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SPANISH COFFEE COMPANY CREATES A COMPETITION FOR BARISTAS WITH DOWN SYNDROME THE HISTORIC PAZO DE LESTROVE HOTEL in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, played host to the second Galician Down Barista Championship earlier this fall, where 21 baristas with Down syndrome (DS) competed in a very special event. "A couple of years ago, we started training people with Down syndrome as baristas, and the experience was amazing for everyone who was involved," says Carolina Otero, championship organizer and marketing manager of Cafento, one of the largest coffee companies in Spain. "Our baristas found a lot of satisfaction in working with people with Down syndrome, and realized that they really enjoyed preparing great coffee, they were fast learners, and that, with a few days of good training, they would be capable to perform like professionals. So we decided to take a step forward." The first championship for baristas with DS was an informal affair held in Valencia in 2011. The popularity of the event was such that Carolina and her colleagues immediately got to work on the more structured Galician Down Syndrome Barista Championship, which meets the official Barista Competition requirements, with a few adaptations. The championship event began a week before the actual day of competition, giving the participants five days to train. Four teams were formed, two from the Down Compostela Foundation in the Galician capital of Santiago de Compostela, where the famous Way of St. James ends; and two from the Association Down in the coastal city of Vigo. "[The apprentices] all wanted to make cappuccinos because latte art was what they liked the most," says Diego López, a Cafento barista who trained the Compostela teams. "But the classic latte art drawings were not enough for them! One of them drew a soccer field and even Neymar's silhouette!" Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior is an acclaimed Brazilian soccer player who plays at F. C. Barcelona. Another Cafento coach, Victor Couto, say of working with Vigo teams, "teaching people with Down syndrome is easier than I thought. There are no big differences than with any other kind of person. They come each day really eager to learn and practice." When asked about the actual skills these barista apprentices gain during the training lessons, Victor says, "Many experienced coffee shop owners and restaurant workers are not able to do some of the things these guys have learned to do during the training week. They are developing true barista skills." This is why Cafento and the other organizers—Down Compostela, Down Vigo, Pousadas de Compostela, and the Businessmen Association of Hotel and Catering of Santiago de Compostela— chose to give the competition winners a job opportunity and a chance to continue improving their professional skills. The prize for the two best teams consisted of a period of real practice in some of the best hotels in Compostela and Vigo, which is how AC Palacio del Carmen, A Tafona do Peregrino, Hostal The participants in the Galacian Down Barista Championship, coaches, and judges, in top photo. Back row, le to right: Carolina Otero, Manual Otero Del Río, Diego López, Daniel Martínez Leboráns, Elías Ledo Vázquez, Víctor Martínez Docampo, Almudena Gesto Vila, Sonsoles Couñago Rodríguez, Víctor Couto, Pilar Troncoso Recio, Santiago Gonzálex López; middle row (beginning with boy in green shirt), le to right: Iván Giráldez, Alba Pérez Gómez, Victoria Giráldez López, Lara Gómez Álvarez, Patricia Cancelas Fernández; front row: Álex Lado Durán, Yasmín Malas Suárez, Cristina Freire Mata, Álvaro Díez Delgado, Roberto Pereira Sienes, Daniel López Blanco, Juan Carlos Castiñeiras Rico. dos Reis Católicos, NH Obradoiro, Puerta del Camino, San Lorenzo and Tryp Santiago in Compostela, and Gran Hotel Nagari, Hesperia Vigo, NH Palacio de Vigo, Pazo los Escudos and Tryp Los Galeones, got involved and supported the second edition of this initiative. On September 15, a full audience packed the competition hall to watch each team's performance. The four groups decided previously that the role of each barista should be on display during the show: There were the espresso specialists, latte art experts, and even cocktail authorities. There was a speaker, too, who was in charge of explaining every step his teammates were going through for the duration of the competition. The teams were tasked with preparing espressos, cappuccinos, and coffee cocktails for the two official barista judges. It was determined that Café Molido, one of the Vigo teams, was the best, followed by the Latte Art team, from Compostela. The feeling among the public and organizers was that, in the end, all the 21 barista competitors were winners. The Galician Down Barista Championship will have a third edition next year, and Cafento is creating similar competitions in other parts of Spain. —From staff reports www.baristamagazine.com 21