factory who would make the most of this opportunity please email me at training@tribeca.co.za

How important is training to the TrIBeCa team?
We have a team of 4 professionals dedicated to coffee quality; John Evans, Matt Carter, Harry Mole and myself. Our jobs are to ensure that our coffee is consistently good wherever it is made! We aim to train people to make coffee well enough to do justice to the quality of the beans!