NEWS

The world final for the Costa Barista of the Year competition, sponsored by Astoria, took place last October 21st along the banks of the river Thames, in a chic location in the English capital called Vinopolis.

The competition was promoted by Costa to reward their own best barista on a global level in terms of technical skill and creativity. The crown went to a 25-year-old barista from the UAE called Prakash Rai, who, along with seven others was required  to prepare a technically perfect coffee and demonstrate their knowledge in this field to an evaluating committee.

The panel of judges  – made up of a technical section and a sensory one, included notable names such as Gennaro Pelliccia, Costa’s Master of Coffee, as well as chef Phil Vickery and the journalist Rose Prince.

“By sponsoring the Barista of the Year event Astoria has confirmed the mutual sense of purpose that binds Astoria and Costa in the promotion of quality coffee,” confirms  Export Manager and Key Accounts Manager for Astoria Flavio Urizzi. “Technical perfection and passion for the product are at the heart of a common mission: rethink espresso every day in order to give coffee lovers all over the world an incomparable sensory experience”.

Astoria has been tied to Costa through 30 years of collaboration, during which it has put its know-how to use on personalized technical solutions, with the goal of meeting the specific demands of consumers. 2013 saw the official introduction of the Vintage machine, which will be progressively integrated in all the projects for “Costa franchising” and “trade operations” in the world during 2014. This is an important step in the innovation process that links Astoria and Costa. The Vintage model has been enjoying remarkable success and positive feedback, especially when it comes to aesthetics and functionality.