Starbucks celebrates partners’ coffee talent and craft at Barista Championships 2022

8,535 lattes, 35 brewed coffees, 16 French Presses and 300 espresso-based beverages.  This is the number of beverages passionate Starbucks partners handcrafted at the China, Japan and Asia Pacific Regional Barista Championships 2022.

From 11 to 20 October 2022, after months of market competitions which saw 17,775 partners compete for a coveted place in the regional championships, 60 Starbucks partners from 14 markets made it to the regional competition. 

The two-week virtual championships saw competitors come together to compete across three competitions; Coffee Stories, Latte Art and a new event for Green Apron partners, designed to celebrate teamwork and elevate beverage quality and customer experience, the Ultimate Barista Team Challenge.

Congratulations to the three competition Champions and to all partners who participated

Coffee Stories Champion - Victoria Kater, Starbucks Philippines Market
Latte Art Champion - Irwan Syahril Fajar, Starbucks Indonesia Market
Ultimate Barista Team Challenge - Starbucks Thailand Market partners Phakamat Kenglee, Phiraphat Phraaphaiwong, Hathairat Kaewprachu Thoop

Victoria, Coffee Stories Champion, said “This has been an amazing journey filled with learning and growth and it has been honour to represent my market. This competition gave me the chance to showcase how Starbucks creates a sustainable coffee future for all and a platform to be able to inspire other partners to do the same and help where they can.”

This year’s competition submissions raised the bar, making the job of our experienced judging panel even more difficult.  After the excitement of the semifinals, the finalists competed for the title of Champion in the Grand Final, as partners cheered them on online and at watch parties across the region.

Irwan, Latte Art Champion, was overwhelmed by the support he received and had a special message for partners.  “I thank you for being a support system for me…without the help and support of a team I would not have been able to give my best performance.

An event for all partners

The championships were not just an event for competitors. Partners across the region joined the fun through the new Coffee Community website, watching LIVE competitions, earning cherries on the website, creating their own barista avatars and pouring their own latte art. 

This year, the Pour Your Heart Challenge really captured the imagination of our partners with 4 latte art challenges held over the two weeks; heart, rosetta, tulip and swan.  8,369 talented partners submitted their designs which were reviewed by a team of dedicated HKSC judges, with the top 10 from each design celebrated on the @partnercoffeestories Instagram and shared through the RBC e-newsletter.

Celebrating our partners' love for coffee

The Regional Barista Championships is not only a showcase of barista skill and craft, it also provides an opportunity to create moments of connection and storytelling over coffee and embraces the Starbucks mission and values.  Inspired by our partners and their passion for coffee, this annual event is truly a platform to celebrate their commitment to working to ensure a sustainable future of coffee for all.

“Our partners are the heart and core of Starbucks and I am so proud of the work our baristas do every day, and I am delighted that we are able to hold an event in our region that represents the work of our green and black apron partners that creates meaningful moment for our customers,” said Emmy Kan, president, Asia Pacific Region. “This event continues to inspire me in what is possible through passion for coffee and connections”.