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Raise the Bar

LXCL:Raise the Bar supports coffee people with access to great education, caring mentorship, and career pathways in the specialty coffee industry. Our big in-person event is called LEVEL UP, and we also share coffee content and education virtually year-round on our Patreon (Raise the Bar). Join us to advance your coffee skills and career (+ make a new friend or two along the way)! - Team Raise the BarCo-Founded by Rachel Apple, Sandra Loofbourow, and Ivana Chan

Your support strengthens the heart of our mission. . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁. At Raise the Bar, we believe that coffee education, career development, and practical business support should be accessible and community driven. Every donation helps create in-person and digital learning spaces where coffee professionals can grow their skills, build confidence, and find their place in the industry. . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁. Our programs center the people who keep coffee moving. Through hands-on classes, scholarships, pop-up cafes, and collaborative learning environments, we offer pathways for coffee workers to deepen their craft and stay connected to a supportive community. . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁. When you give, you help remove financial barriers. Your contribution directly funds scholarships, fair pay for educators, and accessible programming for coffee professionals across the country. . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁. Thank you for being part of a community that invests in people first. We&#39;re so grateful to be in community with you! . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.

Your support strengthens the heart of our mission.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.At Raise the Bar, we believe that coffee education, career development, and practical business support should be accessible and community driven. Every donation helps create in-person and digital learning spaces where coffee professionals can grow their skills, build confidence, and find their place in the industry.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.Our programs center the people who keep coffee moving. Through hands-on classes, scholarships, pop-up cafes, and collaborative learning environments, we offer pathways for coffee workers to deepen their craft and stay connected to a supportive community.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.When you give, you help remove financial barriers. Your contribution directly funds scholarships, fair pay for educators, and accessible programming for coffee professionals across the country.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.Thank you for being part of a community that invests in people first. We're so grateful to be in community with you!. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.

✦ Level Up 2026 SUPERCLASSES ✦Optional Half-Day Workshops &mdash; Friday, September 18th&nbsp; ✨ NEW THIS YEAR: Friday Half-Day Intensive Deep DivesThe main Level Up weekend is built around breadth. Two days of workshops moving through espresso, latte art, sensory, cupping, brewing, business, hospitality, and more, where you sample what&#39;s on offer and find the corners of our industry you didn&#39;t know you were curious about yet.&nbsp; The Friday Intensives are the opposite. One topic, a half day, a small group, and an instructor who lives in that lane. Designed for attendees who want to leave with a specific sharpened skill set.&nbsp; These are capped at smaller group sizes for close-knit participation, extra hands-on practice and discussion, and held the day before the main Level Up weekend programming begins. Friday Intensives are optional and require separate registration.&nbsp; 〰Choose your track! ☕ Sensory SkillsFor attendees who want to slow down and taste with intention. We&#39;ll work on building a shared sensory vocabulary, calibrating against quality benchmarks, identifying common green coffee defects, and using sensory evaluation as a real working tool on the cupping table and behind the bar. Great for baristas making purchasing or menu recommendations, anyone moving toward green coffee or QC work, and folks who want to bring more structure to how they taste. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1787856623/wysiwyg/liby4tovrndm5pnyx5ow.jpg" style="text-align: center; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; user-select: none; max-width: 100%; position: relative; box-sizing: inherit;" id="isPasted" fr-original-style="text-align: center;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable"> 🔧 Coffee Technician SkillsFor attendees who want to know what&#39;s actually happening inside the machine. We&#39;ll cover espresso machine anatomy, routine maintenance, the relationships between water and equipment and extraction, and the troubleshooting habits that keep a working bar working. Great for baristas and tech-curious folks looking to build foundational technical knowledge and the practical skills to handle preventable service issues themselves, instead of waiting on a costly service call. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1787856652/wysiwyg/i5npwqhd218eqpuysews.jpg" style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; user-select: none; max-width: 100%; position: relative; box-sizing: inherit;" fr-original-style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable"> 📊 Coffee Business KnowledgeFor attendees who want to understand what&#39;s happening behind the caf&eacute;, not just on the bar. We&#39;ll cover the fundamentals of cafe metrics and economics, HR basics, hiring and retention, and how shift leads, managers, and owners actually make the decisions that shape your day. Great for current or aspiring shift leads and managers, future cafe owners, and anyone who wants to advocate more effectively for themselves and their team.<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1787856669/wysiwyg/jhk3pgjcexuxraj5mnd7.jpg" style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; user-select: none; max-width: 100%; position: relative; box-sizing: inherit;" fr-original-style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable">〰What about my lodging?Great question! The pass options include the extension fee to either Solo or Shared lodging options, so it can match your Level Up pass preference. Review each option closely, so we can extend your official lodging with the best option. 〰Additional Questions? Reach out to our team at <a fr-original-style="" href="mailto:LevelUp@raise-the-bar.coffee" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">LevelUp@raise-the-bar.coffee</a>&nbsp;

Friday Superclasses! Bonus Level Up Friday Education!

☾ ✦ Level Up 2026 ✦ ☾&nbsp;Presented by Raise the Bar CoffeeIt&rsquo;s a &ldquo;sleepaway camp,&rdquo; but for coffee people. Level Up is a weekend built for coffee professionals who want to grow their skills, build community, and reconnect with why they love this industry in the first place.Join us in Minneapolis for hands-on education, workshops, shared meals, late-night conversations, public caf&eacute; service, and meaningful time spent learning alongside some of the most thoughtful people in specialty coffee. This year, we&rsquo;ll host approximately 100 attendees for this immersive weekend focused on practical education, mentorship, hospitality, and real world coffee skills. Learn more about the event on our website:&nbsp;<a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.raise-the-bar.coffee/level-up" id="isPasted" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">https://www.raise-the-bar.coffee/level-up</a> 〰📍 Where?Mill City RoastersMinneapolis, Minnesota〰📅 When?Friday, September 18th &ndash; Monday, September 21st, 2026〰✨ New This Year: Friday Half-Day Intensive Deep Dive Classes!Before the main weekend begins, attendees can choose to add an optional half-day intensive focused on one of three learning tracks:&bull; Sensory Skills &bull; Coffee Technician Skills&bull; Coffee Business Knowledge These small-group sessions are designed for deeper dives, hands-on practice, and focused learning with industry educators. Friday Intensives are optional and require separate registration.&nbsp;You will receive this invite after securing your Level Up pass! Limited spots available. 〰☕ What&rsquo;s Included?&nbsp;Your Level Up ticket includes:✔ 2 full days of specialty coffee education✔ Hands-on workshops and lectures✔ Shared meals and community gatherings✔ Public cafe pop-up service experience✔ Local transportation during the event✔ Hotel lodging for the weekend✔ Access to elective classes and activities One of the most special parts of Level Up is that we stay together. Think summer camp energy: coffee chats in hotel hallways, late-night hangs, shared breakfasts, and friendships that continue long after the weekend ends.〰🏨 Lodging IncludedYour ticket includes lodging at our official event hotel, located a short ride from the venue. We&rsquo;ll share roommate matching, hotel details, and transportation information after registration. Local to Minneapolis or planning to commute? We offer a limited number of commuter tickets without lodging included.&nbsp;〰💛 Accessibility &amp; Community SupportLevel Up exists because of community support.The true cost of hosting one attendee for the weekend is significantly higher than the ticket price. Sponsors, donors, and industry partners help us keep this experience accessible for working coffee professionals.If you&rsquo;re attending through a company budget, management role, or are simply in a position to contribute more, additional donations directly support scholarships, educator travel, and future programming.Every extra contribution helps another coffee person get in the room.〰📨 What Happens After Registration?After you reserve your spot, we will be following up with you about:&bull; Elective workshop selections&bull; Roommate matching&bull; Accessibility and dietary forms&bull; Detailed schedules&bull; Travel guidance&bull; Community info and event updates You&rsquo;ll create your Level Up experience with us step by step!〰About Raise the Bar and Level UpLevel Up is organized by Raise the Bar Coffee, a nonprofit reimagining professional growth in specialty coffee through accessible, community-driven education. Our programs center working coffee professionals through mentorship, practical learning, and opportunities to grow both personally and professionally. We work to keep coffee education affordable, practical, and high-quality. Follow along with us @raisethebar_coffee

Raise the Bar

Raise the Bar

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Friday Superclasses! Bonus Level Up Friday Education!

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LEVEL UP Part II: The Sequel (2026) Presented by Raise the Bar

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