Remember me
Photograph by Kaylie Yaceczko at Level Up 2025. Courtesy of Raise the Bar Coffee.
Level Up, the noncompetitive barista education and mentorship event launched last year by the nonprofit Raise the Bar Coffee, is returning to Minneapolis this fall with an expanded program and capacity.
Taking place Sept. 18-20, the second edition of Level Up will again center on working baristas and early-career coffee professionals, with most programming hosted at the headquarters of Mill City Roasters.
The event is presented by Raise the Bar Coffee, a nonprofit founded by Rachel Apple, Ivana Chan and Sandra Loofbourow with a mission to expand access to professional development in specialty coffee, particularly for people who have been left out of traditional industry education networks.
The event was designed as an alternative to coffee competitions and traditional trade-show education, offering a lower-pressure environment in which baristas can build technical skills and peer networks while exploring paths toward long-term careers in coffee.
Photograph by Kaylie Yaceczko from “Intro to Cupping” taught by Carly Green at Level Up 2025. Courtesy of Raise the Bar Coffee.
“My first decade of working in Coffee was in KC and OKC. There simply weren’t people like me anywhere I could see in the industry, and there were certainly no easily findable or affordable places to go to get education,” Apple said in an announcement shared with DCN. “So we wanted to make it easier for the generation coming up behind us.”
The 2026 event has expanded capacity to 100 attendees, with more than 20 educators and mentors. Raise the Bar said it is aiming for 20-25% of attendees to receive scholarships, with scholarship applications open through Sunday, Aug. 9.
New this year are optional half-day Deep Dive Workshops on Friday, Sept. 18, focused on sensory skills, coffee technician skills and cafe business skills. The sensory workshop is being led by Dylan Siemens of Cafe Imports, while the technician track is being hosted by Espresso Services Inc. and Slayer Espresso. The business management workshop will be hosted at Wildflyer Coffee and led by coffee retail consultant Erica Escalante.
The main Saturday-Sunday program will include classes, workshops, lectures and panels on subjects such as espresso, latte art, hospitality, coffee costs, brand storytelling, sustainability, cafe operations and career paths beyond the bar.
The impressive educator roster includes Estelle Bright, Melissa Dixon and Hana Kaneshige of La Marzocco; 2026 U.S. Latte Art Champion Marquis Monzon; U.S. Barista Championship finalist Seidy Selivanow; Charli Maher; Emily Potter; Emily Losier; Flor Coghi; Kelly Roberts; Rachel Keen; Sylwia Padiasek; and others to be announced.
Apple said that the event is designed to provide “affordable, playful, high-quality, low-ego education.”
“Fun is important to us, and inclusivity is non-negotiable,” Apple said. “When people feel safe enough to exist, they can learn, and if they have a good time learning, it’s going to stick.”
The founding team behind Level Up, including (left to right): Rachel Apple, Lauren Lathrop, Kat Melheim, Alexandra Littlejohn, Sandra Loofbourow and Ivana Chan. Photograph by Paige Elizabeth Hicks. Courtesy of Raise the Bar Coffee.
This year’s program will also include a public pop-up cafe and makers market on Sunday, Sept. 20, with donation-only drinks presented by La Marzocco and more than 20 local makers. An optional local cafe crawl is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 21.
Sponsors for the 2026 event include Mill City Roasters, La Marzocco, Eversys, Espresso Services Inc., Slayer Espresso, Slow Pour Supply, Tenzo Tea, Idle Hands Roasting Company, Cafe Imports, Aviary Coffee, Fairwave Specialty Coffee Collective and Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Co.
Published registration prices range from $375 for a local pass without lodging to $875 for a Level Up pass with solo lodging. Shared-lodging options are listed at $600 for a sofa-bed or fold-out-bed option and $675 for a queen-bed option. All passes include the main Saturday-Sunday programming and meals.
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