I’ve work in the coffee industry as a barista for the last seven years. Speciality coffee is my passion and the reason I became the 2018 Greek Barista champion. I love competing in coffee events because it gives me motivation and of course its a great chance to develop my knowledge. I am part of The Underdog roasters family, a well known speciality coffee company in Greece and abroad.
What are you excited to do while you are in Amsterdam?:
Explore the coffee scene of the city and food culture.
Please list the coffee competitions you have participated in, what year they took place, and your results:
2016 Greek Barista Championship –Â 3rd Place
Is there anyone you would like to thank or recognize, or who helped you to prepare for the WBC?:
The Underdog Roasters team
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?:
In less than five years I hope to operate my own speciality coffee shop, serving delicious coffees roasted by The Underdog roasters coffee company.
What are your interests outside of coffee?:
Football (A.E.K. Athens), watching movies, and listening to music.
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.
My name is Jeremy. I’m 30 years old. I’m a father of a beautiful baby and husband of a lovely and caring mother. I fell in love with coffee 4 years ago due to unemployment. At first, I didn’t know it was my calling, but then I discovered the beautiful world of coffee. I started working in a coffee shop called “El Tostador”. Soon enough I started learning more about Barista techniques so I wanted to challenge myself entering competitions, even though I didn’t have the skills. For the first time I didn’t make it, but I knew I was good and I wanted to keep improving. So I kept practicing and competing to learn more about competitions.
What are you excited to do while you are in Amsterdam?:
Experience the coffee scene in a consuming country. I want to go to different coffee shops and roasting companies.
Please list the coffee competitions you have participated in, what year they took place, and your results:
2015 Barista Challenge – Last Place
2016 Barista Challenge 2016 – First place
2016 National Barista Championship – 4th Place.
Master Barista – Second Place.
2016 Milk & Coffee (Brewing competition) – Third Place.
2017 Milk & Coffee (Brewing competition) – Third Place.
2017 Milk & Coffee (Coffee in Good Spirit competition) – First Place.
2017 National Brewing Competition – Last Place
2017 National Coffee in Good Spirits Competition – Third Place.
2018 National Barista Championship – First Place.
Is there anyone you would like to thank or recognize, or who helped you to prepare for the WBC?:
To my family and my friends for all the support that they have given me throughout this process.
How do you see the coffee industry changing in the future?:
I think that the coffee industry is growing in a fast pace, technology is changing and taking control of so many aspects of coffee. I think we are doing a great job, investigating and innovating with new techniques and equipments, but we need to focus more in the production and work more in sustainable proyects with the enviroment. Climate change is affecting the production and we need to care more about our planet.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?:
I want to have my own coffee shop and to be able to help our national coffee scene grow. I want to keep learning more about coffee so that I can transmit all my knowledge to the new barista generations.
What are your interests outside of coffee?:
I love grilled experienced cooking. I also love fishing and to have nature experiences. I like motorcycles and I am a motorcycle mechanic. I love to design.
I’ve been working in the coffee industry for 4 years. I’ve worked through a few different positions: barista, head-barista, roaster, coffee trainer. The key elements that set the direction for my life are coffee and traveling. And I am absolutely sure that if they are properly combined – we can make the world better around us 😉
What are you excited to do while you are in Amsterdam?:
See the city, visit coffee shops, and wine places.
Please list the coffee competitions you have participated in, what year they took place, and your results:
2016 Belarus Barista Championship – 2nd Place
2016 Russian Alternative Cup Tasting Championship – Winner
2017 Belarus Barista Championship – 4th Place
2018 Belarus Barista Championship – Winner 🙂
Is there anyone you would like to thank or recognize, or who helped you to prepare for the WBC?:
Vitali Filmanovich, my coach for all 3 competition years.
How do you see the coffee industry changing in the future?:
I believe that this industry can improve the life of many people in coffee-growing regions. New approaches to processing, brewing and service in coffee companies will make more and more people get involved in the specialty coffee world. We just need to make our own steps together.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?:
I would like to get deeper into coffee, in particular coffee growing and processing. I believe that there is room for improvement in service and guest interaction in coffee shops.
My name is Junior. I am from Peru but based in Vienna, Austria, and I have been working with coffee my entire life. I grew up on a coffee farm, worked in specialty coffee shops and later became a trainer before opening my current coffee shop, GOTA COFFEE EXPERTS.
What are you excited to do while you are in Amsterdam?:
Explore the specialty coffee scene that Holland has to offer.
Please list the coffee competitions you have participated in, what year they took place, and your results:
2018 Austrian Barista Championship, 1st Place.
Is there anyone you would like to thank or recognize, or who helped you to prepare for the WBC?:
The GOTA COFFEE team and family, and my coaches and moral support, Nina Verhoef and Madalin Truica.
How do you see the coffee industry changing in the future?:
As specialty coffee becomes more popular so will the demand for specialty coffees. I hope we will see a big increase in independent roasters and hopefully more support and education for the coffee producers.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?:
Working in Vienna, improving and growing my coffee business and school, opening a roastery.
What are your interests outside of coffee?:
Sports—football in particular. Travelling, cooking and of course llamas.
Craig is a three-time Australian Barista Champion and leads Veneziano Coffee Roasters research and development programs as their Coffee Ambassador.
Craig’s interest in coffee goes far beyond the final cup. From farming and roasting, to brewing and service – Craig regularly travels to origin and has spent the last 10 years understanding how to improve the entire coffee production cycle.
Craig participated in the first Q Grade training course offered in Australia in 2011, since then, using his skills for sourcing and grading coffee, he has advanced as Australia’s first certified Q-Grade instructor. Craig runs regular Q Courses at Veneziano’s certified training school.
Craig’s dedication to coffee and his role as a mentor in the industry has gained him significant international acclaim and respect.
What are you excited to do while you are in Amsterdam?:
Make killer coffee
Please list the coffee competitions you have participated in, what year they took place, and your results:
2018 Australia Barista Championship – 1st
2018 Southern Region Barista Championship – 1st
2015 Australian Barista Championship – 2nd
2015 Victorian Barista Championship – 1st
2014 World Barista Championship – 4th
2014 Australian Barista Championship – 1st
2014 Victorian Barista Championship – 1st
2013 Australian Barista Championship – 2nd
2013 Victorian Barista Championship – 4th
2012 World Barista Championship – 20th, Round One
2012 Australian Barista Championship – 1st
2012 Victorian Barista Championship – 1st
2011 Australian Barista Championship – 5th
2011 Victorian Barista Championship – 4th
Is there anyone you would like to thank or recognize, or who helped you to prepare for the WBC?:
My Wife and Kids, Pete Licata, Holly Bastin, Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood, the entire Veneziano Team, Detpak, Pura Milk, AMC Roastery Supplies and Cafetto for their support over the many years.
How do you see the coffee industry changing in the future?:
The industry will continue to push the value of specialty coffee creating coffee drinking experiences for the customer that elevate and celebrate quality as taste experiences. I see the Barista sharing drinks like a sommelier does with wine and the functional coffee experiences will continue to be more and more automated.
I am a co-owner of Monogram Coffee, located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Monogram consists of two cafes and a roastery. This has been an exciting year for me as my wife, Tara, and I had a baby in December 2016. Malcolm and Tara.
What are you excited to do while you are in Seoul?:
Korean BBQ! I also want to visit Namusairo. I visited it two years ago and had one of the best espressos of my life. I am also going to bring an empty suitcase just for Hazelnut Snickers bars.
Please list the coffee competitions you have participated in, what year they took place, and your results:
Canadian Barista Championship 2010-12 – 2nd Place
Canadian Barista Championship 2013-17 – 1st Place
2014 WBC – 11th Place
2015 WBC – 3rd Place
2016 WBC – 3rd Place
Canadian Brewers Cup Championship 2017 – 2nd Place
Canadian Latte Art Championship 2015 – 2nd Place
Is there anyone you would like to thank or recognize, or who helped you to prepare for the WBC?Â
So many people! My wife for not only letting me compete, but attending almost every competition I have ever been in (only missed one!). My business partners, Justin and Jeremy. Ninety Plus and the entire Makers team have supported me all year long with coffee and with friendship. The entire team at Monogram Coffee. The whole crew at Urnex for supporting me the past three years. Josh Hockin and Mike Strumpf!
How do you see the coffee industry changing in the future?:
Making quality coffee is still difficult, but it is getting easier. This will hopefully allow cafes to differentiate themselves in ways beyond simply coffee quality. I’m excited to see diverse cafe aesthetics, models, and offerings all with excellent coffee.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Hopefully still making coffee in the cafe and the roasterie.
What are your interests outside of coffee?
I play electric and upright bass. I like cooking and trying new foods. Playing with Malcolm is a new favorite. I like reading, but always wish I read more. There are few things better than being at home.
My name is David Coelho, I am the Roaster & Head Barista of 7g Roaster in Portugal! I love everything about coffee and I love to learn more about it every day!
What are you excited to do while you are in Seoul?:
Enjoy the vibe of the city!
Please list the coffee competitions you have participated in, what year they took place, and your results:
Portuguese Barista Champion 2014,2016, 2017
WBC 2014 Rimini – 44th Place, Round One
WBC 2016 Dublin – 25th Place, Round One
How do you see the coffee industry changing in the future?:
Coffee industry is changing every year. I hope that the direction in the future will be more focus on quality and less in quantity.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I see myself at the forefront of my company, taking 7groaster to the next level, as a great specialty coffee shop and a unique roastery in Portugal.
I’m a 24 year old who fell into coffee 3 years ago. I was amazed by the multitude of flavors a cup can develop, and my tasty journey has begun since then.
What are you excited to do while you are in Seoul?:
I look forward to meeting new and old friends and tasting new things!
Please list the coffee competitions you have participated in, what year they took place, and your results:
Barmaniada – 2015 – 1st Place
WBrC – 2015 – 24th Place
Is there anyone you would like to thank or recognize, or who helped you to prepare for the WBC?:
Mihai Panfil for being my coach, boss and friend, and the whole team at Origo for their support during the past months. Vlad and Dan from Steam Coffee Shop for helping with my routine.
Greece
Greece
France
Costa Rica
China
Belarus
Austria
Australia
 
 
 
