The Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS) hosted the third International Barista Championship for College Students. The final nine top student competitors from MDIS, China’s Zhejiang Technical Institute of Economics and the United Kingdom’s City of Glasgow College competed in Singapore for a chance to take home the Championship and Signature Drink Award.
Organised by the MDIS School of Tourism and Hospitality and Zhejiang Technical Institute of Economics, the competition promoted the art and skills of baristas, and was conceptualised to meet the institutes’ common aim to develop and enhance practical industry skills for its students.
The top nine student competitors had their skills tested across three categories – Espresso, Cappuccino and Signature Drink. They were evaluated on the quality of their beverages, technical skills, craftsmanship, presentation skills and service skills.
MDIS emerged victorious in the Signature Drink category and placed third overall in the competition. The MDIS team, comprising Teoklit Premto from Albania, and Ryu Ji Hye from Korea, won with their cool and stylish creation, Lady Marmalade.
In customising their signature drink, the team made the most innovative use of ingredients and catered to broad consumer taste.
Their delectable blend of homemade Korean orange marmalade; vanilla ice-cream, coconut juice and a shot of expresso was topped with homemade mint cream and a garnish of chocolate powder and orange peel.
Korean student, Park Minjin, from MDIS’ Advanced Diploma in Tourism, Hospitality and Events Management programme, came up against very strong competitors from Zhejiang Technical Institute of Economics – Zhang Junqiong and Yang Chenheng placed first and second, respectively, in the competition.
Minjin clinched the third place win by impressing the judges with her display of expert knowledge in coffee and its world culture, as well as her final presentation and tastings of her espresso and cappuccino brews.
“The opportunity for practical applications was what attracted me to the MDIS tourism and hospitality course. This is the first competition I have ever participated as a student and it has been an eye-opener for me,” she said.
“I have not only gained in-depth knowledge but really useful skills which I can apply in my work in the future,” Minjin added.
“At MDIS, we continually seek ways to engage our students in practical learning opportunities and this presented an excellent platform for our tourism and hospitality students to gain skills that are practical and relevant for the future. Such learning opportunities will help them develop and master ever-changing skills to maximise their future readiness,” said R Theyvendran, secretary general, MDIS.
Over the past decade of collaboration with Zhejiang Technical Institute of Economics, over 10,000 students have participated in our co-operating programmes.
These have included academic and training programmes, academic research and student and teacher exchanges to share and exchange ideas, knowledge and innovation.
