The Alternative Dairy Co is hosting the Alternative Barista Smackdown National Tour, involving five knockout latte art heats on a national tour.
Each event will consist of six knockout rounds, with each contestants’ milk type and latte art pattern determined by a spinning wheel before each round.
The national tour will begin at Paradox Coffee Roasters in New South Wales, Australia, taking place on Thursday 13 October from 5pm to 9pm.
The following heat will take place on 24 November at Darkstar Coffee Roasters in Osborne Park, Western Australia. The third heat will be on 20 February at Kindred Coffee Roasters in Adelaide, South Australia. The fourth heat will take place on 30 March at Victoria Arduino in Brunswick, Victoria, and the final heat will take place on 27 April at Barista Technology Australia in Burleigh Heads, Queensland.
Competitors will use The Alternative Dairy Co’s range of plant-based barista milks along with The Perfect Moose automatic milk steamer.
The first-place champion of each event will win a $1,000 Mastercard voucher plus return flights and two nights’ accommodation to compete at the Grand Final. The second-place victor will win a $500 Mastercard voucher, and the third-place winner will win a $250 Mastercard voucher.
Following the heat events, the Grand Final will be held on 15 June 2023 at Veneziano Coffee Roasters in Richmond, Victoria. The winner of the Grand Final will take home $10,000 cash, and be crowned Australia’s Alternative Barista.
Competitor tickets are $25 and spectator tickets are free. The Alternative Dairy Co has teamed up with Barista Technology Australia and StreetSmart Australia to raise funds for TipJar, a movement focusing on funding training and educational programs run by food based social enterprises, through competitor entry tickets.
For more information, visit The Alternative Dairy Co website.