Food franchise Donut King has just crowned its 100th Royal Bean Barista, awarding the company’s most prestigious and coveted coffee accreditation to Brisbanite Deb Liversidge.

“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,” Liversidge said.

Donut King national operations manager Chris Szysz said “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.”

Donut King is one franchise system within the Retail Food Group, alongside Michel’s Patisserie, bb’s cafe, and Brumby’s Bakeries.