Pune: Speciality coffee shops, artisanal roasting methods, and a focus on ethically sourced beans have contributed to coffee being treated with the same reverence as fine wine. The brew is now serious business in India, and entrepreneurs are taking dedicated courses on different aspects of coffee brewing , café management and sensory training to enter the market. Mumbai resident Shashank Mehra said it was his dream to open a speciality coffee chain, but he needed to understand the fine aspects of coffee before entering the space.
“I consulted various independent experts and have now enrolled in a one-year course that teaches various facets of opening a café,” he added. India now has certified institutes and training academies that can educate aspiring ‘café-preneurs’ on the nuances of quality management, roasting and other processes. Suhas Dwarakanath, owner of Speciality Coffee Academy of India, said they get a good response for their training courses as people are keen on taking up courses on barista skills and overall café management.
“We teach all aspects right from menu engineering, roasting, sensory skills to knowledge about green coffee and the rest. We also have a one-month and six-month programme which trains participants on everything from seed to cup,” he added. Sumanth Paranjape, head of Coffee Experience and Araku World Speciality Coffee Academy at Araku Coffee, has trained over 500 students on the nuances of coffee.
“We conduct multiple cou.