People: when engaged staff make the difference

For a passionate barista, training on the job happens naturally with every new cappuccino or flat white poured, but to stimulate and motivate its employees even further, Autogrill® has partnered with coffee‐maker Kimbo on its “European Barista Competition”. In its third edition, the initiative keeps bringing together the very best baristas from Autogrill®’s European network to showcase their abilities. By pushing participants to hone their skills, the competition also means that customers stopping by at Autogrill®’s locations can enjoy an ever‐better coffee. Last year, nine finalists converged from France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland and Germany to the heart of Autogrill®’s experimental food centre, the Spazio Fucina in Milan.

Here, they were asked to turn out two iconic Italian coffees (an espresso and a cappuccino) and let their creativity run wild with a signature beverage. After accurate judging by coffee experts from the Italian delegation of SCAE, the Speciality Coffee Association of Europe, Spanish barista Filipe Escodar Valle was crowned the winner. His soughtafter prize was a visit to the Brazilian plantations where Kimbo grows the beans that make up its blends; an extraordinary opportunity to further his knowledge and expertise in coffee making, as well as meeting the people whose work turns into the tastiest coffee in the Autogrill® network.