The specialty coffee industry is growing and so are we. Say hello to our first major membership overhaul in decades. In 2024, the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) will introduce the first major overhaul to its membership program in decades. The new model will focus on providing value and connectivity to the growing international community, enhanced features for companies, and new pricing structure. Membership Made Simple Individual membership will include two models — an associate member and a professional member. The associate member is a free membership tier, available for individuals inte ..read more

Sponsored content by BWT water+more The water makes a difference—even coffee professionals know that, which is why they rely on the know-how of BWT water+more: the filter experts are the exclusive water filtration sponsor at the World Barista Championships (WBC) until 2025. With its wide range of filter cartridges and reverse osmosis systems, BWT water+more optimizes all untreated water with the clear goal of delivering the maximum possible coffee enjoyment, cup by cup. The coffee machine, the beans, their coarseness and, last but not least, the skill of the baristas are decisive in making t ..read more

In March the Barista Guild shared the path that has brought our leadership council members to their role. This series of Instagram Lives began with a chat between Jessika Heredia, current Chair, and Sandra Ventura, a member of the Leadership Council. Their experience acquired as volunteers of the Barista Guild has been fundamental to presenting this year’s vision.  In recent years, the Barista Guild has developed different projects and activities. The main themes were livelihoods in coffee, professional development, education, and coffee competitions. All this would not be possible withou ..read more

The election of the new 2023-2025 BG Leadership Council is complete and we’re thrilled to welcome three new members! Please join us in giving a warm welcome to: Lukasz Galecki Luisa Fernanda Santos Rivera Zoey Thornton Barista Guild members had the opportunity to vote for the three open seats out of seven candidates on the slate. The voting period was open from November 29 to December 13. During this time members received an email with a unique link to vote. We had some good engagement and a vote that moved the above three people forward for the 2023-2025 term. Special thanks to all s ..read more

The election process for the 2023-2025 BG Leadership Council elections is officially underway. After several weeks of nominations, we have a slate for the three available seats on the council. The slate of candidates for this year’s election consists of: Zoey Thorson (she/her), US (incumbent) Lukasz Galeki (he/him), Poland Renato Sumania (he/him), Philippines Salman Ilyas Khan, South Africa Miroslav Ocenas (he/him), UK Olivia Morris (they/them), US Luisa Fernanda Santos Rivera (she/her), Colombia The BG Leadership Council consists of 10 volunteer members who serve a 2-year-te ..read more

Dear Barista Guild members and community, The BG Leadership Council is now accepting nominations for new leaders passionate about the barista community and experienced in (online) activity and event planning. This year, the BG Leadership Council has 3 open positions to serve a two-year term. Nominations are open from September 19 - October 3 to the Barista community. nominate now The 2021-2023 election timeline is as follows: Nominations Open: September 19 Nominations Close: October 3 Slate Announced: November 1 Petition Period Opens: November 2 Petition Period Closes: November 16 ..read more

We’re looking forward to connecting with everyone at the World of Coffee taking place in Milan, Italy from June 23-25, 2022! We've missed hanging out with everyone so we’re inviting the barista community to join us for coffee, drinks, and light snacks during our morning mixer! Come catch up and meet new friends at World of Coffee.  Barista Guild Morning Mixer Friday, June 24, 2022 10:00 - 11:00 CEST Outside Space - Hall 3 Purchase Your World of Coffee Badge Today! Haven't registered for World of Coffee? Register before June 21, 2022 and receive a discount on your World of Cof ..read more

By Emma Haines I wrote before about how and why inclusion matters in vocational training and it encouraged me to see it struck a chord with people. So, when the Barista Guild asked me to write a piece focused more specifically on the coffee industry, I was delighted! Most coffee professionals have experience in the industry as a barista. Whatever job they do now, it’s likely that being a barista is what got them hooked into the industry so let’s focus there: It’s a demanding job in terms of physical skills & abilities as well as the mental challenges it throws up. It’s not a job for everyo ..read more

We’re looking forward to connecting with everyone at the Specialty Coffee Expo in the city of Boston from April 8-9, 2022! We’re excited to bring you some low-key Guild activities where we can have a little fun, network, and spend some time with each other. Check out our schedule below and plan your visit accordingly! BG & Chill We all know how caffeinated and exhilarating EXPO can be. So we’re inviting the barista community to join us for BG & Chill in the SCA Community Lounge. Join us for a chat, some connection, and a little less caffeine in this relaxing and calming hour at the S ..read more

    WCC All-Stars Online is returning for a fifth season, with six top-ranking World Coffee Championship (WCC) competitors coming to your screen twice-weekly, beginning next Tuesday, February 22. The All-Stars program celebrates some of the best competitive coffee makers in the world in a fun, engaging format, which we are adapting to bring directly to you. Each week will focus on a different All-Star from the WCC portfolio, with the World Barista Championship, World Brewers Cup, World Latte Art Championship, and World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship featured this season. The pr ..read more