Are Barista Competitions Worth It? Rethinking Career Growth in the Coffee Industry

What else is there to do if you don’t participate in coffee competitions? Well, a lot.

For quite a few years now, I’ve been having an ongoing conversation with a couple of friends from the coffee industry about how useful (or not) coffee competitions really are. We have different opinions. They say it gives baristas a purpose—a goal to become better, something to train for, a measurable target in the future.

I used to say there are ways of doing all that without spending hours repeating a routine, buying a 5-kilo bag of outrageously expensive coffee that will be used only for that, and fighting for that one, single spot. Because eventually, there is only one winner. In the whole country. Or in the world.

And yes, a winning barista routine can give a farmer some "prime time" and exposure, potentially leading to more financial success. But is that what is actually happening? Or are competitors mostly focused on buying coffee from already well-known farms that invest specifically in competition-grade lots? And what happens to the “not-so-special” coffee from these farms? Is it being sold at a fair price? Consistently, every year?

The Illusion of Innovation

Yes, competition is a source of innovation. We see the influence of more even distribution, water chemistry, freezing milk, and freezing beans—we are pushing the limits. It is exciting and motivating. It sounds like progress, but is it progress for the many? Somehow it is almost always connected to the consumers side of the business.

I say this as someone who used to be the event coordinator for these kinds of competitions here in Portugal (and then resigned). So, at some point, I did believe there was a point to it. But I don’t see how they make us better anymore. Or better said, there are so many other problems to focus on that competitions simply distract us, bringing false promises. It’s like focusing on decorating the house and not noticing that it’s caught fire.

Skills vs. Success: The Barista Career Path

I’ll start with the first false idea: Barista competitions help baristas find better jobs and build a career.

How insane is it that we’ve connected a successful career in coffee solely with coffee-making skills? Just give it a thought. Is this statement really true for the majority, or is there something escaping our vision?

The truth is, a successful career requires a very different skillset that has nothing to do with pouring water on coffee grounds or a knowledge of TDS. Don’t get me wrong, baristas should know how to make coffee. But that is the base of the pyramid, not the whole building.

In the same way that the coffee industry is bigger and more complex than we used to think (take the influence of colonialism, the variety of cultures involved, or the complexity of trading and logistics), the career of a barista has many more aspects than just brewing. The ability to take responsibility, hospitality, social skills, organization, time management, risk management, financial literacy, and career planning—that’s what the best careers are built on.

A Business, Not Just a Passion

I frequently ask myself: how many baristas do I know who are willing to grow in that "uncomfortable" way? Asking for more responsibility, learning to negotiate salaries, or taking on tasks not directly connected to brewing or roasting? Or are the majority just waiting to be rewarded for the latte art on their cappuccinos? Because there is a limit to that.

That’s a rhetorical question, and by no means am I saying everyone is the same. But there is a tendency.

In this whole conversation about "passion" in coffee, we tend to forget that coffee is a business. Every part of the chain has to be useful for the whole structure. If one part is in trouble, the rest of the chain will eventually feel it.

How useful are we? Are we adding value, or are we just consumers of more courses, certifications, and new devices? Adding value is where a successful career in any industry lies. Making something better than it was before our hands touched it.

Does Competition Actually Build Community?

Competitions also raise the question of making the community stronger. But... are we really united in competing? Are we openly discussing common problems and looking for solutions? We aren’t, right?

Competition unites teams, that’s true. We spend more time together helping a teammate prepare, and we become closer. But could that be done without the competition? Well, yes. It requires people sitting down and talking.

The biggest benefit my friend mentioned is that competitions help you learn more about the craft of brewing or tasting. It acts as extra motivation to learn.

And well, it works. Of course it does.

But is it a necessary component? Not really. Simply living with the idea that you can always improve and learn something new also works. But yes, competition gives you that extra motivation, a time limit, and an opponent for those who need someone to measure themselves against.

Is it time spent in vain? I cannot answer that.

Do I think that learning Spanish, English, or Portuguese, getting a better understanding of business operations, practicing negotiation, or learning about logistics, international trade, and psychology would be a better investment of time career-wise?

Absolutely.

We need to find ways to move most of us forward as an industry—find ways to improve and grow together. In a competition, we only have one winner. Or two: the winner and the organizer.

And if the competition is really about finding out how good you are among the best—well, it doesn't exactly show that. It shows how good you are among those who decided to compete, according to the specific terms of that competition. It’s a very narrow view.

A Broader Vision for the Future

I propose looking at the industry in a broader way, contradicting this tendency of narrowing things down. Although it sounds a bit vague, imagine how many opportunities we open up if we stop focusing on the "regular" expected coffee path (barista -> shop owner -> roaster).

What if we create a unique space for each of us, taking into consideration everything that makes us competent and helpful?
Computers and coffee?
Management and coffee?
Marketing and coffee?
Education, languages, psychology, or sustainability and coffee?

I mention these combinations and I feel excited and inspired, as if I’ve been given the space to create, exist, and expand.

Why not explore a little bit more in this direction?

What if we find something truly worth it?