As wholesale coffee distributors we have been amazed at the way coffee culture has developed over recent years in the UK. Coffee shops have opened and continue to open everywhere in Britain and they have adapted to meet the demand. Not so long ago, the chance of getting employment in a coffee shop was as easy as walking into a café, giving a decent smile and dropping off your CV; but how things have changed! It’s no longer just students who have the job of a barista. These days a coffee barista is a full-time, professional occupation that requires a trained, dedicated, smart person just as it has always been in many countries abroad.

30 years ago the occupation of “professional barista” was didn’t exist in the UK. The role has been developed by large coffee chains that introduced the barista to the general public and no retail coffee shop would be complete without at least one. This means that if you fancy becoming a barista you will have to do a lot more than know how to make a decent cup of filter coffee.

How to become a coffee barista

There are several routes you can take to become a coffee barista. Some start with a training course to learn their skills, whilst others begin working in a coffee shop with hands on experience. There are various barista certificated programmes available, some online; others at training schools; while some of the larger coffee chains run their own training courses for employees.

What you can expect to learn as a barista

You will be expected to become proficient in using a coffee station, to plan and prepare a coffee to a customer’s requirement, to grind the coffee beans, add the required amount of grounds dependent on the recipe, heat and steam the milk as needed; with the end result being a fantastic cup of coffee to suit your customer’s precise order. It would be expected that you would study and understand the origin of the coffee and the roasting fundamentals necessary to create the perfect coffee taste. The wholesale coffee supplier to the shop may well be able to help with this. In addition, a barista should be able to make recommendations from the coffee menu, interact with customers and of course keep an efficient and clean work station and coffee machine.

Essential qualities

As well as paying great attention to detail and having amazing people skills, a barista also needs to have a passion for coffee. Being able to taste the various coffee blends and adapt the brewing methods, efficient when making the drinks and of course, to be able to stand on their feet for hours without complaining and showing pressure and tiredness. There is also a need for professionalism, brilliant communication skills and a strong work ethic.

Do you have the comprehensive qualities necessary to become a world class barista? If you need to know more about coffee visit wholesale coffee distributors, wholesale coffee dealers or wholesale coffee supplier websites; you’ll often find a wealth of information on their webpages and blogs.

For the best single origin coffee beans, visit The Coffee Wholesalers where you will find the best coffee beans as used by baristas worldwide. As leading wholesale coffee distributors we stock only the best, ethically produced coffee beans.