From Fortune · Emma Burleigh · · 2m
Dutch Bros CEO learns to pour coffee in mandatory bootcamp
Christine Barone and all top executives at the coffee chain completed a two-week training to work behind the counter, part of a strategy to preserve culture as the company scales.
In brief
Christine Barone and all top executives at the coffee chain completed a two-week training to work behind the counter, part of a strategy to preserve culture as the company scales. Dutch Bros requires all executives, including CEO Christine Barone, to complete a two-week bootcamp learning to make drinks and run stores…
CEO learns to make coffee
Dutch Bros CEO Christine Barone completed a two-week bootcamp to learn how to pour drinks and run stores, just like all other top executives at the seven point five billion dollar coffee chain.
Staff corrected the CEO's mistakes
During training, workers pointed out when Barone made errors. She says this shows a strong culture where teams care enough about customers to tell the CEO when something is wrong.
“That is one of the magical signs of a great culture that I need to make sure I build upon.”
The bootcamp teaches hands-on skills
Leaders complete six shifts of hands-on shop training, learning to perfect drink orders and deliver on the values of speed, quality and service.
From pushcart to three billion dollar chain
Dutch Bros started in nineteen ninety-two with a pushcart and one hundred pounds of coffee beans by railroad tracks in Grants Pass, Oregon.It is now the third-largest coffee chain in the U.S.
Record growth and expansion plans
Dutch Bros reported record-breaking revenue of one point six four billion dollars in twenty twenty-five, up twenty-seven point nine percent year over year.
Why bootcamp preserves culture at scale
As companies grow, preserving culture becomes difficult. Dutch Bros requires operators to start on the coffee line before moving into leadership, so they understand front-line issues and can build community connections from experience.
Bootcamp builds empathy across the company
A large number of Dutch Bros headquarters staff started as broistas. Barone says firsthand experience helps employees make decisions through the right lenses and develop empathy that extends from boardroom to coffee counter.
“When we're great at hospitality, the definition for me is almost the ability to think through how someone else will experience something, more so than ourselves.”
Growth target of two thousand locations by twenty twenty-nine
Dutch Bros hopes to expand its store footprint to two thousand twenty-nine locations by twenty twenty-nine. The bootcamp strategy is part of the company's growth from within model to maintain culture during expansion.
At a glance
Dutch Bros requires all executives, including CEO Christine Barone, to complete a two-week bootcamp learning to make drinks and run stores, maintaining company culture as it grows.
