Santo Domingo, DR.
Nestlé Dominicana and the Universidad Iberoamericana (Unibe) signed a collaboration agreement to train future baristas in the art of preparing coffee-based beverages, to expand students’ professional skills in the hotel and culinary arts careers.
Through this agreement, which is part of the “Nestlé Young Baristas” program, the students will be able to access first-class academic training that will allow them to complete their professional internship program and access future job opportunities in the market.
For Nestlé’s president for the Latin Caribbean Region, Pablo Wiechers, this initiative is aligned with Nestlé’s commitment and philosophy of creating shared value, which as a company not only focuses on the manufacture, distribution, and marketing of food products but also seeks to promote well-being and sustainable development in the Dominican Republic.
“With this alliance that we signed in the framework of “Nestlé Young Baristas,” we seek not only to contribute to the training of professionals who will dedicate themselves to this profession but also provide them with tools so that they can become, if they wish, ambassadors of the coffee culture in the country,” said Wiechers of Nestlé.
Dr. Loraine Amell Bogaert, Vice-Rector of Liaison and Internationalization, thanked Nestlé for its support, a company she considers a strategic ally of great value.
She also highlighted the support that the University will be offering in the process of teaching technical skills to future baristas through its School of Tourism and urged the development of a joint effort for continuing education in the training of staff needed as a company for this project so that they can later enter the workforce or start a successful venture.
In this first installment of the program, the different types of coffee produced in the Dominican Republic and other countries will be discussed; the benefits of coffee consumption and the barista’s role in this critical bean’s business will be analyzed.
In addition, students will visit local coffee plantations and learn in detail how coffee beans are selected and classified, as well as the aspects to be taken into account regarding water quality, the main characteristics for the cultivation and conservation of soils, pests, and disease management, among others.
The 21-hour extended training program will also cover topics such as techniques for the preparation of a good espresso, the correct creaming of milk, mill calibration, ideas on the ideal system for a business, and Nestlé’s sustainability programs.
Nestlé Young Baristas is a shared value creation program that belongs to the Youth Initiative, whose objective is to support young people in search of skills development by providing them with tools to bring them closer to the world of coffee.
The program was also created to support the dissemination of the culinary arts, providing practical accompaniment and training to students of hotel management, cooking, or related studies on the art of preparing coffee-based beverages.