Barista Championship to take Sri Lankan coffee to the next level

The LCA Barista Championship, hosted by the Lanka Coffee Association (LCA) in partnership with Jetwing Hotels and The Market Development Facility (MDF) provided an opportunity for local baristas to showcase their coffee brewing skills. The winners of the three regional rounds will go into the finals – to be held at the Sri Lanka Coffee Festival on 19 May.

The Sri Lankan specialty coffee sector has been growing progressively over the past decade. To recognise the comeback of the industry, in 2022, MDF and LCA brought together representatives from the local coffee sector for the first-ever ‘Sri Lanka Coffee Festival.’ Following the success of the event, this year the LCA will host the festival in partnership with MDF and Jetwing Hotels Group on 19 May 2023.

In the lead-up to the festival three regional rounds of the LCA Barista Championship were held across Sri Lanka. The first round was at Jetwing Lake, Dambulla, on 04 April, with 12 participants competitively showcasing their coffee brewing skills. The second regional event was held at Jetwing Lighthouse, Galle, on 06 April, with 23 participants. The final regional championship took place in Negombo on 26 April at Jetwing Blue hotel with a total of 28 participants.

Secretary of the Lanka Coffee Association Kushan Samararatne said, “The LCA was established 2 years ago with the intention of bringing together a variety of stakeholders in the coffee industry to fulfil the single goal of developing the speciality coffee sector in Sri-Lanka.”

The winning barista will receive a cash prize as well as the opportunity to participate in a coveted international certification (‘Barista Skills’) by the Speciality Coffee Association. This certification will upgrade the theoretical and practical knowledge of the winning barista to compete in regional and international barista competitions and become a brand ambassador for Sri Lankan specialty coffee.