5THWAVE travelled to Lavazza’s headquarters in Turin, Italy, to meet the talented young baristas ushering in a new era of coffee innovation as finalists in the Lavazza Barista Challenge 2025
They travelled from across the globe, united with a common mission to push the boundaries of barista skill, mixology and innovation to craft the ultimate coffee-based beverage.
Hosted at the Nuvola Lavazza headquarters in Turin, 8-9 April 2025, the third edition of the Lavazza Barista Challenge finals saw top baristas and mixologists from 17 countries compete to put their nation on the map and win the top prize of €7,000.
Having first won national competitions, finalists were tasked with presenting their signature ‘Cold Recipes For Lavazza’ that reflected their personalities, mastery of technique, cultural backgrounds, delivery, and choice of ingredients.
Lavazza Barista Challenge 2025 Judge Panel:
Fabrizio Fiorani – Pastry Chef – Zucchero x Fabrizio Fiorani, Rome
Lauro Fioretti – Coffee Expert – SCA Trainer
Dario Tortorella – Mixologist – L’Antiquario, Naples
Federico Zanasi – Chef at Michelin star restaurant – Condividere, Turin
Each competitor had 10 minutes to make final preparations for their entry before running against the clock with 12 minutes’ competition time in front of an esteemed panel of judges, who evaluated competitors based on creativity, technical execution, flavour harmony and the narrative behind each recipe.
The result was a true celebration of talent, storytelling and cutting-edge beverage innovation, mixology and gastronomy expressed through Lavazza’s Tales of Italy range. “The Barista Challenge has been an unmissable event for the Lavazza Community for three years, a perfect celebration of the encounter between talent and passion for the world of coffee,” says Mauro Mantovani, Chief Commercial Officer, Lavazza Group.
“But that’s not all: a fundamental asset to strengthen the link with the international community of the best Baristas in the world, it is increasingly a key project for Lavazza Group’s strategy in the world of out-of-home. For this reason, we have worked in this latest edition to extend the geographical span outside the cluster of international markets in which the activity was born, achieving an excellent result with the participation of 17 countries in the 2025 edition, and the ambition for the future to reach overseas,” Mantovani added.
“With the Barista Challenge 2025, we wanted to celebrate the innovative soul of Lavazza in the Horeca world. The competition focused on the proposal of a Signature Cold Drink based on the blends of the new Tales of Italy collection,” explains Michele Cannone, Global Brand Director, Away From Home.
“We have thus created a laboratory of ideas that has been able to combine international competition with a look at the future and new ways of drinking coffee in the world,” he says.
Ultimately, it was George Nikolopoulos representing Greece who took the top spot with his coffee cocktail, La Via Perfetta, or ‘the perfect way’. To make his inspired drink, Nikolopoulos combined 20ml of Lavazza’s Galleria Milano espresso, 20ml homemade orange and thyme syrup, 5ml cherry cordial, 15ml Cynar, 15ml Cocchi Vermouth, a splash of soda, orange oils and orange gel for the garnish.
“What makes a moment unforgettable?” Nikolopoulos asked the judging panel before serving his drink. “The answer is right in front of you, the mixture of ingredients and culture that makes the sum greater than its parts,” he said.
Speaking to 5THWAVE magazine after the stunning performance that earned him victory, Nikolopoulos offered some sage words of advice to other aspiring young coffee professionals. “They must study, experiment and be passionate,” he said, adding, “the level of coffee in Greece is getting higher every day and it makes me motivated to work more and more.”
The UAE’s Brankovan Milos took second place with his beverage, which harmoniously combined coconut milk with hibiscus blossom, pineapple, cherry, grape and cascara, fused with Lavazza’s Galleria espresso. Milos also won first prize in the highly anticipated “Mystery Box Challenge”. This innovative new feature saw each contestant team up with a trainer and two Lavazza team members to craft a unique beverage using ingredients unveiled only at the moment of the challenge.
Third place was awarded to Ștefan Manole, who represented Romania, and impressed the judges with his creativity, technical skill and positivity. Manole also received the Audience Choice Award as the favourite barista among attendees, earning the highest number of online votes.
Chosen by three international journalists (5THWAVE’s Tobias Pearce, Mixer’s Rossella De Stefano and Snack&Coffee’s Eleni Manika), Georgia’s Elisabeth Mikeladze snapped up the Press Award. “Elisabeth created a coffee concept based on broadening horizons through travel, aligning with the Lavazza values of creativity, responsibility, innovation and excellence,” said the journalist panel.
As premium espresso increasingly becomes a gourmet ingredient and finds its way into more culinary creations, Lavazza has approached this exciting new segment through mixology and the cold coffee channel. Going far beyond traditional morning coffee consumption, the young competitors of this year’s Barista Challenge are emblematic of a new coffee era defined by curiosity, experimentation, and truly thinking outside the cup.
In an increasingly divided world, it is heartening to see coffee unite so many nationalities under the values of creativity, excellence and the innate human curiosity to strive for the next innovation. With the Barista Challenge, Lavazza has truly captured the hearts and minds of a new generation of coffee professionals, and the future of the industry has never looked more exciting – or delicious.
