Barista Magazine

DEC 2015 -JAN 2016

Serving People Serving Coffee Since 2005

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P U L L : E V E N T S BARISTA CONNECT CELEBRATES WOMEN IN COFFEE WITH UNIQUE GATHERING SONJA ZWEIDICK WAS ELATED at the end of the World Barista Championship event in Seattle in April—it was her second time repre- senting Austria at the revered international coffee competition. Still, she she had noticed something strange, again and again: Why were coffee competitions, and, indeed, the specialty-coffee industry in general, dom- inated by men? In an effort to dig deep into the topic in search of a solution, Sonja orga- nized a groundbreaking event in October, which took place to great success in Aarhus, Denmark: Women Barista Connect. True, networks and activities for women working in specialty coffee do exist, such as the International Women in Coffee Alliance, but never before has there been an event spe- cifically geared toward women baristas and café owners, and the particular challenges they face in an industry peopled primarily by men. Attendees from eight European countries came together in Aarhus to hear from a panel of esteemed speakers, and collaborate on the common goal of increasing both the number of women in specialty coffee, and their strength. Sonja's initial idea when she first began brainstorming Women Barista Connect was inspired by the question which has puzzeled so many in the industry: Why in 16 years of the WBC has a woman never claimed top hon- ors? Heather Perry of the U.S.A. came close in 2007, when she took second place, but since then, only a handful of women have even made it to the final round. This quandary was the motivation for Sonja to begin planning her event: She imagined an international networking group for women in the coffee business to share knowledge and experience. Eventually, however, it went far beyond competing. While seeing a woman win the WBC will be a happy day for everyone, the focus of Sonja's conference morphed into a three-day event, including workshops and hands-on training, informative speeches on current industry trends, discussion of career opportunities for women, and much more. The activities kicked off with an eagerly anticipated session with GREENVILLE TNT SERIES TO CULMINATE WITH GRAND FINALE AT ALLY COFFEE ORGANIZING A SERIES OF REGIONAL coffee events might have intimidated some people, but Jonathan Sepulveda of Due South Coffee, and Alex Medina of Ally Coffee Merchants, both in South Carolina, found it anything but. This was in part due to Jonathan's experience oversee- ing the formation and growth of the Orange County TNT series, which has enjoyed great success in bringing together the barista community in Southern California. It was also due to the rumbling, fervent coffee cul- ture throughout the Southeast, where specialty cafés and microroasters focusing on quality above all else are popping up almost daily. Though in large part, Alex and Jonathan's confi dence in their ability to help bring what is now known as the Greenville TNT Series to life was the support they had backing it from Ally, which has long been known as not only a backer of the barista community, but a resource as an educational outlet with a bitchin', fully stacked espresso bar (think World Latte Art Championship machine from Dalla Corte, and tricked-out La Marzocco Linea, to start) for the series to use as both a kickoff and a fi nale location. "The coffee in Greenville reminds me of the coffee scene in SoCal six years ago, ready to boom and grow quickly with just as much potential to be put on the map," says Jonathan, adding, "Greenville is ready to whip and nae nae." More than 50 people have turned out for each event, which have also taken place at Methodical Coffee, Tandem, and The Village Grind. "This series is doing a good job of allowing the best baristas to rise to the top, while still allowing newer people the opportunity to compete, advance, and gain newer skills as competitors," says Micah Sherer of Tandem Cof- fee, who won the fi rst event of the series. Baristas have come from much farther afi eld than Alex and Jonathan originally guessed they would, too, with Charlotte, Asheville, and Spar- tanburg all represented. "I've seen people that never thought they would ever pour in a throwdown come out and pour and tell me how they have so much fun and they want to do it again," says Alex. "By having these TNTs, we're providing a place that baristas from anywhere in the South can come to hang out, pour, network, and generally feel welcomed and at home." Alex and Jonathan are proud that Ally can support the series in such a big way, too. "One of the benefi ts we've seen for Ally working closely with barista-driven events is that we can see what baristas want and how we can provide for them," says Alex. "We've had a few of our farmers that we work with come to South Carolina and give talks about what they're doing at their farms and other places around the world. We want to push more and more baristas to attend these so they can become more well-rounded professionals, especially since most baristas may never get a chance to visit a coffee farm" Alex sees the Greenville TNT series part of a wave of coffee education and barista development that's breaking across the Southeast region. "By continuing these TNTs, we hope to foster a community of mentorship and collaborations for existing and new baristas," he says. "We also want to bring something fun to the area where all baristas and coffee lovers can come out and play." For more information about the Greenville TNT series, check Insta- gram (@gvltnt) and Facebook (GVL TNT) for updates. The fi nal show- down of the season will take place at Ally Coffee Merchants, 250 Mill St., Suite 35, Taylors, S.C., on January 21. —Sarah Allen Alex Medina of Ally Coff ee (le ) and Brad Hartman, owner of Tandem Creperie and Coff eehouse, show their la e-art pouring dexterity at the fi rst Greenville TNT, held at Ally Coff ee in South Carolina in August. The series has continued to great success, and will culminate with a fi nal event in January. PHOTO BY CONNOR GRANVILLE 22 barista magazine

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