First Ethiopian Barista Championship to Showcase Farmers’ Top Quality Coffees

January 30, 2007
No. 05/07

Addis Ababa - Coffee baristas, or coffee servers, from Addis Ababa and other Ethiopian cities have been honing their skills for a first-of-its-kind competition in Ethiopia, the 2007 Addis Ababa Barista Championship. The event will take place February 15 -17 at the Hilton Hotel as part of the East African Fine Coffee Association (EAFCA) 4th annual Conference. The competition is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and its Agribusiness and Trade Expansion Program, which is improving the coffee industry in Ethiopia through the technical assistance of organizations like Fintrac and Boot Coffee.  The winner of the barista competition will be flown to Tokyo, to compete in the World Barista Championship (WBC) against winners from participating countries in Africa, North America, Europe, and Asia.

Since 2000, the WBC has been organizing competitions and gaining immense popularity in the European and American specialty coffee industries.  By providing a stage and criteria for standout coffee service and training for coffee baristas, the WBC has helped increase consumer demand for high quality espresso coffee and a corresponding willingness to pay more for a great cup of coffee. Great coffee comes from high-quality, higher-priced beans as opposed to common low-cost commodity trade coffee.

To enhance local and international awareness of Ethiopia’s unique, high quality coffees during the EAFCA conference, baristas will showcase top-scoring coffees entered by farmers in the Feb. 17th Ethiopia 2007 Limited Coffee Auction (another USAID supported event). Buyers will have an opportunity to be served these coffees by well-trained barista competitors.  The top-scoring Ethiopian coffees will also be available to buyers in the EAFCA Taste of Harvest sampling room.

The EAFCA conference is expected to bring together over 500 participants from approximately 40 countries, including coffee producers, processors, exporters, foreign coffee buyers, equipment manufacturers, and government officials.  It provides a unique venue for Ethiopia to promote to the world its outstanding coffees, leading to increased demand and higher prices for Ethiopia’s coffee producers.  The Ethiopian Barista Championship and Limited Coffee Auction are part of a larger effort by USAID to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of Ethiopia’s coffee sector, increase incomes for coffee farmers, and expand exports earnings. 

Barista Jams, which includes free training, occur every Thursday from 4 - 7 p.m. at the Red Bean Café, located near Bole International Hotel, on the road to Lalibela Hotel, just off of Bole Road.  For the barista training and competition, Tarara Coffee has provided espresso equipment and coffee roasting expertise while the recently launched Red Bean Café has donated the use of their facilities.  For information on how to register for the free trainings and participation in the competition, contact event coordinator Joseph Brodsky at 0912-111-466. Spectators are welcome.

# # #