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Just got an email from my mom saying I should identify the fact that it is indeed me — Sarah Allen — and Ken Olson, editor and publisher respectively of Barista Magazine, who are writing this blog account of the 2009 Nordic Barista Cup. One of the memories I most enjoy about my life in the coffee industry was when, in 2003, I attended the Nordic Barista Cup in Iceland with a crazy idea: to begin a magazine about baristas. Ken and I had prepared some make-shift media kits, and I brought them with me to Iceland to present to the organizers of the NBC, which was, at that point, only in its second year, and was for the first time involving five Nordic countries, rather than just two, as was the case the first year.

I presented the magazine idea to Tone, Sonja, Addy, Jens, Tim, and others, and they loved it! They encouraged us to jump right in and give it a go. The creative spirit of the NBC that I experienced that year in Iceland was part of the reason I believed so strongly that Barista Magazine could work and prosper ”and luckily, we were right.

Since then, Ken and I have enjoyed a close relationship with the Nordic Barista Cup. It’s our favorite event of the year, as it focuses on both the serious and the fun aspects of coffee, and puts primary emphasis on team building and the coffee community. We have attended every NBC event since, from Iceland to Norway to Denmark to Sweden, and now back to Iceland, and we have every intention of supporting the organization and reporting on it indefinitely.

It is truly our honor to be here and be a part of such a splendid event. Cheers to the organizers of the Nordic Barista Cup ”thank you for doing this for the global coffee community and continuing to inspire us all.