The draw for Round One of Australia’s Richest Barista has been announced.
Aum Phithakphon will verse Carlos Mena, Johnny Laum will go up against Bronson Sheedy, Kay Wong will compete against Juan Escobar, and Duy Tran Thanh Vo will verse Suyasha Shrestha.
Victor Vu will compete against Rawirat Techasitthanet, Pirada Tungbenjaphol will verse Kael Zhao, Ryan Clark will go up against Melanie Sugeng, and Simon Gautherin will verse DC Wen.
Mahamat Abdrahman will compete against Vee Limbu, Dan Bottesini will verse Lucky Salvador, Jayson Javier will go up against Selina Park, and Hany Ezzat will verse Gabrel Tan.
Harry Lin will verse James (Byung Kyu) Kim, Devin Loong will compete against Corey Williams, Phuc Quynh Pham will go up against Quoc Vuong (Vincent) Do, and Jae Kim will verse Ruby Zhu.
These baristas will go head to head in the barista round, creating an espresso, milk beverage, alternative milk beverage and signature drink. The winning baristas from each head-to-head battle will advance to the latte art round in Round Two.
The competition is a knock-out format, fast-paced competition designed to exhibit barista talent to the global coffee industry and all the coffee lovers. Baristas will have the chance to win a share of a $40,000 prize pool, the richest cash prize on offer for a barista competition final anywhere in the world. The winner will receive $25,000, runner-up takes home $10,000, and third place wins $5000.
Watch competitors battle it out across days one and two of the Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE) from 17 to 19 August at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on the Main Stage.
Product sponsors include BRITA, The Alternative Dairy Co., Riverina Fresh, Naked Syrups, and Dalla Corte.
To purchase tickets to MICE2023, visit internationalcoffeeexpo.com/tickets