Barista ≠ bartender brings humanity from the bitterness of coffee

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Hong Kong is a small place, but there are still unlimited possibilities. With the increasing popularity of shared spaces in recent years, some people have come up with the idea of creating a coffee-themed shared workspace in order to promote the exchange and development of the coffee industry.

This first coffee-themed shared workspace is located in San Po Kong Industrial Building. Playground.work invested 300000 yuan in additional equipment to provide a space of about 6000 square feet, while BrewMasters, a social enterprise, is responsible for its management.

BrewMasters provides a free platform for the industry to hold a variety of coffee-related activities, including large-scale international competitions, examination venues, training courses, etc., on a membership basis (300RMB membership fee per year). It is equipped with professional bean stir-frying machines, roasters, coffee machines, etc., which can be rented by members for training or practice.

A cup of coffee is full of bitterness.

As a social enterprise, BrewMasters's responsibility is to build a platform for young baristas who want to start a business to share the workspace and communicate with each other. Janice So, one of the core members of the organization, said that the status of baristas in the eyes of the public needs to be improved:

Most people will want to taste the cooking skills of a chef, but when drinking coffee, most people only know the name of the shop.

She hopes that the public's attitude towards baristas, like chefs, will understand that the job also requires expertise and experience.

It takes a lot of sadness, blood and sweat for a cup of coffee to appear in front of everyone before the barista achieves the taste he wants you to taste.

Janice has studied in Australia, studying in hotel and hospitality courses. She said bluntly that she used to think that holding a coffee cup of a well-known brand means knowing how to drink coffee. It was not until I lived in other places and had the opportunity to come into contact with the catering industry because of my relatives that I had a chance to know the real coffee culture. "only then did I know that coffee was played in this way, and the knowledge involved was even at the scientific level."

After drinking her own hand-made coffee, she felt for the first time a taste that made her have an impulse to share it with others, so she formed an inextricable bond with the coffee.

Shared space devices communicate well with each other.

The culture of Australia is very different from that of Hong Kong. Janice said that because Hong Kong people are under too much pressure, their salaries and working hours make it difficult for young people to enter the profession, and they are not encouraged and favored by their parents. Baristas are even equated with "water bars". Compared with the unpromising prospects of Hong Kong, baristas are regarded by Australians as a respected and beloved profession. Guests like to come into the store and ask for the work of a barista, and baristas don't mind.

Like being lit, very happy!

It turns out that in addition to brewing coffee, there is also the knowledge of people to communicate with others, so Janice hopes that coffee in Hong Kong will not only remind people of the hard work of working and staying up late, but that it can be enjoyed and cured. Having a cup of coffee and talking about life with friends can bring out human feelings even if it is bitter.

Another organizing member, Nigel Ng, who is also a professional barista and baker, has won numerous awards in a number of local competitions over the years. At BrewMasters, he also serves as a resident coffee master, providing professional advice and technical exchanges to baristas in need.

He said that the platform will provide professional training, but anyone who loves coffee is also welcome to come to communicate.

It doesn't take a lot of work to make a good cup of coffee. Many people are afraid to ask when they are studying, but this is not a very formal school.

He believes that the most important thing is that more people are willing to know and learn to appreciate coffee. He hopes that coffee can shorten the distance between people, at the same time, the platform can also shorten the gap between baristas.

To open a coffee shop, it is necessary to clarify the positioning.

Nigel once opened two coffee shops, but both times the rent was doubled by the owner after making achievements. He feels that it is not easy for young people to start their own business. many young baristas perform well, but they lack knowledge and experience in operation, which makes it difficult for them to succeed. Therefore, in addition to improving the barista's blending skills, he hopes to share his experience through this platform.

Can not open for the sake of opening, to find out their own theme and the positioning of the market.

If you only know a thing or two about coffee and rely on automatic machines to make coffee, it will become a restaurant and the business method will be different from that of a coffee shop. While rent is a stumbling block to starting a business in Hong Kong, he advises young people to try to find partners to share the expenses, to be prepared for business considerations, and not to rush forward.

They believe that many baristas in Hong Kong already have the strength to rush out of the world to win awards in different competitions, so they hope that when more young people embark on this road to show the standard of Hong Kong to the world, they will also be recognized and supported by the local public at the same time.