Empowering baristas with knowledge, skills, and confidence to elevate the guest experience through every cup served is the focus of Sodexo UK & Ireland’s Barista Collective training programme.
The Barista Collective programme has been designed to elevate coffee as more than just a hot drink, but an experience that brings people together, placing quality, craft and connection at its core.
The programme brings together more than 20 coffee champions from across Sodexo’s business to create a culture of craft, collaboration and community focused on delivering exceptional coffee experiences. Each has completed an intensive Train the Trainer programme, equipping them to deliver new Level 1 and Level 2 barista training courses across the organisation.
Level 1 provides a strong foundation for both new and existing baristas, focusing on essential skills and operational excellence. Level 2 builds on this knowledge, offering a deeper exploration of coffee as a product and craft, including bean selection, processing methods, roasting, sensory development and advanced brewing techniques.
In an industry-first Sodexo has partnered with HIT Training to launch a Barista & Hospitality Excellence apprenticeship, an eight-month programme which combines technical barista expertise with the skills to deliver service excellence, professionalism and the confidence to build a meaningful career in hospitality.
Julian Weresch, Head of Coffee & Franchises at Sodexo UK & Ireland, said: “The Barista Collective is much more than a training programme. Built around three core pillars – craft, collaboration and community, the programme has been designed to support and empower our baristas. It represents a shift from viewing coffee training as a technical requirement to recognising it as a critical part of the guest experience, helping turn everyday transactions into meaningful, personalised interactions and memorable experiences for our guests.”
Sodexo serves more than nine million cups of coffee each year across around 300 of its client sites in the UK and Ireland, making coffee a key part of its everyday guest experience.
For 60 years, Sodexo has delivered high quality, sustainable services at scale for some of the most complex and diverse environments – from offices, schools and hospitals to defence sites, offshore locations and world-class live events. Its commitment to service excellence is not new; it is something the business delivers day in and day out, rooted in craft, consistency and care.
