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Sonja Zweidick

The founder Barista Connect (the inaugural international women’s coffee event)

The “third wave” coffee revolution increased the visibil-
ity of the specialty coffee on the restaurants’ menus, and Sonja
began to notice the power of coffee.
What made up her mind to enter the coffee industry was
the incidental invitation from the coffee event in Denmark, and
the presents from her husband. She recalled: “it was the first mo-
ment where I truly experienced specialty coffee. I immediately
realized how different and delicious coffee can taste. Espresso
was suddenly sweet and balanced, full of flavors, and it revealed
a quality of acidity that I had never experienced before. Cappuc-
cinos were suddenly so creamy in texture and flavorsome!” The
coffee experience that she never felt before made her become
a coffee lover, and she cannot help to mention about coffee at
home. Her husband, who love her so much, decided to give her
a whole set of a coffee grinder and an espresso machine. Since
then, Sonja’s curiosity about coffee and passion became unstop-
pable and she determined to be a barista.
Competition & Reward: The reason Barista Connect exists
Sonja, two times champion of the Austria barista Cham-
pionship, told us her secret for being so successful in the compe-
titions. The valuable mantra that her friend told her “perfection
is boring.” She said, “I think it is a good motto, as it helps me stay
confident and believe in myself instead of allowing myself to
succumb to insecurity and fear of expressing myself.” Many great
experiences with coffee made her want to give something back to
the industry.
After returning to Aarhus from WBC in Seattle (it was
the second time Sonja attended the WBC), she began to think
about how fortunate she is that she had the chance to compete
Last issue we talked about Cerianne Bury, the speaker of and she wishes that there will be more women in the competi-
the 2016 Re:co. She asked why there is no female WBC champion tion. She decided to create a meeting point and invite as many
yet? What she asked caused immediate debate. The same topic women as possible. This is the reason why she created the Barista
had been mentioned again in the inaugural international women’s Connect in 2015, a professional international coffee event, that
coffee event, Barista Connect. This event was established in 2015, aim to encourage female baristas to share their ideas, improve
and ever since it functions as an international female barista’s their interpersonal relationship, find sponsors, and most im-
event where the registered members could learn from each other, portantly, become friends with each other. In 2016, the Barista
share their personal experience, and improve interpersonal re- Connect annual event draws 58 women in the coffee industry to
lationship on this platform. The event lasted for three days, and attend, including the SCAE’s chief trainer - Annemarie Tiemes,
besides the discussion session and the presentation, there was 2016 WBrC 2nd place - Mikaela Wallgren, Square Mile Coffee
also training session. Roaster’s co-founder - Anette Moldvaer, sensory scientists - Ellie
Last year there was only 16 female who attended this Hudson, and many other talented women. The main topic was
event, but this year the number of attendants had increased up the women’s status in the coffee industry, the other topics include
to 58 people who came from 19 different countries. More and competition skills, roasting, cup tasting, and more.
more female baristas begin to notice the importance of this inter-
national event, and getting help and support from this platform. Balancing Men and Women in the Coffee World
Sonja Zweidick is the founder of Barista Connect, a genius in the Sonja told us “It is my hope that Barista Connect will
coffee world. She won the Austria Barista Championship twice have a positive impact on more women wanting a career in coffee.
but entered the coffee industry only three years ago. Barista Con- And let me just emphasize that Barista Connect is not a feminist
nect is just her first step in leadership in the industry. network.” As you know, the gender inequality is a problem in
the coffee industry. In many international coffee competitions,
Entering the Coffee World the proportion of male competitors is much higher than female,
Sonja who is from Austria is now living in Denmark. women are under-represented. Barista Connect members had
Before entering the coffee industry, she was working in the hos- discussed for a long time about this situation, but at the end, there
pitality industry. From a waitress to a manager, her hospitality were no solutions. The most frequent opinion appeared is “lack
working experience made her sensitive to the service trade and of women role models”. The teams of women are usually smaller
her experience in the wine industry made her tongue sensitive than men, and women are more anxious during the competition.
to flavors. Sonja hopes that the coffee industry will become a more diverse
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