The New Zealand Specialty Coffee Association (NZSCA) will host the 2019 Meadow Fresh New Zealand Barista Championship at the Expressions Arts and Entertainment Centre in Upper Hutt, New Zealand from 2 to 3 February.
New Zealand’s best baristas will compete on stage in an effort to win the coveted Champion title and represent their country on the world stage at the World Barista Championship in Amsterdam in June.
The national heats will take place from 8am to 5pm on Saturday 2 February.
The competitor lineup in the heats includes:
- 8:30am Abi Lassing, Ebony Coffee, Palmerston North
- 8:49am Nungrutai Maneerod, Dark Horse Coffee Ltd, Paraparaumu
- 9:08am Anne-Lise Monard-Stott, Ripe Coffee Roasters, Petone
- 9:27am Bill Zheng, Mojo Coffee Cartel, Auckland
- 9:46am Giancarlo Miggiano, Little Drum Coffee, Tauranga
- 10:05am Luise Metelka, Flight Coffee, Wellington
- 10.24am An Nguyen, JDE Coffee, Auckland
- 10:43am Heesun Christina Lee, Atomic Coffee Roasters, Auckland
- 11:02am Johnny Leung, Archie Café, Auckland
- 11:21am Andy Shen, Interislander, Wellington
- 11:40am Nico Refiti, Ozone Coffee Roasters, New Plymouth
- 11:59am Danny Lee, Mojo Coffee Cartel, Auckland
- 12:18pm Eddie Chae, L’affare, Auckland
- 12:37pm Jeroen Grundemann, Bethells Beanz, Henderson
- 12:56pm Takashi Ueno, Cafe Agora, Hamilton
- 1:15pm Dove Chen, Grey Street Kitchen, Hamilton
- 1:34pm Bonnie Lam, The Coffee Shack, Wanaka
- 1:53pm Logan Collinge, Mojo Coffee Cartel, Wellington
- 2:12pm Michalina Sujewicz, Switch Espresso Ltd, Christchurch
- 2:31pm Ken Te, Society Coffee, Auckland
- 2:50pm Matthew Ross, Excelso, Tauranga
- 3:09pm Julien Nehemia, Interislander, Wellington
The top six will be announced at 4:30pm.
The finals will commence from 11am to 4pm on Sunday 3 February.
The final announcement and trophy presentation will take place from 3.30pm.
Several new trophies and prizes will also be presented, including Best Newcomer with a $2000 prize, Outstanding milk beverage with a $500 prize, and Peoples Choice.
Entry for spectators is free to the -hosted event.