by Stephen Williams

Our Groundhouse Academy baristas assembled on a cold winter’s morning – ahead of a day that would encapsulate, enhance, and reinforce the skills and understanding they had developed of delivering quality, hand-crafted coffee but also the essence of artisan coffee culture.

Graziano, our coffee mentor, headed the tour of some of London’s very best coffee houses, giving our Academy baristas the opportunity to experience first-hand the essence of the environment and coffee service culture that Groundhouse reflects within the business.

From the hustle and bustle of Caravan in Kings Cross – where we witnessed a mind blowing range of coffee choices in a setting that reinforced that quality coffee is not exclusively for aficionados, to Kaffiene in Holborn where we indulged in the menu of complimentary artisan bakery products along with their multi-award winning coffees.

As we sauntered around these and many more coffee shops in  central and west London, the Academy baristas immersed themselves in the experience; tasting, recognising and defining a diverse selection of coffee blends and origins – and having the opportunity to experience and appreciate  a range of on-trend alternative brewing methods such as chemex, syphons, and pour over.

Engaging with industry experts really highlighted how far our baristas had developed with their knowledge of great coffee. Delving into the London coffee scene and holding conversations about craft methods and practices with like-minded peers.

Throughout the day they showed the passion, hunger for and grasp of the cultural knowledge, that shows not only how far our baristas had come from their first training session (10 steps for the perfect espresso), but also emphasises how Groundhouse baristas are set out from the rest.

We, as a business, can’t wait to see our baristas hone their skills and knowledge, sharing it with the rest of the team and keeping Groundhouse firmly at the forefront of artisan coffee experiences.

Barista Academy: First Session

Carefully hand-picked and selected for their quality, and to ensure our customers have a memorable coffee experience.

Well yes, that’s the Groundhouse coffee beans…but it equally applies to our exceptional Barista Academy Ground Crew.

We had an overwhelming response to applications to join our illustrious Ground Crew, with selection days and assessments held to pick the cream of the crop. And we wasn’t just looking for potential excellence in craft skills. This Crew needed to show a passion and engagement in delivering great service, an understanding of artisan coffee culture, and what makes Groundhouse different from other unmentionable coffee brands!

The chosen seven embarked on their Barista Academy journey with an initial day of intense and focused training on consistently delivering a quality espresso, using a quality bean. The fundamental cornerstone of what makes a Groundhouse coffee different to most existing coffee offers.

The first critical stage of this craft focused training being the 10 steps to a perfect espresso. Under the guidance and tuition of a maestro extraordinaire, the Crew learned and developed an understanding of ensuring grind, extraction, and tampering (to name but 3!), were delivered with a sense of craft and an uncompromising approach to consistent quality.

These skills in isolation would deliver a great coffee, but Groundhouse is more than just about coffee. It’s a wider customer experience. Our Ground Crew showed a passion to know much more, and a desire to be able to deliver a memorable experience to every customer.

So the day continued with tuition on a wide range of topics; the origin of our beans, the way they are picked, every single stage of the process from field to cup! The knowledge and engagement, learning and understanding from the Ground Crew was beyond expectations.

The Groundhouse Barista Academy. It’s great to know that it’s not just our coffee that’s going to deliver a unique and memorable customer experience.

“Let’s meet for a coffee in London, we’ll go for a forage”. A phone call from Chris Thompson – a meeting in a Holborn coffee house, two flat whites later…..and I was introduced to Groundhouse and immersed into a new and exciting world of Artisan coffee culture.

So what makes it so different? Coffee is something you can get everywhere, right? Go into a service station – press a button on a machine, hey presto you have a cappuccino. Well after our forage, I soon realised that Artisan coffee isn’t about just getting a coffee – it’s not a functional thing, it’s a cultural experience delivered through craft, it’s accessible to all, it turns getting a coffee into an experience. The buzz, the engagement from the barista, the environment – look around the coffee house, they’re all their business people, couples, families, students across all demographics – all realising that coffee culture is not what we come to now expect from the big brands on the high street…..it can be, and is so much more.

And then I realised, it became apparent…..soon Chris explained to me that we can bring this Artisan coffee culture, this exciting new world – into the workplace and beyond – with Groundhouse.

Aside from what I have since learned about Groundhouse’s unique blend of handpicked beans, the small batch roast which gives it’s distinct taste profile….our brand values and proposition mean our customers will not be getting “just a cappuccino”…instead we deliver an entire experience – expertise, craft skill, the ability to get coffee and fabulous food under one roof. Bringing enjoyment alive with taste, in a relaxed and friendly yet confident environment. industry. Certainly not what you find in your typical coffee service experience in the workplace.

And so, to the next stage of our journey, the Groundhouse Barista Academy – ensuring our baristas have the best professional training in the business, engaging them into this exciting coffee culture of Artisan food and drinks, and developing their craft skills to deliver the perfect cup of coffee every time. Check back in soon to see how our baristas are progressing on the Academy, and much more about how Groundhouse is changing our coffee culture.