Soul Origin holds first National Barista Championship
On July 23, the brand's top baristas will compete in front of coffee industry leaders to win the title of the first National Soul Origin Barista Champion.
Following several rounds of heats over the last three months, 43 participants have been whittled down to six finalists who have come from Soul Origin stores from across the country to showcase their skills in the finals. Soul Origin has taken the format from the World Barista Championships and updated it to be suitable for this event.
The finalists will be judged by four industry leading, world and National Championships barista competition judges who are looking for excellence across a number of categories and criteria, including creating their own signature drink.
The judges are:
Ross Quail - World Barista Championship Finals Head Judge, General Manager, Sensory Lab Coffee, ASCA accredited judge, Australian Barista Championship Head Judge
James Fridley - ASCA accredited judge, cafe consultant, NSW ASCA Committee member
Muki Yeung - ASCA Accredited judge, Green Coffee trader
Emily Oak - Chair NSW ASCA Committee, former World Barista Championship Board of Directors and WBC Sensory Judge
Sam Taylor - latte art champion, barista judge, Soul Origin Coffee Training Manager
“We recognise that coffee-making is a true art and we are proud to have created a platform that showcases our baristas and lets them show their talent by competing with each other,” Soul Origin General Manager Chris Mavris said.
“Coffee culture is thriving in Australia and we believe our Soul Origin baristas are up there with the best.”
The event will kick off at 11am on Saturday, July 23 at Stocklands Wetherill Park, Sydney. Soul Origin will be giving out freebies and merchandise to onlookers during the event.
