Victoria Arduino will be hosting an event called the Champions Hub, where barista competitors can attend lectures and workshops from former champions.
BY ASHLEY RODRIGUEZ
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE
On May 8, Victoria Arduino and Simonelli Group— the espresso machine company that has been the longtime machine sponsor for the World Barista Championship (WBC)—will host an event for all National Barista Champions to build their skills before the WBC in Amsterdam in June. The Champions Hub is designed to give all competitors access to the tools they need to succeed in competition. “[The Champions Hub] has been created to give training, research, and practice on the competition equipment to National Barista Champions. The purpose is to make competition training more accessible to all participants,” the website states.
The two-day event is free for all participants, and attendees will learn from past competitors like Gwilym Davies, the 2009 WBC champion from the United Kingdom, who will break down the ins and outs of the scoresheet; Dale Harris, the reigning 2017 WBC champion from the United Kingdom, who will break down his preparation process; and Rubens Gardelli, the 2018 World Roasting Championship winner, who will provide tips on how to roast your coffee for competition.
Joining these folks will be Sonja Bjork Grant, former Danish barista champion, who will talk about the rules and regulations of the WBC; André Eiermann, the barista champion of Switzerland (and 10th-place finisher at the 2017 WBC), who will talk about the last-minute details and tips to consider; Prof. Chahan Yeretzian (ZHAW University) and Lauro Fioretti (Simonelli Group), who will talk about the science behind what happens to coffee extraction at different temperatures; and water specialist Ronny Billemon, who will discuss the water competitors will expect to find in Amsterdam.
Along with taking in lectures, competitors will be able to use competition-style equipment and also judge other competitors, learning not just from practicing their routines, but by judging others through the guidance of WBC-certified judges.
You can still register for this event—all you need to do is get yourself to the Simonelli Group headquarters (they’re about equidistant between Rome and Florence in Italy)!
