All Your Start-Up Questions Answered: Barista Nation Denver

Here’s a promise: Barista Nation Denver is going to be absolutely epic.

If you guys know Barista Magazine then you know how much we love and support the amazing organization, Barista Nation, which travels the world hosting educational events for coffee professionals that bring together industry leaders in intimate settings to really give participants a chance to interact with one another, learn, grow, and thrive in the specialty-coffee business. Barista Nation has traveled from Kansas City to Tokyo, from San Francisco to Paris, from Minneapolis to Vancounver, B.C., and all points in between.

For the first time, Barista Nation is headed to the mountains, the spectacular, gorgeous city of Denver, Colorado, to be specific. As if you needed a reason to go to this vibrant, super hip city, Barista Nation Denver will take place July 26 ”and you are all invited!

Oh, did we mention one of the very coolest things about Barista Nation? IT’S COMPLETELY FREE. That’s right ”free education, the way it should be.

The theme of this Barista Nation event is "The Start-Up" ”and some of the industry's most successful entrepreneurs are coming together to teach you all about how it's done. — The theme of this Barista Nation event is “The Start-Up” ”and some of the industry’s most successful entrepreneurs are coming together to teach you all about how it’s done.

Barista Nation Denver will take place at the totally awesome Galvanize space.

The official schedule for the event has just been announced, and it’s totally over-the-top insane impressive. Speakers include Jeremy Kuempel, the inventor of the Blossom brewer, which is one of the most talked-about new pieces of equipment in the industry; Jacob Ellul-Blake, the guy who built the La Marzocco Strada, for goodness sake, and now operates his own espresso machine customization company, Pantechnicon Design in Seattle. Tim and Tommy Thwaites who own Coda Coffee will be teaching a class. That’s right, Coda Coffee, the current winner of Roast Magazine’s Roaster of the Year Award. Industry veteran and leader Darrin Daniel of Allegro Coffee, formerly the green coffee buyer for Stumptown Coffee, will be there. Brant Curtis of Curtis ”that’s right, the same Curtis that’s been building some of the best brewers in the world for decades, and which just released the Seraphim, arguably among the tippy top of best coffee brewers around. Italian Coffee Champion Sauro Dall’Aglio, a coffee and cocktails consultant, and favorite instructor at many Barista Nation events, will give a hands-on workshop. Brian Cornelsen of Unic USA will join Brant Curtis and Jeremy Kuempel to offer insight into the development of the revolutionary Whole Bar concept. World Barista Championship judge Kari Guddeck from Bard Coffee will be there. The list of speakers is simply name after name after name of coffee industry leaders.

Brothers Tim and Tommy Thwaites, who own Coda Coffee, will share how their company has grown and succeeded to the point that it was named Roaster of the Year by Roast Magazine.

Jeremy K, the inventor of the Blossom, will share his start-up experience. — Jeremy Kuempel, the inventor of the Blossom, will share his start-up experience.

Brant Curtis, whose family company invented the Seraphim brewer, will talk about launching products.

Click on this image to view the complete list of Barista Nation Denver lectures and speakers. — Click on this image for a larger view of the complete list of Barista Nation Denver lectures and speakers.

YOU HAVE TO COME!

In true Barista Nation spirit, there will be epic parties to go along with the epic educational offerings. Huckleberry Roasters will host a Pre-Party Throwdown at their 2500 arimer St. location on July 25 at 7 p.m., and the famous end-of-event party will be held at the primary Barista Nation event space, Galvanize, on the evening of July 26.

BUT WAIT ”THERE’S MORE.

Two-time U.S. Brewers Cup Champion and U.S. AeroPress Champion, and owner of the successful new roaster, Sweet Bloom in Denver, Andy Sprenger will lead an all-day Boot Camp on manual brew methods on July 27.

For the first time ever, Barista Nation Boot Camp will be held following the main Saturday, July 26 event. Truly this will be another magical day. Why? Well, for starters, because it’s being held at Andy Sprenger’s new roaster, Sweet Bloom! Andy Sprenger is the 2011 and 2012 U.S. Brewers Cup Champion, the 2012 U.S. AeroPress Champion, and most recently, the guy who roasted coffee for the Barista Champion of Hong Kong, Kapo Chiu ”who just got second place in the World Barista Championship last week! As this event will be totally hands on and super intimate, there is a cost of $50. And $50 is nothing if you think about what it buys you: classes on water quality, extraction, specific manual brew methods and how to excel at them, and more.

Barista Champion of Hong Kong Kapo Chiu met Andy Sprenger in 2012 at the World Brewers Cup, where Kapo was a volunteer, and Andy won 2nd place in the world. Kapo and Andy forged a friendship and collaborated on the coffee Kapo used last week in the World Barista Championship. Kapo won second place in a remarkable accomplishment.

I can’t wait for Barista Nation Denver! I’ll be there leading an afternoon panel discussion on July 26 called “Pulling the Trigger: Successful Coffee Business Owners Reflect on Their Own Start-Up Experiences” which will feature some pretty famous names in coffee sharing their secrets to success.

Registration is open now ”just send an email to baristanation@gmail.com, or call 866.295.8642. Considering how amazing the line-up of classes and speakers is, this thing is going to sell out fast. So get your spot now!

And I’ll see you all in Denver!