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British café chain Costa Coffee has crowned the winner of its Global Barista of the Year 2024 competition, which took place at the Heathrow Sofitel Hotel in London, United Kingdom (UK), from 2 to 3 July.
Denila Kumar from Qatar earned first place, with Shogo Abe from Japan runner up and Adbin Subedi from the UK securing third place.
The judging panel featured several key individuals from the company, including Costa Coffee’s Master of Coffee, Gennaro Pelliccia, as Head Judge. He was joined by Sensory Judges Becky Craig, Head of Global Learning and Development, and Marco Magatti, Product Development Director.
“It was an absolute pleasure to witness the incredible talent and passion displayed by all the finalists in this year’s Global Barista of the Year competition,” says Pelliccia.
“Denila [Kumar]’s performance stood out for her exceptional skills, creativity, and dedication to the craft of coffee making. Each round demonstrated her ability to innovate, while maintaining the highest standards of quality and consistency. We are thrilled to crown Denila as Costa Coffee’s Global Barista of the Year and look forward to seeing how she will continue to elevate the coffee experience for Costa Coffee customers.”
Over the course of the two-day event, 22-year-old Kumar competed in a series of challenges designed to showcase skills, knowledge, and creativity in coffee.
These included The Canvas round, in which finalists were judged on their technical skills in creating two identical flat whites, cortos/corados, and The Detective round, which tested sensory skills as competitors identified a particular beverage out of six sets of three drinks.
In the final round, The Special, finalists were challenged to create and present their own innovative coffee drink in both hot and iced formats. Kumar impressed the judges with her signature drink, Saffronilla.
“Being crowned Costa Coffee’s Global Barista of the Year is a dream come true,” says Kumar.
“I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity and thankful for the support of my team members, friends, and family who have been with me every step of the way.
“This competition has been an amazing journey of growth and learning, pushing me to explore new depths of creativity and innovation in the world of coffee, whilst competing alongside other amazing baristas from around the world. I’m proud to have represented Qatar in the competition, and I’m excited to continue sharing my love for coffee.”
Founded in London by Italian brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa in 1971, Costa Coffee is present in 50 countries, with more than 2,700 coffee shops in the UK and Ireland, and more than 1,300 in other locations around the world.
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