We are pleased to announce the final results of the 2012 Western Canadian Regional Barista Championship, held this past weekend June 1-3rd, at the Host Sponsor event, Eat Vancouver. It was a great weekend for all things culinary, as attendees got to sample the best of Vancouver food and drink, and watch the multitude of culinary championships held on various stages.

Over 30,000 Visitors to the newly renovated BC Place Stadium, witnessed a hotly contested event, as baristas battled nerves, and judges, to make 4 espressos, 4 cappuccinos, and 4 specialty drinks in 15 minutes. Congratulations to all involved and good luck to the top 4 finalists, who will go on to represent the Western Canadian Region at the national championship, Sept 9-10 in Toronto.

1. Kyle Straw, 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters, Vancouver: 606.5 2 pts
2. Grahame Bouvier, Fernwood Coffee, Victoria: 595.5 pts
3. Alan Vuong, Caffe Artigiano, Vancouver: 528.0 pts
4. James St. Clark, Kafka’s Coffee and Tea, Vancouver: 516.0 pts
5. Tristan Mapstone, Discovery Coffee, Victoria: 508 pts
6. Daniel Houghton, Cafe Motivo, Kamloops: 429.5 pts

**Top 4 Advance to nationals**

This is the first of 4 regional barista competitions to be held across Canada this year. For more details on the rest of 2012 Canadian Barista Championships competition schedule Please go to http://canadianbaristainstitute.com The Canadian Champion will go on to represent Canada at the World Championships in 2013, rumoured to be in Australia.

Round 1 Results: 2012 Western Canadian Regional Barista Championships

1. Kyle straw49th Parallel Coffee Roasters, Vancouver: 623 pts
2. Graham Bouvier,Fernwood Coffee, Victoria: 601.5 pts
3. Tristan Mapstone, Discovery Coffee, Victoria: 504.5 pts
4. Alan Vuong, Caffe Artigiano, Vancouver: 478.5 pts
5. Daniel Houghton, Cafe Motivo, Kamloops: 440 pts
6. James Saint Clark, Kafka’s Coffee and Tea, Vancouver: 440 pts
7. Chris Naylor, Crema, Vancouver: 422 pts
8. Julia Barber, Independant: 297 pts

Held concurrently with the Coffee and Tea Show, the Canadian Cup Tasters Championship will be held in Vancouver, BC on October 2 and 3, 2011. The winner will receive the right to compete in the 2012 World Cup Tasters Championship.

For more information and to register, visit our friends at Transcend Coffee.

Barista Canada is proud to announce the first scheduled regional championships for 2012. The Western Regional Barista Championship will be held in Vancouver at the Eat! Vancouver Food + Cooking Festival at the newly renovated BC Place, June 1-3, 2012.

Participation at a regional competition is required in order to qualify for the national competition. The top four finishers at each regional competition will qualify to represent their region at the national level. The Canadian National Barista Championship will be held in Toronto at the Canadian Coffee and Tea Show, September 9 and 10, 2012. Winner of the National Barista Championship will represent Canada at the 2013 World Barista Championships.

Only 16 spots are available for the Western Regional and are limited to ONE per organization. All registration is on a first come, first serve basis. Surplus registrants will be put on a waiting list in order of receipt, in case of cancellation by original registrants.

Organizations can also submit a second competitor who will be placed on a separate waiting list. In the event any spots become available after the surplus waiting list is exhausted this list will be used to fill out the competitors list.

A registration fee, as per the Registration FAQ must be sent to secure registration in the competition.

Register at http://baristacanada.com/registration

Good luck baristas!

This year four regional competitions will take place starting with the Western Regional in Vancouver, Central Regional in Toronto, Prairie Regional in Calgary and Eastern Regional in Victoriaville. The events will feature each region’s best baristas demonstrating the art of making the perfect espresso drinks and competing for the regional barista championship title.

Next year’s 2012 National Canadian Barista Championship will take place at the Canadian Coffee & Tea Show at the Toronto International Centre, Sep. 9-10, 2012. This year’s host sponsors and local committees did a superb job in hosting and operating the events. The Canadian Barista Regional Sanctioning Committee (SC) hopes again to stimulate local sponsorship and a grassroots enthusiasm for the event by building a solid local foundation of sponsors, volunteers and other invested players.

Once again, we are asking for proposals from organizing committees to host this event. This is necessary to keep this whole process transparent and the events open to all. The bids will be open for all proposals until January 31st, 2012. All proposals will be considered by the SC comprised of members of the Canadian Barista Academy, Fulcrum Events, the Coffee Association of Canada and the Canadian Head Judges Committee. The winning regional hosts will be notified by February 15, 2012.

We hope you are interested in again participating in these events. Remember, they can be as simple or elaborate as you make them. They are extremely time and energy rich events and many volunteer hands and hours are required. In this economy we must be wise with our expenditures. Although we must promote and put on a good show, we need to be prudent in deciding where dollars are spent. The purpose is to run a good fair contest. If we need to scale down to fit the budget, then we must do so.

Other issues such as publicity, advertising, audience experience, prizing, food, beverage, though very important will take a back seat in order ensure that we have a proper, fair, and competent regional championship that will select winners to the nationals.

We would like to hear from you on your interest in hosting these events for 2012 and timelines. We ask that you form your committees, if you have not already. Please email the attached form by January 31st 2012, along with a budget and marketing plan for the event.

Fulcrum Media Inc.

Claire Kim

E-mail: ckim@fulcrum.ca

Phone: 1. 866. 688. 0504 ext. 141

Fax: 1. 877. 560. 1445

Should you inquire clarification or have any questions please contact

AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CANADIAN BARISTA REGIONAL SANCTIONING COMMITTEE AND REGIONAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEES FOR REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Background

The Canadian Barista Championship (CBC) is an official competition sanctioned by World Coffee Events (WCE).The winner of the CBC qualifies to represent Canada at the World Barista Championship (WBC), which is just one of many WCE world championships.

All official Canadian national WCE sanctioned Competitions are under the auspices of the sanctioned Canadian Body, the Coffee Association of Canada (CAC). The CAC has designated the Canadian Barista Academy (CBA) as its competition coordinator.

The CBA ‘s responsibilities include but are not limited to :

Ensuring fair competitions. CBA has veto power over any aspects of the competitions that threaten the fairness of competitions.

Approve stage setups, machinery and all components of the competition.

Train, and administer a competent and objective judging pool.

The CBA has delegated the full responsibility of maintaining and monitoring the judging pool to the Canadian Head Judge Committee (CHJC) whose current members include Andrea Piccolo, Ian Clark, Michael Yung, and Amber Fox. Associate members for 2011 are Joshua Del Sol, Matthew Lee, Matthew Kolehmainen and Elizabeth Drobigs.

Fulcrum Events is the host of the Canadian National Barista Championship, and provides administrative and marketing support to the SC as well as facility support at its national trade show, The Canadian Coffee & Tea Show.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE Canadian Barista Regional Sanctioning Committee (SC)

The Canadian Barista Regional Sanctioning Committee (referred to in this document as “SC” is comprised of members of the Canadian Barista Academy, Fulcrum Events, Coffee Association of Canada and Canadian Head Judges Committee.

1. Approve and appoint regional committee members.
2. Approve stage layout and set up
3. Train, calibrate and certify judges for the competition or appoint a suitable representative.
4. SC may negotiate additional funding from other sponsors and suggest a sponsorship fee structure.
5. SC will ensure that the competition is run fairly and that all rules are adhered to.
6. SC will provide marketing assistance through its web site and email blasts in informing members of the community of the events in each city.
7. All titles, authorities, images, pertaining to regional events, trademarked, copyrighted or not, remain the sole property of the SC and any use of the title for other purposes must require written approval from the SC.
8. All marketing materials pertaining to regional events must be approved by the SC or its designate prior to publication. Approved materials will contain “Endorsed by” followed by the logos of the Canadian Barista Institute, Canadian Coffee Association and Canadian Barista Championship/Canadian Coffee & Tea Show. If the regional organizing committee and any of its members intend to use any of the above logos on any printed or electronic media, written permission must be received from the SC. The WBC logo cannot be used on any regional materials without the written permission of the WBC and the National Sanctioning Body co-ordinator.
9. SC or its designate must approve all stage layouts and equipment set up.
10. SC or its designate holds veto power over any issues that may create conflict of interest either with competitors, judges, sponsors, signage, or any other issues that may impact the integrity of the event or SC, or are otherwise not conducive to promoting the goodwill of the regional barista competitions.
11. SC is the final arbiter of all disputes and conflicts that may arise and may remove or appoint new committee members if it deems it necessary to do so.
12. SC is not libel for any financial, insurance or other issues concerning the regional barista competitions and championships and or associated events.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMITTEE(S)

1. To act in the best interest of the regional championship, the baristas, the SC and the specialty coffee industry.
2. To organize the event, and ensure that everything is in place to run a proper championship.
3. Committees must provide (if required, as deemed by the SC) airfare and accommodation for a certifying head judge / organizer appointed by the SC or its designate to oversee judges training, approve stage set up, and other matters outlined above.
4. Committees are responsible for raising funds to operate the event and therefore are responsible for any shortfalls in funding.
5. All funds raised belong to the regional championship event and if the event does not happen, the committee must ensure all funds are returned to sponsors.
6. Committees are expected to use sponsorship dollars wisely and solely for the purpose of running, and promoting the regional championships.
7. Committees must supply all required equipment and materials outlined in attached excel sheet. Changes can be made to these requirements with the approval of the SC or its designate.
8. Committees shall set up a full accounting of revenue and projected expenses, and submit copies to the SC or its designate prior to the event.
9. Committees may NOT contract or bind the SC or its designate, Canadian Barista Championship/Canadian Coffee & Tea Show and Coffee Association of Canada to any liability or agreement.
10. Any budget surpluses must be either used in prizing, held in trust for future events or other uses that do not benefit the committee members.
11. Committees have no authority to determine who may judge or compete, score keep, or what machinery is used on stage.
12. Committees will be responsible in sourcing volunteer staff, or paid staff to run the competition.
13. Committees are responsible for all marketing and promoting of the event.
14. Committees are responsible for insurance for the event and providing a copy of certificate 30days before the event.
15. Committees are responsible for recruitment of competitors.

Agreed to this _________ day of _______________  2011/2012

Signed by committee members for the _____________________  regional barista champion of Canada  for the year 2012.

x_______________________    x________________________   x___________________

(print name and company below)

x_______________________    x________________________   x___________________

Please sign and return to: Fulcrum Media Inc., fax 1.877. 560. 1445., e-mail ckim@fulcrum.ca or mail to 508 Lawrence Ave. West, suite 201, Toronto, ON, M6A 1A1. This document must be signed and received prior to the event for the regional event to be recognized as a sanctioned Canadian Regional Barista Championship.