Hitting the Road with Bloom

Bloom, the coffee event that brings baristas and thinkers from across all platforms together, launches a multi-city tour this summer.

BY ASHLEY RODRIGUEZ
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE

Photos courtesy of Specialty Coffee Association

Educational resources for baristas can be difficult to find. Luckily, the folks at the Barista Guild and the Specialty Coffee Association launched Bloom, an event focused on talks, workshops, and educational experiences to build knowledge and enrich the lives of coffee professionals. In the past, these events have been one-offs, popping up every few months in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Providence, R.I. Now, they’re hitting the road.

Bloom invites speakers not just in coffee, but from across all fields, to talk about issues affecting the coffee industry.

“Bloom, a Barista Guild event aimed at generating dialogue and sharing knowledge, will take place in June in four cities across the US: Atlanta, Washington D.C., Salt Lake City, and Los Angeles,” a press release states. The first of these events, in Atlanta, will be on June 17, and the tour will wrap up in Los Angeles on June 26.

The events will feature a mix of community leaders and traveling speakers. “Over 20 speakers have been confirmed across four cities including Adam JacksonBey (Washington, D.C.), Michelle Johnson (Los Angeles), Eugene Kim (Salt Lake City), and Diana Mnatsakanyan-Sapp (Atlanta),” the press releases states. “Speakers visiting all four locations will be Erika Vonie, Coffee Master New York 2017, Chad Robertson, cofounder of Tartine Bakery and Coffee Manufactory, and Chris Jordan, COO of Tartine Bakery’s roasting arm and Califia’s coffee roasting partner company, Coffee Manufactory in San Francisco.”

Bloom will invite community members to lead discussions during each leg of the trip along with hosting a number of speakers who will be at each event.

The shake-up in format is meant to serve more coffee professionals across the nation. “Previously a one-day event, the new format this year of four events is being called The Bloom Tour. Bloom attendees can expect a program of speakers and panels focused on topics relevant to the craft coffee community. An interactive discussion between speaker and attendees follow each talk, creating the opportunity for meaningful dialogue,” the press release reads.

Bloom will travel across the nation with the aim of providing educational resources for members of the coffee community.

Tickets are still available on the Bloom website. Grab your tickets before June 10 to enjoy a discount—and to nab a ticket before they’re all gone!