Donut King franchise crowns 100th barista

Local Brisbane sweet-tooth Deb Liversidge has been crowned Donut King’s 100^th Royal Bean Barista, the company’s most prestigious and coveted coffee accreditation.

 

Deb, with her husband Mace, own four Donut King stores in Brisbane – Brookside, Toombul and two in Strathpine. Joining the franchise in 1991, they have been Donut King franchisees for almost two decades.

 

Donut King roasts more than 160 tonnes of coffee and serves over 20 million cups of coffee every year.

 

Deb said she was thrilled to be recognised for her coffee prowess.

 

“I went through 10 hours of theory and 93 hours of practical training – it was hard work, but I loved every second of it. Customers always rave about our stores’ delicious coffee, so I’m looking forward to hanging up our new accreditation in store,” she said.

 

The Liversidges employ almost 50 staff across their stores, many of which are undergoing the same coffee training program to deliver great coffee.

 

Donut King National Operations Manager Chris Szysz said he was thrilled to acknowledge the achievements of one of the company’s longest standing franchisees.

 

“In the competitive world of coffee baristas that can make a captivating cappuccino or a luscious latte are valuable assets, so we are thrilled to have Deb on our team,” he said.

 

“I’d like to commend Deb for her dedication and commitment. She makes a great cup of coffee, so Brisbane residents are lucky to have her!

 

“Retail Food Group’s Coffee Training Program allows graduates to achieve the nationally-recognised qualification ‘Plan and Monitor Espresso Coffee Service’. This means that Donut King baristas, like Deb, can take their accreditation with them throughout their career, confident of their coffee skills.”

 

Retail Food Groups’ Coffee Training Program was launched in 2009 and consists of four levels – Introduction to Coffee; Coffee Maker; Barista; and Coffee Guru. It was designed to enable staff to develop a well rounded knowledge of coffee theory and practice, everything from coffee blends and extraction to pouring and service.

 

As Australia’s largest specialty donut and coffee chain, Donut King operates more than 315 stores across Australia, employing over 4,600 staff and serving 30 million donuts to Australians every year. 

 

The Donut King franchise network is owned and managed by ASX Listed Retail Food Group Limited (RFG), a leading Australian retail food brand manager and franchisor. RFG is the intellectual property owner and manager of the Donut King, bb’s cafe, Brumby’s Bakeries and Michel’s Patisseries franchise systems.