Introduction
So, you want to land a career in the coffee industry but you are not sure of how to do so or even which avenue within such a broad industry to chose. well, you’ve come to the right place. In the article we will be discussing how to navigate this industry and find a career that lands well with your gifts, talents, and wants. Don’t forget, you can download my free “coffee career guide” which will show you the different avenues you can take, and what each job entails. So stick around, grab a cup of jo and lets get started.
Where to start: the different avenues of the coffee industry.
So most peoples first thought of working with coffee is a barista and while that is one of the more common positions there are many other options out there. Before we dive in to the different career opportunities we need to discuss 3 situations that are most common, especially if you’re reading this article.
Experience: If you are already working in the field you wish to pursue a career in then you are on the right track. If you want to learn more about how to grow in your current position check out my other article on How to build your career in coffee
Experience in different field: Lets say you are a general manager for a coffee shop and have tons of experience, but you want to get into coffee roasting or manufacturing. How do you make that leap?
No experience: If you have zero experience in the coffee industry and want to learn more about it and what it would look like. While ill be going over this if you want an in depth article read my How to gain experience in the coffee industry
Regardless of your experience level and what avenue you want to go down, how do you actually achieve it? Trust me I know these times can be overwhelming, but with the right planning and some hard work you should be well on your way in your new coffee career.
Starting your career and where to go.
Experience is the key word in this article and I don’t want that to scare you if you’re lacking it. If you do not have any experience working in the coffee industry I always recommend getting some work at a mom and pop coffee shop as a barista.
This works especially well because you can sit down with the owner(s) and tell them why you want to work and that you want to learn more about the industry. Regardless of what area you want to work in one thing always remains the same, the coffee all goes to the same place which is the consumer.
Being the person to make coffee to hand it off to the customer is the best way to learn about the tail end of the industry.
While working at a coffee shop with zero coffee experience, now is a great time to explore and look at all the avenues that you could potentially want to work in. This is great time to figure out if you want to be a coffee shop owner, roaster, work in distributing etc…
the possibilities are endless. you could also team up with your local roaster to make your own coffee brand and sell privet label coffee online or in store! The avenues you can take with the coffee industry are many, often times people over look ways you can work in the industry that aren’t always conventional.
If you want to learn more about different business ideas in the coffee industry you want to read that article.
Now each area of the coffee industry can differ a lot from one another. Being an owner of a coffee shop is much different than being a roaster. So id suggest doing some research in each category within the industry to really get to know more about it. I would also check out you tube videos of people who work in your desired field and also check out Texas coffee school they have some amazing instructors and resources on almost anything coffee related.
Conclusion
What’s wonderful about the coffee industry is it usually doesn’t require any degree especially if you want to start a business. Remember, with research and dedication anything is possible. Not all coffee business or business models look the same and may differ in lifestyle and job practice but that is what’s so wonderful about this industry. there is a seat for everyone who wants to work in this amazing industry but remember with any job comes its challenges. check out my article on Working in the coffee industry: the ups and downs
