Raise the Bar Academy: Business expert

Theoretical and practical classes are held in a modernly equipped educational center in the Coca-Cola HBC Croatia administrative building in Zagreb. The center is modular, equipped with modern bar equipment.
Classes will take place from Monday to Friday from 9 am to 3 pm.

Through theoretical classes, participants will gain the following knowledge and skills:
• General knowledge of the hospitality industry, market segmentation (global and regional), types of bars, global trends
• Micro and macro analysis, seasonality, creating offers, understanding consumer desires
• Financial planning and facility management
• team management, recruitment, team development
• Marketing, communication and PR, crisis communication, answers to difficult questions
• Social media
• Dealing with VIP guests, demanding guests
• Design, atmosphere, ambience of the bar

As part of each topic, participants will go through group and individual exercises which will help them create the final business plan for their bar. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to create and work in a unique matrix of costs for their own hospitality business, which will simulate the real costs of operating and managing the business.

After completing the first, theoretical, part of the program, participants will have the opportunity to participate in specialized practical classes intended to acquire advanced knowledge of wine, coffee and bar techniques.
Advanced wine classes will take place over two weekends (Friday and Saturday) in March, lasting a total of 4 days. Upon completion of the program, participants can take the test and receive the international WSET II wine certificate. Advanced wine education is available to all Raise the Bar Academy 2.0 program participants who express a desire to participate in this part of the class during registration.
Advanced bar techniques classes will take place over a period of 2 weeks after the completion of the theoretical part of the program. They will take place at the Coca-Cola HBC Croatia training center, led by Dominik Bečvardi, with guest lectures from relevant bars and bartenders. As part of the classes, participants will be able to learn techniques such as milkwash, fatwash, girovap, rotovap and others. Participants will have to apply for advanced bar techniques classes when applying for the whole program.
Advanced coffee techniques classes will take place over a period of 2 weeks after the completion of the theoretical part of the program. They will take place at the Coca-Cola HBC Croatia training center, led by Tomislav Košutić and Lovro Majić, with guest lectures by relevant baristas. The coffee training program is equivalent to the international SCA II program. Participants will have to apply for advanced coffee knowledge classes when applying for the program.
Due to the timing and complexity of the class, participants who opt for coffee will not be able to attend advanced bar techniques and vice versa. All interested participants will be able to listen to wine lectures.

The goal of the program is for participants to work on their own business plan for a bar through the program and exercises. Upon completion of all parts of the program, participants will have a week to finalize their business plan with the support of lecturers and mentors from the Raise the Bar Academy: business expert  and then send the business plans to representatives of the Raise the Bar team. Participants with the best-developed business plans will have the opportunity to present their ideas to a group of investors and potentially secure funds that will help them open their facility.

After the theoretical and practical classes and the mentoring process, program participants will have a ready-made business plan. Those participants whose business plans the lecturers, mentors and project team evaluate as the best will have the opportunity to present their plan to a group of investors through a 30-minute presentation.

The investors will then decide whether they want to invest in one of the presented business ideas. The investors are not obliged to invest in any presented idea. Presentation to investors is an opportunity for participants, however, it is not guarantee that the investment will be agreed.

If there is no investment in the participants’ ideas, these ideas remain the exclusive property of the creator of the ideas. In case the investor decides to invest in the candidate’s idea, the investor and the candidate independently agree on the details of the investment and the type of contract.

The applications for the Raise the Bar Academy: Business expert start on December 5th and will be active until January 12 2026. The applications are available on the webpage.

• Minimum 2 years of experience in the hospitality industry
• Employment status in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and/or Slovenia
• Existing vision for starting your own bar or improving the bar where the candidate currently works

The selection of candidates will take place in several rounds:

• revision of the application form, motivation and written concept of own bar or improvement of the bar in which the candidates are employed
• Online interview
• test of general knowledge in the hospitality sector
• Given the field of interest for practical classes in the program, candidates will also select which specialized education interests them – coffee or mixology
• Final interview

The general knowledge exam will take place live, in the premises of the Raise the Bar Academy in the administration building of Coca-Cola HBC Croatia in Zagreb.