Saturday night saw many of WA’s most talented barista’s come together for the inaugural BANNISTER DOWNS Latte Art Championships, held in the Top bar of the Ocean Beach Hotel, Cottesloe.
It was a great night of competition and camaraderie and the excellent performance of Bannister Downs Farm Fresh Milk was showcased by the very precise latte art creations.
Swimming World Record holder and Australian Olympic Gold Medallist, Kyle Chalmers was a special guest judge on the evening and was up to speed pretty quickly, being a huge fan of coffee himself! Kyle recently discovered Bannister Downs premium range of fresh milks after a good friend shared the secret and he headed over to WA earlier this year to see for himself.
Growing up in Port Lincoln, South Australia, Kyle is very much at home in the country and as an avid animal lover, being one of his favourite ways to spend time away from the pool, was keen to visit one of Australia’s most innovative dairies, with a focus on animal welfare.
The energy in the room on the evening was fantastic, as was the opportunity to raise some much needed funds for the Black Dog Ride – a volunteer group that Bannister Downs has been supporting for a number of years in their efforts to prevent suicide and raise awareness of depression.
With its close connection to the food service community, Bannister Downs recognised the challenges that they have been faced with since the onset of Covid and now with ongoing issues overcoming the labour shortage. In an effort to create a forum for community and friendship the concept of hosting a Latte Art Championship was formed and Saturday night saw the collective efforts come together.
Bannister Downs Managing Director, Sue Daubney stated that ‘it was so great to receive offers to help from many of WA’s outstanding coffee roasters and for their guidance and supply of equipment for the event. It was a great fun evening with these talented barista’s showing us what can be done! The sense of ‘community’ amongst WA’s food service industry is alive and well as we all saw firsthand tonight!’
Congratulations to the Bannister Downs Latte Art Champion 2023, Andy Tseng from Darkstar Coffee Roasters and to all that entered with great spirit and camaraderie.