575: Celebrating Barista Culture w/ Steve Moloney of The Barista League!

For the last 10 years The Barista League has been putting on competition/events that tap into the culture of the working barista and offers a fun environment that also showcases and celebrates the skills of the people who serve customers globally. In the current landscape where competition is increasingly isolated from reality and can easily be seen as a place to conform, perform TBL is a needed balance. Now they are taking the next step in their evolution and introducing a newer format and judging criterial born from their ten years of conversations with he baristas they hope to serve. and we are going to talk all about it with the founder, Steve Moloney! Steve is a long time coffee professional, barista, and 2x Swedish Barista Champion who for the last tan years has been leading the event and competition The Barista League. Criss crossing the globe every year Steve and the team get to see a wide variety and sampling of the various barista cultures that make coffee a wonderful and diverse landscape. Today we are going to talk with Steve about: The purpose and evolution of The Barista League Why it is important to recognize the real elements of bar work Team competition and what it does to enhance professional development The need for expression and fun in coffee New format and criteria Measuring the customer experience What should we strive for in shops to push coffee forward Links: www.thebaristaleague.com IG: @thebaristaleague Related Episodes: 250 : Planning better Events w/ Steven Moloney of The Barista League SHIFT BREAK! How To Get The Most From a Coffee Event 297 : Making Coffee Education Fun w/ Suneal Pabari of Leaderboard Coffee 162 : Discussing "Baristastainability" w/ Jenna Gotthelf of Counter Culture Coffee SHIFT BREAK! The Urgent Need for Training in Today's Coffee Shop 437 : The New Age of the Barista: Mindsets + Habits for Success 309 : A Conversation w/ Sarah Allen and Ken Olson of Barista Magazine Click here to register for our new webinar on December 5th 2025! "The Keys to the Shop: Principles for Cafe Success" KEYS TO THE SHOP ALSO OFFERS 1:1 CONSULTING AND COACHING! If you are a cafe owner and want to work one on one with me to bring your shop to its next level and help bring you joy and freedom in the process then email chris@keystothshop.com or book a free call now: https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min SPONSORS Want a beautiful coffee shop? All your hard surface, stone, Tile and brick needs! www.arto.com Visit @artobrick The world loves plant based beverages and baristas love the Barista Series! www.pacificfoodservice.com