Even the highest quality and most carefully roasted coffee needs a skilled hand to put its best flavors forward. Most craft coffee shops understand this, but at Arboretum, barista training is about so much more than the end product.

“Of course we’re excited about quality coffee,” says founder Hannah Norris. “But it’s important to develop soft skills they can take to other industries.”

That’s because all of the baristas at Arboretum are recent immigrants or refugees learning to work and live in the United States, and they might not all stay in the coffee industry. At our non-profit coffee shop, all sales help fund our barista apprenticeship program, which not only trains baristas to serve incredible coffee but also helps them develop the skills they need to pursue their career of choice. In fact, only about a quarter of our trainees remain in the coffee industry; the rest use their skillset in other rewarding careers. When you visit Arboretum Coffee, every one of the smiling faces you’ll see behind the counter came through the apprenticeship program—and you might one day see them smiling behind the counter of their own business.

Our Training Values

Arboretum prioritizes three main sets of skills in training our baristas, with each one feeding into the next. 

Attention to Detail 

Whether it’s grain size in a pourover, water temperature of an espresso, or closing down the shop for the day, every detail matters. For the Arboretum team, it’s about cultivating a sense of pride in each and every task, not just while making drinks. 

“More than anything, we teach our folks to care,” Hannah says. 

Importantly, caring about the details does result in a better cup of coffee. While most baristas will understand how to grind coffee differently for espresso and for pour overs, detail-obsessive baristas will know that Ethiopian coffee’s bright, fruity tones are best expressed in a pourover, whereas an espresso will flatten and diminish those notes. 

For the savvy coffee drinkers that come into Arboretum, this kind of knowledge is what can take their experience over the top—and even if they’re not savvy, most customers appreciate when an extra amount of detail is put into their order.

Confidence and Communication

With pride and knowledge in craft comes the ability to project confidence and easily relate with customers. People who take pride in their work are going to be excited to talk about it and share it, and that naturally produces a kind of joyful energy that can permeate throughout a space.

But pride only feeds part of that energy—the rest of it comes because our baristas are not just learning about and serving great coffee but are also developing skills that will help them make a future for themselves and their families. It’s the energy of opportunity, a distinctly American sense of hope that we aim to impart to every trainee.

So while lots of businesses talk about providing great “customer service,” at Arboretum, we know the specific ingredients to create it—a healthy mix of craft and confidence.

Fostering Hospitality

There is something inherently beautiful about the concept of hospitality, and that’s what we want our staff to reflect in every customer interaction. Just like you can’t have confidence without craft, you can’t have hospitality without a cheerful confidence. At Arboretum, our mission to help refugees and immigrants means we take extra care to impart this welcoming spirit into every barista we train. 

But why focus so much on this? A major reason so many customers love the Arboretum space is the simple fact that our people make them feel welcome. If you’ve ever had a favorite neighborhood coffee shop, you know this feeling exactly, even if you might not be able to describe it.

Sure, part of that is the decor, furniture, and shop layout—but the energy and attitude of the staff on a daily basis also makes people feel at ease, providing that welcoming space customers want to return to; ever gone back to a so-so coffee shop just for the vibes? We have, too.

The great thing about Arboretum, though, is you don’t have to sacrifice a great cup for great vibes. This is not only important to us as lovers of coffee and community, but also to our barista apprentices, who can apply this ideal blend of hospitality and craft to any pursuit once they leave our shop.

Want to See Us in Action? Stop By Today!

Drop by Arboretum Coffee in Fort Collins today to see our incredible barista team in action—and find your new coffee hangout! We’re located just off the Mason Trail, near Prospect Road and College Avenue. We can’t wait to meet you!