Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

This website, thebarista.school (the “Website”), is operated by The Barista School, a concept project currently in the pre-launch and market validation phase. The Website has been established solely to conduct surveys, collect expressions of interest, and assess market demand (PMF - Product-Market Fit research) for potential barista training and coffee education services in India.

We are not yet a registered educational institution. No training programmes, certificates, placements, or services are presently active or offered through this Website.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

When you voluntarily submit a form, survey, or expression of interest on this Website, we may collect:

• Your name
• Email address
• Phone number (if provided)
• City and state of residence
• Professional background and current occupation
• Survey responses and preferences
• Any other information you choose to share in open-text fields

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit the Website, we may automatically collect:

• IP address and approximate geographic location
• Browser type and version
• Device type and operating system
• Pages visited and time spent on each page
• Referring website or search query
• Session and interaction data (scroll depth, clicks, form interactions)

This is collected through standard web analytics tools including Google Analytics and session recording tools such as Microsoft Clarity or Hotjar. This data is used in aggregate and anonymised form to understand visitor behaviour and research demand.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information collected solely for the following purposes:

• To conduct market research and assess genuine interest in barista education services
• To analyse survey responses and understand what potential students, cafe owners, and industry professionals want from a coffee education platform
• To contact you with updates about the project's development, if you have opted in to receive such communications
• To improve the Website's content and user experience
• To comply with legal obligations

We do not use your personal information to make any automated decisions about you, nor for any profiling that produces legal or significant effects.

4. What We Do NOT Do

• We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party. Ever.
• We do not use your data for advertising targeting on behalf of third parties
• We do not share your data with any payment processor (no payments are accepted on this Website)
• We do not use your data for any commercial purpose beyond the market research described above
• We do not send unsolicited marketing communications without your consent

5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

This Website uses cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:

• Essential cookies: required for the Website to function correctly
• Analytics cookies: to understand how visitors use the Website (Google Analytics)
• Session recording: to understand user behaviour on forms and pages (Microsoft Clarity / Hotjar)

You may disable cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling certain cookies may affect Website functionality. We do not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.

6. Data Storage and Security

Your data is stored on secure servers. We use industry-standard security measures including HTTPS encryption, access controls, and secure form submission. However, no method of internet transmission is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Survey responses and form data are stored in tools including Google Forms, Typeform, or equivalent survey platforms, which have their own privacy policies. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of these third-party platforms.

We retain your personal data only as long as necessary for the research purpose, or until you request deletion.

7. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right to access: request a copy of the data we hold about you
• Right to correction: ask us to correct inaccurate data
• Right to deletion: request that we delete your personal data
• Right to withdraw consent: withdraw consent to communications at any time
• Right to data portability: receive your data in a portable format

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at hello@thebarista.school. We will respond within 30 days.

8. Third-Party Links and Brand Mentions

This Website may reference or mention third-party brands, organisations, and companies (including but not limited to SCA, Coffee Board of India, Skill India, NSDC, cafe chains, and roasters) for informational and educational purposes only. Such mentions do not constitute endorsement, affiliation, partnership, or any commercial relationship. All third-party names and logos are the property of their respective owners.

9. Children's Privacy

This Website is not directed at individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from minors. If you believe a minor has submitted information to us, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time as the project evolves. When we do, we will update the ‘Last Updated’ date at the top of this document. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

11. Contact

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us:

• Email: hello@thebarista.school
• Website: thebarista.school

This Privacy Policy is governed by applicable Indian law, including the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, to the extent applicable.