Lucky Breezes Through The Grounds

Grand Breezey Masters Final – Press Release November 15 – 2018

There was a strong Breeze in the air in Sydney on Tuesday evening as the Coffee community zoned in to the latte art action at Australia’s best café concept – The Grounds of Alexandria.

The main event was the Grand Final of the Blue Diamond Almond Breeze “Breezey Masters” competition with seven finalists contesting for the title from Australia, as well as New Zealand and even Singapore. Each competitor won their position in the final by winning a Breezey Masters qualifying round with over 100 baristas competing nationally. In the lead up to the grand final Breezey Masters events have been held in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Canberra, Adelaide, Sydney and Auckland.

The Grand Breezey Masters finalists were:

Joshua Rivers of C.R.E.A.M, South Australia
Ethan Cheong Son of Etro, Western Australia
Meg Loudon of Coffee Brothers, New South Wales
Matt Sharp of Espresso Room, ACT
Sarah Jin of Extraction Artisan Roasters, QLD
Lucky Salvador of Common Man, Singapore
Isaac Yu of Orb Coffee, New Zealand

In addition a Latte Art Smackdown was held which included over 50 competitors with the Breezey Masters competitors taking on Sydney’s best baristas.

In both events competitors stretched and poured Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Barista Blend. Going back 4-5 years… barista competitions with alternative milk were unheard of and the soy milks on the market were being scrutinised due to performance issues. The launch of Almond Breeze Barista Blend changed the game and provided a much more workable alternative for the industry.

The Breezey Masters program has elevated interest in alternative milk by making the best possible beverage for consumers whether it be with fresh milk or Almond Milk. It’s not just about serving up a cup of coffee that looks good, right!

The Breezey Masters competition format is simple, but challenging, with competitors all using their own coffee to present 6 cups in 10 minutes with set latte art patterns: Heart, Rosetta, Tulip, Swan and free pours requests. Competitors are evaluated based on each latte art design however are also scored based on taste and assessed on sweetness, taste balance, flavour and after taste.

This year’s winner was Victorian representative Lucky Salvador of Common Man in Singapore. Lucky moves between his stores in Singapore and coffee partners Five Senses coffee in Australia showcasing his skills as a Barista trainer. He has been very active in the world coffee scene winning many barista, latte art and brewers competitions. Earlier this year Lucky was in Melbourne and competed in the Victorian Breezey Masters event winning his position into the final. In addition to winning the Grand Breezey Masters title Lucky also took out the Breezey Latte Art Smackdown.

Last nights Breezey Masters competition judges had a huge task of separating the finalist, as scores were very close. The judges on the night were Brent William of Freedom Foods, Gabriel Tan (former WA Barista & Latte Art Champion) of Blacklist Coffee Roasters in Perth, Jack Hanna owner of Grounds of Alexandria (and previous world latte art champion) and Frankie Shi owner of Tulip Shi Specialty Coffee (NSW Cupping and Latte Art Champion).

The runner-up in the Grand Breezey Masters was Sarah Jin from Artisan Roasters in Queensland followed by Matt Sharp of The Greenhouse in ACT. Runner Up in the Breezey Smackdown was Teerawat from the Grounds of the City Café.

The event was supported by Freedom Foods Group – National Distribution partner in Australia & New Zealand. The Blue Diamond Brand was represented on the evening by Country Director Michael McNulty, who had the privilege of awarding the Reg Barber designed Grand Breezey Masters trophy to event winner Lucky Salvador.

Mike McNulty, Country Director for Almond Breeze Australia & New Zealand said: “Congratulations to Lucky who demonstrated his skills last night – his dedication and aptitude shone through, taking away the title of Grand Breezey Master.”

“This year we expanded the competition, with baristas and latte artists coming from international waters. We appreciate how popular the café industry has become, and want to continue supporting the industry as well as delivering excellence in the non-dairy category,” Mike added.

Lucky wins $1,000 for taking out the smackdown and a fully expenses paid trip to America in April to attend the Specialty Coffee Association America major event in Seattle.

Lucky, has been a barista for over 10 years, he fell in love with coffee and latte art when he worked at his first café after graduating from University.

Lucky said “This is an amazing achievement to win! I entered the competition to develop my skills but I couldn’t have done this without the support of all my wonderful customers – they drive me to become a better barista.”

Plans are underway for the Breezey Masters to become a Global Barista series 2018. Thank you to all the cafes and coffee roasters that hosted Breezey Masters events this year:

QLD – Di Bella Coffee

SA – Rio Coffee

VIC – Roasting Warehouse

NSW – Bare Witness Café

WA – Di Bella Coffee Dispatch

ACT – Greenhouse Cafe

New Zealand – Coffee Lab

About Almond Breeze

Almond Breeze is a leading international brand of almond milk. It is a delicious low-‐fat milk alternative made from almonds, a natural super-‐food, and it is completely free from diary, eggs, lactose, casein, peanuts and gluten.

The unique formula in Almond Breeze comes from Blue Diamond, The Almond People, who have over 100 years’ experience in growing and harvesting the world’s finest almonds.

After a decade of success in North America, Almond Breeze launched in Australia in April 2012. It is produced locally with manufacturing and production facilities at Taren Point, Sydney.

Almond Breeze is suitable for anyone looking to live a healthier lifestyle. For more information, visit: www.almondbreeze.com.au.