BP’s top baristas have battled it out at the annual Wild Bean Cafe Barista of the Year competition in Auckland, and Sarah Harvey from Wellington has been crowned as the 2018 Champion Barista of the Year. Harvey beat 27 other regional contenders at the Pullman Hotel to win the title as well as taking home $1,000 of prize money. In addition to this Champion win, she also won the title of the Supreme Winner.
The Champion Barista of the Year title is awarded to the finalist with the highest point score overall, based on four judging categories – process, taste, look, and interaction with the judges. Other winners throughout New Zealand have also perfected their coffee craft and have been named in each of the three following categories:
- Mitchell Bond from Dairy Flat as 2018 Rookie Barista of the Year (those competing for the first time)
- Sarah Harvey from Wellington as 2018 Supreme Barista of the Year (returning contestants)
- Darshan Patel from Auckland as 2018 Store Manager of the Year (Wild Bean Café store managers)
“Every year we see so much passion from each of the finalists and this year is no exception,” said BP New Zealand managing director Debi Boffa. “It’s been fantastic to see the pride in making sure each coffee is of the highest quality, not to mention the great team camaraderie. It takes a lot of skill and experience to make the perfect Wild Bean Cafe coffee and our end goal is that our baristas consistently deliver great coffee that our customers love.”
BP has around 1,700 trained baristas making Wild Bean Cafe coffee nationally and has been running the Barista of the Year competition since 2008. This year, 270 BP baristas entered the Barista of the Year competition.
