ASCA exists to promote and develop the Australian specialty coffee community, and relies on it to continue thriving.
Recently, the Australian Specialty Coffee Association (ASCA) Board was approached by a regional community looking to up-skill their baristas to a level where they could compete on the national stage.
We jumped at the opportunity. ASCA was founded with the aim to advance the specialty coffee industry in Australia, and what better way to achieve this mission than to provide training and career advancement opportunities in a regional area?
As the only domestic pathway to competing in the World Coffee Championships, it’s important to us that the ASCA Australian Coffee Championships are accessible.
We are thrilled with the calibre of recent competitions, and so proud of our baristas who are kicking goals on the world stage. But if we want to continually grow the standard of specialty coffee in Australia, and spread it to all corners of our vast country, we need to keep investing in new members and helping them to achieve excellence.
With our Judges Workshops completed and another competition season about to kick off, I for one am eagerly waiting to see which faces we’ll see in the #ASCATop12 for 2020 and beyond.
While we give what we can to the Australian coffee community, we are lucky enough to have it give back to us too. We see many baristas, café owners, and industry insiders who want to contribute to ASCA as well as benefit from it. So, how can you get involved?
List your event on the ASCA website
Got a community event taking place? It could be a cupping session, coffee tour, industry presentation, or even a gathering of coffee lovers debating over their favourite brew, wanting to share the love with some newcomers.
If you’re an ASCA member, you can list your event on the ASCA website for everyone to find.
Sign up to volunteer
Volunteers keep ASCA ticking along. Each of my fellow board members and I are volunteers, as are our judges, scorekeepers, and organisers.
Volunteering is a great way to kick off your involvement with ASCA. Want to see what happens behind the scenes, meet some of the industry’s best baristas, or network with leading coffee professionals? Volunteering is the best way to get there.
Our volunteers help with everything from photography to time keeping and tallying scores to stage management. Some of our volunteers are now sought-after judges, high-profile competitors, and internationally regarded industry members.
You can start by helping out in the ASCA Regional Coffee Championships. The dates and locations are as follows:
- Central Region – New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory at Fine Food Sydney from 10 to 12 September.
- Northern Region – Queensland and Northern Territory at Latitude Coffee in QLD from 5 to 6 October.
- Southern Region – Victoria and Tasmania at St Ali roastery in Port Melbourne from 25 to 27 October.
- Western Region – South and West Australia at Optus Stadium in WA from 15 to 17 November.
Become a member
Membership of ASCA gives you un-paralleled access to Australia’s specialty coffee community.
Participate in events, try your hand at competing, and help us to grow Australia’s specialty coffee industry from the ground up.
We can’t wait for you to join us.
For more information, visit www.australianspecialtycoffee.com.au
This article appears in the August edition of BeanScene Magazine. Subscribe HERE.