“You need to have a passion for coffee and people,” Innocent advises. In this article, Innocent tells us why he loves his job.
Innocent is the Head Barista of a popular coffee shop in Cape Town, and he gave us a sneak peek into his day-to-day life so we could learn more about the hospitality industry.
How Innocent followed a career as a barista is a matter of coincidence. He says that he visited a coffee shop one day, and he was asked if he would like to do a barista training course. “As soon as my interest in coffee grew, I visited Truth Coffee to apply for a job.” Everyone had been talking about Truth Coffee, and Innocent saw it as the perfect opportunity for him to grow his career in the industry. “I fell in love with Truth’s culture and the principals of making coffee, which I learnt while studying,” Innocent tells us.
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Baristas are primarily responsible for preparing and selling coffee drinks by following prescribed recipes and serving all products offered in a coffee shop. They need to provide a friendly service to each customer. They are also responsible for educating customers by explaining and presenting the coffee drink menu, and answering any questions that customers may ask.
Innocent says that he loves the dynamic atmosphere of his job. “There’s constant change and growth,” he says, adding that “it’s a job where you don't really feel the pressure of it being "work". It’s more fun, more interactive and you get to spend time with guests, sharing your passion and teaching others.”
“I always crave to be at work,” he says.
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Innocent’s advice to aspiring baristas is this: “You need to have a passion for coffee and people.” In addition, Innocent suggests an openness to learning and adapting to constant change, are important to the job role.
Lastly, Innocent advises aspiring baristas to be open to failure so that they can learn. “It’s not easy at first, and you need to accept that,” Innocent says. He adds that it’s only those who keep going who arrive where they want to be, and when they make it, they do not stop there. “They carry on learning and bettering themselves and those around them.”
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