I was pleased to be interviewed last week and quoted once again in the prestigious Wall Street Journal: "Illy was doing espresso education before anyone else," says Bruce Milletto, president of the American Barista & Coffee School in Portland, Ore., which trains more than 200 baristas and coffee-shop owners each year. "There's only one way to prepare espresso — it's chemistry and physics." To read the full article, click here.

It was refreshing to be interviewed about a company I have the greatest respect for — Illy Caffe in Trieste, Italy. The story was about a new coffee delivery system that Illy has developed, but I was asked about the history of the company and my long-time relationship with its founder, Dr. Ernesto Illy.

Most of the interviews I have given to this paper over the years have dealt with stories about Starbucks: their rising stock prices, innovative menu changes or overall growth.

At Bellissimo, we pride ourselves upon delivering unbiased and factual information about coffee and the coffee business. The year that Dr. Illy asked to walk and talk with me at a Specialty Coffee of America tradeshow was one of the highlights of my coffee career. When he said to me, "Bruce, tell me what is happening with espresso in the United States," I was honored to be the person he chose to question about the market. When I was asked to introduce him at a large dinner in his honor a year later in Seattle, he told me how proud he was of what Bellissimo was doing worldwide to promote quality. It just doesn’t get any better than that.

Dr. Illy is at the top of my mentor list. As I told the Wall Street Journal, when Bellissimo began operations, he was the only person testing coffee and Illy Caffe was the only company providing real espresso education. In the beginning, we constantly looked to him and his company for the final word on what was the correct way to prepare espresso. Today, Andrea Illy runs the day-to-day operation of Illy Caffe in Trieste, and Myra Fiori, based in New York City, amazes me at the excellent job she does marketing the company in the U.S. Both of them hold high the ideals of perfection, and the company’s constant innovation in the delivery of excellent coffee worldwide is a role model for the entire industry.

From an Illy Caffe press release:
Ernesto Illy’s passion and life’s work make him coffee’s most respected ambassador. He has single-handedly introduced some of the most important quality control innovations in coffee brewing in the last 30 years. As an agricultural product, coffee is inherently chaotic and inconsistent. By applying the scientific method, Illy has given the consumer the greatest gift—the highest quality coffee in each and every cup.

To this I say, “Bravo, Dr. Illy for what you have done for this industry and also for the personal inspiration.”

Yesterday, Chris Legler was returning from a few days on the Oregon Coast and stopped in our Portland offices to show us a quick preview of his Coffee CFO Class, which is scheduled for October 13-14 at the American Barista & Coffee School. To say we were impressed would be a huge understatement. He went through just part of the curriculum, but what we saw was truly amazing.

After he left, I thought a lot about our discussion and what he was doing to prepare for this class. After seeing just some of the information he plans to present, I saw how retailers would benefit from learning how to ascertain exactly what is happening in their businesses — not just guessing. I also saw they would obtain the information they needed to plan for higher profits in the future. So many retail operations would benefit from this class that I believe the cost of it will come back ten times over in a very short period of time.

Without a doubt, there are some coffee operations out there doing big numbers. But, unfortunately, they are in the minority and always have been. Year after year, I talk to operators at tradeshows and hear stories about how hard they work to make even a reasonable profit. There is a reason that Starbucks does the numbers it does, and you must believe me when I tell you 50 percent of the reason is because they know where every penny they spend is going and employ systems that guarantee cost cutting.

No matter how large your operation, can you afford to hire a CFO? The answer is more than likely, “No.” Imagine learning how to manage the financial side of your operation from Chris Legler, who has been in the trenches and established systems for huge chains. I challenge almost anyone in this industry to compete with Chris’ hard-dollar knowledge and credentials. He has held executive positions in finance and administration, marketing, retail operations and strategic planning. He was Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Barnie’s Coffee and Tea Company and has held positions of increasing responsibility with Starbucks Coffee Company, Sony, British Petroleum, Blockbuster Entertainment and Eddie Bauer.

Many people who are in the coffee business think, "What is there to know? You just make coffee and pour it in a cup, right?" However, the business is about 1,000 times more complicated than that. And, there is something about the coffee business that attracts the artistic type. For these individuals, the right brain works well when it comes to choosing what colors to paint the walls and picking out tables and chairs. However, it is difficult to be successful without left-brain knowledge, and if you don’t have it, your operation may be doomed to fail. At tradeshows and on the telephone, many of these operators tell us they wish they had done more financial planning before investing their life savings and that they are not turning the profits they had hoped for. Anyone who has opened a coffee operation knows what it feels like to be caught up in the excitement of launching a new business. This is the fun part... without follow-up controls and a firm understanding of day-to-day operations, the sad reality is that excitement fades fast.

To take a two-day class and interact with such a one-of-a-kind coffee CFO as Chris Legler is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This class is essential for existing retailers, but if you are new to the business, you will learn what it takes to be successful and how you can start off on the right foot from day one. In addition, you will leave the class carrying a workbook containing all over the information covered in class.

Chris’ Coffee CFO class will give you the CFO mentality, but even after the class is over, you can rely on Chris to use as a resource. If you have any questions about what the class covers, or if it is a good fit for you, please call us and we will have Chris call you personally and go over the benefits.

I am so confident in the benefits of this class that I make you the following offer: Invest in yourself and your business by taking Coffee CFO, and if you feel you have not received information worth at least double the cost of the class, come to us and we will write you a full tuition refund check — no questions asked.

For more information or to register for the class, visit the ABC’s website.

Because many of us at Bellissimo are traveling in Italy, I thought it would be valuable to post an answer to a question I posed a few weeks ago to our senior consultant, Ed Arvidson.

My question was: “Ed, with all these new and coffee schools that have popped up, how do we tell our potential students that the American Barista & Coffee School is not just another copy-cat school but the best investment they can make in their coffee-business future?"

Here is Ed’s response:

Dear Bruce,

I recommend you ask potential students the following 10 questions about the other schools they are investigating to help them make an informed decision about which school to attend:

1. Do the instructors have hands-on experience in owning and managing their own coffee businesses?

At ABC’s, the owner, and all of our instructors, have hands-on experience in coffee business ownership and/or management. We've owned and run stores, know what challenges you might face, and how to achieve business success.

 2. Will the business aspects of starting and operating the business be covered? If so, how extensively?

While making wonderful espresso drinks will be important to the success of your business, it is only a small fraction of what you must know and do if your business is to survive and flourish. We see critical, and many times fatal, mistakes being made during the creation of the business and its operation. Remember, in foodservice the business failure rate is more than 90 percent.

At ABC’s, our business instructors have years of hands-on foodservice startup and management experience. We spend two full days in the classroom covering important fundamentals of setting up your business and issues you are likely to face when running it. Our graduates are much more likely to succeed with the information they gain at ABC’s.

3. How many different pieces of equipment (different manufacturers) will you be able to work on, and how many different coffees, syrups, sauces, blender powders, etc., will you be able to sample?

At ABC’s, we don't have any hidden agendas. We don't sell espresso machines, coffees, or other consumable products. Our sponsors have been selected because they represent the best of our industry. At ABC’s, you can work on multiple machines, taste a dozen coffees, syrups, and sauces — and then make your own decisions about what’s best for you and your business. (If other schools you are investigating only work on one brand of espresso machine and they just happen to be able to sell you one — beware!)

4. How "in touch" are the instructors at the schools you're considering with current industry trends and the real-life challenges that coffee entrepreneurs face?

The instructors at ABC’s are also seasoned consultants for the Bellissimo Coffee InfoGroup. They have provided hands-on help to hundreds of individuals and companies in setting up new businesses and troubleshooting existing operations. We were the first company in this industry to be totally dedicated to education and consulting. We've seen the industry change and grow, and we've grown with it. (Beware. Some schools are still teaching philosophies that are 20 years old, and for the most part, no longer viable in today's marketplace.)

5. Will you receive other educational materials while attending a school, and what is the quality of those materials?

All those who attend the five- or six-day classes at ABC’s will receive valuable, award-winning, educational tools. Our 23-chapter guide to success in retail coffee, "Achieving Success in Specialty Coffee," and our espresso training DVD, "Espresso 101," have been accepted and embraced by the specialty coffee industry as the definitive standards in education. If the other schools you are considering are using different tools, then who created them? What are their qualifications? And, have their materials been widely reviewed or endorsed by the industry?

6. How good are the beverage-making skills of the instructors?

ABC’s instructors understand espresso. We were taught by the Italians, including Dr. Ernest Illy (founder of Illy Caffe and widely regarded as the "Godfather of Espresso") and Mauro Cipolla (founder of Caffe D'Arte coffee). Whether it is pulling the perfect shot of espresso, creating a pitcher of beautiful, velvety milk foam, or pouring hearts and rosettas on your lattes, no one in this industry can do a better job than the instructors at ABC’s. Remember, we are the ones who created the training DVDs for these subjects.

7. How experienced and proficient are your instructors at teaching?

ABC’s instructors are some of the industries most highly sought after teachers to present their knowledge at industry trade shows and to contribute knowledge through writing articles for specialty coffee periodicals. ABC’s instructors present information in a detailed and concise manner, with enough related real-life experiences to drive key points home.

8. Will the school's instructors have time to talk to me about my unique business concept and aspirations?

At ABC’s, our instructors will always find time to talk to you about your business, whether it be before class, during breaks or lunch, or after class, if you just express a desire to have some one on one time. If you don't talk to an instructor at the school, and then desire to have a conversation at a later date, school attendees may feel free to contact their instructors via phone or email.

9. Does the school (and its instructors) offer any follow-up services after the conclusion of the class session?

Bellissimo Coffee InfoGroup (in conjunction with ABC’s) offers a full range of consulting services and packages to help you put together the pieces of your coffee business "puzzle," should you desire assistance. From business plan development, to logo and branding, store design and equipment selection, menu development, and assistance with store opening and employee training, we posses the skills and experience necessary to help you open your business on the right foot.

10. What is the school's mission statement?

Many schools may tell you that their mission is to help you get into the specialty coffee business. But should this really be their mission?

At ABC’s, our mission is to supply you with enough honest, realistic and detailed information so that upon the conclusion of your week in Portland, you can make an intelligent decision as to whether or not the coffee business is right for you. Should you decide to proceed with starting your own coffee business, the information and educational materials you received will greatly increase your chances for success.

I am now in my favorite haunt in Italy — Positano. The town has changed from the sleepy little fishing village I first discovered 17 years ago. Because of movies like "Only You" (my favorite movie ever) and "Under the Tuscan Sun," the most vertical city in the world has truly been discovered. Now when you mention Positano, most people will tell you they know of it only because of Hollywood.

Having said this, there is still a magic here that I can’t find anywhere else in the world. I feel truly at home when I arrive and never like a visitor, which makes me wonder why all these tourists are packing the streets of  "my second home!"

My favorite little coffee bar, Bar d’Martino, is now gone. Chero, the owner, sold it to a young couple. The coffee bar, which sat on a hillside overlooking the Mediterranean, is now just another restaurant. No more card players in the afternoon. No more Chero giving away free eggs or apples. I don’t think he ever let me pay for a gelato, and he would sometimes stop me in the road as I walked up to my pensione, inviting me in for a coffee or a gelato in the late afternoon or early evening. At night, he had lights strung over his little street and live music outside even if it was only a lone guitar player. That Positano is gone forever. The real estate is too valuable for the old Italy... a country that is still wonderful, but like the rest of the world, changing quickly.

The exchange rate does not help when you are an American traveling in Italy. The dollar is quickly sinking, and I predict it will not be long until it is no longer the main currency of the world. Soon it may even be difficult to afford European travel.

On this visit, I plan to see Roberto Pregel and Umberto Terrini, two dear friends. Umberto, who retired from General Espresso last year, is now living in Umbria. Roberto has taken a new job with a Rome roaster. We plan to do a short film for them late this year.

I will be back in the office on October 1, and we have many new projects, so look for news about them and a new podcast in the near future.

I raise my cup of cappuccino and say, “Cin Cin” and “Ciao.”

Things at Bellissimo and in my personal life have been a bit busy — to say the least —and the reason for my lapse in blogging. But, as they say, busy is good. I will be back on track with updated news soon — all of which is very positive. I will soon post a calendar of speaking times for the entire Bellissimo staff at Coffee Fest Seattle. We are all looking forward to seeing our coffee friends at the show, which is November 9-11. Ciao for now.

Everyone at the office is back from a very successful Coffee Fest Seattle. It was nice to have our entire staff at the show and to attend the many parties associated with the event.

Over the past few years, I have tried to update this blog almost weekly, but this Fall I felt I had to take a bit of a break from it... partly because we have been so busy with so many huge projects, making it necessary to concentrate on the business at hand.

I was encouraged to see at Coffee Fest Seattle that the industry is as vibrant as ever. David Heilbrunn, the Coffee Fest show manager, told me this was the biggest coffee show ever — more than 8,500 people in attendance! The Coffee Fest crew — David, Marni, Tamara, Bill and Lee Anne — have done a great job keeping the show fresh.

Before we left for Seattle, we were honored to train the sales team of Equal Exchange, the oldest and largest for-profit Fair Trade company in the U.S. Equal Exchange offers organic, gourmet coffee, tea, sugar, cocoa, and chocolate bars produced by democratically run farmer co-ops in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

Eight students from Hood River, Salem, Boston, and San Francisco attended the one-day hands-on advanced barista training. Their goal was to understand the art and practice of the barista better so that they can more fully and ably service their clients. Allison Booth, the manager of the Equal Exchange coffeehouse in the Ballard Market just outside of Seattle, attended ABC’s about a year and a half ago, and said that all business operations and barista techniques used at her store are a direct result of what she learned at ABC’s.

ABC’s has been an efficient and excellent training grounds for a number of companies, and we found out last week that Jardin and Mr. Coffee will be sending through yet another group. Cirqua Water, the premier water purification company in the world, spent today with us, sharing their knowledge with our current ABC’s class.

And, finally, the 2007 World Barista Championship film is out!! More on that in the next blog...

Well, the holidays have officially begun... Thanksgiving is behind us and we’re heading full steam toward Christmas.

I guess the biggest news at Bellissimo is that we now have in our possession the two-DVD set of the World Barista Championship: Tokyo 2007 — and it’s ready to ship. The DVD set is the result of a joint venture between the World Barista Championship (WBC) and Bellissimo Media Productions, and documents the 8th Annual World Barista Championship (WBC) held July 31 to August 2, 2007 in Tokyo. This DVD set is the first of its kind produced in the eight-year history of the WBC, and uniquely captures both the heart and mind of the exciting 2007 championship event.

I am very proud of this film, and if you are in the business at any level, this DVD set is a must for your training library. Watching these DVDs takes you to the event and allows you and your baristas to observe the world’s best, which can only excite and enhance their own passion and performance.

The film will be entered in three major film competitions and we hope it will bring more awards to our conference room display. But above all, the DVDs were a blast to film, edit and deliver to the specialty coffee industry.

The first DVD is a 60-minute overview of the WBC event that documents the full WBC experience, allowing viewers to see and feel the excitement generated by this competition as well as to hear from the participants, attendees and coffee professionals from all over the world. This documentary-style DVD includes interviews, local color shots and footage of all of the competitors in action.

The second 120-minute DVD is a training tool that features the performances of the six finalists in their entirety, followed by the awards ceremony. This DVD is perfect for baristas who dream about competing or bettering their skills and want to analyze every move these champions make in their 15-minute performances.

WARNING! SPOILER! James Hoffman of the United Kingdom was declared the 2007 WBC champion out of a field of 45 competitors. Second place went to Heather Perry of the United States and third place to Carl Sara of New Zealand. Baristas who won sanctioned WBC competitions held around the world were eligible to compete for the title. Baristas were judged on artistry, presentation, technical skills and the quality of the beverages they prepared.

The two-DVD set is a great Christmas gift for your coffee friends, and retails for $69.95. Click here to order.

Portland played host to the Davis Cup final last weekend and I was lucky to be able to attend. By beating Russia, Team USA brought home the Cup for the first time since 1995. The front row courtside seats I had were a dream come true, and seeing Roddick, Blake, Fish and the Bryan Brothers, and, of course, some amazing Russian players up close, was awe-inspiring. Experiencing the tradition associated with event was also something I will never forget. Sitting only feet from the service line and watching serves in excess of 130 mph, was big fun.

Congratulations Team USA for an unbelievable accomplishment and for your part in bringing tennis to the forefront of American sports.

Matt has just developed what I think will become a major specialty coffee Web site. The new site, Barista Exchange, is the result of an idea he has had for a long time. I remember him telling me about the concept back in February of 2006, and it’s great to see it finally come to fruition.

At the time, I told him his idea was genius, and it is! Matt is currently the Director of the American Barista & Coffee School and Bellissimo’s Consulting Director, but before that, he was a barista for many years and even spent time in Italy working at a coffee bar while he was going to school. As a result, he understands how much baristas and coffee bar owners around the world have in common with each other. It became obvious in his mind that developing a Web site for them to connect with one another would be a great way to bring the coffee community together.

In Matt’s own words, “My senior year of college was spent studying fine arts in Italy. During the 14 months that I lived there, I was lucky enough to also work part time in a traditional coffee bar. I learned so much from immersing myself in a cafe in another country. Coffee transcends all cultures, all races, and languages, and I truly hope that Barista Exchange will help educate and connect baristas, shop owners, coffee roasters, coffee farmers/producers and coffee enthusiasts worldwide."

His original idea was to create a Web site where, for example, a barista in Croatia could contact a fellow barista in a different city, say San Diego, and set up a work exchange for a week, month or year. That was only the beginning. The site has expanded far beyond its initial mission and has the potential to become a major informational and social networking site for the entire coffee world. In addition to creating opportunities for baristas to swap positions, the site also includes photos, blogs, videos, an RSS coffee news feed, and special interest groups for members to join.

Barista Exchange has been “live” for only a few days and already has over 100 members. Once the word gets out, I predict more than a 1,000 or more coffee people will join by the end of the year. I believe everyone in the coffee industry will want to link into Barista Exchange and connect with others who share their passion.

All of us in the industry realize specialty coffee is a phenomenon that has expanded far beyond Europe and the U.S. Each year, Bellissimo receives more and more international calls and sells a larger percentage of its educational products to customers around the world.

It’s been no different at the American Barista & Coffee School. When I lectured to this month’s class, I looked around and saw that more than one third of our students were from out of the country. This month we have students from Korea, Singapore, Nicaragua, Canada and Lebanon. Because of the fine reputation ABC’s has acquired over the past four years, we attract students from just about everywhere.

Here is a partial list of countries that ABC's students call home:

El Salvador (After attending ABC’s, our student Lily went on to win her country’s 2007 Barista Championship and will go on to the World Barista Championship in 2008.), Costa Rica, Japan, Malaysia, Bermuda, Bahrain, Jamaica, Mexico, Thailand, France, Russia, Nicaragua, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Aruba, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, The United Kingdom, The Virgin Islands, Hong Kong, Spain, and The United Arab Emirates.

Of course, we can thank the Internet for making our school so multi-cultural. But, another factor is the worldwide hunger for knowledge about specialty coffee. And because of the large number of international students who attend ABC’s, we are conscious of cultural differences and cater our curriculum to meet their needs.

Great news from former students of ABC’s! Lily de Bolaños from El Salvador won the country’s first ever barista championship held November 26-28. Another former student, Federico Bolaños, placed fourth. Delmy Solis, a barista who works at Lily’s and Federico’s coffee bar, placed second. The crew also won the award for best cappuccino and best signature drink. Lily will go on to compete in the World Barista Championship to be held June 19-22 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

According to Federico, they couldn’t have done it without attending our school: “Lily and I learned so much at the ABC’s. The training provided us with an in-depth understanding of the skills needed to perform like top baristas and also intensified our passion for specialty coffee.”

Congrats!

We are rapidly approaching Christmas and everyone at Bellissimo is going in a different direction to prepare for the big day. We’ve been having fun attending parties and socializing with dear friends and family, but we’ve also been keeping up with what has been a very busy December in the office.

Everyone at Bellissimo  — me, Kris, Matt, Stacie, Whitney, Jared and Ed — want to send our most wonderful holiday wishes to all our friends in the coffee world. Without the hundreds of you who have constantly supported us and encouraged us over the years, nothing we’ve done would have ever been possible.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!