Colombia to host 2011 World Barista Championship

1st March 2010

Colombia has been selected to host the 12th annual World Barista Championship, which will be held in conjunction with the 2011 Expospeciales conference in Bogota.

Seven countries vied to host the 2011 event. "Choosing a winner from the very competitive site proposals we received was an extremely difficult task for the WBC board," commented WBC Executive Director Cindy Chang.

"We are delighted to host the 2011 Championship" said Luis Muñoz, CEO of the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia. "It will be an opportunity for baristas and visitors to keep discovering the world of Colombia Coffee, and also to support our domestic coffee consumption programme."

"The barista movement is worldwide," said Ric Rhinehart, Executive Director of the SCAA, which co-owns the WBC alongside the SCAE. "We are delighted to see the event take place in a coffee producing country for the first time in its history."

The 2010 WBC takes place at London's Olympia Exhibition Centre June 23-25, in conjunction with the SCAE's Event, World Championships and the Caffè Culture exhibition; click here to visit the WBC website for more information.