A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit Ortonville, Michigan, which is a northern rural suburb of Detroit. Flying three-quarters of the way across the United States is a big deal. Traveling alone does not make me nervous, but rather the task I was given while visiting made me apprehensive. I was to train an entire staff on the art of creating espresso drinks and assist them in properly setting up the new drive-through coffee shop which would be opening within two weeks.
The concept of the “drive-through” coffee stand has recently been introduced to the area, so I knew the training would need to be even more in depth than my typical training in Portland. My nerves were calmed as soon as I met the amazing owners, Pete and Lisa. They introduced me to the local attractions like Cooks Dairy for ice cream after 9 hours of training (Banana chocolate chip!! Heavenly…) and helped save a snapping turtle who decided to cross a busy road.
Training consisted of working with eight new baristas (the girls were so excited this was their new job title!) who were all super energetic and ready to dive into the coffee culture. Their enthusiasm made for three days of great training. By the end of the third day, the new baristas had a grasp on the concept and were beginning to create their own personalized drinks.
Since training a few weeks ago, Mo Jo’s has opened their doors (well…windows) to the locals and many travelers. They have steadily become busier every day and are educating customers on espresso and their Farm Friendly Direct™ Dark Sumatra coffee they serve up hot each day.
The shop sits right beside one of the busiest roads in the area with traffic backing up during the major rush hours. Pete and Lisa are super optimistic that many of these commuters will drop in for a quick pick-me-up to and from work. I agreed, this location deems promising results. Best of luck to them! We are so excited about our new Michigan customer!
