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I was only 22 when I moved from Australia, and despite there since 2018. It’s particularly fun to see the dif- to experience their enthusiasm is kind of the best part
having gotten to travel, I was a pretentious little 22-year- ferences in different communities across the states. of the people in this industry.
old. Living in Sweden, or any other place, for an extend- Of course, there are always small cultural misunder-
ed period of time, you get forced to question some of standings, but I think that is one of the best parts of This year’s prize for winners of the competition
the assumptions and beliefs you have about the world. what we do – getting to work with people from Buda- is a trip to Origin. What was the incentive behind
For example you believe that the way something is done pest, Kansas City, Melbourne and seeing all of the this decision?
or has been done is the right way until you move some- differences and similarities. This will be the first time (in February) that we take our
where to see that a totally different approach can work champions to Origin ourselves. Ideally, we don’t want to
and maybe even works much better than the way you Let Connectivity be the Engine produce a trip that just anyone else could do – it should
did it when you grew up. be something that The Barista League is uniquely posi-
You care about the topic of community and sus- tioned to do and our focus for this year is to find ways to
Turning Imperfection into a Bonus tainability. Does it have to do with your growing up connect our champions together and to the local baristas
experience? Or is it influenced by Swedish culture? in Bogota and Manizales where we will be traveling to. We
You once mentioned, “I really love the fact that I think “community” has become such a catchphrase have baristas from more than 10 countries attending and
events are going to happen whether you are ready the last few years that maybe it is starting to lose there are not many opportunities for trips like that – so
or not.” Can you give us separate examples of this meaning – and I will be the first to say that we might we want to find the best ways to foster cooperation and
in life and in The Barista League event? be partly responsible given how much we use the word. inspiration between different communities as possible.
I like the pressure and creativity that you need to exert However, for me – community is just the people around
when there is a hard deadline that you can’t extend. I you. These are the people who impact you the most, I am curious about the business logic of The Baris-
have so much respect for people who edit films, or so it makes sense to try and create more positive en- ta League. How do you maintain its longevity?
record music or write books – but it’s a totally differ- vironments for people to have opportunities for bet- Who are the partners involved now? How did you
ent skill in having the patience to grind through a piece terment and success and happiness. Sustainability is decide to work with them?
of art or work until you feel like it is ready or perfect. more a product of the global situation. We have inher- We made a decision early on that the costs of the event
Live events, on the other hand, must be released at a ited a mess that is going to have an existential impact should not be the burden of baristas who are making
certain time – and it doesn’t really matter if it is perfect on us and our kids and it is our direct responsibility to minimum wage. Instead we have slowly built the event
or not. So, when that is the reality, you have to change ensure that we are positively contributing to a solution. up with the support of our partners – many of whom
the way of thinking towards prioritizing the big stuff, As a company, I feel this is even more paramount. Com- we have been working with for 5 years or more. We are
letting the small things go, being flexible, fast -moving panies are the ones who contribute the most carbon so lucky to get to work with amazing companies and
I was super lucky to be able to travel with my family and being able to compromise. I love this way of work- emissions and waste into the world, face the least con- have the luxury of being able to select our partners to
when I was younger and after finishing school all I ing and how challenging it is and as a bonus it is much sequences and have the least responsibility. While it is work with companies and people whose values align
wanted to do was to get out and travel. I would work harder to get bored. easier to justify waste and emissions when you have a with ours and who get the event and want to support
and save money and as soon as I could afford it I would boss or shareholders, I think this is morally and ethi- the community. As with everything, this is all based on
try and get a ticket and get out and travel. While there Were there any big challenges/difficulties encoun- cally unsustainable. If we are going to continue to exist relationships with people – we meet people who work
are ups and downs with travel I think that getting to tered during the preparation process? in this world we need to commit to better practices, for a company and through them we get to know the
open up your eyes to different people’s experiences, The preparation process is the hard part, but also the more transparency and paying the real costs that we are company and together we decide if working together is
different ways of living and different cultures was ex- fun part. Nowadays we have four project managers ignoring today. a good solution for that company while creating value
tremely valuable for me, and realizing that despite these working on different projects and while we have built for our attendees and competitors. Then we spend a lot
differences we are all just people living our lives was a a lot of processes and structures - the most difficult part Talking to others has always been one of the of time making sure that we are finding the right way
really important lesson to carry with me. So when I was of the event is that each event is totally unique to the things you find meaningful about the existence to integrate a specific product or company into the event
in Europe in 2012 and met my then girlfriend, I don’t city and venue. We do a lot of research about each city of tournaments. Can you share with us the ener- in the way that will work the best for our partners and
think too many people were surprised that I decided to to make sure we are working with the right local com- gy/inspiration you have gained from talking to the event.
take a chance on living somewhere else. It’s now over panies, booking the right judges, and customizing the others recently?
ten years later and it’s insane that I have ended up in event to match that community. And then because each A good example was comparing the times during the
Sweden – I had literally no knowledge about Sweden venue is totally different we have to tailor the staging, pandemic to coming back to IRL events. During lock-
before I came here for the first time – but you have to layout and design of the event every time. So I guess downs and when we could only meet virtually, there
take the chances that come up and I really love living the hard part is also what keeps it fun. was so much focus on communicating on social media “If everyone wanted
here in Sweden. which is (in my opinion) far from the optimal way to
Did you find local staff in the U.S. when the event communicate with people. When you get to go back to to come to the next
You once mentioned, “Getting to live in a super-pro- entered the U.S.? Did you encounter any commu- meeting in real life you see all of the nuances and ener- event then we would
gressive country (Sweden) has shaped a lot of my nication problems or misunderstandings due to gy and excitement that is lost when only chatting online.
views and choices which you think has made you a cultural differences? Getting to talk to people about what is exciting them, never not grow.”
better person.” Can you expand on that? We love working in the US and have been doing events what they are loving about coffee right now and getting

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