A Filipina who once worked in Manila as a cashier and receptionist in an Italian restaurant and trained crews of an international fast food chain has found her new niche in the Middle East as a coffee mixer. Ma. Lourdes Roxas, a 27-year-old graduate of business management from Lyceum of the Philippines University, won the much coveted annual regional coffee mixing competition organized and sponsored by Costa Coffee held recently in Dubai. She bested all the national coffee mixer champions from UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. Roxas won the title of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) International Barista of the Year 2009 and will represent the MENA at the Champion of Champions Global Final Barista of the Year 2009 competition to be held on October 21, 2009 at the Costa Roastery in Lambeth, London. “The experience I have acquired as a coffee maker and coffee drinker led me to be a barista,” said Roxas, who has been working as store supervisor at the Costa Emaar Business Square in Dubai for the last two years. Her winning specialty drink was the Mocha Coco-Menthe. “As any Costa barista will tell you, it takes a lot more than coffee beans to make the perfect cup of coffee. Before you pull a single espresso shot every barista goes through rigorous, professional training. They learn grinding, tamping, extracting, frothing, pouring and, most importantly, tasting. It's a pretty hard grind, but it's worth it. I'm so pleased to have won,” Roxas said after winning the title. “As a Filipino, I am proud to have won the MENA championship.” Roisin Caush, Costa Coffee's Operational Skills and Brand Standards Manager, said the competition is formal recognition of the hard work and talent of all baristas like Roxas.
