GODFREY BATTE
BARISTA CHAMPION OF UGANDA
Barista Mag: Before coffee, did you work in a different job or industry, or what did you study in school?
Godfrey: I graduated with a Bachelors degree in Business Administration. However, all my life I work in coffee, first as a barista, and now in quality control and training.
BMag: How did you get started in coffee?
Godfrey: I first trained in basic coffee brewing and barista skills, then basic coffee quality control and management. From these trainings, I was motivated to join the coffee industry and take a job as a barista in a cafe.
BMag: What was your first amazing experience with coffee?
Godfrey: Uganda produces both Arabica and Robusta Coffee. I was amazed the first time I tasted both and got the differences between the two coffees.
BMag: Who has been your greatest influence in coffee? Why?
Godfrey: I will be generic rather than specific. The people who have believed in me starting with my team from the Africa Coffee Academy, and also the Uganda National Barista Champion 2010/2011 Mark Okuta who helped me from the time I started practicing to compete.
BMag: What would you like to see change about the coffee industry/community?
Godfrey: The life of a farmer who makes the bean what it is relies on the work of the barista who then prepares it for the consumer. Why? Because any mistake the barista makes effects every person in the chain who came before him.
BMag: Name a coffee luminary (famous person) you would like to meet, and why:
Godfrey: The World Barista Champion from 2010 Michael Phillips, for his knowledge and skills in brewing and coffee.
BMag: Do you have a favorite customer? If so, tell us about him or her.
Godfrey: Yeah. He is this gentleman who is very passionate about coffee. Every time he finds me at the bar, he asks me to make for him the coffee of my choice. He has tasted my signature beverages and complimented/advised me. He has no special cupping skills but a good judgement when it comes to taste.
BMag: Besides your own cafe, what cafe do you think everyone should visit?
Godfrey: In Kampala, I think Cafe Pap because they have maintained a great level of consistency in the coffees they serve over the years.
BMag: Which coffee producing country you would like to visit, and why?
Godfrey: Hawaii. The fact that it is the only state in the United States that produces coffee is great. I am eager to explore more about their coffee in terms of tastes and differences from the rest of the world
BMag: What are your interests outside of coffee?
Godfrey: Reading, cycling and interacting in social groups. especially with friends after work.
BMag: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Godfrey: Working as a Coffee Corp volunteer with the CQI and reaching out to different coffee communities in the world, sharing the knowledge that I’m accumulating now.
BMag: Is there anyone you would like to thank or who helped you prepare for the WBC?
Godfrey: The first runner-up of the Uganda National Barista Championship, and the Champion from 2010/2011. He helped me shoot up my barista skills to great heights despite the fact that I was his competitor. He still joined me during trainings for other challenges like for the Africa Barista Challenge (ABC) where I emmerged first runner-up.
