We just returned from an exhausting Coffee Fest show in Atlanta. I am so happy there isn’t another show until November (other than the one in Tokyo where we will be filming the World Barista Championship). Not only are these shows getting expensive to do — freight costs and travel expenses — but they are also hard because once you return to the office, you’re a week behind.

The highlight of the show for me (and I think for my son Matthew) was his taking third place in the Millrock Free Pour Latte Art Competition. Sarah Allen, editor of Barista Magazine and Millrock Latte Art Contest Judge and Sponsor, said it was the tightest finals round ever, with only 14 points separating 1st place from 10th (270 possible points total).

Most of the competitors work behind the counter pouring hundreds of drinks each day. In his position here as consulting and ABC’s director, Matthew only gets to practice when ABC’s is in session or when he makes his own cappuccino upon arriving at work in the morning.

I just have to brag here a little about my son. He has been a barista for many years now and started his career working for me at the age of 12 in one of my coffee bars for four hours a week. He deserves every accolade that may come his way! Matt we are all very proud of you...

Joining Matt on the winner’s platform were Layla Osberg of Blenz Coffee in Vancouver, British Columbia, who took first place, and Luis Acosta who lives in both Vancouver, British Columbia and Mexico City, who took second place.

I walked into my office the other day and found an amazing yellow and orange orchid on my desk. I immediately began to wonder who my secret admirer was. As it turns out, the gift was from Batdorf & Bronson, a coffee roaster with roasteries in Olympia and Atlanta. That day the company had invited a large group of industry partners and current and potential customers to an all-day coffee cupping at ABC’s — the orchid was a thank you.

In addition to various wholesale customers from the Portland and Vancouver area, representatives from New Seasons Markets, Sustainable Harvest, Bonneville Environmental Foundation and Green Empowerment attended the cupping. Much to my surprise, Shanna Germain and Connie Blumhardt from Roast Magazine, Karen Foley and her group from Imbibe Magazine and Sarah Allen of Barista Magazine were also in attendance. I stuck around for a while and listened to Scott Merle, Batdorf & Bronson’s green coffee buyer and roastmaster, describe some of the amazing coffees on the table. Each time I hear a great cupper speak, I realize just how much more there is to learn about this beverage I have been immersed in for so many years.

I started to pull a shot on the Astoria and Matt quickly slapped my hands: "Dad stop that! You are going to make too much noise!" So, we took some of the roasted coffee Batdorf & Bronson had brought with them and quietly brewed a great Guatemalan Antigua on our Clover. It was a great day for all.

While on the subject of Batdorf & Bronson, not only is their coffee unbelievable (I love Dancing Goats Blend), but also their packaging is dead on. If you love branding and marketing like I do, visit their website and see what a great job they do with their brand.

Last Monday evening, more than 50 coffee people attended the world premiere showing of Bellissimo’s latest DVD,“Training with the Champions” at the American Barista & Coffee School.

Dana Vion, the film’s videographer and editor, traveled to Portland from Eugene for the event and a number of friends from Seattle also came down. Some of those in attendance were Alistair from Coffeed.com, James Hoffman (UK barista champion) Annette, Stephen Morrisey, Stephen Vick, Billy Wilson, Kevin Fuller, Phuong Tran and the Lave Java crew, Chrissy and the Dog River gang, Terry Z and Sam from Olympia Roasting, Dismas Smith and his brother, Sarah Allen and Ken from Barista Magazine, Brent Fortune from Crema, our dear friends Greg, Nicole and Cynthia from Fresh Cup Magazine, Katie and Zack from Murky, and many more.

It was a fun night for all, and if the applause at the end of the film is any indication as to how valuable this film is to those who want to take their staff to the next level, “Training With the Champions” is a homerun.

Katie and Zackare of Murky Coffee, two of the attendees,  put together a video blog of their experience at the screening. Click here to view.

Click here to pre-order or to see a trailer for the film.

Last Friday, after five long days of classes, four ABC’s students went into the studio with me to participate in a Bellissimo podcast. All four are new retailers, and I thought it would be great to have them share with our listeners some of the challenges they have faced entering the specialty coffee business. All were from different parts of the United States and each of them chose the coffee business for a different reason. If you download the podcast, I think you will find their stories enjoyable and you will hear not only the passion each of them has to be successful, but also how they came to realize that they must do everything right to find that success.

From left to right are Melissa from Texas, Randy from Montana, Andrea from Utah and Jason from Arizona.

This was yet another great finish to a great week with an amazing group at ABC's. Most stayed for the Saturday session to hone and perfect their latte art skills, though most were pouring pretty good rosettas and hearts on Friday afternoon. I have found the people who choose ABC's as a prerequisite to starting their businesses form a unique group — they
truly “get it" and know what they learn in this one week will help them ten-fold in their future in retail coffee.

Click here to listen to the podcast.

You have to love and admire independent filmmakers. I suppose Bellissimo Media Productions is one of them. I guess Indie film crews comes in all shapes and sizes.

A few weeks ago, I received a call from a young woman in Toronto making a film about coffee. She told me she and her director of photography (DP) were coming through Portland, and while they were here, she wanted to film our school and interview Matt and me. Of course I agreed, and they arrived last Wednesday for the shoot.

Eileen Jerrett and her DP, Corey Howell, showed up with minimal equipment, but what they lacked in that department they made up for in their passion to create a "short" about coffee. Since leaving Toronto, they have filmed in Chicago, New York City, Kansas City, Boise, Denver, Salt Lake and Seattle. From here, they headed to California before starting a cross-country trip to visit cities too numerous to list. Eventually, they will travel to Europe and Central America to finish the film.

I asked Eileen what gave her the idea to take on this yearlong project. Her answer: "I have been involved in film my entire life and have always loved coffee. I felt it was time to combine my two passions and pay homage through film to the drink that means so much to me.”

Eileen hopes the film will be completed by next March, and already has plans to enter it in numerous film festivals, in addition to presenting it to the Canadian Film Board, an organization that has shown interest in her unique idea.

It was fun meeting them and I look forward to seeing the finished product. I wish them safe travels, good light and excellent audio levels!

I hope many of you have had a chance to listen to our latest podcast featuring four new specialty coffee retailers. In the next month, look for a podcast with Brent Fortune, World Barista Championship (WBC) judge and trainer, talking about the WBC and the upcoming Tokyo show, and one with the illustrious and famous Ken Davids, author of three books on coffee and editor/co-founder of Coffee Review.

Today is the first day of the first cupping and roasting class at the American Barista & Coffee School. The class, which will be held every other month, is taught by Ken Davids, one of the world's coffee cupping and roasting experts and founder of Coffee Review, the influential on-line Web publication. Two students from outside the United States — Korea and Costa Rica — are enrolled in the class. Those in the know understand spending a full week with Ken in the lab is worth traveling thousands of miles. The class includes a three-day hands-on, in-depth introduction to green coffee selection and buying through blending and roasting followed by two-days of hands-on, in-depth instruction on sourcing, roasting and evaluating coffees for espresso applications.

In coming weeks, we will announce the details of two other classes that are outside our normal curriculum. One is a special CFO class taught by yet another industry leader, who has expertise in operations and financial planning. Early in his career, he was involved in growing Starbucks from 200 stores to more than 2000. This class will be held two to three times a year, and will be structured for owners and CEOs of chains that may not be large enough to hire an actual CFO and for smaller operations that desire and need this type of information to take their operation/s to the next level. It will be an amazing opportunity for any size company to have this type of experience available to their operation. A team of marketing experts will teach the second class we are planning.

Visit the ABC's Website for more information on the school's expansion, which secures our reputation as the best coffee school in the world.

I was in Eugene last weekend being the good son, but I also found time to take care of some business. I finished up the sale of my Eugene house and met with my business partner in Coffee Images, LLC, as well as with the small film crew that will accompany me to Japan in a few weeks to film the World Barista Championship (WBC). There will be lots to do to prepare for that trip — getting together all of the gear for the film shoot and the marketing materials I will need for our booth at the accompanying trade show. I gave half my booth space to Fresh Cup Magazine, and Greg Ingram, the magazine’s national sales manager, will attend the show. I will be out of the booth shooting the WBC event much of the time, and Greg has kindly offered to promote Bellissimo in my absence. Who better than Greg? He is a wonderful friend.

Matthew would be going to Asia with me... but is unable. One week after returning from Japan, I will be attending a wedding — his! He and his longtime mate, Kylene, will finally tie the knot in August. His mom will travel to Portland from the East coast, and his best man, Andrea, with whom he roomed while attending college in Macerata, Italy, has already arrived.

So, last weekend in Eugene was bittersweet. After all, Bellissimo was founded in Eugene and it’s where I got my start in coffee. Everyone in the office agrees that the move to the big city was a good one for our company. Eugene is a small and sleepy town compared to the vibrancy of Portland. Back in the old days, when our coffee industry contacts and friends wanted to come and visit our operation and found out Bellissimo was in Eugene, not in Portland, they often said, “Well…maybe next time?”

So it’s onward and upward for Bellissimo in the most exciting coffee town in the country.

We knocked out a great podcast with Brent Fortune of Portland’s Crema Coffee + Bakery last Friday. Brent is a barista judge trainer as well as one of the most highly respected judges in the World Barista Championship (WBC). The podcast is ready for download on iTunes and our website right now. I think everyone will learn a lot from this podcast; I know I did. Brent’s ear is very near the WBC rail, and he gives our listeners a great overview of the upcoming event in Tokyo and what has taken place in the WBC over the last year.

In the podcast, we discuss what the WBC has done for specialty coffee, who will be competing, what improvements still need to be made to competition, why Scandinavian countries do so well and why we have yet to see an American champion.

This year, baristas from 45 countries will compete, up from 39 the year before. When I attended the first WBC event seven years ago in Monaco, only 11 countries were represented.

This Saturday, I leave for Japan to attend and film this year’s event. The next time I blog I will be filling you in on my experience in Tokyo and describing the WBC event in detail. Sayonara!

Greetings from Japan! The World Barista Championship (WBC) is truly an amazing event. I thought the competition in Berne last year was unbelievable, but this year’s event in Tokyo is ten times more astounding. Today, I was on stage filming, photographing and interviewing the competitors for Bellissimo’s upcoming two-DVD set of the competition, due for release in mid September. Judging from the footage we have in the can already, I can tell you there has never been a barista event like this one.

Over 20 competitors performed, including baristas from Russia, Kenya, Croatia and Taiwan. All were consummate professionals, and they truly set the bar for every barista in the world. They are inspirational, and have an enormous amount of passion for their chosen craft. I got goose bumps watching a barista from Kenya, who had only 20 seconds of his allotted 15 minutes left, knockout three portafilters and do his cleanup before hitting the finish button at 14:58. I said, "Wow!" out loud. (This barista is pictured here.)

Tokyo is the most interesting and amazing place ever — I have been lost in translation at least a 100 times, and these instances had nothing to do with language. The Japanese are the most respectful and organized people I have ever been in contact with.

When I was a boy, if something functioned really well, you would say it “Worked like a Swiss clock.” If something was cheaply made, the worst thing you could say was that it was “Made in Japan.” In 2007, I am coining a new phrase — "Works like a Japanese clock.” The high efficiency and customer service levels in Japan are something all Americans in the service industry could learn from. I have to admit, it’s been a real reality check for me.

Okay. I have awakened at 4:30 a.m. every day since I arrived in Japan (as has everyone in attendance from the United States). I am now out of time for writing, but I’m ready to experience day two.

Day two of the World Barista Championship has ended and the results are in. I am so glad I didn’t have to be a judge this year. There were so many great performances that I am sure it was difficult for the judges to rank the competitors. I thought the baristas from Iceland, Germany, Singapore, Zambia and Estonia were fantastic, but they weren’t good enough to make the cut. The big news in Tokyo tonight is the great performances that did make the finals, which are set for 11:00 a.m. tomorrow. The six finalists are as follows:

• Switzerland — Anna Kaeppeli
• Brazil — Sylvia Magalhaes
• United States — Heather Perry
• New Zealand — Carl Sara
• United Kingdom — James Hoffman
• Japan — Miyuki Miyamae

So tomorrow is the big day at the “Big Site.” I will be reporting on the finals in the next day or so, so stay tuned.

It’s over. What an amazing three days of barista competition. I was on the main stage within three feet of each competitor during today’s finals. It was hectic, and I found myself wearing three hats: technical judge, photographer and filmmaker. The film we have in the can is amazing. We truly captured both the technical aspect of the competition as well as the love of coffee displayed by the competitors. In a matter of weeks, our hard work will become a finished documentary, and the world will have the opportunity to see what it is like to be at the World Barista Championship.

As the six finalists took the stage, I thought that Sylvia from Brazil could win it — but then again, I thought any of the six had a good chance of taking home the prize. To illustrate how tight the competition was, Sylvia came in sixth. Each performance was nearly flawless and each drink almost perfect. I could go into the details, but none of them are as important right now as the fact the WBC has crowned a new champion: James Hoffman from the UK.

I can't think of a better ambassador than James to follow in the footsteps of last year’s winner, Klaus Thomsen. James has become a friend to Matt and me, and visited the Bellissimo offices and school last month for the premier of our new film, "Training with the Champions." I truly love James’ spirit, dedication and most of all, his class. He will be a wonderful representative for the world of specialty coffee.

Congratulations, James!  And Ciao Tokyo!

I must admit Tokyo was pretty amazing — I wish I had had more time to actually explore, but four days of filming and attending coffee-related functions only allowed me two days to actually experience the city and culture. Luckily, a friend of Fresh Cup Magazine’s Greg Ingram acted as our tour guide. He publishes a magazine in Tokyo and has lived there for six years. He took us to places we would have never found due to our hotel being on the fringes of the city and an hour subway ride from the thick of things.

Dana and I are now busy logging and editing film, and I will let you know when the two films will be available for purchase.

We finally received our first order of Training with the Champions, so they are available for immediate shipment.

We have a new employee joining us in a few weeks. She comes from IBM and should prove useful in many different areas of our business. We interviewed a lot of people in our search for the right person, and we are pleased that we found someone who is a perfect fit for Bellissimo.

Over the last week, a revolving door of guests have visited Bellissimo and ABC’s. Yesterday, Chuck Jones of Jones Coffee Roasters in Los Angeles and his cute daughter, Matty, spent a good deal of time with us. A few days before, we were honored to have Henry Rich, owner of Oral Fixation Mints, drop by with Nicole Michaud of Allied Resources. Next week, Matt Brandenburg, a dear friend who worked for Torani Syrups for many years and is now with MoCafe, is going to visit.

These guests were only a few of those in town for Matt and Kylene's wedding last Saturday. The ceremony was beautiful, and for a dad, very touching. As I sat in the Hall where the nuptials took place, I looked around and saw well over 100 people and felt the love in the building for this couple. Many friends, family and people in the coffee business came from all points to attend the ceremony. Some drove down from Seattle, a good number flew in from New York City, and an old friend of Matt’s traveled all the way from Hawaii. And, of course, Andrea, Matt’s dear friend and best man, arrived from Italy a month ago to spend time with Matt before the wedding. With the number of barista champions at the ceremony, we could have easily held a barista jam after the reception.

I was in the studio recording a podcast yesterday with David Roche, one of the world's most famous coffee agronomists and Chief Technical Director of the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI). The podcast will be available on our site and on iTunes later this week or early next week.

The podcast will be informative on many different levels. David's coffee background is varied: he has lived and followed coffee all around the world. Last year, the National Coffee Association in New York asked Bellissimo to produce two web videos for them — one on agronomy and the other on earth-friendly coffee. The first people I thought of to interview for the project happened to be in, or near, Portland — David Roach and David Griswold of Sustainable Harvest. The streaming videos turned out fantastic, and as we rolled the film, the vast knowledge of each of these two became apparent.

In the podcast, David will be sharing his knowledge of the coffee plant in addition to talking about CQI, a wonderful organization that works to improve the quality of coffee and the lives of the people that produce it. Recently, CQI developed a three-year Commitment to Ethiopia project to train cuppers and develop the infrastructure to make trading more efficient and transparent.

A recent CQI press release explains the project:

In the Commitment to Ethiopia project, the focus is on cupping training, which stems from the belief that only quality is sustainable. One of the quickest ways for farmers to improve their incomes is to know how the world market defines quality and appropriately identify which of their coffees fit that definition. The second is by understanding the quality of their coffee enough so they can begin to make quality improvements. The presence of cuppers at origin is significant as it helps farmers to access higher paying specialty markets. It also provides a business value to buyers in helping them to more efficiently and effectively identify and communicate with existing and potential suppliers.

The other David — David Griswold — will also be coming in soon for a podcast, so watch for details in the coming months.

I am pleased to introduce to you the newest member of the Bellissimo Team — Stacie Greer. We feel really fortunate to have found an employee who we think will be a great fit in our office and a wonderful liaison between Bellissimo and its clients and students.

Stacie comes to us with over five years hands-on experience at none other than Starbucks. At big green, she worked in management, so she has been there and done that when it comes to opening and managing retail stores. Stacie was based in Seattle, and in addition to managing retail operations in the city, she also provided coffee education to customers, including coffee tastings and brewing workshops. Stacie assisted in the national roll out of new labor management technology and tools to over 1,000 Starbucks stores and provided technical and conceptual support to retail managers from a corporate level. She was certified at Starbucks in their "train the trainer program."

Stacie’s recent history includes eight years at IBM in their Sales and Distribution division providing support to an international sales team. In addition, she is a certified travel agent specializing in European destination travel.

Stacie’s extensive background in specialty coffee management and operational systems will prove to be a gigantic asset to both Bellissimo and the American Barista and Coffee School.

Welcome Stacie!