A passion for coffee and a lifelong submergence in the hospitality industry have led Jack Groot to become the principal owner of one of the most elite barista training programs in the country, the Midwest Barista School. This year, 2009, the Midwest Barista School celebrates 1 year of successful operations.
After years in the food service business, Groot decided that his area of expertise was one filled with roasted coffee beans, steamed milk, and an art form often overlooked: the world of coffee. So in 1993, Groot opened J.P.’s Coffee and Espresso Bar in Holland, MI.
Upon reaching success in the coffee business – J.P.’s serves 600-700 customers a day – Groot decided to share his knowledge of how to start a coffee business with other entrepreneurs and started On-Track Coffee Consulting.
But he soon realized that the heart of a coffee business is a quality product, and the only way to have a consistently good products is by having staff that excels at what they do and are fully invested in their job. “When owners aren’t fully engaged and ready to ‘own’ their own coffee shop training program, the staff is handicapped in being able to create consistently great quality,” Groot says. With that in mind, he took advantage of some extra space at J.P.’s coffee shop in 2007 and opened the Midwest Barista School, located at 57 East 8th St. in Holland, Michigan.
The Midwest Barista School offers both barista training products and barista training classes. This allows for the school to train anyone, even if they are hundreds of miles away. The school boasts a passionate and talented group of dedicated barista trainers, with a one-to-two trainer-to-student ratio. “MBS is one of the finest professional barista schools in the country and provides a one-to-two trainer-to-student ratio in a limited class size with JP’s coffee business’ profitable operations since 1993 as our credentials,” Groot says. A testimonials page on the school’s website proves the school’s success, with raving reviews of the barista training courses and products.
Offering DVD’s on Latte Art, Barista Basics, Advanced Barista Techniques, as well as private training classes, new business owner courses on starting a coffee shop, and more, the Midwest Barista School is able to offer helpful knowledge to the newbie coffee shop owner and the veteran coffee shop owner alike. According to Groot, “The Midwest Barista School (MBS) is not just a barista training school. It’s a complete training experience run by successful operators and will show you how to open a coffee shop.”
In the past year, Groot has fine-tuned the Midwest Barista School’s programs, finding ways to improve the school’s courses by using hands-on methods to connect with the community. Says Groot, “We also do a Free Drink Giveaway during the week of training our students and promote that to the community via Facebook, Twitter, etc. It is a win/win. Customers/community get a free latte – students get to make drinks for customers. It is a fun time and we always have a good crowd for it.” It appears that all signs point to a successful future for the Midwest Barista School, and we hope to celebrate another anniversary with them soon!