Premier Training Campus Spotlight: Simonelli Group’s Academy and Coffee Knowledge Hub
Over the last two decades, the Simonelli Group’s pioneering Academy has grown to become one of the world’s leaders in coffee training.
Premier Training Campuses (PTC) are Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) member companies or organizations whose facilities have been inspected and certified by the SCA. The program recognizes that these facilities offer an exceptional education setting for coffee education.
This week, LAURO FIORETTI, Knowledge and Education manager, tells us about the Simonelli Group’s Premier Training Campus in Belforte del Chienti, Italy.
Lauro Fioretti (right) with a student during an in-person course.
Their offerings include a plethora of SCA Education courses taught by a staff of national and international trainers in both English and Italian. The academy’s desirable location and schedule has also proven to regularly attract students from outside their national borders. “Often students are flying in from all parts of the globe for courses and to enjoy the local region of Marche where the Academy is based. The area is famous for wines, charcuterie, and olive oil and has many artisan producers,” says Lauro.
So what is the significance of opening up an education center like this one based in Belforte del Chienti? “Coffee is an industry that is transforming rapidly every day,” states Lauro. With over 20 years experience, the Simonelli Group saw just how valuable education was and is for the surrounding community, at any level. For example, the Italian community is notably passionate about their coffee industry and its products. “There are now thousands of SCA certified coffee professionals in the country,” explains Lauro, “one of the highest rates of certification in the world.”
New technology, trends, and offerings are appearing and constantly shifting the landscape of the scene. By growing and maintaining the Premier Training Campus, first established in 2007, the Simonelli academy and it’s students stay at the forefront of these transformations, knowing what to expect next, and teaching others.
One of the most exciting programs run by the group is the Youth Academy. Each year, six to eight young professionals are selected through a rigorous application process to join the successful program. People from across Italy apply, and the selected applicants then spend a year partaking in all the Foundation level courses of the Coffee Skills Program (CSP) ), and barista skills to Professional level. In addition to this, they are given opportunities to work at events both locally and nationally. The breadth of the CSP courses is an incredible foundation for any coffee professional. The program has now expanded to London, Moscow, and Switzerland.
However, the academy isn’t all about reading up on the industry and the scene behind it, but having students try it all first hand on the best tools of the trade. “It is a trainer's dream to work with the latest espresso machines and grinders from Victoria Arduino and Nuova Simonelli—Black Eagles, the Eagle One, the Aurelia Wave, and the Mythos grinder range.” The location also offers a whole host of different educational and technological coffee tools. “The Academy has a sensory area with individual kiosks and red lights, a probatone roaster, an Ikawa sample roaster, and brewing equipment from Bunn and Marco.”
Recently, due to the unfortunate rise of COVID-19 cases and the implication of travel restrictions, the academy had to make the responsible decision to step away from hands-on education. The goal was and is to guide and coach individuals across the coffee industry. While the utmost caution was used to apply all national lockdown rules and SCA safety guidelines to the Campus, it soon became obvious that in-person classes were no longer an option for businesses and learners. So what was this Premier Training Campus next step? The Simonelli Group took action and launched online through the Coffee Knowledge Hub (CKH).
Nuova Simonelli’s commitment to education motivates it to grow its opportunities to offer education, whether in person or digital. “We know [the COVID-19 restrictions are] a temporary issue and we need to work for the future,” shares Lauro. “We have a vision that education will become more important for all businesses.” The brand new online education platform now offers a range of courses to further develop and support coffee professionals including SCA Education courses in Barista Skills, Sensory Skills, and Roasting.
The PTC and Coffee Knowledge Hub teams have worked hard to keep education going despite the pandemic, bringing students and their trainers to the next level of learning.
Achieving SCA Campus certification offers global recognition of a company’s dedication to make coffee better. Learn more about how to get your own training facility certified here.
If you want to find a Campus near you, visit our Campus Map.
Photos from Simonelli Group’s Academy