News

2023 ASCA Coffee in Good Spirits results
Congratulations to Danny Andrade, who was crowned the 2023 ASCA Coffee in Good Spirits Championship in Sydney at Sammy Jnr. Here are the final standings: Danny Andrade Tony Xie Mook Liengraksa Giorgio Gervasoni Risa Kajitani Nicole Novak Vlatislav Bartoska Darcy...

2023 ASCA Australian Coffee Championship results
Vitasoy Barista Championship RANKING FINALSNAMESCORE1JACK SIMPSON5872DANNY WILSON562.53GABREL TAN5564TONY XIE5JAE KIM6LENA RICHRATHRANKING SEMI FINAL1SIMPSON, JACK605.52WILSON, DANNY5983XIE, TONY555.54RICHRATH, LENA5TAN, GABREL6KIM, JAE7COX, ANDREW8CHOI, SUN...

Website breach
We regret to inform our members that the ASCA website has fallen victim to a data breach. We‘ve detailed everything we know about the breach below and encourage members to read through carefully. We don’t believe any data was stolen and our service provider is...

2022 ASCA Australian Coffee Championships wrap up
What an incredible past week it’s been at the 2022 ASCA Australian Coffee Championships, with our amazing community coming together to celebrate and support the best of specialty coffee in Australia. The country’s finest coffee talent converged on Melbourne’s Meat...

Announcing the ASCA TOP 12 for 2022
After a very successful couple of months crowning new 2022 ASCA Regional Champions and hosting competitions in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, we are now onto the final run towards the 2022 ASCA Australian Coffee Championships! These will be taking place on 17th -...

Summary of 2020 ASCA AGM
The 2020 ASCA Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held online on Monday 24 May 2021. The meeting was officially opened by Secretary Melissa Caia, who acted as chairperson with Matthew Basso from Show Pony as moderator. Melissa confirmed the minutes of the preceding AGM,...

Australian FBT – Entertainment removal
Without the $44.6 billion spent by international tourists in Australia each year, the Australian Government is compelled to incentivise domestic business spending during the economic recovery. According to the Australian Government, the Hospitality and Tourism...

Changes to JobKeeper and JobSeeker payments
Changes to JobSeeker and Jobkeeper payments will come into effect form 25 and 28 September, respectively. Since March, JobSeeker payments have been effectively doubled to $1,100 a fortnight by a coronavirus supplement. From today, the supplement will fall to $250...

Congratulations to Australia’s best designed cafes!
The 2020 Eat Drink Design Awards shortlist has been announced, revealing the most exceptionally designed hospitality venues across Australia and New Zealand. The Best Café Design shortlist includes: The Garden Room – Maytree Studios – Brisbane City, Queensland Will...

Businesses doing it tough through COVID-19 reminded of tax options
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has reminded businesses doing it tough as a result of COVID-19 that they have a range of options including claiming a deduction for losses. ATO Assistant Commissioner Andrew Watson said “We know some small business owners are...

Meet the 2020 #ASCATop12 – Devin Loong
When did you begin competing in ASCA championships?The 2012 Victoria regional barista competition was my first competition. I didn’t know any better and took only 3 weeks to prepare. What inspired you to take part?I wanted to improve myself as a barista and a friend...

Meet the 2020 #ASCATop12 – Lloyd Thom
Second-seeded #ASCATop12 Cup Taster Lloyd Thom of Campos Coffee shares how experience on both sides of the bench prepared him for competition. When did you begin competing in ASCA championships?I first competed 10 years ago in the NSW Barista competition. I’ve...

Meet the 2020 #ASCATop12 – Sarah Jin
The multi-skilled Sarah Jin of Extraction Artisan in Queensland has not only topped the 2020 Brewers Cup #ASCATop12, but made an appearance on the Vitasoy Barista Championship list. When did you begin competing in ASCA championships?My first ASCA comp (Brewers Cup)...

Hospitality workers surveyed on what they expect the industry to look like after COVID-19
Online surveyor Qualtrics has released its Work Different study, revealing that more than half of Australian workers expect their workplace will change for the better after COVID-19. In the study of more than 1000 Australian workers, across...
Saturday 22 August is World Plant Milk Day!
Celebrate the goodness of Vitasoy’s Café for Baristas Soy, Almond and Oat – the plant milk that is perfect for your coffee. Vitasoy has been growing milk since 1940. Its Café for Baristas range is proudly Australian grown and made. Visit vitasoycafe.com.au for...

Stay strong, a message from ASCA President Kieran Westlake
A setback is not the same as failure. It’s just a learning opportunity for us to strengthen and move forward with renewed commitment. At time of writing, a return to stage three restrictions in Melbourne [and now stage four] has returned many businesses and...

Meet the 2020 #ASCATop12 – David Train
Southern Region Brewers Cup Champion and #ASCATop12 top seeded brewer David Train talks about how he has grown as a coffee brewer and professional thanks to competition. When did you begin competing in ASCA championships?My first ASCA competition was the Southern...

Meet the 2020 #ASCATop12 – Alice Park
#ASCATop12 member Alice Park reveals her journey from latte art enthusiast to champion of the Central Region. When did you begin competing in ASCA championship?My first competition was the 2018 Central Region Championship. What inspired you to take part?My passion...