86 beanscenemag.com.auASCA exists to promote and develop the Australian specialty coffee
community, and relies on it to continue thriving.
R
ecently, the Australian
Specialty Coffee Association
(ASCA) Board was
approached by a regional
community looking to
up-skill their baristas to a level where they
could compete on the national stage.
We jumped at the opportunity.
ASCA was founded with the aim to
advance the specialty coffee industry
in Australia, and what better way to
achieve this mission than to provide
training and career advancement
opportunities in a regional area?
As the only domestic pathway
to competing in the World Coffee
Championships, it’s important to us
that the ASCA Australian Coffee
Championships are accessible.
We are thrilled with the calibre of
recent competitions, and so proud of our
baristas who are kicking goals on the
world stage. But if we want to continually
grow the standard of specialty coffee in
Australia, and spread it to all corners
of our vast country, we need to keep
investing in new members and helping
them to achieve excellence.
With our Judges Workshops completed
and another competition season about
to kick off, I for one am eagerly waiting
to see which faces we’ll see in the
#ASCATop12 for 2020 and beyond.
While we give what we can to the
Australian coffee community, we are lucky
enough to have it give back to us too.
We see many baristas, café owners, and
industry insiders who want to contribute
to ASCA as well as benefit from it.
So, how can you get involved?LIST YOUR EVENT ON
THE ASCA WEBSITE
Got a community event taking place?
It could be a cupping session, coffee tour,
industry presentation, or even a gathering
of coffee lovers debating over their
favourite brew, wanting to share the love
with some newcomers.
If you’re an ASCA member, you can
list your event on the ASCA website for
everyone to find.SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER
Volunteers keep ASCA ticking along.
Each of my fellow board members
and I are volunteers, as are our judges,
scorekeepers, and organisers.
Volunteering is a great way to kick off
your involvement with ASCA. Want to
see what happens behind the scenes, meet
some of the industry’s best baristas, or
network with leading coffee professionals?
Volunteering is the best way to get there.
Our volunteers help with
everything from photography to time
keeping and tallying scores to stage
management. Some of our volunteers
are now sought-after judges, high-
profile competitors, and internationally
regarded industry members.
You can start by helping out in the
ASCA Regional Coffee Championships.
The dates and locations are as follows:- Central Region – New South Wales and
Australian Capital Territory at Fine Food
Sydney from 10 to 12 September. - Northern Region – Queensland and
Northern Territory at Latitude Coffee in
QLD from 5 to 6 October. - Southern Region – Victoria and
Tasmania at St Ali roastery in
Port Melbourne from 25 to 27 October.- Western Region – South and West
Australia at Optus Stadium in WA
from 15 to 17 November.
BECOME A MEMBER
Membership of ASCA gives you un-
paralleled access to Australia’s specialty
coffee community.
Participate in events, try your hand
at competing, and help us to grow
Australia’s specialty coffee industry
from the ground up.
We can’t wait for you to join us.Smells like
community spirit
ASCA
Sign up for our FREE newsletter at
http://www.australianspecialtycoffee.
com.auKieran Westlake is the President of the Australian Specialty Coffee Association.ASCA’s 2020 Regional Coffee
Championship season kicks off ff ff ff f iinin in inin SSepSepSepSSSeppptemtemtemtemtete ber.86 beanscenemag.com.au
ASCA exists to promote and develop the Australian specialty coffee
community, and relies on it to continue thriving.
R
ecently, the Australian
Specialty Coffee Association
(ASCA) Board was
approached by a regional
community looking to
up-skill their baristas to a level where they
could compete on the national stage.
We jumped at the opportunity.
ASCA was founded with the aim to
advance the specialty coffee industry
in Australia, and what better way to
achieve this mission than to provide
training and career advancement
opportunities in a regional area?
As the only domestic pathway
to competing in the World Coffee
Championships, it’s important to us
that the ASCA Australian Coffee
Championships are accessible.
We are thrilled with the calibre of
recent competitions, and so proud of our
baristas who are kicking goals on the
world stage. But if we want to continually
grow the standard of specialty coffee in
Australia, and spread it to all corners
of our vast country, we need to keep
investing in new members and helping
them to achieve excellence.
With our Judges Workshops completed
and another competition season about
to kick off, I for one am eagerly waiting
to see which faces we’ll see in the
#ASCATop12 for 2020 and beyond.
While we give what we can to the
Australian coffee community, we are lucky
enough to have it give back to us too.
We see many baristas, café owners, and
industry insiders who want to contribute
to ASCA as well as benefit from it.
So, how can you get involved?
LIST YOUR EVENT ON
THE ASCA WEBSITE
Got a community event taking place?
It could be a cupping session, coffee tour,
industry presentation, or even a gathering
of coffee lovers debating over their
favourite brew, wanting to share the love
with some newcomers.
If you’re an ASCA member, you can
list your event on the ASCA website for
everyone to find.SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER
Volunteers keep ASCA ticking along.
Each of my fellow board members
and I are volunteers, as are our judges,
scorekeepers, and organisers.
Volunteering is a great way to kick off
your involvement with ASCA. Want to
see what happens behind the scenes, meet
some of the industry’s best baristas, or
network with leading coffee professionals?
Volunteering is the best way to get there.
Our volunteers help with
everything from photography to time
keeping and tallying scores to stage
management. Some of our volunteers
are now sought-after judges, high-
profile competitors, and internationally
regarded industry members.
You can start by helping out in the
ASCA Regional Coffee Championships.
The dates and locations are as follows:- Central Region – New South Wales and
Australian Capital Territory at Fine Food
Sydney from 10 to 12 September. - Northern Region – Queensland and
Northern Territory at Latitude Coffee in
QLD from 5 to 6 October. - Southern Region – Victoria and
Tasmania at St Ali roastery in
Port Melbourne from 25 to 27 October.- Western Region – South and West
Australia at Optus Stadium in WA
from 15 to 17 November.
BECOME A MEMBER
Membership of ASCA gives you un-
paralleled access to Australia’s specialty
coffee community.
Participate in events, try your hand
at competing, and help us to grow
Australia’s specialty coffee industry
from the ground up.
We can’t wait for you to join us.Smells like
community spirit
ASCA
Sign up for our FREE newsletter at
http://www.australianspecialtycoffee.
com.auKieran Westlake is the President of the Australian Specialty Coffee Association.ASCA’s 2020 RegionalCoffee
Championship seasonkicks offffffffiininnnSepS tet ber.