Another year of Regional Championships have been run and won. In my first column as ASCA President, I’m pleased to report that the standard of Australian competition grows ever higher, as evidenced by the outstanding routines showcased by baristas around the country these past few months.
I’m especially proud of our 2018 ASCA Australian Champions who competed at the World Championships in Brazil.
- Yama Kim, 2018 World Cup Tasters Champion
- Danny Wilson, third place in the World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship
- Shinsaku Fukayama, fourth place in the World Latte Art Championship
- Heath Dalziel, 10th place in the World Brewers Cup.
Their performance comes off the back of the continued investment by ASCA into the competitions and our people, utilising the expertise and guidance of the ASCA Competitions Committee and the amazing coaches who help prepare our people for the world stage.
ASCA has also taken this philosophy, expertise, and investment to the broader coffee market through the Monin Coffee Chain Challenge. This has seen the best of the Australian coffee chains face off and McCafe crowned champion at Luna Park in Sydney in November.
At the 2018 ASCA Annual General Meeting, members saw a new board elected for the coming year. It’s my pleasure to officially introduce my fellow Board members to you.
- Nic Michaelides, FTA Coffee – Vice President
- Chris Wheatly, Scope Accounting – Treasurer
- David Boudrie, FTA Coffee – Secretary
- Michaela Gerard, Veneziano Coffee Roasters – Barista Guild Head
- Cameron Ballard, Coffee World – Roasters Guild Head
- Melissa Caia, William Angliss Institute – Ordinary Member
- Bruno Maiolo, C4 Coffee – Ordinary Member.
While we know ASCA is leading the way worldwide with our standard of competition (evidenced by the incredible performance by our competitors, along our Stage Manager extraordinaire Martin Pearson, who took on this role at International Coffee Week in Brazil), as a board, it’s our job to ensure that we are leading all facets of the specialty coffee industry in Australia. As such, we’re overhauling our memberships to ensure we’re bringing our members more value than ever before. This includes educational programs, access to internationally acclaimed workshops to improve skills, and running more events to network with peers and find new mentors.
ASCA will also be improving its communications to bring you even more relevant news.
It’s an exciting time to be working in Australian specialty coffee, and I, along with the newly elected ASCA Board, am looking forward to taking the industry to new heights in the coming year.
Please take the time to get to know us all, as we’re here to represent you. Reach out to my colleagues or I directly (details on the ASCA website) if you have any questions or ideas to help move the Australian coffee industry forward. We’re all in this together and we can’t do it without your help.
There are so many opportunities to get involved to help steer your association – from volunteering at competitions, to submitting your events to the ASCA website, to putting your hand up for the various committees that run all the ASCA programs throughout the year.
We’re looking forward to meeting everyone at events around the country, starting with the 2019 ASCA Australian Coffee Championships at the Melbourne International Coffee Expo in February.
Don’t forget to sign up as a member to access your complimentary tickets to the expo.