Why did Lavazza choose to look for the most skilled barista in Romania and how does the Italian company see the cafe market here?

At the end of winter, when the martisor had not yet made its appearance in the landscape, the first barista competition under the Lavazza emblem took place in Bucharest, which brought together six talented baristas from the Capital. Eduard Oancea was declared the winner, who is now preparing for the next stage, the final which will take place in Turin. Why did Lavazza choose to look for the most skilled barista in Romania and how does the Italian company see the cafe market here?

The first local edition of the Lavazza Barista Challenge international competition took place on February 19, 2024 in Bucharest, on the terrace of the local KLANdestin in the Titan area, where independent artisans from the coffee world met with Lavazza partners to look for the most precious talents in field. The winner, Eduard Oancea, will represent Romania this year at the Lavazza International Championship in Turin.

The recipe he prepared was a surprising combination of espresso with smoked whiskey, rum with mango puree, all the flavors being harmonized by a saline solution. The preparation was presented under the name of Espresso Andino, where the concentrated taste of Colombian coffee meets the sophisticated essence of Italian tradition.

The holding of the final stage of the Barista Challenge in Turin is not accidental, that being the place where the company Lavazza was born, in 1895. On this occasion, Eduard Oancea will compete alongside other talented international baristas, who will in turn represent Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Greece, Croatia, Czech Republic, Macedonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine.

“It will take preparation and routine. A thing done often and with passion always turns out well. This is my starting point. During this period, I gather all my ideas, assemble them somehow, like a puzzle, I want to produce a signature drink that will also highlight our identity, the Romanians, making a fusion between us and the iTierra blend Cuba (from the Lavazza portfolio – n. ed.)”, says Eduard Oancea.

For the stage in Bucharest, the competition challenged the contestants to present their signature recipe, namely an espresso-based drink through which they had the opportunity to customize the preparation steps, the ingredients, and the way of serving. The technical jury and head of judge was represented by Bogdan Andrei – barista specialist, and the sensory jury was formed by Maria Navloiu, Lavazza Romania barista trainer, Ionuţ Coco, knowledgeable sub-distributor of the coffee industry (also a barista in his turn) and Mihai Tiucă , brand ambassador of Lavazza Romania.

“The small barista community in Romania is actually quite connected, united, so I heard about the competition from a colleague of mine, and the answer came immediately. “Yes, I want it, I have it!”. Afterwards, I had a discussion about the contest with the Lavazza team, who provided me with all the necessary information and I accepted this challenge with an open heart.”

It was not the first such experience for Eduard, who has participated in competitions before, but in other product categories, not coffee. He also competed at the National Aeropress Championship, where, in 2022, he reached the semi-finals, out of 72 participants.

“A barista becomes a master in his field through practice, practice and more practice. This must be constant, because with it comes the perfecting of coffee preparation techniques, understanding the different types of coffee and how they influence the final taste.”

He believes that the fact that he is open to trying new things, learning and perfecting his techniques helped him a lot. Actively, Eduard Oancea has years of working in several pubs, fine-dining restaurants, roasters, and this, he believes, helped him become what he is today.

“Inclinations appeared early, I attended high school studies in tourism and food, observing the complexity of the field since then. Specifically in the area of ​​coffee, my first interaction was in 2017, when I attended one of the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association – n. ed.) courses, then I also started learning about wine, spirits, and in 2019 I graduated the WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust – n. ed.) mode.”

Eduard loves what he does so much that he sees himself as nothing more than a barista in his life. The perfect coffee for him does not depend on a particular taste, but rather on the preparation method.

“Recently, I have noticed that the majority prefer a coffee prepared with the V60 filter, the trend being towards anaerobic or fermented coffees, with a very fruity, tropical profile.”

And when it comes to coffee art (latte art), this detail – quite complex, by the way – can matter a lot to a specialty coffee lover, because it adds an aesthetic dimension.

“But an important thing for me is to bring the consumer close to the process behind each cup of coffee”, adds Eduard Oancea.

This was the desire of Lavazza, the initiator of this competition. The Lavazza Barista Challenge was launched in Greece in 2021 with the aim of encouraging and motivating baristas to present their own espresso recipe using Lavazza coffee.

“This simple and demanding format at the same time represented an opportunity for baristas at the beginning of their journey, who want to demonstrate their skills and creativity in front of a jury of coffee professionals. In addition, this competition gave them the opportunity to meet and connect with other coffee enthusiasts, and why not, to become champions”, explains Dionysis Moustis, Lavazza coffee capabilities manager CEMEA.

As a result of the good feedback and the interest shown in other markets as well, Lavazza decided to expand the competition internationally, inviting more countries to participate. Thus, currently, 12 states are involved, and from this year Romania is also among them.

“I really liked what I saw (at the Bucharest edition – ed.), all the participants made efforts to present interesting ideas, in the most creative way possible, and some of them even had remarkable results . Overall, what I observed was promising, without necessarily being a surprise to me, as I knew Romania had a strong and creative barista community.”

At the Turin stage, Lavazza promises a holistic experience for participants, who will have the opportunity to visit all of Lavazza’s main facilities, including the Training and Innovation Center and the Lavazza Museum.

“The training level of Romanian baristas is very good, but there is always room for improvement. Looking at the Romanian food service sector and its potential, I believe that the number of barista specialists with excellent skills will increase in the coming years.”

Founded in 1895 in Turin, Lavazza is an emblematic name for the world of coffee, the company being owned by the family of the same name for four generations. Today, the group has a turnover of over 2.7 billion euros annually, having operations in 140 markets and operating eight factories. The more than 30 billion Lavazza coffee cups produced each year take the story to new heights.

“I think that an increasingly visible trend in recent years and which may have been generated by the pandemic period is the idea of ​​being your own barista. More and more consumers are investing in coffee equipment at home, developing their knowledge and desire to taste various blends and origins of coffee, being open to new preparations. In this direction, we can observe the evolution of coffee machines for home consumption”, remarks Dionysis Moustis.

Regarding Romania, he says that he has found many similarities here with his native country, Greece.

“Romanians love coffee and you can find a cafe practically on every corner. Obviously, cozy cafes are a trend that I can notice, and the rest of the market follows the principles of increasing quality in general and awareness of the need for professional baristas.”

Also, including Freddo coffee and coffeetails – coffee-based cocktails – shows that most consumers are looking for alternative ways to enjoy this product, which can expand the penetration of the category as a whole to a new audience.

“Specialty coffee is not only related to taste preference, but also to a lifestyle and a way of socializing, while enjoying a cup of this drink, in places that smell wonderfully of coffee. So, I think that many communities, such as student communities, for example, young consumers and the local lifestyle led to a match that led to this expansion in Romania.”

Also, Dionysis Moustis says that he has many friends in the coffee field in Romania and knows the efforts they make to increase the level of quality in this field, a fact that played an important role in the development of the segment.

“Baristas are responsible for transforming a product into a final drink, so as the last link in the chain, we can understand the importance of this role.” All the work done before the roasted beans reach the hands of a barista can be influenced by the skills, knowledge and his passion for his job. “Furthermore, a barista should be able to understand what good coffee means to the consumer in front of him, acting as an advisor to guide him in choosing the right drink.”

Because the local market has such great potential, Lavazza has in Bucharest one of over 50 training centers worldwide, centers that aim to further share knowledge about coffee with professionals and not only. Here, customers are trained according to international standards, for the best quality coffee in the cup.

“Romania is a very important market for us, so we are happy that it will be part of the International Lavazza Barista Challenge starting this year, in an effort to get closer to the local barista community.”

As part of the same effort, Lavazza is currently launching in the HoReCa segment a new line of espresso blends called Tales of Italy, using innovative coffee origins that can represent aromas from iconic Italian cities in the cup.