What about the DC campus? It really works!
2014 DC Campus – Organized by Dalla Corte espresso machines, Mahlkönig and Urnex for the international Latte Art and Coffee in Good Spirits champions who are competing in the world finals that are taking place in Melbourne, Australia, from 15th to 18th May – started with a major plus. The number of machines available for test and training at the dc loft 127 in Milan, Italy, passed from three to five. The number of participants increased, as well: nine national finalists warmed up their engines with a view to the finals, supported by as many champions. These were led by LA 2013 world champion Hisako Yoshikawa from Japan and by CIGS 2013 world champion Victor Delpierre from France (who attended last year’s campus, where he had the chance to improve his skills). The overall atmosphere perfectly reflected the campus motto: “live, learn, share”.
Growing together
“People who had taken part in the previous editions came back willingly and talked about it positively, because the campus had provided them with a good technical training”, stated Antonella Cutrona, after sales manager and communication & marketing coordinator. This confirms the value of the event, which fully meets the principles of Dalla Corte’s philosophy, focused on espresso quality, as well as on the training and growth of professionals from all over the world. On the morning of 11th April, introductions took place. Sonja Björk Grant, chief judge and trainer of the LA and CIGS championships, underlined the importance of the “score sheet”, where the judges note down the good and bad points of each competition, and which must be carefully read by each competitor. The finalists could train with the fully equipped workstations for 45 minutes. In another hall, dc coffee pro Andrej Godina and dc technical trainer Marco Beltrame guided the participants in a double proof of taste. Coffee was extracted at different temperatures and with filters of different diameters. A 58 mm filter was used first, then a 54 mm filter, which was designed by Dalla Corte and proved effective in making the most of the coffee cake.
To the other end of the world
On Saturday, 12th April, Latte Art training sessions took place; meanwhile, in the meeting room, CIGS 2013 world champion Victor Delpierre held a workshop on cocktails and CIGS competitions. Holger Welz, Dalla Corte’s international sales manager, announced that in 2015 the event will be held in Sumatra, where Dalla Corte has contributed to a project aimed at safeguarding local orang-utans and tropical flora by fostering sustainable coffee farming. In the afternoon, the CIGS training session took place; meanwhile, in the other room, Hisako Yoshikawa asked the LA finalists to reproduce a cappuccino decoration she had just created. CIGS champions, on the other hand, were also asked to create two drinks and had to choose their ingredients among juices, liqueurs, fresh fruit and vegetables.
No problem
The morning of 13th April started with a session in which breathing techniques were taught that could allow competitors to approach competitions with greater concentration and self-confidence. In the afternoon, Latte Art and Coffee in Good Spirits mock competitions started – many were the trembling hands and over-times, as well as the applauses of a large, attentive audience. Some kids were present as well, so a milk foam, food-colour decoration lab and an art bar competition were organized for them. Time flew by really fast. At the end of the event, we asked Sonja Grant’s opinion about the campus: “What strikes me most of the campus is the harmony, the old and new champions’ will to work together and help each other – in this sense, this event gets more lively and spontaneous year after year”. As far as professional growth is concerned, her advice is to adopt an “open your mind” approach: widening one’s horizons, travelling and getting to know other ways of living and interpreting the world of coffee. You can’t travel? Well, you have no excuses: nowadays, there’s an awesome tool that takes you wherever you want around the world – that’s the web.
Participants of 2013 dc campus
Latte Art
2014 finalists – Melbourne 2013 finalists – Nice
Abner Roldan, Puerto Rico Hisako Yoshikawa, Japan (world champion)
Magdalena Brodzinska, France Leszek Jadrasik, Poland (fourth place)
Seivijus Matiejunas, Lithuania Esther Maasdam, Holland (fifth place)
Chiara Bergonzi, Italy Sam Low (sixth place)
Edith Juhasz, Hungary
Christian Ullrich, Germany
Coffee in Good Spirits
2014 finalists – Melbourne 2013 finalists – Nice
Francesco Corona, Italy Victor Delpierre, France, world champion
George Koustoumpardis, Greece Marcin Wojciak, Poland, second place
Martin Hudak, Slovakia Gordon Howell, UK, third place
Nir Chouchana, France Stavros Lamprinidis, Greece, second place at the 2012 finals in Seoul
Official sponsors of LA and WCIGS competitions at the dc campus
Dalla Corte – dc pro espresso machine
Malkönig – K30 VARIO AIR coffee grinder
Urnex – cleaning products for espresso machines and coffee grinders
Centrale del Latte di Brescia – Recappuccio milk
Ditta Artigianale – “jump” espresso blend
Monin – syrups
