Mad March is over for another year, so here’s some of our reflections…
We have been hanging with the coffee family in Melbourne for International Roasting Awards, Melbourne International Coffee Expo and National Coffee Championships We also geared up to support our Chinese family, Ultimate Coffee in Shanghai for HotelEx.
Have a look at what we’ve been up to…
International Coffee Awards (Back of House), Melbourne 6-8th
At the beginning of the month, Adam Metelmann geared up to lead the Back of House at the International Coffee Awards (by RASV)
Adam pulled together the team and equipment to ensure each of the near 900 coffees was served as precisely as possible to a panel of acutely dialled judges.
Barista team consisted of: Danny Andrade (Extraction Artisan Coffee), Candy Weiss (Dimattina Coffee), Sean Payne (The Black Addition), Kayla Hannah (Kayla’s Specialty Coffee), Lemara Winterton (no.19 Society), Kurtis Tupangaia (Bear Bones Specialty Coffee) and Chanice, fellow Pullman team.
The room was full of Black Eagles from Espresso Mechanics, and each barista was equipped with a Pullman tamper to match.
The team had a great time brewing coffees from the world’s entrants, and Adam enjoyed being back in his natural habitat doing what he loves.
“This is my 3rd year involved in this event. Each year the level is raised by both the entrants and the participants… which is awesome to be a part of, but also to work with. The whole mantra for me surrounding this event is to treat with utmost care each and every entry and I love that AICA gives us the equipment and the capacity to do this. It’s a Barista’s dream to work with coffee from all over the world, taste some incredible deliciousness and also to be serving some the highest level palettes in the coffee industry. “ – Adam
MICE, Melbourne 28th – 1st
The week that was, saw the Melbourne International Coffee Expo pull coffee enthusiasts, industry professionals and coffee family together to network, showcase, discuss and grow.
We were lucky enough to team up with our friends at ASCA to share their stand and showcase what we have been busy creating and building in the workshop over the prior 12 months.
Good friend, Georgina Lumb equipped with her industry and practical experience, lent a helping hand to our accountant (and Mark’s brother), Frank Ruta with his son, James Ruta. Mini-workshops and tutorials were run throughout the day, which is something we are working on doing more often.
“I was great to see younger baristas (18 and younger) interested in what we do, exciting stuff ahead for our industry” – James Ruta
National Competitions, Melbourne 28th- 1st
We are lucky in Australia to have one of the best coffee cultures in the world. It goes without saying; the backbone of this, is the incredibly talented people that power the industry. In certain, the passionate baristas that make your coffee so well for you!
At MICE, Australian Coffee Championships took place. This covers Barista Championship, Brewers Cup, Cup Tasters and Roasting Championship. Here the best of the best Australia-wide brought all of their unique, tried and tested, collaborative, innovation and experience to the table and battled it out for the chance to appease the panel of judges’ palates!
As proud sponsors of the National Coffee Competitions, we get to be a part of exciting developments within the industry year to year, and this a huge part of why we are so passionate about what we do!
Adam Metelmann competed in the Semi-Finals with a story of realised potential and value creation inspired by Ben and Kristy Carlson of the Long Miles Project, Burundi. We are so proud of all that Adam has achieved on his coffee journey so far, inspired and motivated by his passion and endless yearn for knowledge. Now the emotions of the event has settled, Adam is only motivated by the experience.
“There is no doubt that our National competition is possibly the most competitive in all of the WBC. A quick look around the backroom to see the Coaches – 3 past world champions, and also some of the most influential coffee people ever. We all know what good results can bring and this is why there is no shortage of stress, weight of the event or shortage of nerves. This being my 4th year at Nationals, I was fully aware of the environment that I was walking into, and unfortunately was plagued with some technical problems and also personal mental toughness. No matter how many times you take that stage, it never gets any easier. As disappointing as an experience it was for me this year, I will not be deterred, nor scared about what the future will hold. I was absolutely blown away by the support shown to me from Five Senses, Fleurieu Milk Company, Acaia, AMC and of course Pullman Espresso Accessories. To be able to work with Producers like Ben and Kristy Carlson, to tell the incredible story that has been achieved at the Long Miles Coffee Project (Kayanza Province, Burundi) is truly an honour. Though to be under the guidance of Ben Bicknell, Jacob Ibarra and also with some assistance from Brydon Price (3 of my longtime coffee idols) makes the journey something that I will never forget. And of course, 5 months until I get to do it again at the next Regionals. ” – Adam
Congratulations and well done to everyone who competed, coached, roasted coffee, judged, watched, it’s all of you that push the industry to new heights each and every day. For now, we’re putting our tools down, but not for long. We’re ready to do it all again leading up to Seoul, Korea in November.
HotelEx, Shanghai 31st – 2nd
Yes, we’re pretty lucky to have such an incredible coffee culture here in Australia, but, the international scene is doing some pretty fantastic stuff too!
While we were busy in Melbourne, Mark was in China at HotelEx with good friends – Ultimate Coffee – showcasing all things Pullman.
The coffee world in China is unlike Australia in the sense that; there’s people that love coffee, and there’s people that LOVE coffee. FUN FACT: On average, Australian’s drink 2-3 cups of coffee per day, whereas in China, the average is something like 4-5 cups per person, per YEAR.
The coffee world is relatively new for China, as tea has been the longstanding tradition of the culture. However, our stock was cleaned out, so there’s definitely a new wave of coffee drinkers emerging and we’re excited to work with such individuals.
“I’m overwhelmed how much value they have for our products and the man behind the product, they made me feel like a rockstar. Thank god for WeChat translator” – Mark Ruta
Shanghai, thanks for having us!…. We’ll be back next year!
