Battle of the Baristas Annual Competition Brews New Champions for 2025!

CONGRATULATIONS TO Kathryn and Ash from Zarraffa’s Coffee TOOWOOMBA NORTH, OUR winners of the 2025 Battle of the Baristas competition. 

This July saw the return of our annual Battle of the Baristas, a passionate competition that sees our fantastic Zarraffa’s baristas exercising a masterful display of skill all in the name of celebrating the community created around their shared love of coffee.

This year’s competition was held at the Zarraffa’s Coffee headquarters in Eagleby. The 2025 competition saw a change to the first round with the introduction of a time-trial. These heats tested our baristas’ speed and agility atop impressive precision. From there, the top teams battled it out round after round, all the way to the nail-biting, high-energy finals. Ultimate bragging rights might be important, but our competitors are fueled by their carefully crafted skills and genuine passion for coffee.

This event welcomed competitors from all corners of the Zarraffa’s store network, including Franchisees, Store Managers, and experienced Baristas, all hoping to be crowned the champions. Each team, split between green and gold, battled it out in a series of challenges designed to test timeliness, precision, creativity, speed, and of course, taste.

This year’s champions, Kathryn and Ash from Zarraffa’s Coffee Toowoomba North, took out the competition in a nail-biting finale against Roszana and Tayla from Zarraffa’s Coffee Runaway Bay. This was an especially exciting win for the Toowoomba North team, as they placed 3rd in last year’s event.

“Each year we see the passion and competitive nature of these competitors going head-to-head in fast-paced matchups. We see it heighten their friendly rivalries and entertain the audience of competitors and their store teams cheering them on,” said Zarraffa’s Coffee CEO Marnie Sheldon.

To further ensure consistency and fairness for all competing teams, this year’s panel was comprised of three judges - with one timekeeper and one head judge. The panel consists of previous competitors and winners who bring their experience and enthusiasm to the judging roles. So, no matter whether you’re competing, judging, timing, or cheering from the crowd, one thing is for certain - genuine love and passion for coffee pours nonstop! 

“A big cheers to Toowoomba North! Everyone involved in the competition should be proud of their contributions to the competition and for making it a huge success every year. Your passion for community and coffee is what makes Zarraffa’s the success it is.”

For almost 30 years, Zarraffa’s Coffee has continued to establish itself as a key player in the specialty coffee space of Australia. Our focus on community, love of specialty coffee, and commitment to quality are at the core of every accomplishment.

Onwards and upwards to next year’s brewing Battle!