COLUMBUS, Ohio, U.S. – Brandon Bir (in the picture), a coffee sourcing and education manager for Columbus, Ohio coffee roaster Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea, has earned Coffee Buyer Level 1 certification from the Specialty Coffee Association of America. He is one of the first 31 graduates of the new SCAA Coffee Buyer Pathway.
“Brandon is a vital member of our innovation team, and we’re tremendously proud of him!” said Greg Ubert, founder and president. “This certification demonstrates his understanding of coffee, the green coffee market and the logistics of purchasing as well as customer service, cupping and brewing.”
To prepare for Level 1 certification, Bir completed courses on the foundations of coffee, green coffee market principles and dynamics, coffee production and inventory control, and coffee purchasing strategies. He then passed a comprehensive written exam to achieve certification.
“This certification furthers my understanding of our industry and proper purchasing strategies,” Bir said. “I will use this certification to better understand the needs of farmers trying to export coffee, and the logistics of what makes importation possible.”
As Coffee Sourcing Manager, Bir travels the globe to form relationships with coffee growers, cooperative managers, exporters and Q graders. In the past two years, he has traveled more than 50,000 miles to visit coffee-growing countries.
He also holds Level 1 and 2 certification from the Specialty Tea Institute and recently traveled to China to source new loose-leaf teas.
Through Crimson Cup’s Seven Steps to Success program, Bir also works with independent coffee houses, restaurants, food service operations and colleges and universities that serve Crimson Cup beverages.
The Seven Steps form the basis of Crimson Cup’s coffee shop franchise alternative program, which has helped more than 250 independent coffee shops in 29 states start and maintain successful businesses.
Based on Ubert’s book, Seven Steps to Success in the Specialty Coffee Industry, the program teaches prospective coffee house owners and their staff everything they need to run a profitable coffee house or café.
