Could a Champion Barista be pulling your next shot at Starbucks?
Out of the 15,000 partners (employees) that entered this year's Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Barista Championship Final, 16 remain.
The barista named best, across Starbucks EMEA's 44 countries, will have their name engraved on the coveted trophy, a golden milk steaming pitcher, and will take home an extremely rare purple Starbucks apron - only presented to EMEA Barista Champions.
Ahead of finding out who will be crowned overall Barista Champion from across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, we asked the final 16 what it takes to become a National Champion. In alphabetical order, their answers were as follows:
Alejandra, Spain
"You need to work hard every day, and you must always believe in yourself and in the people around you."
Alex, Germany
"You should be yourself and share your love to Starbucks and your Coffee Passion."
Arun, Oman
"You need passion for coffee and show both dedication and respect for the work and craft."
Aylin, Turkey
"Feel pride for the coffee, and feel passionate and very honoured about meeting all these amazing partners. This is all about a Starbucks Community."
Christina, Romania
"You need great partners to support you, great customers to be patient with you and supporters on the journey to the Finals to help you relax."
Gregory, Cyprus
"You’re not alone, many partners (employees) behind you that believe in your passion. Partners guide you to find the spark that opens your potential."
Hannah, Sweden
"A barista champion needs knowledge and passion, when these two combine they create a skill that draws people in and delivers!"
Katerina, Czech Republic
"In a word: Teamwork. One could not do this alone. My mentor, who took days off to train me, the
team at my store who covered for me when I was training, the managers, all of them had to put great effort in to make this happen."
Lois, United Kingdom
"Confidence in your own ability – you know you have the skills and the passion to succeed so don’t let anything stand in your way!"
Najeeba, Saudi Arabia
"Passion first, your heart, your team and — practice, practice, practice. Passion can make miracles."
Namgay, Kuwait
"To be a Barista Champion, you need passion, connection, and to feel love for everyone from farmers, to customers to partners."
Rebeka, Hungary
"You need curiosity about the coffee and practice, practice, practice."
Silvia, Denmark
"Go the extra mile because it doesn’t take much to deliver, nothing can stop you if you put enough passion into it."
Teddy, South Africa
"Love, passion and share your knowledge with partners and everyone around the world."
Valentine, France
"Passion, self-motivation, willingness and pleasure to share and remaining humble is for me the key to be successful."
Xrhstos, Greece
"To be a Barista Champion, need dedication, passion, support from your team and also your country. "
Read More
We’ve taken a little time to catch up over a coffee with some of our previous winners. From travelling the world, meeting new people and immersing yourself in new cultures over a shared passion for coffee, to guiding and nurturing the next generation of coffee masters, winning the title of Starbucks EMEA Barista Champion opens up a host of opportunities.
All around Europe, the Middle East and Africa, there is a tangible buzz of anticipation as the 2024 EMEA Barista Championships prepare to take centre stage. This year’s competition promises to be a landmark event, featuring a record-breaking number of national winners competing for the coveted purple apron, only one of which is awarded each […]