Rock Stars in The Coffee World
‘Baristas are the new rock stars’ was the claim in the Sunday Star Times magazine earlier this year, in its ‘Going Up’ column.
As Steve Hanrahan, Chief Executive of the Hospitality Standards Institute (HSI), the training organisation for the hospitality industry, said at the official launch of HSI’s three new training programmes for baristas: “This claim recognised the rise and rise of coffee consumption here, and the importance so many of us now place on a really well-made cup of coffee.”
At the launch, held at Wellington’s iconic Caffe L’Affare, he commented on New Zealand’s sophisticated cafe culture, one that has developed in quite a short time, and now rivals many European countries, where the coffee tradition is of course much older. “The ‘art of latté’ has spread quickly around New Zealand. Here in Wellington alone, we have more cafés per capita than New York City.”
Coffee is the second most popular drink in the world, after water, and the most recognised smell too. It is the world’s second most traded commodity, taking a back seat only to oil. The coffee market earns around US$ 60 billion annually.
Hanrahan said that HSI has seen an exponential growth in demand for barista training, and as the training organisation for the hospitality industry, developed several programmes anticipating that demand. “Appreciating good coffee starts in secondary schools, where students can learn on and about commercial espresso coffee machines, and how to prepare espressos, as well as pressed and filtered coffee. This training programme is now available throughout New Zealand. “ In addition, HSI has barista training for the hospitality industry; with its Barista Skills and Barista Service programmes. “These short course of training will up-skill many coffee-makers to the level of barista,” he commented.
“Cafés have been described as a comfortable "third place," a living space that goes beyond the home and the office. We all have our favourite cafés and many of us our favourite coffee-makers – or baristas, as they are now called,” he added.
Guests at the HSI launch were treated to a live performance of barista skills by champion barista, Chris Coleman, who works at Caffe L’Affare.
Hanrahan gave some interesting information on coffee, commenting on its long history and worldwide following. For example, it is reckoned that in Italy alone, 15 million cups of espresso are drunk each day. Another statistic was that coffee drinkers that get a ‘cup to go’ from a local cafe before work will wait in line for nearly 45 hours – almost four days - each year. According to some studies, 65% of business relationships begin in front of a cup of coffee, while almost 80% of love stories and friendships are born in cafés.
The rock stars in the coffee world can battle it out in the annual World Barista Championships; this year’s fiercely fought event was in June, in London. This international event is the finale of championship events held in more than 50 nations around the globe, including New Zealand.
HSI will be having a coffee launch in Auckland late September, for more information on this and HSI barista training programmes, please contact products@hsi.co.nz
