A barista at the Starbucks store in Queensborough Landing is one of two Canadians competing in the first-ever Starbucks North America Barista Championship.
Holly Kang, shift supervisor at the Queensborough Landing shop, will join 20 baristas from across North America in the championships that are taking place from June 3 to 5 in Seattle.
“I am so grateful to have made it this far in the competition,” they said. “I'm really excited to meet all the different competitors from all over North America and see what they bring to the table.”
Since February, Kang has competed in four event stages and wowed judges with their ability to craft some of Starbucks' most popular beverages.
For the final challenge, Kang will showcase their coffee craft skills, demonstrate their knowledge of Starbucks' commitment to sustainability, and present their very own signature beverage – a cold brew with golden foam – to the Starbucks beverage innovation teams.
“At our store, before we have our busy, busy times in the morning, we like to do what we call shots, which is samples of our cold-brew coffee, with the team that's working in the morning,” Kang said. “We like to try to customize it, so we can have different creative creations. This was one I was able to make for the team, and one that I also really enjoyed.”
Kang, who has worked as a shift supervisor at the Queensborough store since November 2023, began working as a barista for the coffee company in 2016. Before taking on the role at the New West store, Kang worked at locations in Burnaby and Vancouver.
The Starbucks Barista Championship started in 2013 in Ireland and the United Kingdom, but this year marks the first time Starbucks will crown a champion in North America. More than 20,000 employees from across Canada and the United States have taken part in the competition.
In the rounds leading up to next week’s championship, Kang has been fine-tuning her skills and preparing for the competition.
“There's a couple of components to the competition,” Kang said. “The first part is making a couple of our drinks to our standard and recipe. The second portion of it is doing a coffee tasting; I'll choose a coffee that we offer here at Starbucks and be able to present about why I chose the coffee and share a little bit about my thoughts and tasting notes of the coffee.”
For the final step, Kang will craft their signature beverage and present it to the judges.
The winner will not only be crowned the first-ever North America Barista Champion but will also receive a trip to Starbucks’ research and development farm in Costa Rica.
Starbucks recently announced that it will hold its first-ever Global Barista Championships in 2025 – and will be inviting its barista champions from North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean to compete in the inaugural event in Costa Rica next year.
Two Canadians are competing in the North America final, which is at Starbucks' Seattle headquarters – one from Western Canada (Kang) and one from Eastern Canada.
“It really feels like it's a culmination of my journey so far at Starbucks. I was able to meet so many different baristas and competitors along the way, as well as like old coworkers who I have worked with in my previous stores,” Kang said. “It’s just been an awesome journey so far, and I'm excited to see what's ahead.”
