Booths Barista and Café Academy

Tea and coffee have been at the heart of Booths for over 150 years. Whether it’s buying beans to make your own espresso at home or popping into one of our cafés to enjoy a coffee and a bake, the specialist craft and skills that go into making the perfect brew allow us to create a great experience for you both in store and when you get home!

That’s why the newest additions to our Craft & Skill Academies group are our Café Team Leader Programme and Barista Academy. Managed by our Craft & Skill Manager, Colin, who has over 40 years of experience with our specialist teams at Booths, these academies aim to develop our hospitality departments, to ensure you’re getting a fantastic experience in our cafés.

After seeing the success of our counter academies and the positive impact it had on your experience in store, the team saw an opportunity to develop our café offering. Led by our Operational Trainers, Toni, KJ and Vanessa, the two programmes allow colleagues to develop their understanding on both technical and practical aspects of the café, learning more about café food and drinks, creating displays on the cake counter and of course the theory behind a perfect brew.

Café Team Leader Programme

Created to be a little different from our Cheese, Fish and Butchers Academies, the Café Team Leader programme is a slightly longer and more people focused course, developing the skills colleagues need to create an irresistible experience at each of our cafés.

Now in its second year, each trainee takes part in 4 learning sets, both online and in-person, helping them gain knowledge in theoretical aspects such as food safety and practical aspects such as team management and coaching.

Ahead of each seasonal launch, Team Leaders join the Operational Trainers at our Central HQ in Lancashire for a session learning how to make the new menu items and different techniques for plating and presenting food. Each Team Leader not only leaves the programme with more knowledge but also with more confidence to pass their learnings onto their teams in store.

Barista Academy

One element of our cafés that is particularly special to us here at Booths is our coffee. Our Founder, Edwin Henry Booth, grew his coffee expertise after travelling the world in search of the finest blends, developing his skills in tea and coffee tasting along the way.

With skills passed down through generations, our Beverage Specialist, Peter, and our Coffee Roaster, Rob, work with their team to hand-roast each of our 15 whole bean coffees, from our house blend used in the café, to Italian, Columbian and even our annual Christmas roast.

Recognising an opportunity to share this wonderful specialist craft with more of our colleagues and customers, Toni, KJ and the team developed our Barista Training Academy.

Now open to colleagues across all 19 of our cafés, the 6 week course allows trainees to gain a deep understanding of all things coffee, from learning about the different types of coffee beans and their flavour profiles to understanding how milk quality can impact taste and texture.

The programme also helps colleagues grow their technical knowledge by teaching them about the type of coffee machines and grinders used and how to use them to create high-quality coffees for you to enjoy on your visit to store.

At the end of the course, the trainees graduate with a wealth of knowledge along with an in-house Booths barista qualification to showcase their barista skills.

Hear From The Team

Operational Trainer, Toni, said

Coffee is such a big part of what we do, so International Coffee Day felt like the perfect time to celebrate our colleagues and the skills that go into making every cup. The Barista Academy is all about getting stuck in, learning the little details that make a difference and building confidence along the way. It’s been great seeing everyone get involved.

Operational Trainer, KJ, said

Our cafés are a true reflection of what Booths does best; delivering great food, quality drinks and exceptional service. Through the Barista and Team Leader Academies, we develop our colleagues, build their passion and confidence, and help them turn that passion into great customer experiences. It’s about helping people grow and giving them the skills to bring the Booths’ vision to life.