By showing off their creativity and expertise, 3 female baristas from the UAE will join the group of international finalists in Turin to win the title of Lavazza Barista Challenge Champion of the first edition of Lavazza My Mocaccino Challenge.

On 26th January La Centrale Nuvola Lavazza in Turin (Italy) will host the international finals of My Mocaccino Challenge by Lavazza, the international competition designed for the community of baristas belonging to the CEMEA Region, further strengthening the brand’s commitment to promote the role of baristas worldwide. Three female finalists from the UAE will take part in the competition, ready to represent their country with the utmost proud and thrill:

• Everlee Peran working at Al Moqah Coffee Trading, in Dubai

Barista Trainer and Sales Representative in Al Moqah Trading. The reason to join the competition was to gain new relationship through delivering her passion in coffee and excel more in what she is capable of doing.

• Kiah Parangue working at Dubai Coffee Museum, in Dubai

SCA-ME coordinator, and several time competitor for Local Latte Art and AeroPress championships. Holds several certificates of Volunteering the UAE national competitions, but only until this time she had a chance to compete in the Lavazza National Barista Championship, where she has no conflict, with hope to change her life.

• Cherryl Guadalquiver at Dubai Coffee Museum, in Dubai

Working at the only coffee museum in the UAE, has been competing on local barista competitions and latte art throwdowns for a while and never got a chance to win, the only hope was this time to join the Lavazza championships.

Selected for their unrivalled talent and expertise among almost 100 baristas who joined the challenge in Dubai in October 2022, they were awarded the possibility to participate in the final round in Italy, competing against the other international finalists. In addition to that, they gained the chance to visit Milan and live an unforgettable experience in Turin, with a deep dive into Lavazza universe: from paying a visit to the Innovation Center and Lavazza Museum, to attending a Masterclass at 1895 Factory.

“The UAE boast a fantastic cafè culture and everyone has their own favourite coffee shop, so it’s no surprise that the caliber of entrants to the Lavazza My Moccacino Challenge was so high,” comments Dionysis Moustis, Lavazza Capabilities Manager, part of the final technical jury. “We are hugely proud that our three female finalists will be representing the UAE in Turin at the final and we wish them all the greatest success.”

Following the local-competition phase, 15 international baristas access the Finals in Turin, coming from the UAE, Greece, Bulgaria, Albania and Serbia respectively. The event will consist of one round only: all participants will be required to present their special mocaccino recipe. Coffee is a simple product. But it’s precisely because of this simplicity that, when handled with creativity and a desire to experiment, it can change and result in surprising experiences. Starting from the basic, traditional ingredients, the finalists will indeed have to re-interpret the usual preparation of mocaccino, adding a personal touch and giving the recipe a unique twist.

To evaluate their work, a jury of four experts has been invited to judge. For a complete and consistent evaluation, the jury will be organized in two different panels: a technical panel and a sensory one. In the role of technical judge, Dionysis Moustis, Lavazza Capabilities Manager, will evaluate skills and technical abilities, paying attention to the gestures and the preparation steps of each single participant. The sensory panel composed by Francesco Viarizzo, International Training and Food & Beverage Expertise Manager, Fabio Sipione, Events Training Manager and Mirko Giordano, Coffee Senior Trainer, will assess creativity, presentation, aesthetics and taste of each single mocaccino recipe.

The barista with best performance overall, alongside winning the title of Lavazza Barista Challenge Champion, will be awarded two prizes:

• The appearance on the main trade/HORECA publication of his/her Country, with a dedicated article exploring his/her background and experience.
• Lavazza support in branding and renewing the spaces of his/her Cafè and in organizing on-site marketing activities.

The final event at la Centrale Nuvola Lavazza will go hand in hand with a social media challenge, aimed at awarding the “Best Liked Barista”. Each finalist will have the opportunity to call for votes on the official Lavazza social media channels.

Authenticity, Passion for Excellence, Responsibility, Inventiveness: these are the values deeply rooted in Lavazza's DNA since 1895, the same values that live on today through the final of My Mocaccino Barista Challenge by Lavazza.

Below the full list of finalists:

• Albania
  • Mariglen Ramushi working at Radisson Hotel, in Tirana
  • Miranda Zefi working at BonSe, in Tirana
  • Naile Rata working at Opa, in Tirana

• Bulgaria
  • Sinem Musa working at Garson, in Kardjali
  • Petar Hristov working at Zazu, in Sunny Beach
  • Veselin Dzhinin working at Tea&Eat, in Sofia

• Serbia
  • Luka Marković working at Caffe Bar L'Equipe, in Kragujevac
  • Nevena Lazović working at Caffe Bar L'Equipe, in Kragujevac
  • Vladislav Jovanović working at Pleasure Caffe, in Nis
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• Greece

• Michail Bellios working at Kubrick Pure Social Club in Larisa
• Efstathia Myrto Mantziou working at Kubrick Pure Social Club in Larisa
• Konstantinos Makris, working at The Cups in Ioannina

About Lavazza Group

Lavazza, founded in Turin in 1895, has been owned by the Lavazza family for four generations. Today the Group is one of the leading players on the global coffee scene, with turnover of over € 2.3 billion and a portfolio of top brands that lead their respective markets, such as Lavazza, Carte Noire, Merrild and Kicking Horse. It is active in all business sectors and has operations in 140 markets, with 9 manufacturing plants in 6 countries and over 4,200 collaborators all over the world. The Group’s global presence is the result of over 125 years of growth and the more than 30 billion cups of Lavazza coffee produced every year are a testament to a remarkable success story, with the goal of continuing to offer the best coffee possible, in all forms, by focusing on every aspect of the supply chain, from the selection of the raw material to the product in the cup.

Lavazza Group has revolutionised coffee culture by investing continuously in research and development: from the intuition that marked the company’s earliest success - the coffee blend - to the development of innovative packaging solutions; from the first espresso sipped in Space to the dozens of industrial patents. The ability to be ahead of the times is also reflected in the focus on sustainability - economic, social and environmental - which has always been a benchmark for guiding corporate strategies. “Awakening a better world every morning” is the corporate purpose of Lavazza Group, with the aim of creating sustainable value for shareholders, collaborators, consumers and the communities in which it operates, combining competitiveness with social and environmental responsibility.