NORTH AMERICA

THE BARISTA LEAGUE:

ATLANTA | 3 SEP

CONGRATULATIONS

to TBL: NORTH AMERICA champions!

Sean Lumpkin & Sun Le, from Georgia

MISSED ALL THE ACTION?

You can now find all the teams’ performances on our Youtube channel, as well as the official event photos!

TBL YOUTUBE

EVENT PHOTOS

Click image to enlarge

A competition that rewards all the elements of an incredible coffee experience and doesn't need an operating manual to understand. The Barista League is built on three pillars of Concept, Service and Product — think MasterChef, not technical demonstration. Be in the room as 6 teams from across North America — Florida, Georgia, Canada, New Mexico, New York, and Ohio — step on stage to present the future of coffee experiences in front of 5 judges handpicked from across the industry. Live-streamed, so the rest of the world can watch along. The competition starts at 5:30PM.
We think it's a huge waste when the only people who get to taste the amazing coffee from competitions are the 5 judges on stage. At the Barista League Cafe you'll get a chance to taste the exact same coffees our competitors have been obsessing over. This time we partnered with Counter Culture Coffee — who not only provided an incredible selection of coffees to our competitors but also gave them the chance to hear the story behind every lot directly from the people who grew it.
Access coffee that you normally have to travel for. We have invited some of our favourite roasters from around the U.S. to come and brew for you — Black and White (Raleigh, NC), Enjoy Coffee Roasters (Providence, RI), Filigree Coffee (Winter Garden, FL), Little Waves Coffee Roasters (Durham, NC), Panther Coffee (Miami, FL), Perc Coffee (Savannah, GA), and Second State Coffee (Charleston, SC).
The good bits of a trade show, without the stiff vibes. We bring some of the world's leading companies into the room so you can meet and interact with the people behind your favourite coffee brands. Demo the latest equipment, test your sensory and barista skills, challenge your friends — and maybe win some stuff. In the room this year: Toddy, Rancilio, Pacific Foods, Dona, Mazzer, Pixeldust, Hollander and 1883 - each with a challenge waiting for you.
FOOD & DRINKS
We're keeping it simple: pizza by the slice and a fully stocked bar. Sometimes that's all you need.
Atlanta is one of the most culturally distinct coffee cities in North America right now. The scene is young, fast-growing, and driven by people who genuinely care. The South knows how to show up — and Atlanta's coffee community is proof of it.
Type "how do I get to Atlanta" into Google. You can thank us later.

MEET THE SPECIAL GUESTS

ANTHONY RAGLER | JUDGE

Black & White Coffee Roasters
@hennyandgesha
Director of Sales and Technology at Black & White Coffee Roasters, with a career spanning Counter Culture Coffee, Vigilante Coffee, and Liemco. A competition barista and Re:Co Symposium Fellow, Anthony brings deep technical knowledge to the judging panel.
JENNA GOTTHELF | JUDGE

Counter Culture Coffee
@jennahhhhhhhhh
Head of Events, Activations and Partnerships at Counter Culture Coffee. A former competitor and longtime coffee educator, Jenna has spent her career building community around coffee — from training centres to pop-ups to the kind of partnerships that bring people together around a shared love of the craft.
JUAN DIAZ | JUDGE

Know Where Coffee
@knowwherecoffee
Founder of Know Where Coffee, a coffee exporter in Colombia connecting producers, roasters and coffee professionals worldwide. Juan has competed in both the US and Colombia Barista Championships and has spent years bridging the gap between the bar and the farm.
AARON FENDER | JUDGE

Portrait Coffee
@fenderaa @portraitcoffee
Co-founder and CEO of Portrait Coffee in Atlanta's West End, with a background in psychology and a deep commitment to using coffee as a tool for community building. Named a Sprudge Notable Roaster, Aaron has become one of the most recognised faces of Atlanta's growing specialty coffee scene.
RACHEL APPLE | JUDGE

Algrano / Raise the Bar
@racheljapple
Cup of Excellence Head Judge, US Barista Championship Head Judge and Sensory Lead, and co-founder of Raise the Bar — an education-focused nonprofit dedicated to making specialty coffee more accessible. The kind of person who has done everything in this industry and still shows up to make it better for everyone else.
JAK RYAN | MC

Proud Mary Coffee
@jakmichaelryan
Global Coffee Lead at Proud Mary Coffee, Jak brings competition pedigree and raw energy to the stage. When he's not behind the bar, he's a professional dancer and boxer — which tells you everything about how he hosts.
MAR CHILDERS | MC

Tanbrown Coffee
@marzachan
Founder of Tanbrown Coffee, and winner of The Barista League Atlanta 2024. Mar has competed at the US Brewers Cup nationals, judged latte art, and built a roastery celebrating exceptional Asian coffees. They know Atlanta and this competition from both sides of the stage.

MEET THE TEAMS

BRAVEPRO TWINS

Jorge Itriago & Julio Itriago
Georgia & Florida
Jorge Itriago — Co-founder of BRAVEPRO based in Georgia, delivering premium coffee experiences for clients including Delta Air Lines, FIFA, and TikTok, and training hundreds of baristas through the BRAVEPRO Academy.
Julio Itriago — Co-founder of BRAVEPRO based in Florida, building premium hospitality-driven coffee activations across the US with a background in corporate and event coffee service.
COFFEE RUSH HOUR

Sean Lumpkin & Sun Le
Georgia
Sean Lumpkin — Atlanta-based café owner and community builder, founder of Peach Pit ATL — an Instagram community dedicated to connecting coffee lovers across the city.
Sun Le — Atlanta-based barista and latte art competitor, with experience at the Coffee Fest Latte Art World Championship Open and a deep passion for craft and visual expression.
THE CORTAD-BROS

Olivia Morris & Trevor Vigil
New Mexico

Olivia Morris — Barista and competition veteran with 14 years in coffee, USBC competitor, and World Aeropress Championship participant, working at Little Bear Coffee in Albuquerque.
Ben Stanley — Barista at Little Bear Coffee Co. Ben has competed in Latte Art World Championship Open and has won several latte art competitions. He's passionate about coffee education and training.
TEAM FLORIDA CORE

Elias Jeppesen & Bailey Baygents
Florida

Elias Jeppesen — Owner of Tetherball Coffee in Jacksonville, Florida, with 15 years in the industry and a Best Barista in Jacksonville award to his name.
Bailey Baygents — Barista at Tetherball Coffee and Folio's Best of Jax Barista 2025, with a decade in food service and coffee and a string of local latte art competition wins.
BEAN WRANGLERS

Santiago Lopez & Kristen Boldt
Canada

Santiago Lopez — Co-founder of The Colombian Coffee Bar & Roastery in Edmonton, three-time top 6 finalist at the Canadian Barista Championship, and a coffee buyer working directly with 150+ producers in Colombia.
Kristen Boldt — Barista, competition coach, and Canadian National Barista Championship judge, with top finishes at the Canadian National Brewers Cup in both 2025 and 2026.
FULL HANDS IN

Zach Stansell & Autumn Hubbard
Ohio
Zach Stansell — Barista at Adesso Coffee in Norwood, Ohio, with competition experience at the Commandante Barista Competition Chicago and The Barista League Denver 2024.
Autumn Hubbard — Barista at Adesso Coffee, bringing creativity, energy, and a deep love of the craft to the stage in Atlanta