Australia to host 2013 World Barista Championship and World Brewers Cup

World Coffee Events announced on 18 June that Melbourne, Australia was selected as the site of the 2013 World Barista Championships and World Brewers Cup.  Both events will be hosted in May 2013 at the Melbourne International Coffee Expo, the largest dedicated coffee-event to take place on Australian soil, which made its debut in this year.  “Participants from across Australia have been enthusiastic, longtime supporters of the World Barista Championship and our other coffee competitions,” says Cindy Ludviksen, Managing Director of World Coffee Events. “We are excited to welcome the global coffee community to join us next year for a taste of Melbourne's amazing coffee culture.” The World Barista Championship competition is the annual destination for barista champions hailing from more than 50 countries. In each national competition and dozens of local and regional preliminary events, baristas prepare espressos, cappuccinos and original espresso signature drinks to exacting standards for a panel of international judges. Similarly, the World Brewers Cup competition highlights the craft of filter coffee brewing by hand, promoting manual coffee brewing and service excellence. “Melbourne is the heartland of Australasia's specialty coffee scene, which in recent years has emerged as one of the strongest in the world,” says Clint Hendry, Show Director for MICE. “Australian and New Zealand baristas regularly place in the top three at WCE competitions. We're proud to welcome this prestigious events to Melbourne, as a platform to recognise the world's best coffee talent and showcase our flourishing specialty coffee culture.”  MICE is Australia's largest dedicated coffee show, and has emerged as the prime industry event for the Asia Pacific region. In 2012 the event welcomed over 7300 visitors, and a cross-section of exhibitors from the coffee industry including green bean traders, international producer associations, roasters, coffee equipment manufacturers and suppliers, ancillary equipment distributors and more.  Both competitions are scheduled to take place in May 2013.  WCE was founded in 2011 by joint cooperations of the Specialty Coffee Associations of Europe and America, and today licenses national championships in more than 60 countries involving thousands of participants worldwide.  The Melbourne International Coffee Expo is owned by Prime Creative Media, an Australian marketing and events management company. Prime Creative Media publishes Global Coffee Review and BeanScene magazine, and have been an exclusive media partner of the Australasian Specialty Coffee Association for the last four years.