LONDON, UK – Ranij Basnet has been named Costa Coffee’s Barista of the Year 2023, after winning the Global Barista of the Year competition held in London, United Kingdom, on Friday 28th of April 2023. The 24-year-old, who has been working as a Barista Maestro for two years at a Costa Coffee store operated by its franchise partner, Alghanim Industries, in West Walk, Doha, Qatar, was awarded first place, having won the Costa Global Markets Championship held in Dubai on November 22nd.
Second place was awarded to Adrian Matuszewski from Poland, followed closely by Michaela Wilson from the United Kingdom, in third place.
Six of Costa Coffee’s best baristas competed in the prestigious competition to be crowned the winner of the Global Barista of the Year. With thousands of talented baristas working around the world, the final six competed over eight months, taking part in their individual country events, to win a spot at the final showdown in London.
Now in its fourteenth year, the distinguished Barista of the Year competition provides Costa Coffee baristas with a global stage to demonstrate their skills, knowledge, and talent. Whether it’s perfecting the perfect Florette on Costa Coffee’s much-loved Flat White, or having the ability to create one of hundreds of drink combinations available in every store.
The global final, which took place on Friday the 28th of April at the wonderful Pullman Hotel in London, was judged by a respected panel of judges, including Costa Coffee’s Master of Coffee, Gennaro Pelliccia, Daniel Snowden, Operations Manager at Costa Coffee EMENA, and Sandra Ferreira, Beverage Innovations Director at Costa Coffee.
When asked about his role as Head Judge, Gennaro Pelliccia, Costa Coffee’s Master of Coffee, said: “Costa Coffee’s Global Barista of the Year is my favourite day of the year. It was a pleasure to be in a room with so much passion and talent for coffee – showcasing the very best of our baristas. All finalists demonstrated exceptional skills, performed under a huge amount of lights, cameras and pressure! It is an extremely difficult competition to judge but ultimately Ranij’s personality and creativity saw him crowned a worthy winner. I can’t wait to see what he achieves next within his Costa Coffee career.”
After competing against hundreds of contestants over many rounds to advance to the global finals, Ranij participated in a series of challenges over the course of two days to determine who is the best barista in the world. Challenges included ‘The Canvas’, where the finalists were required to make identical drinks made with both dairy and plant-based alternatives. In addition, the six finalists had to take part in ‘The Special,’ where they each crafted and presented to the judges their own imaginative coffee drink.
Ranij wowed the judges with his extraordinary talent, flair and expertise, taking home the Global Barista of the Year trophy as a result. Inspired by his passion for making handcrafted coffee and desire to represent Qatar, Ranij created an exciting signature drink for ‘The Special’ round, called the ‘Coco Spanish Flat White’. The drink, which he described as a ‘cup of happiness,’ impressed the panel of judges, who complimented him on achieving the perfect balance between spice and coffee flavours in the beverage.
Commenting on his win, Ranij said: “I’m beyond thrilled to have been named Costa Coffee’s Barista of the Year 2023 after a challenging but exciting journey. When you participate in competitions like these, you discover that working as a barista is more than just a job. Given the brilliance and high standards of the other finalists, some of whom flew here from as far away as China, I’m thrilled that the judges have crowned me as the best in Costa Coffee.”
Taking third place for the United Kingdom was Michaela Wilson, who works as a Supervisor at a Costa Coffee store in Haskins Garden Centre West End, Southampton, UK. She wowed the judges with her technical ability and skills in handcrafting a perfect drink. Taking inspiration from her childhood, Michaela’s speciality drink ‘Autumn Walks,’ was based around Thanksgiving celebrations, featuring pumpkin spices and tasty flavours.
To find out more information about the Costa Coffee Barista of the Year competition or to apply for a barista role at Costa Coffee head to: https://www.costa.co.uk/sustainability/people/our-baristas
