Community is important for our team at Acaia. Every year, as part of our community support, we sponsor a range of local & international industry events and barista competitors.
We offer barista sponsorships to support and encourage a more diverse lineup of competitors. There are many obstacles for competing baristas on both the national and international levels. We hope the program will help them on their journey and achieve their goals on a more equal world stage. Trevor Fitz competed in the South African National Coffee Championships this year.
Please introduce yourself.
My name is Trevor Fitz; I have worked in the coffee industry for seven years. I have worked as a Barista and a Roaster. I have also owned my roastery, which I eventually sold to the company I now represent, Seam Coffee. My favorite part of the coffee industry is the competition space. I enjoy pushing the boundaries. I experiment with new things that others are not and create exciting new things.
Why did you decide to enter coffee competitions?
Initially, I joined the competition space to test myself and see how I faired against others. I wanted to know if I understood coffee and could identify and profile coffees. It soon became a passion, and I started playing around in ways a cafe never allowed me to. I enjoy competitions because I compete against myself; against my last performance and my previous set. This improves my work as a coffee professional.
How was your experience during the competition? Did you have a theme to your routine? How did you build it?
This competition was my favorite set. I enjoyed the process of pulling this one together and presenting it. It was the least stressful competition because I loved the concept and enjoyed the set. My theme was blending, and I built it off a few main base elements. My coffee was a blended process: semi-washed and semi-natural processed coffee. Then, I created a 3-way milk blend for my milk. Finally, my signature was a combination of elements from the coffee, beer, and mixology industries. My theme was that we should not just do what has always been done but also mix things up. We should learn from other industries and push ourselves to create new things.
What are your thoughts after competing? Will you compete again, and will it be in the same competition?
I will compete again, do Cup Tasters, and try to judge for a cycle or two. Then, I'll make my way back to the Barista Competition stage.
How did you use your sponsored Acaia products?
I used my White Pearl scales to weigh my portafilters and ensure exactly 19 g was dosed into each shot. I used my Lunar scales to weigh my espressos, ensuring I extracted 49g. I love the responsiveness of Acaia; it makes it much easier to be accurate and consistent.
Photo Cred @clairebear0026
What's coming up next in your journey with coffee?
I have a few ventures on the cards in the coming weeks and months. However, apart from business as usual, I will get involved in judging and see what I can learn.
Thank you for your interview, Trevor!