The pinnacle of competitive coffee, the World Barista Championships may seem very far from your local cafe experience, but what happens at these competitions has a large impact on trends that trickle down through the various sectors of the coffee industry.
Big news for this competition is that the three Official Supplier Sponsors have just been announced for the next cycle and they're all new! The espresso machine is one we have yet to see on the southern tip of Africa. The grinder, the Mythos by Victoria Arduino, is a well-known and loved favourite, but it will make the competition interesting as many baristas have opted for using the single dose grinder option from the previous sponsor, so a new challenge. And the water sponsor responsible for production and management of water across the event is now BWT.
January, 2022 – Announcing the 2022-2025 World Barista Championship Qualified Sponsors
The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) is proud to announce qualified sponsors for the 2022-2025 World Barista Championship (WBC); the Tempesta by Storm Barista Attitude is the Qualified Espresso Machine, the Mythos MY75 by Victoria Arduino is the Qualified Espresso Grinder, and BWT water+more is the Qualified Water Filtration sponsor.
The World Coffee Championships (WCC) are made possible thanks to the support and dedication of a wide array of organizations and individuals. Integral to that support are qualified sponsors, the manufacturers who provide the equipment and products that competitors use on stage. These sponsors sign multi-year agreements to support the strategic growth of the competitions, and dedicate time and resources to ensure that every world championship competitor is using the same high-quality equipment.
“These companies share a strong commitment to advance specialty coffee by creating outstanding products,” said Yannis Apostolopoulos, SCA Chief Executive Officer. “We are honored to work together with them for these next four years to pursue our common goal of promoting coffee excellence worldwide. Their continued support extends far beyond the WCCs and includes other major SCA programs, including free resources and events for the global coffee community.”
“We are thrilled for the achievement of WBC sponsorship, the starting point of a journey composed of learning, exchange, and growth, hand in hand with the specialty coffee community”, said Federico Gallia, from Ryoma Holdings, Storm’s parent company. “It’s a great opportunity to improve ourselves, our products, and ultimately, the industry at large by holding the same values. This is what will fuel our spirit, our attention, and our dedication to supporting the WBC.”
“As CEO of Simonelli Group, I am proud to confirm our sponsorship for the most prestigious competition in the world, the WBC”, said Fabio Ceccarani, Simonelli Group CEO. “Being a WBC partner ensures Victoria Arduino the possibility to remain close to the front end of the coffee supply chain, understanding insights and driving Simonelli Group’s technological innovation toward supporting the SCA and the coffee community as best as we can. We’d like to congratulate all the sponsors who, together with Simonelli Group and Victoria Arduino, will have an active role in the next cycle of WBC competitions.”
“Being the official sponsor of the WBC makes us extremely proud, as it is the next step in our long-term support for the international coffee community, perfectly guided by the SCA”, said Dr. Frank Neuhausen, Managing Director of BWT water+more Deutschland GmbH. “For more than 16 years we have established a very special relationship to the world of coffee, gaining deep insights into how the perfect water contributes to the perfect coffee quality in the cup. This close cooperation has enabled us to further develop our practical solutions for water optimization for daily business, worldwide. Serving the perfect water for the WBC marks a new milestone in our support for coffee enthusiasts.
Manufacturers submit their equipment and products for performance testing in order to be
eligible for qualified sponsorship. The testing and qualification process used evolved from the work of WBC volunteers who, around 2004, began setting the standards for espresso machines that could withstand the fast-paced environment of the competition stage. In 2011, the test became the standard for all WCCs. Since the creation of these standards, and as the specialty coffee industry has evolved, manufacturers have continued to push the envelope on equipment functionality and quality.
Testing for the 2022-2025 WCC Qualified Sponsorships took place in Milan, Italy, in October 2021. More Qualified Sponsors across the World Coffee Championships will be announced in the coming months.
