Training for the sixth generation of waiters, bartenders and baristas kicks off

On Monday, 5 December, training started for the sixth generation of Raise the Bar Academy students, where 13 waiters, bartenders and baristas will build on their existing skills over a period of nine weeks. In addition to theory classes delivered in Coca-Cola’s training center in Zagreb, the Academy also includes field classes and practical work at bars and restaurants across Croatia.

“Further quality improvements in the hospitality sector make the importance of investing in workforce a common denominator for all industry stakeholders. As a generation, our task is to popularize various jobs in the hospitality sector and leave behind us better people with better chances for success. We are proud of the fact that more and more people have become interested in our Academy year after year and that we have received a record number of applications for this generation. This only goes to show that many young and ambitious people are looking for new opportunities for their future and see the hospitality sector as their true calling,” said Filip Verbanac, Coffee & Premium Spirits Business Director at Coca-Cola HBC Adria and initiator of the Raise the Bar project.

Marko Pećnik, Principal Lecturer at the Academy, and coffee expert Tomislav Košutić will be joined by top experts who will introduce the realm of mixology, spirits, wine, coffee, beer and bar management to the new generation of students. This year, Ivan Jung, the best Croatian sommelier and co-owner of Noel Resurant, will be joined by Noel’s Chief Sommelier Toni Arbunić, also as a trainer. These top sommeliers will teach the students about the essentials of enology and international and Croatian wines, whereas Andrej Čapka, owner of the Zmajska pivovara brewery, will teach them about the process of making and serving, and about various types of beer.

Vedran Gulin, owner of SOI Fusion Restaurant, is another teacher to join the Academy this year – he will be conveying his extensive experience and knowledge in bar management to the students, including all activities from team management and workplace interrelations to customer satisfaction and business innovation.

45 waiters, baristas and bartenders have finished the Raise the Bar Academy to date. All alumni are currently employed, some of them working at the very finest restaurants and bars in Croatia, such as Noel Restaurant in Zagreb, Swanky Mint Hostel, San Servolo Resort & Spa in Istria, and the Olive Tree in Split.

Raise the Bar is a strategic platform of Coca-Cola HBC Adria, which has operated since 2019 with the aim of improving the quality of workforce training in the hospitality and tourism sectors. Raise the Bar allows hospitality and tourism professionals to adjust their skills to employers’ requirements through three programs: the Academy for waiters, baristas and bartenders, Scholarships for cooks and confectioners, and the Raise the Bar Youth training program designed for secondary school juniors and seniors studying to earn hospitality or tourism degrees.