Big Season Ahead for Barista Nation

It’s hard to believe that the industry’s most progressive coffee event ”Barista Nation ”is only in its second year. The non profit organization, which is the brainchild of industry vet Anastasia Chovan, has enjoyed successful workshops and community building events in Minneapolis, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, B.C., Tokyo, and more already, and this fall season will see the biggest and best Barista Nation held in the United States yet, for Barista Nation Los Angeles (Sept. 15), and its first European appearance in the form of Barista Nation Paris, on October 15.

The awesome line-up for Barista Nation Los Angeles, September 15

Barista Nation Los Angeles (sign up now ”cost is only $10, which is a direct and 100% donation to CARE; if $10 is still too steep, scholarships are available) sees the emergence of fresh new instructors in the form of local experts; as Barista Nation has built its success through promoting local coffee communities through its one-day workshops, it only seemed fitting that Barista Nation involves some of each location’s regional super stars. So get ready, Los Angeles: The Barista Nation event will include presentations from Michael Phillips (2010 World Barista Champion) of Handsome Coffee Roasters in Los Angeles; Heather Perry (2007 World Barista Championship runner up) of Klatch Coffee in San Dimas, Calif.; Martin Deidrich of Kean Coffee and Mike Perry of Klatch Coffee teaching about roasting; Anne Nylander of the SCAA talking about the next step past the third wave movement, and much more! A special treat comes from Peter Giuliano of the SCAA, who will deliver the lunchtime keynote speech.

Coffee professionals of all walks of life are welcome to attend Barista Nation Los Angeles, which is being hosted by the awesome folks at Beyond the Grind.

Barista Nation Los Angeles is being graciously hosted by Beyond the Grind in Anaheim (yes, that’s right, Barista Nation Los Angeles will actually take place in Anaheim), and Beyond the Grind‘s own Jonathan Sepulveda will teach a class called Beyond Barista Business Tools. Another of the many can’t-miss classes at Barista Nation Los Angeles is a panel discussion moderated by Barista Magazine’s Kenneth R. Olson called Beyond Being a Barista, in which Ken will chat with industry professionals about how they got to their present positions in the industry ”green buyer, industry liason, roaster, etc. ”and what paths are available to baristas who want to stay in coffee but might want to expand past being a barista.

The Parisian cafe scene has been part of the romantic city's history for centuries, but it is only in the past 5 years that the city has begun embracing third wave techniques and ideologies.

Onward to Le France: I’m super stoked to be headed to Paris, France, with two amazing women ”Anastasia of UNIC, which is a French company that makes some of the most beautiful and high performing boutique espresso machines in the world; and Sonja Grant of Kaffismiðja Íslands, a beautiful, super cool cafe in Reykjavik, Iceland. Sonja is the outgoing chair of the World Coffee Events organization, and is one of the original advocates for baristas in the world. Sonja, Anastasia and I will help lead this women-focused Barista Nation in Paris, which is being generously sponsored by Cafes Richard.

Cafes Richard is one of the most well respected roasters in France, and is delighted to host the first European installment of Barista Nation, which will take place in Paris on October 15.

Paris has a booming specialty coffee scene these days, and I can’t wait to tour some of the great cafes that are really making strides to elevate specialty coffee in this historic city.

So it’s going to be a busy fall for Barista Nation! All coffee professionals are welcome to the community oriented events ”regarding Barista Nation Los Angeles, register early by donating $10 to CARE at www.care.org and e-mail your receipt to baristanation@gmail.com. Space is limited to 200. And if you would like to apply for a scholarship, email with your interest to baristanation@gmail.com.

100% of your registration fee ($10) for Barista Nation Los Angeles will go to CARE (Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere), a broad-spectrum secular relief, humanitarian, and development non-governmental organization fighting global poverty that operates in more than 70 countries.

As far as Barista Nation Paris goes, save the date if you’d like to attend (October 15), and stay tuned for more details!

About Sarah 929 Articles
Sarah Allen (she/her) is co-founder and editor of Barista Magazine, the international trade magazine for coffee professionals. A passionate advocate for baristas, quality, and the coffee community, Sarah has traveled widely to research stories, interact with readers, and present on a variety of topics affecting specialty coffee. She also loves animals, swimming, ice cream, and living in Portland, Oregon.