The American Barista & Coffee School [ABC's] is the premier professional facility in the world for coffee business entrepreneurs who want to start up and operate a specialty coffee business. At ABC's, we work hard to ensure that our entrepreneurial clients walk away with a comprehensive understanding of the retail coffee industry and the confidence to open their own successful coffee operations. Attendees know they can contact us for continued support, and that their coffee businesses can benefit from the multiple perspectives of our diversely talented and experienced team members.

ABC's was the first in the history of the specialty coffee industry to offer a complete coffee business educational workshop combined with hands-on barista training. Since its inception in 2004, more than 700 entrepreneurs from 47 states and 40+ countries have attended ABC's programs. With the opening of an ABC’s affiliate in Beijing, China in August of 2009, ABC’s became the first U.S. coffee training facility to expand into the International arena.

• ABC's offers a comprehensive coffee business start-up and barista training program in addition to barista competition training and a wide spectrum of workshops for existing retailers and consumers.
• ABC's is not connected to a specific brand of coffee-related product, equipment or coffee. Unlike other training centers that use only one brand of equipment, we teach you on 10 of the industry's leading espresso machines and eight different brewing systems. We also let you work with coffee from 13 different roasters and expose you to a wide range of associated products. All the information you receive at ABC's is unbiased and in your best interest.
• ABC's is the only training center with more than 60 sponsors that rank among the leading companies in the specialty coffee industry worldwide.
• 700+ clients from 47 states and more than 40 countries around the world have attended ABC's.
  
• ABC's 2100+ square foot facility is the only state-of-the art training facility that includes an actual coffee bar setting for "real-life" practice and a sensory room, where coffee, water, milk and tea cupping workshops are held.
• ABC's "train the trainer" approach gives you or a key employee the graduate level barista skills required to train the rest of your staff.
• ABC's is the first U.S. training facility to expand into the International arena with Affiliates.
• ABC's barista trainers are competition champions and hold key positions at the most well-known coffeehouses in Portland.
  
• ABC's Staff are specialty coffee industry leaders who have owned or operated multi-unit retail coffee businesses and offer our entrepreneurial clients a broad range of knowledge born of decades of real-life experience.
  
• ABC's workshop sessions include lectures and demonstrations followed by hands-on practice. Our small workshop sizes insure a personalized experience led by coffee business professionals who have owned and operated successful retail coffee operations.
• As an added bonus, ABC's workshops feature experienced and knowledgeable guest speakers from some of the largest and best known companies in the specialty coffee industry.
• Portland, home to ABC's and Fresh Cup, Barista, Roast and Imbibe magazines, is the "new" coffee capital of the United States. Hundreds of specialty coffee operations and some of the best roasteries in the U.S operate in the city. While in Portland, our clients visit many of these innovative coffee shops and can see how other independents are able to succeed in a highly competitive market.
• ABC's is brought to you by Bellissimo Coffee InfoGroup, the specialty coffee industry's leading consulting company that has been advising the specialty coffee industry for more than 25 years.
• ABC’s atendees receive discounted rates on consulting services from Bellissimo Coffee InfoGroup, the specialty coffee industry’s premier consulting company.
  
• Bring a trainer to you! ABC's trainers can travel to your location and train your staff in your café using your equipment.

Rob Kettner, who took ABC's Competition Training, took fourth place in the Canadian Barista Championship held on October 14-15, 2009 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Rob lives in Victoria, Canada and is a co-owner of Fernwood Coffee Roasters. Rob first called ABC's a few months prior to the competition, and told Matt Milletto, ABC's director, he had only been pulling shots for a week or two and needed to learn how to be a competitive barista in a very short time frame.

Matt admired Rob's passion and designed a one-week course to prepare him for competition. He came to Portland with a suitcase full of coffees, small wares, and a dream. The week-long intensive training included guest instructors and past barista champions who taught Rob what it takes to succeed in a barista competition.

Samuel Purvis, two-time NWRBC competitor and ABC's trainer, worked overtime with Rob, dialing in his technical scores and timing. Into the wee hours of each night, ABC's trainers helped Rob work out a dialog and table top ideas for his presentation and discussed the coffees he would be using. Rob's business partner is a chef, and he worked with Rob to come up with a fantastic signature drink.

Congratulations Rob!