Simonelli Group, owners of the espresso machine brands Victoria Arduino and Nuova Simonelli, has launched a new knowledge hub. Our first impressions were positive as the courses cover a substantial breadth of the industry from the science to the business – see table below for the summary of courses.
Course Name
Course Description
COFFEE QUALITY INSTITUTE
CQI’s Q Coffee System is an internationally recognized program for evaluating cup quality.
COFFEE SKILLS PROGRAM
Specialty coffee is a diverse industry and SCA wants to help you develop your passion and sharpen your skills. The Coffee Skills Program (CSP) allows you to choose the education path that suits your interests and needs. These courseses are the most recognized qualifications in the coffee industry.
COFFEE SCIENCE CERTIFICATE
The coffee science certificate (CSC) is the industry’s first training program aimed at fostering a greater technical understanding of coffee science. Over 3 levels, this is a deep dive into the science of coffee with a strong focus on chemistry.
COFFEE MIND
A 2-day course full of testing, training and theory! On the first day, we’ll map your sensory skills to identify your strengths and weaknesses. On day 2 we’ll raise your level by giving you top tuned training and introduce you to important sensory theory and methodology. After the course, we’ll provide you with personal feedback on your performance. This will guide you to improve at your steepest learning curve in our six-week online learning program.
COFFEE SCIENCE HUB
The training course introduces the main constituents of coffee and milk and the main chemical-physical-biological processes during the transformation into espresso and cappuccino which have an impact on their taste, smell and, more generally, on nutraceutical and sensory properties.
BUSINESS OF COFFEE
A holistic course on setting up and operating café and roastery businesses. Setting up a coffee business is incredibly rewarding and draws on a broad range of skills. This course examines all the elements to consider when setting up and operating a business.
The hub appears to offer the courses in a hybrid mix of online and at physical locations. Bartalks went through the registration process and was slightly disappointed that we had to choose just one course we were interested in. We chose the Cupping course, based in the UK. There didn’t seem to be a way to express an interest in more than one course without doing multiple registrations, which was unfortunate.
Our goal –is to make the Simonelli Knowledge Hub the premier global platform for professional coffee education and certification. Through helping people achieve technical skills, broadening their knowledge of coffee science and investing in research, the Simonelli Group is enriching the global coffee community.
Lauro Fioretti who is responsible for knowledge and education at the Simonelli Group.
Their information page explains that the hub will go through continued development and does have an impressive list of education and service providers including, CQI, the SCA, Coffee Chemistry, Coffee Mind, and Simonelli’s Hub for Coffee Science.
Courses are delivered worldwide at Simonelli Branch offices in Italy, USA, France and Singapore and its network of Experience Labs in Australia, China, Indonesia, Spain and United Kingdom” Digital courses will be launching soon as well.
Simonelli knowledge hub information page
When Apple launched its highly successful education discount, they secured a young generation of Apple fans, long before they got into the workplace. Simonelli Group appears to be trying the same tactic with the addition of a ‘Youth Academy’ for young baristas between the ages of 18-30, which is part of the knowledge hub initiative.
As more companies realise that training is the key to establishing a brand relationship, we – the coffee lovers – will continue to benefit.
