Project Description

France
Massimo Santoro
Barista Bartender Solutions

Please tell us a little bit about yourself:

I am Massimo Santoro, I am from Florence. I have been a Barista for several years—I moved to France 6 years ago, where I refined and developed my Barista skills. My main passion is coffee but I also like personal development and challenges. That’s why I’m competing, to show that I can go beyond my limits every day.

What are you excited to do while you are in Amsterdam?:

The most exciting thing is meeting other people in specialty coffee and sharing experiences with them, to improve myself and then to share my acquired knowledge with the French public.

Please list the coffee competitions you have participated in, what year they took place, and your results:

France Barista Championship 2018 – 1st Place
France Barista Championship 2017 – 3rd Place

Is there anyone you would like to thank or recognize, or who helped you to prepare for the WBC?:

I would like to thank my trainers Ludovic Loizon and my co-coach Andrea Lattuada

How do you see the coffee industry changing in the future?:

Coffee, as we have seen in many Anglo-Saxon countries, is evolving a lot. In these countries, the majority of the population seeks aromatic complexity in a cup. This is something that does not happen in countries like France. 80% of customers use this drink for these energetic properties brought by the caffeine and just 20% for these organoleptic properties. We must be very happy, because we are doing a very good job, because 3 years ago, we had only 10% of the population that was interested in specialty coffee. So to answer the question, I believe that in a few years we will be able to talk to the general public about terroirs, process, varietals, and extraction methods. I also think that a lot of people will stop in coffee shops, not for a coffee, but to taste and discover all the facets behind it; trying to be transported by the barista after drinking a coffee.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?:

In 5 years, I see myself still in this world, trying to share my knowledge and barista skills. I hope to establish a relationship of trust with farmers in producing countries, to find high-quality coffee there.

What are your interests outside of coffee?:

Beyond the fact that coffee is my main passion, I am interested in everything that concerns personal development, and in particular Hermetic Philosophy.

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