Wightlink Barista Emma Nuesa impressed the judges at Costa’s Barista of the Year area final with her skill in making perfect coffee. She won the runner-up prize at the contest in Newbury, beating finalists from across England.
“I love working at Costa and it’s always great to meet holidaymakers heading for the Isle of Wight,” she says. “There’s also the challenge of preparing all the delicious drinks we offer our customers, every day is different at Costa.”
The contest involved perfecting the coffee grind to brand standard followed by making two of Costa’s four core drinks – espresso, cappuccino, latté and flat white – in 30 minutes. She also had to invent her own coffee-based drink and came up with a creamy mango latte, inspired by her husband Louie’s Filipino heritage.
Emma, who lives in Cosham High Street, has worked for Wightlink for five years.
She started out as a seasonal employee, then was a crew member on board the company’s flagship St Clare sailing between Portsmouth and Fishbourne, before transferring to the Costa coffee shop at the Gunwharf car ferry terminal. Ironically, Emma doesn’t drink coffee herself!
Wightlink Business Operations Manager Sean Millward says: “We were delighted that Emma did so well in the contest. She won her way through the first round at Wightlink, scoring 100 per cent for technical knowledge and we are not surprised she impressed the judges too.”
Costa National Account Executive James Crawford adds: “She showed great technical ability and her natural personality did shine. On a personal note – she really did our partnership proud and is a great asset to both our businesses.”
