EVERY coffee aficionado knows how real coffee tastes. But if everyone would know how a cup of joe is passionately made, it will never be the same morning again.
In Jamaican Food and Beverage Training Center, coffee is made with skills and a full heart. The man behind this training facility, Renato Sumania, made sure of that.
Sumania was a professor in Barista and Coffee Academy Asia (BCAA) and a former chairman bar competition of Cagayan de Oro Hotel and Restaurant Association (Cohara).
“It was named Jamaican because it’s the place we can only find the best coffee. In Jamaica, the soil is rich and the climate is cool and misty. The combination of both is considered ideal for coffee,” said Sumania.
Jamaican F & B Training Center is located in Barangay Carmen in this city. The center can accommodate at least 10 to 20 students. It has an espresso machine and other facilities for its different programs.
It was established in 2003. It started as a consultancy firm from various hotels in this city. In 2004, it was noticed by Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda). The firm, however, was not qualified. Before an accreditation, it is a pre-requisite to have a building, a clinic and library.
It was in 2006 where the firm was finally accredited by Tesda. From a consultancy firm, the center is now offering trainings and seminars for interested participants. Some of their regular programs offered are, namely: Food and Beverage Services (FBS) National Certificate (NC) III, Bartending NC II, Barista NC II, FBS NC II, coffee shop consultancy with hands-on, resto-bar consultancy without hands-on, Cocktail Recipe Formulation with hands-on, inventory and costing and wine service and familiarization.
Each class may cost at least P9,000 for 22 days.
Jamaican F&B also partners with Cohara in organizing events and competitions.
They are also accepting regular and exclusive students in their center.
Exclusive students are those coming from other countries.
“I am from Saudi Arabia. I chose Jamaican F & B Training Center because it is cheaper here. The trainings are different,” said Mr. Talal Rabah Alsulami, an exclusive student in Jamaican F & B.
Alsulami was a former student of Sumania in BCAA in Cebu City. He came all his way here just to study and learn latte art. He wants to pursue being a latte artist because he likes coffee a lot.
When things are all good, I will put up my own coffee shop someday, he said.
Graduates of Jamaican F & B training center hold certifications and titles and won a lot of competitions. Kim Young Ron Han, a former barista student is now a NC II holder.
In the 2015 UAE National Barista Competition, Lyndon Recera, a Jamaican F & B graduate, received the award of being the 1st Barista from Mindanao who won the World Barista Cup. Out of 37 nationalities who joined the said competition, it was him who was picked as the best among the rest.
It is this year where Professionals and Students Culinary Show and Live Competition made two of the students from Jamaican F & B declared as grand winners. One of them was James Ucat, the grand winner of Nescafe Cold Coffee Challenge professional category and Celeste Dosdos, grand winner of Nescafe Cold Coffee Challenge student category.
“Upgrade always,” said Sumania on being asked on what is the advantage of his school from competitors.
Sumania travels from one country to another to study and learn new ways and coffee trends. It is his eagerness and vision that drive him to make all these things possible.
“Love your passion,” he said.