A woman comes into a coffee shop…

She is greeted by the door by a tall, male barista. She is greeted again at the till by another who asks what she would like. The barista at the grills is asked if they have any teacakes. This one doesn’t know, so she says she’ll check. Another barista finishes wiping the back bar and turns and apologises to the woman, they are all out of teacakes.

The woman orders a flat white, and salted caramel muffin. She seems a little grumpy at the lack of teacake, but appeased by her server’s assurance that the caramel muffins are amazing.

Another barista enters the bar carrying a tray of clean crockery, smiles at the woman who is in the middle of paying, and moves around the bar with intent, efficiently putting things away then, looking at the till, gets to work, extracting a 3-shot, while the previously apologetic one is texturing milk. The one at the grill swipes up tongs and a plate and selects a muffin and places it on the tray that the serving barista has plated up.

The woman watches as her drink is made, professionally, and with care and hope that this one will be a good ‘un.  Flat whites are serious business in the barista world.

The woman thanks the barista, takes her tray, is careful not to disrupt the latte art on her drink, and makes a beeline for a window seat, away from the group of mothers and their babies that are discussing their mother-in-laws. She doesn’t give the 5 people that have just served her another thought, and not unusually so. She is a satisfied customer so far, and why would she give anymore thought? She was a served customer, the trade took place; that is that.

I’m not saying she should give another thought but in this one visit she encountered 5 members of a team of 10, that’s half of what makes the shop possible.

Here’s what she doesn’t know or realise..

The team are incredible young people.

The one that made her milk is beautifully loyal. He is tired though as he has had only 4 hours sleep. This is because he has a second unpaid job, a sister that he takes to school, a mum that he has been looking after following an operation, and a long-term girlfriend that finds it hard to share him him other commitments. He makes music at this other job that keeps him working through the night. He mixes, produces, creates. He has an ear for it and a dream that he is chasing and supporting by making coffee. He is very funny, softly spoken, and pretty damn patient. He makes the rest of the team laugh a lot with funny voices and accents. He is 20 tomorrow. He is dependable, thoroughly decent, responsible, and he can eat 4 toasties in one sitting.

The girl that served the woman is on a personal mission. For her, it’s all about growth and development. She has a sweet and innocent but crisp and feminine sounding voice. She is just beginning to feel confident and comfortable as a member of the team. She has shown a slowly emerging sassiness that has taken everyone by surprised. She feels pressure from various directions, to be certain things and to act certain ways and be there for those that should be setting her free. She is unbelievably capable but hasn’t quite realised her potential yet, she doesn’t know exactly who she is yet but she’s almost there. She’s getting ready to leave home and go to uni. And my god is her mind sharp. When this girl finds her feet and the direction that feels right, she will be an almighty force to be reckoned with. She is meticulous, logical, and couldn’t be anymore of a help.

The one that smiled a Cheshire – cat smile, and let out a loud and friendly greeting to the woman, wants his own coffee shop. He is a hopeless romantic that recently proposed to his girlfriend. He is a toyboy, but a besotted one that is ferociously loyal. He is a season ticket holder for his favourite footy team, which sits just under his fiance when it comes to his priorities. This fiance is a rival coffee shop store manager. He lacks confidence sometimes in his abilities, and is often easily distracted but his customer service is second to none. He is hilarious, has the weakest filter but gets away with saying so much. Strong women scare him but he is energetic and cheeky. He is 20 and learning to think ahead so as to avoid pissing off strong women. He deeply cares what others think if him, he can dance incredibly for such a tall person… and has a sense of humour that forces its recipients to tears.

The girl at the grills is just 17 and she is really tired; her busy brain just won’t turn off at night. It’s full of determination, history, politics, and calm, mature enthusiasm for her future. She never raises her voice and swears she has never really lost her temper. She is placid and so kind natured to all those around her. It has been known that she can almost fit a whole chocolate twist pastry in her mouth, when dared. She is the kind of girl that jumps to help immediately with no hints or requests required. Her interests are varied, she wants to enter the big bad world of politics and has fallen in love with her chosen uni. She is reliable, has a high – pitched laugh that is infectious. She isn’t scared of a challenge and filled her time admirably. For example, she is the kind of girl that will do a 3 hour shift before sixth – form because she knows her manager is tired, and then she comes back to close the store. Her work ethic is incredible. She is crucial but tired out; overloaded with pressure from every angle, mostly herself. But what customers don’t see if her working alongside her best friend – both girls self-less in their considerations for each other. Others may see just a fluid interaction of 2 team members but the team see two best friends, mostly rota-ed together, finding that work feels less like work when you work with friends.

The girl that came with the tray is also 17 and has hair that her manager is jealous of! She too is calm, but by no means sluggish. She sings as she works; sometimes quietly, sometimes loudly when the store is closed and she’s mopping the floor. When she sings as she works she probably doesn’t realise how much her team listens to her. She’s brave on stage but sometimes shy and she too, is chasing her dreams. By day she is learning how to best use her talent and at weekends and after college, she if found with her team, being attacked in Guard spray play-fights, and five minute gossip sessions on the sofas. Her cooler skills are awesome, and she always has a smile even when she’s sad. She hates to let people down, worries a little too much, and keeps sad things private. She too is crucial, perceptive, utterly reliable, with a work ethic to be admired. There is no doubt she will succeed, is the best friend of the girl at the grills and together, as with most of the rest of the team, they work seamlessly.

This little team in a reasonably sized shop in a small and odd town is full of dreams and ambition. There is creativeness, talent, and drive. There are really young people with direction and purpose and all of that is present in the store, in the service, and channelled into the products they produce through the processes they are taught. The processes that, much like education, present a clear path from A to B. That if you do this, you will achieve this. They all must understand this as they are all doing A in order to reach B. They are all forging identity and growing in confidence day by day. They are learning patience, efficiency, quick thinking, planning, responsiveness to people, reading those people and learning so much about themselves as they go.

It’s awesome to see and be a part of. These are exciting, dynamic, and talented people that are finding their own way. There is passion and commitment, vivacity and ideas.. and all of this behind a flat white – the drink that baristas strive to perfect, the most difficult to get down, with its various processes. Yet they will practice over and over, they will be hard on themselves over it, feel frustrated at the journey from A to B in this particular process. The same elements apply: instructions, passion, practice, and success.

The lady with the flat white doesn’t see any of this. And why would she?  She is just reasonably happy with her drink, the price, the service. She’s forgotten about the lack of teacakes, that didn’t get ordered because the tall guy was a bundle of nerves the day before he proposed to his fiance.. she only briefly contemplates returning to the counter to say that her coffee could do with being a little hotter, because the barista was so careful as to not burn the milk. She can’t see the essay that is being mentally planned by the girl at the grills who’s dream won’t turn to reality unless she gets an almighty AAB combination. She can’t hear the singing of the shy girl with the tray as she rehearses for a performance with a knotted tummy but a beaming smile. She doesn’t know that the phrase ‘two ships passing in the night’ is being scrutinised by the girl that took her money.

There’s no way she could know, and no reason she should…

But these people, in this place, sharing this time, are not just about ‘coffee and pastry’ as a barista/scientist once asserted. All of the above made that flat white with so much more to it, and in it, than the woman that drinks it could possibly perceive.