Hanging out at the UNIC booth, Scottie Callaghan made me a sweet shot of espresso.
Here we are at day one of the World Barista Championship and the Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE)! It’s a gorgeous fall day outside ”but who would want to be outside when there’s all this fun happening at the Melbourne Showgrounds? Competitors in the World Barista Championship have been performing in the preliminary round since 8 a.m. this morning, and the show floor of MICE is literally buzzing; it is a coffee show, after all.
Here are some fun photos from around the WBC and the show on this first day…
Argentina’s Daniel’s signature drink set up.Barista Champion of Argentina Daniel Andres introduces himself to his judges.
Team Malaysia told me they were big fans of Barista Magazine. I told them we were big fans of Malaysia!Sebastian from Chile, with Team Guatemala, reigning WBC Champ Raul, and WBC judge Roukiat.Barista Champion of the United Arab Emirates Romeo during his preliminary round performance.At the WBC store, you can get everything from water bottles to tshirts to buttons!Nuova Simonelli put this awesome Hall of Fame together, with a hanging poster of every WBC Champ lining the path from the main MICE show floor to the WBC area. It’s so cool!T3 down under! The branded Nuova Simonelli espresso machines are hot, hot, hot!
2009 WBC Champ Gwilym Davies holds court at the Nuova Simonelli booth.Local roaster St. Ali is where Australian Barista Champion Matt Perger works. At their stand, they have hundreds of these Team Perger cycling caps.The booths here at MICE are simply stunning.Custom La Marzocco machines on display at the 9 Bar stand.Axil Roasters in the house.The Brew Bar, outside of the World Brewers Cup stage, features some hella cool brewing equipment.More from the St. Ali familyEverybody loves rainbows!Hanging out at the UNIC booth, Scottie Callaghan made me a sweet shot of espresso.Anastasia and Sebastian of UNIC under the basketball hoop.Scottie on the Stella.La Marzocco’s booth is all sleek, sophisticated wood, to showcase the new Linea PB.World Brewers Cup Champions gather for their orientation meeting. The World Brewers Cup Championship starts on Friday!
Sarah Allen (she/her) is co-founder and editor of Barista Magazine, the international trade magazine for coffee professionals. A passionate advocate for baristas, quality, and the coffee community, Sarah has traveled widely to research stories, interact with readers, and present on a variety of topics affecting specialty coffee. She also loves animals, swimming, ice cream, and living in Portland, Oregon.
