Dutch Bros Coffee chain with 1,273 locations makes its executives do a two-week bootcamp
Dutch Bros, the third-largest U.S. Coffee chain, requires leaders to work shifts.
The short version
- CEO Christine Barone completed the training to learn front-line store operations.
- For your business: when you grow, keeping leaders close to daily operations helps protect your company culture and service standards.
Christine Barone, the CEO of Dutch Bros, recently completed a two-week bootcamp where she learned how to pour drinks and run stores alongside regular staff. Dutch Bros, the third-largest Coffee chain in the U.S. by sales and locations, requires all top leaders to complete six hands-on shifts and pass a strict operations test.
According to Fortune, the company now boasts 1,273 locations across 27 states and 37,000 employees. The training program dates back to the company's roots in 1992, when founders Travis and Dane Boersma started with a single pushcart and 100 pounds of Coffee beans in Grants Pass, Oregon.
The family dairy business had been struggling before they sold their cows to launch the Coffee stand. By 2018, private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners acquired a minority stake to help fuel expansion. The company reported record-breaking revenue of $1.64 billion in 2025, marking a 27.9% increase from the previous year.
Executives say the mandatory barista training ensures that leaders at headquarters understand the shop environment and front-line customer interactions. Workers often correct mistakes during the training, which leaders view as a positive sign of an open company culture. The brand aims to expand its footprint to 2,029 locations by 2029 while maintaining the community-focused energy from its early roadside days.
Photo: Missvain, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
