Two companies have taken on the responsibility and the challenge of hosting the 2006 NWRBC located this year in Portland, OR. The American Barista & Coffee School and Stumptown Coffee Roasters have stepped up to host the biggest barista oriented event to hit the NW this year! It will truly be an event to remember and will push all the boundaries of past barista competitions.

Thank you ABC's and Stumptown for all the blood, sweat and countless hours of preparation time that this event requires to present, also thank you to all of the other 2006 NWRBC Sponsors, we couldn't have an event like this without you.

American Barista & Coffee School
ABC's was founded in 2004 by Bruce Milletto, president of Bellissimo Coffee InfoGroup , the specialty coffee industry's leading consulting company. Since 1991, Bellissimo has set the standard for education and training in the specialty coffee industry. Thousands of coffee business owners have benefited from our expertise and created successful, profitable operations from single cafes to drive-thrus to major chains across the country.

Fueled by the passion of its founder, Bruce Milletto, and his son, Matt Milletto, Bellissimo has stayed on the cutting-edge of this explosive growth industry, and the company has evolved and expanded to address the needs of those entering the ever-changing specialty coffee market. The latest expansion of Bellissimo was the opening of the ABC's, where entrepreneurs from all over the world attend classes to learn what it takes to be successful in today's competitive retail specialty coffee market.

In addition to teaching entrepreneurs the fundamentals of opening a specialty coffee business, it is ABC's mission to expose students to a broad range of coffee-related equipment and products. To this end, Bellissimo enlisted the help of the leading companies in the industry, and today over 50 companies sponsor the school , allowing students to sample the best the industry has to offer.
ABC's students range from representatives of large established corporations who need to learn about coffee to entrepreneurs seeking to open their first coffeehouse. Our prestigious school draws existing retailers looking to boost profits as well as baristas looking to fine-tune their skills or prepare for barista jams.

The school's popularity resulted in a move to an expanded state-of-the-art facility in April of 2006. Located in Portland's Downtown Historic Industrial District, ABC's is in the midst of the best restaurants, shopping and hotels the city has to offer.

Stumptown Coffee Roasters
Stumptown Coffee Roasters is a pleasant little roastery and several cafes in Portland, Oregon, serving amazing, fresh coffee and espresso beverages. Since opening our doors, Stumptown has earned a devoted following due to our preparation of French Press coffee and beautiful espresso drinks.

We are dedicated to providing and serving the freshest most unique coffee, roasted by hand in small batches, to the Portland area. Believing in the social, environment and economic benefits of sustainable business leads us to not only support coffee farms that are committed to the well being of their workers, land and water, it compels us to be a sustainable business in our own community.

We take care in finding and roasting our remarkable coffees and it is out pleasure to train and educate those wishing to prepare a great cup of coffee and outstanding espresso. We think you'll notice the difference.