Ethie Milner

• Overhauled an in-house barista training curriculum and protocol, resulting in robust, consistent barista skill training across cafes
• Developed a flexible wholesale training program allowing for trainings that are customizable to clients' varying needs and skill levels, resulting in measurably improved product quality across wholesale accounts
• Instructing wholesale partners on proper equipment maintenance, programming, and troubleshooting
• Created a highly effective and comprehensive education program designed to teach baristas at all knowledge and experience levels
• Empowering baristas to interface with guests by equipping them with specific product knowledge and confidence in the products offered
• Continuously developing an expansive curriculum for ongoing staff education, and implementing it by presenting materials in seminar and workshop settings
• Expanded quality control endeavors in both lab and café settings to analyze and improve quality and consistency in cafés
• Continuously exceeding expectations in the role
• Completing tasks to a high standard, maintaining attention to detail, managing time well, communicating clearly and effectively, building relationships, learning quickly, adapting to various needs of trainees, and utilizing creativity and a social personality

• Established a coffee roasting business focused on quality, ethical practices, and a unique brand identity
• Established an enthusiastic and loyal customer base by offering unique, top-quality products
• Approaching all customer interactions with care and kindness and an ability to share the fun and passion for the products with the customer base by communicating what makes them special and listening to customer needs
• Continuously improvised to solve problems and explore new approaches to effective business approaches and sales improvement
• Networked with other coffee professionals and small businesses to grow and improve the business and the products offered
• Envisioned an ethos to celebrate coffee producers and relate their stories
• Developed and fine-tuned roast profiles for a variety of diverse coffees
• Visualized and successfully executed a strong brand concept

As Coffee Curator

• Established a conscientious, high-quality green coffee buying program, resulting in increased sales of single origin coffees, despite higher price points
• Created a marketing program to share the company's vision and the stories behind individual coffees as well as the overall mission of the company's green buying program
• Created, implemented, and oversaw a dynamic employee education program in order to empower baristas to share product knowledge with confidence and accuracy
• Conducted regular quality control endeavors both with the roasting team and in the various cafes
• Communicated with wholesale clients about product presentation in order to maintain the company's mission throughout our wholesale presence
• Trained baristas on staff as well as wholesale clients

As General Manager

• Managed a new location opening, building a customer base, and solving various problems in real-time, and ensuring the company's quality standards were met, and its vision was realized
• Oversaw the daily operations of a high-volume flagship cafe, meeting or exceeding sales, cost, and labor goals
• Lead a small, highly capable team, continuously meeting quality standards and providing an excellent customer experience in a high volume setting
• Integrated programs developed as Coffee Curator within the cafe, resulting in improved retail coffee sales, even at higher price points
• Successfully constructed a system and schedule that allowed for a smaller, more skilled team to handle volume with ease, allowing the business to allocate the labor budget to pay high-skilled baristas higher wages
• Successfully navigated Covid shutdowns with staff and customer safety at the forefront, quickly reestablishing viable revenue with a skeleton crew, while keeping everyone safe
• Maintained high levels of satisfaction with both ownership and staff
• Lead by example and with respect, always listening to the needs of the customers, staff, and ownership to inform decision making