At Perkee, we’re committed to keeping pace with developments in the coffee industry by striving for innovation and ensuring our standards of barista-ship continue to rise. Our annual Barista Championships test bartlett mitchell baristas on their coffee knowledge, grinding skills, coffee machine use and milk preparation techniques. These are just one of the ways that we work to finesse our service at Perkee.
Baristas from across the UK compete in four heats and a quarter-final. The six finalists then enter a three-stage challenge, held at our annual Coffee Carnival. This consists of an espresso course, a cappuccino course and a freestyle course. In the latter stage, we challenge participants to tickle our judge’s taste buds with signature drinks of their own creation.
Awards
Whilst one finalist will be crowned Barista Champion, additional awards for Best Cappuccino, Best Espresso and Best Signature Drink are also up for grabs. Plus, at bartlett mitchell we appreciate that the perfect cup is about more than just taste. It’s about the whole experience. The service with a smile. So, alongside our technical awards, we also honour one contestant with an award for Best Customer Service.
Barista Championships 2018
We were immensely impressed by the talent involved in last year’s Barista Championships. Miguel Camara, Coffee Brands Manager and organiser of our annual Coffee Carnival, notes “Our baristas are going from strength to strength. They learn more each year and take inspiration from coffee and flavour trends. Kristina Kirilova, our 2018 Barista Champion, demonstrated everything we look for in our baristas: passion, pride and personality. Our first winner in 2017, Laura Floyd went on to become one of our barista development team.”
Our Barista Championships encourage all members of the #bmFamily at Perkee Coffee to reach their full potential. Wendy Bartlett, executive chairman, bartlett mitchell, has remarked “The bartlett mitchell Barista Championship has gone from strength to strength since its launch. It’s a great chance for the fantastic talent we have across the business to showcase what they can do. We’re immensely proud of everyone that took part.”