1 Year After the World Barista Championship

A year ago, the World Barista Championship wrapped up in Busan.
We were there…. coaching, filming, and watching some of the very best baristas in the world perform with precision and purpose.
It was the kind of week that’s hard to describe if you haven’t lived inside the prep room, the back-of-house nerves, the fine-tuned espressos dialed in under pressure, tasting and refining sig drink ingredients.

Our team made The Flower Story — a documentary that captured not just the routines and the results, but the human side of it all. The tension, the team behind the competitor, the months (or years) of prep that lead to 15 minutes on stage.

Mikael’s Story — And What Comes After Winning

Before we get too far, if you want to hear Mikael’s full story in his own words from dishwasher in Melbourne to World Barista Champion.

Since winning in 2024, he’s used that platform to elevate others:

• He took on the role of Chief of Coffee Innovation at Fore Coffee, one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing coffee chains. He’s not just making drinks — he’s shaping sourcing, service design, and what coffee will mean for the next generation of drinkers in Indonesia.

• He became a Global Ambassador for Victoria Arduino, bridging the gap between high-end gear and the baristas who use it, sharing insights from the stage to the cafe floor.

After years of coaching and competing, here’s what we’ve come to know:

Barista competitions are a shortcut to deep growth.
Not easy. Not quick. But focused, demanding, and incredibly rewarding if you commit to it.

You sharpen your skills — fast.

Extraction, flavor, milk texture, workflow, sensory calibration — all under a microscope. These are things you can spend years refining behind the bar, but in competition, they level up quickly because they have to.

You learn how to communicate.

Not just about coffee — but clearly, confidently, and with intention.
You’re not just serving drinks. You’re telling a story. you're learning to present in front of friends, family, strangers, and a panel of judges. That skill carries over into leadership, interviews, teaching, public speaking, and life outside of coffee too.

You build a network.

Competitions connect you with coffee professionals across your city, your country, and around the world. You become part of a community that roots for each other, learns from each other, and grows together.

You create new opportunities.

Maybe not overnight. But the WBC can open doors — to better jobs, brand partnerships, consulting gigs, travel, and collaborations that often don’t show up on job boards.
If we could go back and talk to ourselves in 2010 when we started competing, we would’ve never guessed how many of our biggest opportunities came directly from this world.

We’re proud of what we’ve built.
Proud that we've shown up week after week even when it felt like no one was watching. Even when it felt like maybe the next push wasn’t guaranteed to bring a win.

Why It Matters (Even If You Never Compete)

To most customers, the WBC doesn’t mean much and that’s okay (WHAT!?)
They want a great coffee, a familiar face, and a moment of connection. That’s the real work we do every day behind the bar.

But just because the WBC isn’t part of everyday cafe life doesn’t mean it’s not important.
Here’s what we’ve seen firsthand

• It raises the bar. Competitions create pressure to improve not just in technique, but in storytelling, service, and creativity. Those lessons filter out across the industry.

• It influences what gets served. The coffees featured at WBC… processing styles, flavor profiles, roasting trends often show up in cafes a few months later.

• It builds professional pathways. Baristas become trainers. Competitors become educators, green buyers, consultants, and founders. The WBC isn’t a final destination it’s a launchpad for the next big thing.

• It connects people across the production process. You get producers on stage. You get stories of origin told in new ways. You get a clearer picture of how coffee moves, and why relationships matter at every step.

But most of all?
It creates belief.
It tells baristas — the ones who show up early, push to get better, and work to create meaningful moments with every customer that this craft matters.
That there’s a future here.
That their skill can take them further than they think.

One Year Later

It’s been 12 months since we stood in Busan, filming The Flower Story and working side-by-side with competitors from around the world.

The four baristas we had the honour of supporting Gio, Christi, Nelson, and Mikael each left a mark on us.
Personally and professionally, their commitment, creativity, and heart reminded us why this work matters.

Now, with some distance, we’ve been able to zoom out and ask:
What really stays with us after the trophies are handed out?

It’s not just Mikael’s win (though that was unforgettable).
It’s the proof that someone from any background, in any corner of the coffee world, can step on that stage and set a new standard.
It’s the reminder that collaboration matters more than competition — that behind every great routine is a team built on trust, belief, and passion.

And it’s the realization that this global coffee community while small is connected, passionate, and full of people trying to do something meaningful.

WBC isn’t perfect. It doesn’t speak to everyone.
But it gives us something rare:
A stage to celebrate excellence, to push the craft forward, and to inspire people around the world to raise their game ….whether they’re on stage or behind a bar.

We’re proud of every barista who showed up with something to say because stepping up matters.

So if you’re thinking of competing, coaching, mentoring, or just brewing more intentionally at home …..do it!
This industry needs more of that….
People who care enough to aim for excellence.

Reading: Today was a long one..relax and watch something below.

Watching: This video takes us back to the beginning of Morgan’s 2023 U.S. Barista Championship journey… showing the unglamorous, thoughtful early phase of building a competition routine. From writing her script to sharing the mental load of starting from scratch, it’s a rare peek behind the curtain from one of the most accomplished (and honest) voices in coffee competition.

Listening: Listening to way too many people talk about tariffs? Same…turn off the news and log off social. Start with half a day…. see if you can stretch it to 24 hours. ​

Brewing: This week we brewed up a natural process coffee from Altieri Specialty Coffee while watching their farm tour video — a perfect pairing. Here’s the recipe. 25g coffee, 400g water, 3 pours: 0:00 / 0:40 / 1:20. Coarse grind to let that juicy acidity shine. Clean, bright, and tropical — a great cup to share with people you care about.

Distance: Buy the Drip run club. Clocking some kilometers. Help us push a few more kilometers through this week?

Want to join us as we hit the road? Let’s connect on Strava! or, join our Whoop group - just respond to the email and let’s grind together!