Australia’s Barista Champion, Matt Perger, has placed a highly commendable third at the recent 12th Annual World Barista Championship held in Bogotá, Colombia.
Alejandro Mendez from Viva Espresso in El Salvador took out first place, with a performance that included a signature drink made with Salvadoran coffee accented with an infusion hand-crafted from coffee pulp, reflecting creativity as well as a sophisticated knowledge of coffee processing and preparation. Alejandro’s win marks the first time a competitor from a coffee-producing country has won the competition.
Along with Alejandro, Matt competed against competitors from over fifty-three (53) nations. Second place went to Pete Licata from Honolulu Coffee Company in the USA. Javier Garcia from Spain, Miki Suzuki of Japan, and John Gordon rounded out the finalist set, taking fourth, fifth and sixth place, respectively.
The World Barista Championship was held in conjunction with ExpoEspeciales (www.expoespeciales.com, an annual conference and exhibition hosted by the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation. The event drew over 10,000 coffee producers, industry professionals and suppliers. Along with thousands of spectators watching live, nearly 40,000 viewers tuned in via live video stream.
