VIENNA, Austria – Rafy Vajio has been proclaimed the overall winner of the Julius Meinl first-ever international barista competition. Vajio represented the UAE at the Finale in Vienna and he actually works for Atlantis the Royal in Dubai. He is the Head Barista for the hotel, managing over 35 restaurants.
The winner will travel to Honduras in January with the other competitors who won first place in the main categories: Espresso (Vladimir Chzou representing Moldova), Cappuccino (Luca Riccardi representing Italy), and Signature Drink (Mario Benetseder Café Orchidee representing Austria). Below, we share Rafy Vajio’s thoughts on the competition.
Vajio, what is the secret behind victory?
“For me, the secret relies on giving your heart and reflecting the passion that you carry in your work and in every cup of coffee you brew”.
What will change in your professional life after this victory?
“I am not sure what the future holds for me right now. I live in Dubai but I am originally from the Philippines. I am currently working for Atlantis the Royal in Dubai as the Head Barista and I am handling 35 restaurants at the same time. I am 30 years old and this is my first time competing.
Technically i should not have been here since in the selections I have achieved second place. I had very little to prepare. However, the winner from UAE could not arrive here in Vienna so I had to compete on his behalf.
I wanted to pursue this passion as a hobby but now I am more open-minded and I would consider challenging myself in other competitions”.
How did you come up with the idea of your Signature Drink?
“I came up with the idea to combine different organic origins representing not only Dubai and Vienna but also East Asia and India.
I also used lemon and butterfly pea flower tea since it is very unusual to combine it with coffee and I wanted to create an international drink.
I also paid a lot of attention to the presentation from an aesthetic point of view since in Dubai grace and beauty are particularly important”.
