The Championship Finals of the Alchemy 2016 Hudsons Coffee Barista Championships have been held at Zentveld’s Coffee Plantation, a family owned plantation found in the hills behind the Byron Bay, NSW.
With more than 450 baristas in the Hudsons Coffee network, two teams were represented in the final: Greenslopes Private Hospital in Queensland led by team captain Nikki Dormer and franchise partner Adam de Vries; and Launceston CBD in Tasmania, led by team captain Celeste Pihan and franchise partner Ray Heald.
For the second time, the Greenslopes Private Hospital in Queensland competitors were named the Hudsons Coffee Barista Champions. “We are thrilled to be a part of such a dynamic and exciting competition once again this year. Allison, my wife and business partner, and I are so proud of the wonderful effort the team had put into this competition prior to the win against a very worthy adversary in Ray and the team at Hudsons Coffee Launceston CBD,” said de Vries.
Finalist teams were required to compete in three rounds: ‘latte art’, where teams have five minutes to produce three different, randomly chosen latte art patterns; ‘seasonal beverage’, where teams must produce and present an inventive espresso-based drink using at least one of Alchemy Cordial’s syrups; and ‘service time’, where teams must prepare 20 drink orders within 10 minutes.
The judging panel consisted of one technical and three sensory judges, including: Michael Bishop, founder of Alchemy Cordials; Deb Knight, managing director of Knight Mattingly Coffee Roasters (KMCR); Jason Gorgioski, national operations manager of Emirates Leisure Retail Australia (ELRA) (ELRA is a subsidiary of the Emirates Group, owners of Hudsons Coffee); and Tania Joyce, ELRA learning and development manager.
Adam Summerville, managing director, Emirates Leisure Retail Australia said, “This year’s championship finals are a testament to the teams’ commitment, dedication and passion for their job and we are excited to see the Greenslopes Private Hospital team compete in the upcoming Australian Coffee Chain Challenge (ACCC) in November.”
