Press release from Italy:
10 baristas from various countries will fly to Honduras and from 1st to 10th February will live as coffee growers, competing and attending the courses of the coffee Academy
“Barista & Farmer”, the first talent show dedicated to excellent coffee.
The coffee talent show was an idea of Italian champion barista Francesco Sanapo, in collaboration with Rimini Fiera and
SIGEP and with the patronage of the SCAE
Rimini, 18th January 2015 - 10 baristas, selected all over the world among 200 candidates, will participate from 1st to 10th February in Honduras, in “Barista & Farmer”, the first and only talent show dedicated to the promotion and culture of quality coffee. For ten days the selected baristas will have the experience of living as coffee producers in the country of origin: in this case the famous Honduras plantations. They will be covered 24 hours a day by video cameras the footage will be aired on www.baristafarmer.com. A documentary will be made of this edition, showing a new way to conceive the coffee world, with the intent of spreading this increasingly global culture (coffee is the second most drunk beverage, after water).
The format is based on an idea by Francesco Sanapo, multi award-winning champion barista, in collaboration with Rimini Fiera and SIGEP - International Exhibition of artisan Gelato, Confectionery and Bakery production, and with the patronage of the
Speciality Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE) as a valid initiative for the International Development Committee (IDC).
The selected baristas compete on a points basis; the winner will participate in the production of the 2016 edition. The contestants will work on the coffee farms that supply quality coffee worldwide as the pickers who harvest the coffee, will get up at dawn and spend the morning on the plantation, picking the beans. The participants will follow all the stages in the processing of the product: from the harvest, through the use of the various technologies to the experience of tasting and the opportunities of consumption, taking part in a competition involving every stage of the life and processing of coffee. They will also attend the Barista & Farmer Academy, a special multi-discipline school with the sector’s pros as teachers, directed by Alberto Polojac. The “professors” include Ruben Rivera, who will talk about the areas of coffee production in Honduras; Napoleon Matute on plantation management; Arnold Paz on processing methods; Scott Conary will give an insight on roasting, whereas Alberto Polojac and Janny Torres will speak about green coffee. As well as these activities, there will also be tasting sessions with Douglas Urquía and Andrej Godina, examinations and practical workshops in the nurseries with José Omar Rodriguez and some producers.
The baristas selected for the new edition are:
Bogdan Prokopchuk (21 years old), barista with the Double B Coffee and Tea coffee bar chain in Moscow (which he calls his “‘coffee family’), whose interests include boxing, marathon running and cooking;
Julien Latin, from France (36), about to open in Annecy a café with coffee roasting, specialized in quality products, after 10 years spent as an insurance agent;
Agustina Romàn (24) from Buenos Aires, lady barista champion in Argentina in 2013; Colombian
Angelica Madrigal Garcia (30), with a master in coffee economy and science and a job with the coffee growers Cooperative of Antioquia. There are three Italians:
Deborah Cesanelli (34) from Morrovalle (Macerata), a barista with a craze for training, whose hobbies are photography, travel and collecting;
Sandro Bonacchi (37) from Pistoia, owner of Torrefazione Oriental Caffè, a family business since 1955, and
Patrick Sinapi (38) from Latina, raised in his parents’ coffee bar and the owner of Bix Café.
Plus:
Stephany Dávila (29) journalist and coffee buff, her parents are producers in south-east Guatemala, in the Santa Rosa region, famous for its high quality coffee;
Panuwat Yoosakda, aka “Mangooo” (24), born and raised in Chiang Mai (Thailand), has lived in Antwerp since 2012 with his Belgian wife, head barista and assistant roaster with Cuperus Koffiebranderij, who he adores. Lastly, Australian
Julian Dammanhayn, after experience in Melbourne coffee bars, joined the Genovese Specialty Coffee Division, which introduced him to the production side of the industry.
The contestants all had to submit videos explaining why they should be chosen for this amazing adventure and the voters did the rest! All the action kicks off from February 1st!
