With the opening of an American Barista & Coffee School [ABC’s] affiliate school in Beijing, China in September of 2009, ABC’s becomes the first U.S. coffee school to expand into the International arena.

Currently, ABC’s is the premier professional coffee school in the U.S., and the first in the history of the specialty coffee industry to offer a complete coffee business educational course combined with hands-on barista training. To date, ABC's has graduated 600+ students for 47 states and more than 40 countries around the world.

Bruce Milletto, founder of ABC’s and Matt Milletto, the school’s Director, traveled to Beijing in August to set up the China Barista Coffee School [CBC] and train the CBC staff prior to the school’s grand opening on September 2.

“Opening an affiliate school in China is a major step forward for Bellissimo and The American Barista & Coffee School,” said Bruce Milletto. “ABC’s has become the first coffee school in the world to establish an international brand, and to do so in a country that is on the cutting-edge of an explosive coffee market is very exciting."

The ABC’s curriculum was modified to fit the particular needs of the Chinese specialty coffee industry, while staying true to the ABC’s model. The CBC training center features more than ten two-group espresso machines, each from a different manufacturer. ABC's representatives will travel  periodically to China to insure CBC and their trainers are meeting the standards set by ABC's for its affiliate schools.

“I was excited to see so many passionate baristas in China,” said Matt Milletto. “I had the opportunity to train and work with 12 of the top regional barista competition winners, who were very eager to learn more about great coffees and how to present them. I see huge growth potential in China’s coffee industry in the coming years, and we are thrilled to have an ABC’s presence in Beijing and to expand our global reach as educators.”