Now Hiring: Barista for The Crown: Royal Coffee Lab & Tasting Room

Passionate about specialty coffee & service? This is for you!

Barista Core Responsibilities 

  • Stellar Customer Service
  • Create and serve drinks to the high standards set by the Tasting Room Manager and Lead Barista 
  • Greet every customer; serve and anticipate customer/client needs with the best possible customer service throughout the entire space, including behind the bar, in the brew and roasting lab, and in the cupping room. 
  • Present and explain the rotating menu to a clientele of both coffee professionals and the general public. 
  • Have a clear knowledge of all coffees being served, including their producer, roast profile, and current brew recipes. 
  • Cash Handling/Register Operation 
  • Maintain inventory of items essential to the Tasting Room’s success – coffee, paper goods, milk and more. 
  • Ensure customer service areas remain spotless and regularly sanitized throughout the day, including the Tasting Room, hallway and restrooms. 
  • Wash dishes throughout the day and maintain a pristine service environment. 
  • Communicate clearly with fellow Baristas, manager, Tasting Room Director and The Crown staff to ensure an impeccable experience for all visitors to our space. 
  • Supporting coworkers in community incidents 
  • Support a culture that attracts, retains, and develops the highest quality Baristas in the industry. 
  • Able to work an 8-hour day with an unpaid, hour-long meal break between the hours of 7am – 8pm (i.e. 8am -5pm or 9am – 6pm or 10am – pm)  
  • Flexible availability to accommodate seven days of operation. 

Lab Assistant Responsibilities: Detail Oriented Experimentation, Data Management, Tastings, and Presentations (secondary responsibilities) 

  • Maintain Presentation Room, Brew Lab & Roast Lab 
  • Assist with the setup, presentation, and cleanup of tastings and presentations. 
  • Experimentation with brewing, grinding and water science in collaboration with the rest of The Crown team. 
  • Participate in drink development. 
  • Assist senior Crown team with Crown Jewel Analysis as well as with building content for the blog, website, social media, and newsletter. 
  • Support Royal Coffee and The Crown team members. 

Collaboration & Cross-Functional Success (10-15% of the time) 

  • Apprentice in other key areas of The Crown to ensure the Tasting Room is fully synced with all other aspects of the space, and (more importantly) to continue to grow as a coffee professional. 
  • Take both classes from the Crown’s curriculum and SCA/CQI-certified courses when there is space and time available. 
  • Cup coffees (production roasts, Crown Analysis, new arrivals, calibrations, and experiments) with The Crown team. 

How to Apply

About You 

This is a unique opportunity for a creative self-starter looking to move the specialty coffee industry forward & grow their career.

  • Passionate about the specialty coffee industry, committed to transparency and collaborative in nature. 
  • Top notch customer service and interpersonal skills 
  • Able to work independently and be proactive. 
  • Adaptable to new procedures 
  • Attention to detail. 
  • Seeks opportunities for self-development and career advancement. 
  • Takes control and exercises leadership when necessary. 
  • Communicates and networks effectively, clear and direct verbal communicator. 
  • Desire to learn and explore all facets of the coffee industry; seeks out learning opportunities. 
  • Focuses on results and achieving personal work objectives 
  • Foreign language skills are appreciated but not required.
     

Benefits 

  • Pay $21/hr, with a planned increase at 3 and 6 months, and at one year assuming good performance.  
  • Health, Vision and Dental 
  • 401K Match 
  • Profit Sharing 
  • Paid Time Off 
  • Access to some of the best coffees in the world, with cutting-edge technology and the freedom to explore them 
  • Ongoing educational opportunities in our SCA and CQI-certified brew lab, roast lab, and cupping lab  

About Royal Coffee, Inc. 

Royal Coffee is a family-owned and operated importer of specialty green coffees, serving the international roasting community. Founded in 1978 by Bob Fulmer and Pete McLaughlin in a tiny office on Hollis St., we began with the purchase of a single bag of coffee that Bob and Pete used as a desk until they found a buyer for it. They turned the proceeds of the first sale into two more bags, and the rest is history. 

We import the finest coffees in the world, from over 30 countries of origin and a vast network of producing partners. From warehouses in Oakland, Seattle, Madison, Houston and Shanghai, Royal supplies some of the top roasting houses around the globe. Our humble roots continue to inform our day to day operations though, as many of our clients get their start with us buying a single bag of coffee. 

Whether our customers are looking for a single, high-end, exclusive 22lb Crown Jewel box, a pallet or two of individual selections from our extensive Offering Sheet, or a forward spread on multiple container loads drop-shipped to any port in the world, Royal’s trading and logistics are here to help. 

About The Crown: Royal Coffee Lab & Tasting Room

The Crown is an open-source coffee education center, laboratory, event space, and tasting room, celebrating the importance of Oakland to the international coffee community and its history. An incubator of ideas and promoter of experimentation across the entire supply chain, The Crown is inclusive, transparent, and collaborative. 

The Crown offers world-class training, experiments in roasting & brewing alongside exploratory and purchase-focused cuppings. We exist to support & connect producers, roasters, baristas & consumers.