This Sunday, the last episode of BBC World’s Back To The Floor series features Yogesh Samat, the CEO of the $11 million Barista coffee company. He steps behind the counter to become a brew-master which is the literal translation of the word Barista.

Samat begins his Back To The Floor experience in Colaba, Mumbai, where a junior executive has a tough time training him to manage the counter. His tasks include handling milk bottles, cutting and displaying cakes and using the coffee machine. These may seem ordinary enough but they need to be carried out with precision, as the CEO discovers. He also finds a stocking problem that leads to a supply shortage across many of his outlets.

He uses his time in the shop to investigate why customers are
complaining about poor food quality, the reasons for a rising employee turnover and a fall in sales, and a host of other personnel-related issues. Samat said, “I think we should do it at least once a month. I think it is a very fruitful exercise”.