Professionalism is Contagious: My Starbucks Experience Aiming for the Black Apron
Hello. This is Takanori Yoshida from and Inc.
As I look back on my life so far and think about the future ahead, my experience at Starbucks, where I poured my passion during my university years, remains one of my starting points.
In this post, I would like to talk about the process of how my mindset shifted from that of a part-time worker to a professional, and my challenge to become a 'Black Apron Coffee Master'.
1. Days of just getting through the work
When I first started working at Starbucks, honestly, I was just trying my best to learn the ropes. Every day was a desperate struggle to hammer into my head the drink recipes, the types of coffee beans, and the flow of customer service as outlined in the manual.
After a few months, I gradually got used to the work, but at the time, I was still focused on 'completing assigned tasks' and I think I worked with the mindset of fulfilling the minimum requirements as a part-time employee.
2. Encounters with people changed everything
In the midst of this, a turning point arrived. It was meeting Mr. Fukumitsu, who had left a major advertising agency to join Starbucks as a full-time employee.
Mr. Fukumitsu was someone who had been moved by the book 'Starbucks Coffee Story' and decided to change careers because he genuinely wanted to work there. His passion for Starbucks was incredible, and he was the kind of person who naturally ignited a fire in the staff around him.
I, too, was gradually influenced by Mr. Fukumitsu, and instead of just fulfilling the minimum requirements as a part-time employee, I began to rethink how I worked at Starbucks to “add value to my work here”.
3. I started thinking about how to increase sales
One day, when I was working at the register, Mr. Fukumitsu praised me, saying, 'When you're at the register, Yoshida-kun, the cake sales are really good!'
I think it was just a coincidence that sales were good at that time. However, my desire to live up to Mr. Fukumitsu's expectations grew stronger. And so, I began to seriously think about how to increase the store's sales (how to contribute to the customers).
How can I convey the appeal of the products? How are the customers reacting? What ideas can I share with the staff? I started acting with that perspective, and little by little, I began to contribute to sales.
And it was the event that first made me conscious of the meaning of my work and my presence, wanting to be the kind of person who makes the store's sales better when I am on shift.
4. The challenge of the Black Apron
One day, Mr. Fukumitsu asked me, 'Why don't you try challenging for the Black Apron Coffee Master with me?'
The Black Apron is a title awarded to those who possess particularly deep knowledge of coffee, customer service skills, and passion, even within Starbucks. At the time, it was a coveted position, with only two people selected each year from hundreds of coffee masters in the Kumamoto area.
At first, I felt intimidated, thinking, 'It might be too early for me,' but as if pulled by Mr. Fukumitsu's passion, I decided to take on the challenge.
Aiming to pass, I started studying coffee from scratch. I bought books on coffee at bookstores and read them over and over, visited various cafes to confirm the differences in taste, and even roasted raw beans at home to check the changes in flavor, becoming even more deeply immersed in the world of coffee.
Then, in my second year of university (at age 20), I was appointed as a black apron Coffee Master representing Kumamoto Prefecture. For the approximately three years until I graduated from university, I immersed myself in my duties as a black apron.
5. The world that opened up with the black apron
After becoming a black apron, I was given the opportunity to gain valuable experience in various situations beyond the store I belonged to. Specifically, I engaged in the following activities:
[Things I was able to experience through my work as a black apron]
・Participating in meetings where black aprons from all over the country gathered
・Attending store manager meetings for each area and presenting the latest coffee information and promotional points
・Hosting paid coffee seminars
・Participating in events held nationwide, including in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Kagoshima (I also experienced many business trips)
・Implementing coffee bean sales promotions and event activities for all stores in the Kumamoto area
and so on.
Through these activities, I was able to receive a lot of learning and stimulation that I could not have gained from my regular work at the store.
Even though I was a student part-timer, I am still full of gratitude to Starbucks for allowing me to gain so much experience.
Through this experience, I realized that rather than just doing tasks as a part-timer, finding the meaning and value in working there and deciding whether to "approach work as a professional" makes a completely different future unfold.
And, I felt deeply once again that in any workplace,"who you work with"can greatly change your perspective on life.
6. Conclusion
"Professionalism is contagious."
Through this experience at Starbucks, I felt that very strongly.
Who you work with. Those encounters change your values and actions, and significantly shift the direction of your life.
Time spent with people who work seriously naturally makes you serious as well. And I believe that it is that very attitude that, before you know it, attracts opportunities and opens new doors.
Moving forward, I want to continue to be someone who engages seriously with others while cherishing every single connection. And together with such colleagues, I will continue to take on new challenges.