Barista Guild of America Membership Survey Results
The Barista Guild of America recently conducted its annual membership survey for 2011. Let me first thank everyone who took the time to complete the survey. Your feedback is the most important information that we, the Executive Council, have in order to make decisions about how to lead, grow, and support your guild. If you are a BGA member and would like to view a summary of the results, click here.
Also, if you did not fill out the survey please and would like to provide feedback please email or call your Chapter Representative or Executive Council Member. You can find our contact information here.
I personally was very excited to see the results from this year’s survey. Not only because what you told us you want are exactly the things we as an Executive Council have been working towards for the past year, but also because this past year has marked the advancement of many new things for the BGA and from what you said, you've noticed! The most exciting part is the huge level of agreement between the membership of what is needed and wanted from the Guild. This is exciting for us as Executive Council members because now we can focus on how to do what our membership is asking for, rather than spending time wondering what our membership wants.
In summary, over 60% of the respondents said consistently the reasons they joined and what they want from the BGA are...
1. You want to connect with like-minded baristas.
2. You want access to information and coffee education.
3. You want to promote and support the craft of the Professional Barista.
I was so excited to see this become a recurring theme in the survey because it confirms the direction that the Executive Council has been working in for the past 2 years. In that time, we have developed three levels of certification, two of which are fully enacted, and we launched our annual Camp Pull-A-Shot in October of 2010. The ideas behind these programs were motivated by the sentiments listed above. The BGA certification program now has twelve 3-hour classes dedicated to the barista profession. With Camp Pull-A-Shot, we now have an event to connect with the Barista community, and to learn at the same time. So where do we go from here?
In the year ahead, those of us on the Executive Council are thoroughly excited about where we are positioned. We feel that the groundwork has been laid, and we are ready to continue building something that will be a remarkable force in our industry. To give you a glimpse of things to come, I thought I’d share with you some of things we’re planning for this upcoming year:
Formation of Regional Chapter Committees - Each Chapter Representative is now recruiting interested members to help support, and foster community in each of our 10 regions. Interested? Contact your Chapter Rep. to find out what you can do to help!
Membership Involvement Opportunities - Want to be involved with planning Camp Pull-A-Shot, BGA events at SCAA, or other BGA activities? We want your ideas, energy, and passion. Please contact an Executive Council member about what you are interested in doing.
Camp Pull-A-Shot 2011 - We will be returning to El Capitan Canyon October 24-27 for this year’s event. This year we are excited to bring you new certification classes for level 3, and a new slate of prominent guest speakers, and challenging topics. Not to mention 4 days with 150 of your best friends in the coffee industry. If you missed Camp Pull-a-Shot 2010 visit the archives on our blog / facebook page. You’ve got some catching up to do!
For the next few months the majority of the Executive Council’s energy will be going into the 3 initiatives mentioned above, along with 2 other big, exciting projects we are not quite ready to announce yet. We are excited about the year ahead, and growing together with you. Remember we are all working together to promote, respect, and support the craft of the professional barista.
If you were unable to fill out the survey and would like to provide feedback, please email or call your Chapter Representative or an Executive Council Member. You can find the information on the contact us page of the website.
I personally was very excited to see the results from this year’s survey. Not only because what you told us you want are exactly the things we as an Executive Council have been working towards for the past year, but also because this past year has marked the advancement of many new things for the BGA and from what you said, you've noticed! The most exciting part is the huge level of agreement between the membership of what is needed and wanted from the Guild. This is exciting for us as Executive Council members because now we can focus on how to do what our membership is asking for, rather than spending time wondering what our membership wants.
In summary, over 60% of the respondents said consistently the reasons they joined and what they want from the BGA are...
1. You want to connect with like-minded baristas.
2. You want access to information and coffee education.
3. You want to promote and support the craft of the Professional Barista.
I was so excited to see this become a recurring theme in the survey because it confirms the direction that the Executive Council has been working in for the past 2 years. In that time, we have developed three levels of certification, two of which are fully enacted, and we launched our annual Camp Pull-A-Shot in October of 2010. The ideas behind these programs were motivated by the sentiments listed above. The BGA certification program now has twelve 3-hour classes dedicated to the barista profession. With Camp Pull-A-Shot, we now have an event to connect with the Barista community, and to learn at the same time. So where do we go from here?
In the year ahead, those of us on the Executive Council are thoroughly excited about where we are positioned. We feel that the groundwork has been laid, and we are ready to continue building something that will be a remarkable force in our industry. To give you a glimpse of things to come, I thought I’d share with you some of things we’re planning for this upcoming year:
Formation of Regional Chapter Committees - Each Chapter Representative is now recruiting interested members to help support, and foster community in each of our 10 regions. Interested? Contact your Chapter Rep. to find out what you can do to help!
Membership Involvement Opportunities - Want to be involved with planning Camp Pull-A-Shot, BGA events at SCAA, or other BGA activities? We want your ideas, energy, and passion. Please contact an Executive Council member about what you are interested in doing.
Camp Pull-A-Shot 2011 - We will be returning to El Capitan Canyon October 24-27 for this year’s event. This year we are excited to bring you new certification classes for level 3, and a new slate of prominent guest speakers, and challenging topics. Not to mention 4 days with 150 of your best friends in the coffee industry. If you missed Camp Pull-a-Shot 2010 visit the archives on our blog / facebook page. You’ve got some catching up to do!
For the next few months the majority of the Executive Council’s energy will be going into the 3 initiatives mentioned above, along with 2 other big, exciting projects we are not quite ready to announce yet. We are excited about the year ahead, and growing together with you. Remember we are all working together to promote, respect, and support the craft of the professional barista.
If you were unable to fill out the survey and would like to provide feedback, please email or call your Chapter Representative or an Executive Council Member. You can find the information on the contact us page of the website.
Dan Streetman
Vice Chair, Barista Guild of America