Chanel is based in Christchurch and works for NZSCA member company Coffee Supreme. She has recently been voted onto the NZ Barista Guild committee, find out more about Chanel here
What is your earliest coffee related experience?
I grew up both in Switzerland and New Zealand. My first experience took place in my Uncle Renees’ Hotel in Luzern when I was 3 years old. In the Hotel there was an Italian restaurant where my family and I would gather annually for a bit of a celebration. On this particular occasion my Uncle was finishing off his meal with a short black. To my Grandmothers horror I grabbed the cup (thinking it was the perfect size for a 3 year old hand) and drank it. I have a distinct memory of loving the flavor of whatever was in the cup and spending the rest of the afternoon charging around like a lunatic.
When / why did you first get working in coffee?
As I’ve always loved coffee and grown up around hospitality as an industry, working with coffee was a natural inclination of mine when applying for my first job 14 years ago.
What led you to becoming a barista?
I worked in an incredibly busy café. Being a barista there was a huge honor and reserved only for those who had really proven their metal…and I just really really wanted to be one of those people who could balance awesome coffee and making it fast under immense pressure.
What is the best part of your job?
In my Sales role the best part of my job would have to be meeting somebody who has never been in the industry before, with all their nerves and first time jitters, pulling it all together and creating a real success story.
Talk us through a typical work day
A typical day at work if I am in Christchurch would mostly be spent in cafes talking to baristas and owners about the industry…. and drinking lots and lots of coffee whilst I am at it.
What is your favorite brew method and/or coffee origin and why?
I am a massive Chemex fan. It looks great, tastes super clean and honest to the bean.
Tulip or rosetta?
Either. As long as it looks and tastes great and does so consistently.
What would be your dream ‘coffee experience’?
Hanging with the growers in Ethiopia!
Do you have a ‘coffee crush’ (person you most respect in the business)?
I have many. Some are our (Coffee Supreme) wholesale customers who are incredibly passionate about coffee in general and operating at a grassroots level really get involved in the education of their customers.