Life of An Apprentice

I met Agil a few years back when Whale and Co just come to normality, we just recruit and managed to train few barista to man our cafe. He came with zero background on coffee and hospitality service, he aspire to be a barista. What I observe about him when I met him first, he's super eager to learn perhaps slightly overconfident but overall a positive attitude to learn new skills and knowledge that he never know before.

Start him on 3 months apprentice position where there first 2 months , he did nothing but cleaning up and setting up the cafe. Learning the ropes of engaging the guests, greets them when they came and bid them good bye when they left. All these work without him stepping into the bar and touching the machine. Called this phase : learning the basics.

The last month of the 3 months, I start to include him in the coffee making process, learning the all important knowledge of brewing coffee, pulling espresso shots only helping the senior barista as our espresso person. Whilst doing all these, he learn more about the different in coffee roasting and what flavour each roast will bring as well as learning the all what needs to be a great barista.

Agil work for us for 2 years and we are so proud that his next working position is at Tanamera Roastery (I started Whale and Co apprenticing at Tanamera Roastery before finally opens)

He work his way from after sales person and now he assist Head Roaster John as his assistant.

With coffee shops business growing rapidly in Indonesia, the demand for a great barista are more than the availability of the ready skilled pool talent.

Understand that Barista skills are sharpen by time on the job, not made overnight , so i encourage all coffee shop owners to allow some slot just like what hotel industry did, for people build their experience and at the same time helps you in you business.

Agil is just one of the apprentice story that we are happy and proud to see happening and will always in the position to have slot for people who wanted to build career as a barista and learn it the proper way.

I have benefited on working as an apprentice, learning new knowledge from person who is younger then me but passionate and talented in what they do and its such a steep learning curve that I wanted to be as good as they are, as knowledgeable as they are and I know this that I could not be where I am now knowledge & skill wise, if I did not became an apprentice even before I started the business.