Sasha McGinley’s energy and passion for the coffee industry is contagious. Her excitement as she talks at a million miles an hour is a clear indicator that she loves what she does.
Add to this an unusual case of a condition termed auto sensory efficiency (basically a condition which gives you heightened senses), and you couldn’t have found her a more perfectly suited career. Sasha giggles as she recalls her first ever job at 14 working in a café. “I wasn’t allowed to touch the grinder, there was no focus on the extraction, we were making Marg Simpson style cappuccinos, and our lattes were layered.” Fast forward 11 years, and the technique she was first taught on the job is a distant memory.
Originally deferring university for a year, Sasha found a café position advertised in the local paper. The café turned out to be Kookaburra Express, owned by coffee guru, Instaurator. “On my first day I remember Inni asking me, “Can you make coffee?” I said, “Yes; but as it turned out, I had a lot to learn. I picked up his training very quickly, and I haven’t looked back since.”
At only 20 years of age, an opportunity came up in Queensland to work for Michel’s Patisserie as their state barista trainer. Sasha relocated and took on the new challenge, looking after 55 stores across Queensland. At 21, Sasha took on her next adventure, moving to Mountain Top Coffee farm in Nimbin. Staying on the farm for the harvest season as the quality control supervisor gave her an understanding of coffee most don’t have. After the harvest season, Sasha spent some time working with Campos Coffee, completing her Certificate 4 in training and assessment and took two trips to the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s (SCAA) international conferences, before returning to Mountain Top Coffee Farm for a second harvest season.
The next big coffee challenge came when Sasha moved to London, where she was operations manager for Nude Espresso, the face of London Coffee Festival 2011, attended The World Barista Championships in 2010 in London and went to an international coffee trade show in Milan.
Since coming home, things have only accelerated for Sasha; she is now a SCAA certified instructor, SCAA certified level 1 and 2 barista (one of only two in Australia to have these certifications) and has successfully completed her Q Grader certification. In addition to this, Sasha freelances with Pablo and Rusty’s as a coffee specialist and judges the occasional competition.
And on the future: “Since coming back, the dream is to create my own unique blend showcasing the full appreciation I have developed from crop to cup. I’ll also be able to show young people coming into the coffee industry a career path, which wasn’t defined for me when I began.”
Follow Sasha on twitter: @sashajadexxx
