In this episode of the I'M NOT A BARISTA podcast, we sit down with Nikos Antzaras, a two-time Greek Barista Champion whose love for coffee transformed his life and career. Starting as a medical engineering student working as a barista to cover expenses, Nikos found his true calling in the world of coffee—a decision that led to both family tensions and remarkable personal growth."I really fell in love with coffee," Nikos recalls. Despite his parents' concerns—"What are you doing? Are you crazy? You studied... what coffee things are these?"—he pursued his passion relentlessly. Nikos shares valuable insights from his extensive experience in coffee competitions, emphasizing that "you never lose; you always win something." His journey took a profound turn during a trip to Colombia, where he helped save a coffee farmer's livelihood by challenging an incorrect defect evaluation.  At his own establishment, Roast Warehouse in Athens, Nikos continues to inspire both customers and employees. "I always tell my employees, 'It doesn't matter where you work. If you love this job, you have to always give your 100 percent.'" With an open roastery concept, he invites everyone to witness the art and science behind every cup.Join us as we explore Nikos's inspiring story—a testament to passion, perseverance, and the impact one individual can have on an entire community. Whether you're a coffee professional or an enthusiast, this episode offers valuable lessons and motivation for your own journey in the world of coffee.www.notabarista.org

Paola Campana’s story is one of tradition, values, family, and passion. Slipping into the world of coffee by following in her parents’ footsteps, her story takes place along the Napolitan coast of Italy. A dreamy backdrop, we invite you to imagine the sounds of waves crashing and busy piazzas in summer as we share her story with you.Read the full article herehttps://notabarista.org/paola-campana/Article by Virginia & ZoéSupport our 101 Coffee Stories project on Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/iamnotabarista/101-coffee-stories-dedicated-to-the-people-behind-the-cupSupport the show

Coffee runs in Juan Angel Welchez’s veins. If anyone was destined to go into the coffee industry, it was him. To him, coffee is more than a drink; it is a connection, a bond. This love of coffee began with Juan’s grandfather, making him a third-generation Honduran coffee farmer.This is Juan's coffee story, written by Emma NiroRead the article herehttps://notabarista.org/juan-angel-welchez/Support our 101 Coffee Stories project on Kickstarterhttps://www.kickstarter.com/projects/iamnotabarista/101-coffee-stories-dedicated-to-the-people-behind-the-cupSupport the show

The first time André Eiermann had his first cup of coffee was during the interview for a Junior Coffee Trader position. After the interview, André was convinced that coffee was his destiny. On the hunt for an adventure, he was especially interested in traveling to the various origins of coffee. Among the many successes he had during his 15 years working with coffee, he won the Swiss Barista Championship and became the first barista to roast coffee live on stage during his World Barista Championship performance. Now André has moved to Melbourne where he is the General Manager at Victoria Arduino—a company that specializes in quality espresso machines. Read the full coffee story herehttps://notabarista.org/andre-eiermann/Support the show

Hello, everyone! My name is Emma Niro and I’m a content writing intern from New Jersey in the United States. I’ve been with I’M NOT A BARISTA since June of 2022, and I am thrilled to be working on such a big-scale project (101 Coffee Stories) in the hopes of spreading coffee people’s voices from around the world and bringing awareness to the everyday coffee consumer.Support the show

Meet Michael Tan, a father, a coffee lover, and a wholesale coffee manager with 14 years of experience under his belt. Born and bred in Malaysia, he has climbed up and down and up again on the ladder of the coffee business and still hasn’t let anything stop him. There’s no place he’d rather be.Read Michael's full coffee story herehttps://notabarista.org/michael-tan/Article by Oluwatobifunmi OlaniranSupport the show

Aeropress Regional Competition Finalist of 2021, Rodolfo Barranco, always dreamed of being the one behind the bar preparing coffee. Rodolfo @robadgal, now 23 years old, hails from Mexico City and has been working with coffee for six years. Next on his agenda is reaching the final in the National Latte Art Competition.Rodolfo landed his first job at only 18 years old at Fractal Café where their specialty is a flat white. Fractal Café owns a bright red, old-school VW truck where they serve coffee, milkshakes, and waffles at music festivals around the city. He says working at music festivals was extremely demanding.“The work of a barista is always undervalued.”From Fractal Café, he moved his barista talents to Cardinal Casa de Café @casacardinal where his love for Mexican coffee originated. At Cardinal. he was surrounded by people who motivated him and supported his dreams – who shared the same goal as he did. He managed to make it to the finals of the 2021 Aeropress Regional Competition, going above and beyond the expectations he set for himself. It was also at Cardinal where Rodolfo experienced his first really good cup of coffee – yellow-honey processed coffee and,“I swear it tasted like pineapple.”In his 23 years, he admits to going through many challenges and changes which ultimately led him to where he is now. Unfortunately, Rodolfo was forced to leave Cardinal because he didn’t have enough capital for supplies to practice for the National Art Latte Competition.“It was a difficult decision because it was a job that taught me the value of work and the love for what I did.”Qūentin Café is where he is currently practicing his latte art skills.__To read more about the challenges Rodolfo faced throughout his career which has led him to where he is now – practicing for the National Latte Art Competition – click the link belowhttps://notabarista.org/rodolfo-barranco/Support the show

Meet Ömer Faruk Şahin (@Baristanomi), a man who fell in love with coffee after his first sip of Turkish coffee.At the age of 25, Ömer made the decision to quit his job and pursue his dream of becoming a barista. Currently, he is hoping to go abroad in the near future in order to educate himself about the coffee industry on a global scale.Although Ömer has big dreams, he is very content with simply making bonds with people around a cup of coffee. Story by Emma NiroRead the full article here https://notabarista.org/omer-faruk-sahin/Support the show

Meet Jodie Williams (@jodiealicia), one of Britain’s top talents in the coffee and track industry. Jodie has been a predominant voice in the coffee industry for 6 years, and it all started with a cup of iced latte.She is a 2-time Great Britain Olympic athlete, with her most recent competition in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, where she participated in the 400m final. This has been a long time coming, since recovering from a hamstring injury in 2012.She is a longtime advocate for the rights of women in coffee farming communities, especially how they are affected by low wages and a lack of opportunities for leadership and management.She believes she is #morethanjustanathlete as she has developed multiple passions and interests outside of sports, including coffee and her YouTube channel.“If you're passionate about something, learn everything you can about it and find a community that is equally as passionate! This will bring you unparalleled joy and a deep sense of acceptance in a space that truly aligns with who you are.”How do you think women in coffee farming communities can be supported? We’d love to hear your thoughts.Read the full story herehttps://notabarista.org/jodie-williams/Support the show

Meet Agricultural Engineer, Juan Angel Welchez.Juan grew up with coffee running in his veins; Juan Angel Welchez is a third-generation Honduran coffee farmer. Juan originally got into the coffee industry after his grandfather—a fellow coffee farmer—passed away. He said, “I wanted to be a coffee farmer to keep my grandpa’s legacy alive.”Read the full article herehttps://notabarista.org/juan-angel-welchez/Article by Emma NiroRead more coffee stories herehttps://notabarista.org/coffee-stories/Support the show

Andrew Jay’s coffee story is a unique one because…well…he couldn’t steam milk to save his life. The world of coffee baffled Andrew. Nothing ever fully clicked until he had his first sip of a V60.Do you also think you’ll never know everything about coffee? Were you in a similar predicament to Andrew when the pandemic hit? Let us know.Story by Emma NiroRead the full story herehttps://notabarista.org/andrew-jay/Follow us on Instagram for more coffee stories https://www.instagram.com/iamnotabarista/Support the show

Throughout Vivito’s coffee journey, he feels extremely blessed to have had the opportunity to learn and build relationships with many educated and accomplished people from all over the world. We are positively inspired by his resilience, diligence, and commitment to not only his work but also his family. We’ll leave you with one last piece of advice he offered: “Those who work hard; win the race.” Read the full story herehttps://notabarista.org/vivito-yeptho/Support the show

I’M NOT A BARISTA is happy to bring back Pack Sompetch Katisomsakul, the owner of the coffee business 50 Milk Street. We were fortunate enough to sit down with Pack after his success with the Coffee Wristbands Charity Program.Read the full article herehttps://notabarista.org/pack-katisomsakul-50-milk-street-raised-750-through-coffee-wristbands-and-bought-coffee-trees-to-help-farmers-in-thailand/Coffee Wristbands Charity Programhttps://notabarista.org/coffee-wristbands-charity-program/Order Wristbands herehttps://notabarista.org/product/coffee-wristbands/Support the show

Lars Aaen Thøgersen is the Chief Innovation and Circular Transformation Officer at Löfbergs, and Head of Communication at Peter Larsen Kaffe. Lars’ primary mission in the coffee industry is to determine what is needed to innovate businesses in a way that gives back value to coffee farmers in a sustainable way. Read the full coffee story herehttps://notabarista.org/lars-aaen-thogersen/Story by Nathierah FredericksSupport the show

Meet Michalina (Instagram: @coffee_that_gives_a_puck)!After fifteen years in the hospitality industry, what can Michalina not do?From barista to teacher to Youtuber to yoga fanatic, she has done more than what many might do in their lifetime. After up and leaving her entire life in Poland to spend eight years in New Zealand (during the lockdown!!!), Michalina has gained great insight into who she is and what she wants out of her career and life. She believes that: “If you have a certain passion and you want to evolve…you will find your way and you will follow the path that you want.” But she also believes in taking a break and focusing on yourself, which is why she stepped away from the hospitality industry. Subscribe to Michalina’s Youtube channel “Coffee that gives a puck” and get ready to go on the most educational and entertaining journey into the coffee world than you ever imagined!What are your thoughts on the hospitality industry? Where do you think it can improve—as either an employee or a consumer? Let us know !Support the show

This bucket hat-wearing, art-loving, UAE Brewers Cup champion, Mariam Erin Pinza (@mariam.erin), has brought huge recognition to herself through her outstanding performance in recent coffee competitions.We had a chat with her recently, she enlightened us about the coffee community in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), how trends play a significant impact on the coffee scene and her tips for anyone who wishes to compete in coffee competitions.Listen to this short audio coffee story, and get to know Mariam.You can also read the full article on our website herehttps://notabarista.org/coffee-stories/ Support the show

As you know, I’M NOT A BARISTA was designed to help baristas in need and make a social impact. Well, if it’s a social impact we’re after then we needed an additional way of sharing the voices of those in the coffee community. We want to ensure that their voices are heard in many ways and we want to take this opportunity to introduce our new way of sharing stories - audio stories. Behind the scenes: This Monday, we had a meeting with our content writing interns brainstorming the new way of empowering coffee people, and we came up with the idea of audio stories. It is different from our regular podcast and coffee articles, it is a new, easier way to share the stories with you. The audio stories are shorter, often less than 5 minutes long and they’re read by our content writers who wrote the stories. You will hear the voices of our content writers from Africa, The United States, and more. Just like a short bedtime story, are you ready? Turn up the volume, get your favourite earphones, and listen to our very first audio story from Fausto Russo, story written and read by our new content writer Emma Niro.Do you often listen to audiobooks? What do you think about our the new audio stories?Support the show