The Brazilian baristas going from passion to profession

X | Photo credit: Photo credit: Kristian Ryan

A barista can follow many different paths in their professional career. Some give courses, mentor and provide consultancy services. Others open their own coffee shop, micro-roastery or become professional tasters. There are also those who take part in competitions and even find opportunities to earn money online. 
 

Defining a barista as someone who knows the science behind coffee extraction and is capable of mastering latte art techniques or creating drinks oversimplifies the demands of the role. A skilled barista must also understand the nuances of different coffee varieties and processes from planting to post-harvest, roasting and the influence of all these factors on the final beverage. 

Furthermore, the profession also demands soft skills, such as empathy, organisation, creativity, good communication and leadership – all of which are essential when interacting with customers or teams. 

However, the professional path for some baristas leads outside of the coffee shop and into the competition arena. 

Beyond the bar 

“There comes a time when the counter becomes too small,” says Hugo Silva, a São Paulo-based coffee entrepreneur. After winning the Brazilian Coffee in Good Spirits championship in 2013, Silva saw an opportunity to develop technically and gain professional visibility. 
 

Silva started his coffee career in 2011 working at Octávio Café, a sadly now-defunct São Paulo coffee shop, which at the time was one of the largest in Latin America and recognised for launching great barista talent. The young professional took the opportunity to participate in championships in several categories, which eventually led him to the podium in France.

“There, I was able to meet baristas from all over the world, visit coffee events, understand what was happening on the international scene and expand my knowledge,” he says. 
 

Placing second in the Brazilian Barista Championship in 2022 led Silva to build his own business. “I used the competitions to promote my work,” explains the now master roaster, entrepreneur and co-owner of specialty coffee roaster Sabino Torrefação in São Paulo with fellow barista Thiago Sabino. 

Since then, the competition scene has developed significantly, particularly since the arrival of large sponsor brands, such as Nescafé and Melitta. 
 

“Before being an influencer, you need to be a good barista” 
Maíra Teixeira, barista, consultant and influencer 

“The specialty coffee bubble is growing in size,” believes Mariana Mesquita, a Brasília-based competitor and competition presenter. With a degree in Political Science, the Manaus native decided to become a barista eight years ago. “I like people and the interactive environment of coffee shops,” she says. 
 

But it was the competitions that caught her attention. “The entry of major brands into competitions allows competitors to reach previously inaccessible audiences with just ten minutes on the mic,” she adds. 

Another change is the larger impact of competition events following the promotional work of professional coffee organisations, such as the BSCA (Brazilian Association of Specialty Coffees), which organises and tours national competitions through several Brazilian cities. “This allows different audiences to watch the competitions, which generates visibility for our profession,” Mesquita says. 
 

“It’s a simulation of a hospitality scenario, where baristas present their work,” she explains, adding that the competitions also provide inspiration for aspiring coffee enthusiasts and a meeting point for industry peers. In 2023, Brazil delivered its first world champion barista. The achievement of Boram Um, co-founder of São Paulo’s Um Coffee Co, was no small feat given the expectations of professionals in the field since 2002, when the country debuted in the world championships. 

Boram Um (third from left) on the podium as World Barista Champion in 2023 | Photo credit: Um Coffee

In 2024, it was the turn of Q-Grader Dionatan Almeida from Minas Gerais to win the World Cup Tasters Championship during the SCA Coffee Expo in Chicago, USA. 

The victory of these professionals confirmed Brazilʼs ability to create coffee talent at an international level. 
 

In addition, the accolades helped to break misguided perceptions that Brazil produces coffee in quantity to the detriment of quality. In fact, Boram Um used coffee grown by himself when he took home the World Barista Championship. 
 

If a gold medal can boost a barista’s career, being among the best placed in the country also significantly contributes to professional advancement. “It is a space that can quickly advance the barista,” says Mesquita, who currently divides her time between barista work and cocktail making and developing menus for bars, restaurants and coffee shops. 

Eccentrics and hipsters? 

Anyone who visited user-generated websites like 9gag in the late 2000s, when specialty coffee shops were swiftly multiplying in the US, will remember memes about outlandish barista personas reflected in popular imagination. Most were stereotyped as eccentrics and hipsters and the barista profession is still widely regarded as a transitory role chosen by those who didn’t know which career path to follow. 
 

However, in Brazil the scenario was a little different. Specialty coffee businesses, such as Santo Grão, Coffee Lab, Suplicy Cafés Especiais and Octávio Café were pioneers in training great baristas and global competitors. “When we stop looking at the profession as a game or a hobby, we will start to be seen as serious baristas, says Hugo Silva. “There are people who really want to learn and grow,” he assures. 

In addition to being a barista, competitor and businessman, Silva is also a communicator: he has been an ambassador for major brands and his mission was to bring quality coffee to supermarket shelves. 

“Brazilian consumers know the value of craft beer and value its quality,” he reflects. “How can we convince them to consider specialty coffee as an experience and not just a basic necessity?” 

Baristas compete at The Sao Paulo Coffee Festival in 2023 | Photo credit: Agência Ophelia

Master coffee roasters 

It is inevitable that a talented barista will reflect on their next career steps, and one option is to become a master roaster. This crucial role is one of the last steps before coffee reaches consumers and is essential to guarantee the quality and integrity of the entire production process. In recent years, the barista role has been redefined with the emergence of a new generation of entrepreneurs. Café POR ELAS in São Paulo is run by sisters Júlia and Nadia Nasr and has Cássia Novaes as its roasting master. “Being a master coffee roaster is perfect for those who enjoy working with rigorous and well-organised processes,” explains Júlia. 
 

For Novaes, the role, which is essential in the processes that take coffee from the field to the cup, has been gaining relevance in Brazilʼs burgeoning specialty coffee market, with more women and ethnic minorities conquering the space. “I found at Café POR ELAS a chance to learn about specialty coffees in a company that values women,” she explains. 

Gaining influence 

The growth of social networks, such as Instagram and TikTok, in recent years has transformed the barista profession. If opinion makers used to communicate with their readers through review sites or newspaper columns, today the internet enables an influencer’s recommendations to reach mass audiences in real-time. 
 

One of the most famous influencer baristas is Maíra Teixeira. The virtual career of the publicist and gastronomist began in 2015 after she shared her experiences at coffee shops on Instagram – something that few people did at the time. 

Teixeira then decided to work behind the counter to experience the daily life of a coffee shop and to prepare for a move into the coffee consulting arena. That was until she realised the potential for a new online portfolio of work. Teixeira now creates content for her 43,000-plus followers and advertises for major brands in the sector. 

“Before being an influencer, you need to be a good barista,” she advises. For Teixeira, publications must have truthful content that reflects the reality of Brazilian coffee culture. 

“Expensive preparation methods and equipment arrive in the country at an uninviting price, which can sometimes be an obstacle,” she explains. 
 

One thing is for sure: as Brazil develops into a huge market for specialty coffee, the world’s largest coffee producer is now home to a new crop of talent behind the bar ready to deliver a new era of excellence at home and abroad. 

A brief history of Brazil’s baristas 

The term ‘barista’ originates from the Italian word for bartender, baristi, and has existed since the 19th century, when the first espresso machines were introduced. These professionals were responsible for preparing coffee or alcohol-based drinks, in addition to serving customers in the coffee shop – a space that was becoming increasingly popular. 

In Brazil, the role of barista gained traction in the early 2000s amid the third wave specialty coffee movement. The barista role has been officially recognised by the Brazilian government since 2010 (Bill 8047/10). 

Baristas in Brazil typically receive tips distributed among the employees of a hospitality venue based on 13% of the service charge or tips paid by customers as the main source of their income. 

According to a 2024 survey of 331 Brazilian baristas conducted by small business support organisation Sebrae, 40.5% of respondents stated they earn R$1,500-R$2,000 (US$274US$365) per month, with 24% earning up to R$3,000 (US$548) per month.