Barista Nation Denver-Proclaim Your Independence from Start-Up Uncertainty

Monday July 7, 2014 // By Matthew Moseley

“Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines”

The one phrase that exhilarates a crowd like no other, yet is so simple.  It marks the beginning, a fresh start and the promise of exciting things to come.  So, why is starting up a business so much more nerve-racking and less enjoyable?  Uncertainty, there are numerous concerns that go into starting up your cafe, coffee shop, or roastery.  So many in fact, that there are times during the start-up process when tasks get overlooked.  This can not only lead to headaches down the road; it can also, completely stall your business creation and result in a very costly mistake.  If only there was someway to get a bunch of industry insight, learn from others’ own start-up mistakes, and network with professionals within the industry….

Well now there is!  You will be able to find all that and a whole lot of entertainment at Barista Nation Denver 2014.  Never heard of Barista Nation?  Well this exciting, unique event takes place throughout the year in various locations in North America.  The goal of Barista Nation is coordinate “a grassroots forum for coffee professionals to discover and develop the necessary coffee and business skills to succeed in the specialty coffee market.”  Essentially this is an event where coffee enthusiasts and professionals can join together to celebrate and discuss the diverse industry of specialty coffee, we know and love!  And Barista Nation Denver, will be one for the record books.  Typically a one-day event, Colorado is lucky enough to experience three days of events!  The first ever Barista Nation Pre-Party Throwdown, will be held Friday July 25th at Huckleberry Coffee Roasters which will include affogatos, local brews, and a latte art competition.  Saturday will be the main event located at Galvanize Denver and the complete event line-up can be found in the graphic below.  Sunday, July 27th, will wrap-up Barista Nation Denver with a Boot Camp sponsored and hosted by Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters to help you achieve the best brew possible from the most common single-cup brewers through an in-depth course and hands-on workshop.  

               

As you can see, Barista Pro Shop has been selected to host a session titled “What You Need- Coffee Supplies for a Coffee Start-Up.”  We decided on this topic, because we know opening a new coffee shop can be a daunting venture, and stocking that new store can feel like an overwhelming task with the seemingly endless number of products available.  In this session, we will discuss all of the various product categories that are typically offered at coffee shops and cafes; as well as, help you to be aware of the necessary considerations that go into selecting the proper products and supplies that align with your business model and target market.  Therefore, along with this product checklist, we will be giving insights as to how a new shop can properly cater their menu according to specific customer demographics.  From this session, you will learn how to analyze your customer base in order to select the supplies and products that satisfy their specific wants and needs.

If that’s not enough, Bard Coffee and Huckleberry Roasters have teamed up to sponsor an Idea Throwdown.  What is an idea throwdown?  It’s simple, instead of presenting creative pours they are asking for you to present your most innovative idea that will revolutionize either the way we brew, transport or experience coffee.  Think you have the next million dollar specialty coffee idea?  Prove it at Barista Nation Denver’s Idea Throwdown; find out all of the details for what you will need to register and pitch your idea can be found at Barista Nation's Facebook or website.  

Don't wait, we recommend that you register early for the main event on 7/26/2014 to ensure you get your seat! 

HOW TO REGISTER: 1) Visit www.care.org 2) Donate $10 3) Email your receipt to baristanation@gmail.com