Project Description
Costa Rica
Ariel Bravo
Cafering & La Máquina de Café
Please tell us a little bit about yourself:
I fell in love with coffee 6 years ago accidentally because of my mother (yes!, my mother). I wanted to be a chef, but ONE day I wanted to learn something about cocktails, but there was no more space for that course. My mother registered me on the last course she found—the last space on a barista course. When I realized what happened, I was upset at the time, because I did not like coffee. I took the course and then I discovered how amazing specialty coffee was. After that my life CHANGED completely—a spark in me lit up and my desire to be a barista and a champion started. In competitions, I found a way to teach people about coffee, as well as learning from their perspectives and how they incorporate it with their lifestyles. In the end the most important thing is to share my passion and knowledge about coffee with people, because coffee is not only that, it is much more. From the seed, to brewing, to serving to coffee lovers.
What are you excited to do while you are in Seoul?:
Meet a completely different culture.
Please list the coffee competitions you have participated in, what year they took place, and your results:
2nd Place – 2013 Costa Rican National Barista Championship
1st place – 2013 Reto Barista, Costa Rica
2nd Place – 2014 Costa Rican National Barista Championship
2nd Place – 2014 Global Barista Championship Competition, Harbin, China
1st Place – 2015 Costa Rican National Barista Championship
17th Place, Round One – 2015 World Barista Championship, Seattle, United States
2nd Place – 2016 Costa Rican National Barista Championship
1st Place – 2017 Costa Rican National Barista Championship
Is there anyone you would like to thank or recognize, or who helped you to prepare for the WBC?:
Thanks to my family, friends, the coffee producers: Café de Altura de San Ramón, Hacienda Tobosi and Aquiares State, SCACR (Asociación de Cafés Finos de Costa Rica), ICAFE and all the companies that sponsored us and trust in our teamwork and vision.
How do you see the coffee industry changing in the future?:
I think we’ll see new varieties and processes adapting to innovative ways of planting and producing coffee, responding to different climates changes and specific requirements from consumers and their likes. I think everything will be more focused on the origin, where everything starts.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?:
In 5 years, I would like to have accomplished my dream, which is to be a World Barista Champion and making my country, Costa Rica, proud . As a coffee producer, that would be amazing to see something like that come true. On a more personal level, I would like to be more involved in entrepreneurial projects with people related to coffee in Costa Rica and abroad.
What are your interests outside of coffee?:
Everything related with gastronomy (food, beer, wine), music, I am fan of independent movies.
