Have you ever dreamt of leaving the city and starting a new life in a countryside growing your own product and enjoying all the perks of life outside of hustle and bustle of a megalopolis? Or maybe not so extreme: just leaving a city for a while to recharge and feel connected to nature?
If you have, you should definitely follow us on a journey to Colombia, where 10 baristas from all around the world will join us to truly embrace ‘from seed to cup’ movement. All of us will learn more not only about coffee, but also about Colombia, its beautiful culture and people. Starting on June 1st Barista & Farmer Show will take us through coffee picking, cuppings, lectures in Barista academy and even dancing and cooking competitions. This once-in-a-life-time adventure is organized by Francesco Sanapo, several times award-winning champion barista, together with Italian Exhibition Group, SIGEP and under the patronage of the SCA. Sound impressive, right? Stay tuned for our adventures in Colombia and follow our Instagram (@coffeeteaimag) and Facebook (@CoffeeMagazine) for more stories.
Meanwhile, let’s meet happy baristas that got a chance to discover beautiful Colombia and that you will be watching starting June 1st. Meet the crew!
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David Lau – Cong Yuan, China
𝐐: Why did you decide to take part in Barista and Farmer?
𝐀: Because I’ve never been to any coffee farm before, this fantastic organization barista&farmer offers baristas the great chance of going to coffee farms. I want experience the life of living in coffee country, and working with the local people. So that’s way I joined barista&farmer selection match.
𝐐: What do you expect to discover/learn?
𝐀: I wish I can make more friends in Colombia and learn how people produce coffee, how to pick coffee cheeries. I’m very very curious about all the things about staying in Colombia.
𝐐: What are your hobbies?
𝐀: I like to study how to get more followers on online applications, such as Instagram, Meipai, Weibo,… I like to teach people how to make coffee tasty and beautiful. I like to go to gym, I think healthy is very important. I like to study English. l learn english by myself.
𝐐: What is your secret wish?
𝐀: I want to open 4 huge coffee factories in different parts of China in future.
𝐐: For Italians, coffee is synonymous with Moka coffee makers and cafés. What about you?
𝐀: For us, coffee is a small part of our daily life.
𝐐: How is coffee experienced in your country?
𝐀: In our country, the number of young people who drink coffee is growing at rapid speed.
𝐐: Tell us how and whether the professional coffee world is changing
𝐀: Actually in China specialty coffee field has changed a lot. Baristas want to learn more, cafe owners know quality is important, so they use professional coffee equipment. In the future I thinkthere would be more high-quality coffee shops in China. Perhaps China would be the biggest coffee consumer.
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Glenn Bailey, Australia
𝐐: Why did you decide to take part in Barista and Farmer?
𝐀: It is a great opportunity to get to Origin and immerse myself in the complete process. As a Barista I have the final story to deliver to the consumer in the cup. Getting to Origin will allow me to build a deeper respect to what occurs during every step to ensure I get coffee at the highest quality.
𝐐: What do you expect to discover/learn?
𝐀: I expect to discover a deeper respect for the farmers and the effort they put to ensure that us barista’s get the best coffee possible.
𝐐: What are your hobbies?
𝐀: Outside of coffee I enjoy time with my 2 kids. I enjoy sports especially soccer (football) and Formula 1.
𝐐: For Italians, coffee is synonymous with Moka coffee makers and cafés. For you?
𝐀: Coffee is synonymous in Australia with Flat Whites and Smashed Avocado on Toast!
𝐐: How is coffee experienced in your country?
𝐀: Drinking coffee in a cafe in Australia a high percentage of drinks are milk based (latte, Flat whites, cappuccino’s). Lately we have seen an increase in the demand for alternative brew methods including Filter and most recently Cold Brew.
𝐐: Tell us how and whether the professional coffee world is changing.
𝐀: 15 years ago in Australia we were drinking coffee in big takeaway cups with heaps of milk, powders and syrups. From 2009 the industry changed with the introduction of third wave specialty coffee. This gave consumers a higher quality product. People moved away from the sugar and the syrups as higher quality green coffee was being roasted and barista’s were starting to make it better. I see the industry currently in Australia as less gimmicky. We don’t need to hide our coffee anymore behind flavored powders and syrups. We don’t need any fancy brewing devices or techniques. What we are focusing on currently now is – “how do I get this amazing coffee tasting better, all the time, every time?” We have seen in the industry as a whole over the last 3 years, better innovation and improvement in tools and equipment that sets out to improve quality and consistency. I see the industry continuing down this path to ensure our customers are getting a consistent, high quality product every time.
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Rie Hasuda Moore, Japan
𝐐: In your opinion, which is the best way of making a good cup of coffee at home?
𝐀: My awesome husband who supports his coffee-nerd wife bought me a YAMA Cold Drip Maker for my birthday, so I’m making my original blend Cold Brew. With the cold drip maker, I can make the best coffee every time!
𝐐: Why did you decide to take part in Barista and Farmer?
𝐀: It was always one of my dreams to go to a Coffee Farm and learn and see how they pick, dry, and pack coffee beans. I’m also training new baristas at Looking Glass Coffee about coffee and barista theory. This experience will give me deeper knowledge to aid my training ability. I’m excited to meet new baristas and farmers and make a worldwide connection in coffee industry.
𝐐: What do you expect to discover/learn?
𝐀: I’m really excited to be a part of the first step of the coffee process: picking, drying, and packing the beans. In order for me to learn anything, I have to have hands-on experience.
𝐐: What are your hobbies?
𝐀: Coffee is my hobby as well. I would say I’m the lucky one who got hobby for a job. Visiting different cafes and roasting companies are always fun for me. If I’m not working or not thinking about coffee, I usually go hiking. The Pacific Northwest has amazing nature and I love going to hike and refresh my coffee mind to rest in nature.
𝐐: What is your secret wish?
𝐀: It’s a secret!
𝐐: For Italians, coffee is synonymous with Moka coffee makers and cafés. For you?
𝐀: For me it’s my husband. He likes his coffee first thing in the morning. Often the first thing I hear after I wake up is, “WIFE! Where’s my coffee?”
𝐐: How is coffee experienced in your country?
𝐀: I’m originally from Japan, but I never worked in the coffee industry in Japan. I only worked in Canada and the US, so I would love to talk to Japanese baristas more to know what is going on in Japan. I heard from some people that the coffee industry is really big in Japan right now. I think it’s big in Asian countries. I never seen individual coffee roasters when I was in Japan (I was in Japan until 2002), but I heard nowadays there are many coffee roasters who roast amazing coffee beans. I would love to visit more cafes and roasting companies in Japan someday.
𝐐: Tell us how and whether the professional coffee world is changing.
𝐀: Definitely it’s changing. I’m reading a book about history and philosophy of the coffee world and it’s very interesting to see how the coffee world is changing. Starbucks definitely changed a lot about coffee world, but the coffee industry is still growing more beyond that.
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Vicktoriya Rovenskaya, Russia
𝐐: Why did you decide to take part in Barista and Farmer?
𝐀: I decided to participate in the project “Barista and Farmer”, because I really want to see the reality of how coffee is gathered and processed.
𝐐: What do you expect to discover/learn?
𝐀: I want to discover previously unknown factors of the collection and processing of coffee berries, affecting the taste and profile of the Cup.
And I want to plant a coffee tree to make coffee from the berries that will grow on this tree
𝐐: What are your hobbies ?
𝐀: I love to travel, paint and assemble floral bouquets.
𝐐: What is your secret wish?
𝐀: I’d really like to be a champion. When I first started working in the coffee industry, I was fortunate enough to get to the seminars from the Champions. They talked about:
– The intricacies of espresso
– Latte art
– Mixing coffee and alcohol
– Collecting, processing and roasting of coffee beans.
Some of them opened their coffee shops, some continued to participate in the Championships. Thanks to these people I understand what I want.
𝐐: How is coffee experienced in your country?
𝐀: In our country, we are actively developing coffeehouses of the third wave.
More and more coffee shops operating on the specialty grain. Owners of coffee-houses began to pay great attention to the taste of coffee. Guests began to enjoy coffee, brewed with alternative methods.
𝐐: Tell us how and whether the professional coffee world is changing.
𝐀: Professional world is changing for the better. This should be noted. Currently, coffee is not just a drink and means of obtaining money. Coffee has become a product that is enjoyed, specialists began to pay attention not only to volumes, but quality / taste. Farmers have become sensitive to the product. and begin to use new methods of fermentation, making coffee have new flavors.
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Sara Ricci, Italy
𝐐: Why did you decide to take part in Barista and Farmer?
𝐀: I’m following Barista & Farmer since its first edition, and from the second that I discovered it at Host in Milan, I knew I would love to participate.
𝐐: What do you expect to discover/learn?
𝐀: I want to conquer the coffee diploma system, and this is part of my journey.
𝐐: What are your hobbies?
𝐀: I really love travelling, reading, writing, dancing, singing, swimming and staying in the nature also, better with animals !
𝐐: What is your secret wish?
𝐀: I would like to open a little company of Italian excellencies and create works for people of my city.
𝐐: For us Italians, coffee is synonymous with Moka coffee makers and cafés. Is it the same for you?
𝐀: I don’t stay a lot at home, I prefer to take coffee in a bar.
𝐐: How is coffee experienced in your country?
𝐀: I’ve done a little documentary about it, it is on my facebook page, the name is “Un Viaggio Nel Caffè“, check it out if you want to know more about Italian coffee culture!
𝐐: Tell us how and whether the professional coffee world is changing.
𝐀: I think that consumers are more able to understand differences between a good and bad coffee, and I think they want to know more about what they drink every day.
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Diego Campos, Colombia
𝐐: Why did you decide to take part in Barista and Farmer?
𝐀: I want to join the B&F because I think it’s a great opportunity as a barista and also for the barista’s producing country.
𝐐: What do you expect to discover/learn?
𝐀: About different cultures, about different coffees and to learn more about Colombian coffee cause I’m from here, I mean there’s a lot to know, to understand and also to share with different baristas about our culture and about what we do.
𝐐: What are your hobbies?
𝐀: I think making coffee is one of my biggest hobbies, because I work with coffee every single day and I love making it. I play football as well watching movies and doing some exercise but I think the main one is coffee, it means a lot for me.
𝐐: For Italians, coffee is synonymous with Moka coffee makers and cafés. For you?
𝐀: For Colombia coffee means everything, coffee means love, family, job, professions because there are so many people who depend on coffee.
𝐐: How is coffee experienced in your country?
𝐀: I wish the Colombians will drink more specialty coffees, they just need to understand what coffee is, what to pay for a good coffee, how to drink it. We need to have more experienced baristas in order to educate our customers.
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Iuliia Dziadevych, Ukraine
Q:Why did you decide to take part in Barista and Farmer?
A: I was always interested in the whole process of making coffee from the grown been to my cup. Long time I was planing to go to plantations and see it on my own eyes. So, when I saw an advertise about “Barista and farmer” the firs I said was: ” OMG! That’s exactly what I need!”
Q: What do you expect to discover/learn?
A: I expect to learn more about cultivation and harvesting process. About coffee producing countries, farmers and their lives. Get some knowledge from people whose life is coffee.
Q: What are your hobbies?
A: My hobbies are snowboarding and travelling.
Q: What is your secret wish?
A: It’s a secret 🙂
Q: For Italians, coffee is synonymous with Moka coffee makers and cafés. For you?
A: Love, cozy cafes, pleasure, adventures.
Q: How is coffee experienced in your country?
A: In my cities it is just a beginning of “third wave”.
Q: Tell us how and whether the professional coffee world is changing.
A: Coffee world became more open thanks to events, championships and projects. So, baristas became more educated, open-minded and spread this knowledge among colleagues and guests. As a result consumers more and more care about what is in their morning cups.
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Daniel Munari, Brazil
𝐐: Why did you decide to take part in Barista and Farmer?
𝐀: Ever since I saw the first edition I thought it would be great to visit a farm outside of my country na experience the barista farmer education side as well.�
𝐐: What do you expect to discover/learn?
𝐀: I hope to see different forms os producing coffee from what I already know. As well experience a international education for baristas.
𝐐: What are your hobbies?
𝐀: I like watching movies, soccer games, play some videogame and have beer with my friends.
𝐐: What is your secret wish?
𝐀: I’d love to be able to run tests on post harvesting in some farm and apply all the things I heard and read during barista competitions, trade shows and on the internet.
𝐐: For Italians, coffee is synonymous with Moka coffee makers and cafés. For you?
A: Filters and espressos. Shared with friends.
𝐐: How is coffee experienced in your country?
𝐀: Filtered, espresso lungo or with milk.
𝐐: Tell us how and whether the professional coffee world is changing.
𝐀: It’s a young world. We are still evolving in so many ways. The coffee machines are a great example of that. Every single year they change to give more control to the barista, but at the same time, there are companies making more automated machines as well (that don’t require a good professional to run). So I believe that we’ll have many different ways to follow in the future, what means even more coffee shops with different approaches for every one. Sounds good to me.
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Matija Matijaško, Croatia
𝐐: Why did you decide to take part in Barista and Farmer?
𝐀: Because I’ve always wanted to see the whole process of making coffee and I think that farmers do the hardest part of a job in that chain but sometimes we don’t appreciate that.
𝐐: What do you expect to discover/learn?
𝐀: I expect to learn more about coffee bean and see more behind processing it. I want to see theory in practice.
𝐐: What are your hobbies?
𝐀: Besides making and learning about coffee I like to ride a bike.
𝐐: For Italians, coffee is synonymous with Moka coffee makers and cafés. For you?
𝐀: I always prefer just espresso and espresso machines.
𝐐: How is coffee experienced in your country?
𝐀: In Croatia coffee experience is really bad. People still aren’t educated well about coffee. Everything that isn’t commercial coffee and dzezva for them isn’t coffee. People are used to bitter and bad coffee.
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Vala Stefansdottir, Iceland
𝐐: Why did you decide to take part in Barista and Farmer?
𝐀: It’s been a dream to go visit origin for a long time now, this event sound like a unique opportunity to get a different approach to coffee.
𝐐: What do you expect to discover/learn?
𝐀: There is only so much you can learn from books and blogs, for years now I’ve been educating others on how coffee is processed. This event will give me a better understanding on how coffee is grown and processed.
𝐐: What are your hobbies?
𝐀: I love to travel and meet new interesting people, wine and dine. In my free time I play ice-hockey.
𝐐: What is your secret wish?
𝐀: To own and manage a successful coffee roasting company:
𝐐: For Italians, coffee is synonymous with Moka coffee makers and cafés. For you?
𝐀: Visiting friends and family at their homes and being offered a cup of filter coffee, no matter what the time of the day.
Now knowing all the competitors more personally, we cam’t wait to start the Barista & Farmer Show.
Stay tuned!
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