My name is Ricardo Villegas. I’m a husband, father, and Colombian entrepreneur who, a little by chance, has been fortunate to be a part of the world of specialty coffee since 2002.
In all this time, what I’ve enjoyed the most has been meeting people who pour their soul into their work and strive every day to improve the quality in every cup of coffee.
It’s for that reason that for the last 10 years I’ve invested an important part of my time in specialty coffee education. I started out with barista training for the clients of my company in Bogotá, Colombia - Tecnocafé.
I’ve been a teacher for my clients, for students at Instituto Gato Dumas in Bogotá, and for people who want to be certified as Baristas, Roasters or Cuppers by the Specialty Coffee Association.
An it’s them, my students, who started to refer to me as #elprofedecafe (The coffee teacher). I thank them every day because they motivate me to keep learning so that I can share my experience with them and my future students while we enjoy a great cup of coffee.
What I do
Every single cup of specialty coffee requires the hard work of many people. There best cups can only be obtained when those people are real experts who combine knowledge, experience and passion - their commitment will ensure coffee lovers enjoy a powerful espresso, a sophisticated filter coffee or a warm cappuccino.
I began training baristas in 2004 and since then I’ve been sure that education is the most important factor in making sure coffee quality is constantly improving. The specialty coffee industry moves at a fast pace, which is one of the reasons why in 2016 I set a gola for myself to become an AST (Authorized Trainer) for the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association).
This goal became a reality in early 2018, when I received my License as an AST and began teaching Barista and Roasting Skills Certifications. Later in 2018 I added Sensory Skills to my course roster. These Certifications are part of the Coffee Skills Program - previously known as the Coffee Diploma System.
I’ve also had the opportunity to work along side clients in Bogotá and different parts of Colombia to help them improve their roasts, improving quality and consistency, and reducing operational costs.