Sprudge.com and the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe—UK Chapter are excited to announce a digital media partnership for the upcoming United Kingdom Barista Championship, happening March 4th and 5th at ScotHot, Scotland’s food, drink, hospitality, and tourism show. We’re absolutely delighted to be back again covering the UKBC, one of global competitive coffee’s best and most exciting national events. Sprudge co-founders Zachary Carlsen and Jordan Michelman will be back again for the second year in a row to personally produce coverage of the event, which happens live on Twitter at @SprudgeLive, with daily recaps at SprudgeLive.com and winner profiles right here on Sprudge.
Partnership with the UKBC gives us the opportunity to bring you live commentary and photo coverage throughout the event, which can also be watched live via SCAE UK. Our coverage in Scotland is being produced with direct support from La Spaziale UK, whose Spaziale S40 espresso machine anchors the UKBC stage. Throughout the 2015 season our competition coverage is partnered with Square, the international payment processing experts, and Urnex Brands, a global leader in cleaning products. For more about the invaluable sponsors who support SCAE UK’s efforts to produce top quality coffee competitions, please see here.
Ah, but who will it be representing the United Kingdom at this year’s World Barista Championship in Seattle, Washington? Smart money’s split between the top three scorers from the Regional Heats: Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood (of Colonna & Smalls), Dale Harris (of HasBean), and Estelle Bright (of La Marzocco UK). All three were finalists at last year’s UKBC event, where Mr. Colonna-Dashwood advanced to the 2014 WBC in Rimini, working his way to a second career appearance at WBC Finals. Behind these three the field is wide open, with high SuperHeat finishes for finalists from last year like Don Altizo (of Baxter Storey) and Joe Meagher (of Flat Caps Coffee).
Speaking of bets, we’ve bet big on the UKBC being home to some of the best barista competitors in the world, with a proud history that includes two WBC titles and multiple WBC Finals appearances. If you’re wondering why Sprudge isn’t covering your country’s national event, don’t fret—our global competition coverage is rapidly expanding. Want Sprudge to cover your national barista competition? Hit us up.
Check out our coverage of the UKBC Top 20 over at SprudgeLive.
