Wesley Yeamen is the founder of Arobisca Training Center located in EcoBank building along Mundi-Mbingu Street in Nairobi CBD.
Established in 2018, the training center offers professional roasting and barista courses to budding baristas and coffee brewers.
Having been in the coffee industry for more than 14 years, Yeamen is among the few international coffee coaches in Kenya.
Here is his story as told by WoK.
Yeamen has been in the coffee industry for more than 14 years.
In an interview with Standard, he noted that his love for coffee started while in high school all thanks to his brother.
“My love for coffee grew when I was in Kakamega High School around 2005 and 2007, then my brother who worked for one of the leading companies used to come with one tin of instant coffee during the visiting days,” he said.
Yeamen explained that the fulfillment that came with consuming coffee saw him develop an interest in how it was processed.
Following the completion of his secondary school education, he was hired as a steward in a hotel where his elder brother worked.
He started as a dishwasher before he was awarded a promotion years later.
“I started as a dishwasher as my appetite to learn more about coffee grew; in between I got extensive training in all the departments within the company because they identified my urge around 2011 and got a promotion after three years then rose the ranks,” Yeamen said.
After his contract ended, Yeamen enrolled for a cyber-security and digital forensic course, and while at it, he worked as a barista.
“While studying, I got a job as a barista for a global organisation on a six months contract. When I completed the course I was absorbed in another embassy where I worked for two years as a techie then went back to my coffee,” he recalled.
While undertaking his new job, he went back to school in search of international certifications as a coffee coach.
Yeamen took a five-year course and learnt among other skills coffee roasting, brewing, barista, sensory and green.
“It cost a lot and I have travelled a lot through coffee training since I was into international relations on coffee skills certified in Africa,” he said.
Following the completion of the course, Yeameb opted to establish Arobisca Training Center instead of pursuing employment.
He used Ksh 4 million from his savings and bank loans to set up the venture.
“Out of the five modules that I learnt, I had to combine them and come up with a module that local Kenyan citizens can fit whether they got an education or not as long as they have the ability to learn something new or change their career,” said Yeaman.
The centre is accredited by Kenya Barista Organization and internationally recognised in around 20 to 35 countries.
The barista course takes five weeks and it costs between Ksh 40,000 to Kah 50,000. Yeamen works with five trainers who are equally internationally certified.
The course covers areas like introduction to coffee, hygiene standards, customer service, coffee roasting and sensory, beverages and menu, management and stock control finances.
