After four podium finishes in four years, Veneziano Coffee Roasters’ Gabrel Tan has scaled the Mount Everest of Australian coffee competitions with his first Australian Barista Championship (ABC) victory.
Hosted at Big Plans in North Melbourne as part of the ASCA National Coffee Championships, Gabrel overcame a strong field of competitors including fellow podium finishers Angus Mackie and Liam Pratt to take home the championship and earn himself a spot on the plane to Panama City’s World Barista Championship in 2026.
After four previous attempts and three podium finishes in the ABC, Gabrel says he’s taken each year of competition as a learning experience to help him finally take home the crown.
“I wanted to compete ever since I started at Veneziano. Craig Simon was my mentor and I looked up to him because he competed. It took me many, many years to get here but I am really grateful for everybody who has been part of this journey,” says Gabrel.
“Every year of not winning has been a year of good learning.
“I want to shout out my team – especially Craig Dickson. He’s been supporting me ever since I started at Veneziano and has always believed in me.”
Gabrel also praised three-time Australian Barista Champion – and current reigning World Champion – Jack Simpson for helping motivate him to up his game heading into this year’s event.
“Jack Simpson really inspired me. I got to be part of his preparation for the 2025 World Barista Championship in Milan, and that really inspired me to be a better competitor, to work harder, to be more disciplined,” says Gabrel.
While the importance of shining a light on coffee origin and producers is a common theme at the top level of barista championships, the way in which Gabrel approached the competition offered a different and exciting perspective on origin.
After using a Panamanian coffee from Jansen Estate for the espresso course, Gabrel turned to one of the world’s largest coffee producers for the milk and signature drink stages, but one not as notorious for featuring at the top end of competition. Indonesia.
He says a key reason as to why he elected to use beans from Indonesia tied back into the concept for his routine, making good coffee more accessible.
“For the espresso, I used a Panamanian coffee from Jansen Estate. I’ve been using their coffees for the past two seasons, and I visited Kai earlier this year. I had met him before at trade shows, but to be able to visit him at the farm and taste coffee with him was very memorable,” he says.
“My milk coffee was from a farm called Wanoja in Indonesia, and I was able to visit there earlier this year and really taste how amazing their coffee was. For the signature drink, I used another Indonesian coffee, and I got Sam from Byrdi to help me out.
“We set a benchmark of Panamanian coffee because this is what we like, but what about other people? At this competition stage everyone is trying to use the best coffees they can find, but what about other origins? They need to be showcased as well.
“It’s our job to elevate others to be a better industry. I really want to highlight what they do and try to make good coffee more accessible, that was my concept.”
Now Gabrel is the next man tasked with continuing Australia’s strong heritage at the World Barista Championships (WBC) and take on the best of the best in Panama.
After Jack’s WBC win just last month, and Anthony Douglas (2022), Sasa Sestic (2015), and Paul Bassett (2003), Australia has produced more winners than any other nation apart from Denmark, which has also claimed four crowns.
“I’m looking forward to taking a rest and recharging before getting ready for worlds,” says Gabrel.
“It’s very special.”
