Another sign of the growth and importance of coffee in hospitality: a record-breaking number of baristas are taking part in the annual BaxterStorey Barista Championship, held during September and October this year. Launched this week in London, the hotly-contested competition aims to find the best barista within the business, bringing together talent from across the UK, Ireland and Europe.
The championships, driven via the company’s award-winning Barista Academy, celebrate baristas’ knowledge, preparation and delivery of coffee via a series of challenges devised to test their skills and ability.
50 baristas, 5 regional heats
This year, more than 50 baristas will be taking part in five regional heats, with each producing a regional champion. The final will see regional champions joined by baristas who achieved the seven next highest scores from the heats, making up a total of 12 finalists vying for the coveted ‘Barista of the Year’ title.
Competing at the UK Barista Championships
The winner and two runners-up will represent BaxterStorey at the UK Barista Championships next year, where they will be able to test their skills against leading baristas from across the UK hospitality industry.
Last year, BaxterStorey barista Jana Slamova finished third in the UK Barista Championships, the highest ever placing for a barista from the foodservice industry. BaxterStorey has had a finalist in the competition for three successive years.
Tim Sturk, head of coffee training and development at BaxterStorey, said: “This year will be our best yet. Our barista programme has gained tremendous momentum and recognition within the business and is now an award-winning, industry leading academy. The record numbers of entries is testament to how much our academy has continued to develop over the last year.
“Coffee accounts for anywhere between 35% and 60% of our sales, so it represents a massive part of our business. We are proud to provide some of the best training in the industry; our Barista Level 1 (BL1) is second-to-none and we are committed to the continued career development of our people and teams.”