Whoooop! The Auckland Regional Barista Champs 2025 is a wrap — and what a fantastic result!
Huge congratulations to all our incredible competitors, and a special shoutout to those who placed:
Champion: Nelson Ik Run Soon – @hibiscusposting
Representing Starbucks – @starbucksnz, Auckland
Runner-Up: Moi Yokota – @moi.ykt
Representing Atomic Coffee Roasters – @atomiccoffeeroasters, Auckland
Third Place: Gong Xuan Yeoh – @y.gongxuan
Representing Society Coffee Roasters – @societycoffee.nz, Auckland
Fourth Place: Renee Kang – @reneekyxi
Representing Society Coffee Roasters – @societycoffee.nz, Auckland
☕ People’s Champion: Moi Yokota – @moi.ykt
Representing Atomic Coffee Roasters – @atomiccoffeeroasters, Auckland
Thanks to everyone who came out and supported — we’ll see you all in August for Nationals!
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9:00am Renee Kang, Society Coffee Roasters, Auckland
9:25am Joshua Peacocke, Independent, Auckland
9:50am Qiqi He, Eternal Coffee, Auckland
10:15am Mark Liao, Legend Coffee Roasters, Auckland
10:40am Rachel Spradbury, Lighthouse Cafe supported by Zephyr Coffee Co
11:05am Saransh (Sam) Raina, Graze Canteen, Auckland
11:30am Nelson Ik Run Soon, Starbucks, Auckland
11:55am Honggu Shin, Handpicked Coffee, Auckland
12:20pm Kento Sawai, Good Times Coffee, Auckland
12:45pm Stefano Benedetti Santos Coffee Roasters, Auckland
1:10pm Moi Yokota, Atomic Coffee Roasters, Auckland
1:35pm Niivah Purcell, We Pour Training, Auckland
2:00pm Gong Xuan Yeoh, Society Coffee Roasters, Auckland
2:25pm Jay Marshall-Makaea, McDonald’s Parry Group, Hamilton
2:50pm Akine Nakashima, supported by Zephyr Coffee Co. Auckland
Vote for your favourite barista in “The Regional People’s Champion”
Every year, we’re overwhelmed with Aroha for our amazing baristas from family, friends, companies, and loyal customers. While we can only crown one official winner, in our eyes, they’re all champions!
However, you can help us choose “The Regional People’s Champion.” And we will give them $500 cash!
Voting is open now, and the winner will be announced on Sunday 13 April, right after we unveil the top regional baristas. We’d love to hear why your chosen barista is impressive!
What’s at stake? The winning barista will take home a certificate, some awesome goodies, and the ultimate bragging rights! By voting, you also have a chance to score sweet merc. You can only fill in the form once, so make it count!
Sunday 13 April 9 am – 4 pm.
Join us at Havana, 69G St Georges Bay Rd, Parnell, Auckland 1052
Everyone’s welcome; there’ll be koha coffees and fluffies for all.
Important:
- Only one vote per email address.
- Incomplete or partial votes will be deleted.
- By entering, your email address will be added to our mailing list (unsubscribe anytime).
- NZ residents are only eligible to win goodies
Let’s rally behind these incredible baristas and our coffee community. Tell us why your barista is the best!
9:00am Renee Kang, Society Coffee Roasters, Auckland
Where do you work, and what’s your favourite part of the job? I work at Little Nest ELC full-time atm; the best part of my job is getting lots of cuddles from little humans.
How do you like to brew coffee at home? Any special techniques or equipment? I make both hand-brew and espresso at home, my home espresso machine is actually an old commercial Rancilio.
What’s your go-to song to brew to? I don’t really have one lol.
If you won Regionals, who’s the first person you’d share the news with? My coach David Huang I guess.
Which Meadow Fresh Milk do you recommend to pair with coffee, and why? Farmhouse: its creamy texture adds sweetness in my coffee.
What does being a barista mean to you? It enriches my spare time.
9:25am Joshua Peacocke, Independent, Auckland
How do you like to brew coffee at home? Any special techniques or equipment? At home I like to keep the recipe simple. I used my (repaired!) origami dripper with V60 papers, and pour 50g every 30s
What’s your go-to song to brew to? Right now, I’m really in a J-Rock mood, so I’d put on MORE by Aooo
If you won Regionals, who’s the first person you’d share the news with? I owe a lot to Michalina, so she deserves to be the first to know.
Which Meadow Fresh Milk do you recommend to pair with coffee, and why? I like the fatter content of Farmhouse, as I prefer milk coffees that give notes of ice cream and yogurt, which the high fat gives.
What does being a barista mean to you? It means sharing a passion with the people who understand it.
9:50am Qiqi He, Eternal Coffee, Auckland
Where do you work, and what’s your favourite part of the job? Eternal Coffee. Also, I’m a home roaster. I just love coffee and am glad to work with an awesome team.
How do you like to brew coffee at home? Any special techniques or equipment? Filter.
What’s your go-to song to brew to? Any jazz cafe music
If you won Regionals, who’s the first person you’d share the news with? My partner
Which Meadow Fresh Milk do you recommend to pair with coffee, and why? Personally I like the farmhouse. Very creamy and matches most blends or SOEs.
What does being a barista mean to you? Share, listen and improve.
10.15am Mark Liao, Legend Coffee Roasters, Auckland
Where do you work, and what’s your favourite part of the job? I run Legend Coffee Roasters, where I focus on sourcing, roasting, and sharing high-quality coffee. My favorite part of the job is seeing how a carefully roasted coffee can bring joy to someone’s day. From selecting green beans to the final brew, every step is a chance to create something meaningful.
How do you like to brew coffee at home? Any special techniques or equipment? I love experimenting with different brew methods, but my go-to is pour-over V60. I focus on precise temperature control, grind size, and flow rate to highlight the coffee’s natural sweetness and complexity. I also enjoy dialing in espresso on my home machine
What’s your go-to song to brew to? It depends on the mood, but I love brewing to Canon in D By Johann Pachebel.
If you won Regionals, who’s the first person you’d share the news with? I’d share it with my close friends and those who have supported me throughout my coffee journey. Building a brand like Legend Coffee Roasters hasn’t been easy, and this would be a moment to celebrate with those who believed in me.
Which Meadow Fresh Milk do you recommend to pair with coffee, and why? I’d recommend Meadow Fresh Blue Top (Full Cream). The Blue Top have a creamy texture and natural sweetness that complement espresso beautifully, enhancing the body and balance of milk-based drinks.
What does being a barista mean to you? Being a barista is about craft, connection, and passion. It’s not just making coffee, it’s understanding its journey from farm to cup, respecting every step of the process, and creating an experience for others. It’s also about continuous learning and sharing that knowledge with the coffee community.
10:40am Rachel Spradbury, Lighthouse Cafe supported by Zephyr Coffee Co
Where do you work, and what’s your favourite part of the job? I work at the lighthouse cafe and my favourite part of my job is handling a rush. I love being quick on the machine and making multiple orders.
What’s your go-to song to brew to? I don’t have a go-to song but we listen to the “groovy house mix” on Spotify.
If you won Regionals, who’s the first person you’d share the news with? If I won I would tell my mum and dad first.
Which Meadow Fresh Milk do you recommend to pair with coffee, and why? I would recommend full cream meadow fresh milk because that is what I drink and it’s the easiest to froth and the best tasting in my opinion.
What does being a barista mean to you? Being a barista means giving the customer a good experience, making their coffee to their taste and great conversation to me.
11:05am Saransh (Sam) Raina, Graze Canteen, Auckland
Where do you work, and what’s your favourite part of the job? Graze Canteen/dialling in coffee every morning, tasting coffee.
How do you like to brew coffee at home? Any special techniques or equipment? Cold Brew, pour over
What’s your go-to song to brew to? Jazz music always
If you won Regionals, who’s the first person you’d share the news with? My mentor John Gordon
Which Meadow Fresh Milk do you recommend to pair with coffee, and why? Original, Good texture
What does being a barista mean to you? Being a barista means crafting exceptional coffee while creating meaningful connections with every customer.
11:30am Nelson Ik Run Soon, Starbucks, Auckland
Where do you work, and what’s your favourite part of the job? Starbucks Support Office, How dynamic the role is No two days are the same
How do you like to brew coffee at home? Any special techniques or equipment? I am a pourover fanatic. My favourite dripper at the moment is the Orea v4, with Kalita 185 papers, and the fast attachment. My favourite kettle to brew with is the Fellow Stagg EKG.
What’s your go-to song to brew to? January Blues Phoebe Rings
If you won Regionals, who’s the first person you’d share the news with? My mum
Which Meadow Fresh Milk do you recommend to pair with coffee, and why? Blue milk
What does being a barista mean to you? Bringing people closer to engage with specialty coffee and refining my skills and techniques constantly, and learning, learning, learning. Everyday learning
11:55am Honggu Shin, Handpicked Coffee, Auckland
Where do you work, and what’s your favourite part of the job? Handpicked Coffee Roasters. I love brewing coffees either with machines, hand brewing tools, and pouring latte arts. I also love the regular customers at work – who love my coffee.
How do you like to brew coffee at home? Any special techniques or equipment? I usually brew filter coffee with V60 or December dripper tools for my wife on weekdays with love and effort 🙂
What’s your go-to song to brew to? <Dancing in the Moonlight> is the song I like. This song gives positive feelings. Recently I also like to listening <APT> to maintain high tension at work.
If you won Regionals, who’s the first person you’d share the news with? My wife, but she will be there with me on the day. I wish I can hear that news with her.
Which Meadow Fresh Milk do you recommend to pair with coffee, and why? Original Blue Cap milk is a perfect milk to pair with any coffee. It’s not only maintaining a good balance with coffees, but also helping me draw a beatiful peace of latte art.
What does being a barista mean to you? I think a barista is a warrior of front line in the coffee industry. We m
eet end customers everyday and make coffee for them. I am happy to see their face and deliver coffee taste.
12:20pm Kento Sawai, Good Times Coffee, Auckland
Where do you work, and what’s your favourite part of the job? I’m working at good times coffee. When I serve coffee for costumer, they said you coffee is great than I’m getting happy so I’m pretty sure my favourite is making coffee and serving for costumer.
How do you like to brew coffee at home? Any special techniques or equipment? Usually I brewing drip coffee. Special techniques is don’t rush.
What’s your go-to song to brew to? I would like to say jazz song.
If you won Regionals, who’s the first person you’d share the news with? My supports because they helped me a lot.
Which Meadow Fresh Milk do you recommend to pair with coffee, and why? I recommend coffee with chocolate fresh flavor
Because a lot of people don’t like just coffee but with this milk getting sweat also very matching.
What does being a barista mean to you? Giving great time with my coffee.
12:45pm Stefano Benedetti Santos Coffee Roasters, Auckland
I work for Santos (Beverage Services), a coffee roaster based in Pakuranga. I am an account manager/sales rep. I’m barely in the office; I see clients and prospects most of the time. I get to drive a lot, which I love because I get to see the Country while working, apart from that, I get to meet lots of people and interact with them. I can say this last bit represents the best part of my job.
I don’t usually make coffee at home, it is so much nicer drinking it in cafés, I get to see new faces and supporting businesses at the same time, so good, isn’t it? I do have a plunger in the kitchen for the days when I don’t feel like leaving home. Filter roast Yellow Burbon is my pick in these circumstances.
Brewing song is Lemon Tree by Fools Garden, just to start the day, then I go back to metal.
If I do win, the person I would share the news with will be at the event, however, his name’s Jay, my manager.
I am vegan and don’t consume any type of animal milk. I do love having my coffee either with Almond or Macadamia MilkLab Alternative milk.
Most of us need at least a coffee per day, I feel is not only a source of energy, but also a peaceful meditational moment that we use to start the day positively. It’s also very expensive, so being a barista for me, means helping people to go through life every day. It can’t be just about coffee quality, it has a lot to do with the welcoming behavior the barista must have, and the location where the coffee is enjoyed. I like to serve to customers what I would love to receive, it doesn’t matter if dine in or take away, quality of the drink and a smile must be co
mbined without discrimination. I treat kings like people and people like kings.
1:10pm Moi Yokota, Atomic Coffee Roasters, Auckland
Where do you work, and what’s your favourite part of the job? Atomic Coffee Roasters, Interacting with the customers and seeing them happy through providing our coffee and service
How do you like to brew coffee at home? Any special techniques or equipment? Pour over, usually V60 whatever I feel like doing!
What’s your go-to song to brew to? I’m a no-music-while-brewing type person
If you won Regionals, who’s the first person you’d share the news with? My mum!
Which Meadow Fresh Milk do you recommend to pair with coffee, and why? Farmhouse, nice and creamy 🙂
What does being a barista mean to you? Sharing coffee, spreading love!
1:35pm Niivah Purcell, We Pour Training, Auckland
Where do you work, and what’s your favourite part of the job? Work for myself – at We pour – coffee training.
How do you like to brew coffee at home? Any special techniques or equipment? Espresso style. Simple.
What’s your go-to song to brew to? Girls wanna have fun – Cindy Lauper
If you won Regionals, who’s the first person you’d share the news with? Ernie and Suede my sponsors
Which Meadow Fresh Milk do you recommend to pair with coffee, and why? Original full milk – gives the coffee a nice creamy taste
What does being a barista mean to you? Happiness to my customers.
2:00pm Gong Xuan Yeoh, Society Coffee Roasters, Auckland
Where do you work, and what’s your favourite part of the job Currently working with Society Coffee Roasters roasting some coffees, love being part of the team especially organising events to get everyone together!
How do you like to brew coffee at home? Any special techniques or equipment? Usually prefer espresso but if I’m brewing some soft brews, I usually go for my Cafe Flower or Origami drippers.
What’s your go-to song to brew to? Probably something really chill like Bon Iver or Novo Amor, so I can focus on brewing and getting ready for my day.
If you won Regionals, who’s the first person you’d share the news with? My mom!
Which Meadow Fresh Milk do you recommend to pair with coffee, and why? Original of course
What does being a barista mean to you? It means being a small part of someone’s everyday ritual and being able to connect with people all over just through a simple cup of coffee.
2:25pm Jay Marshall-Makaea, McDonald’s Parry Group, Hamilton
Where do you work, and what’s your favourite part of the job? I work for the Parry Group of Restaurants who own a couple of McDonald’s within Hamilton. Favourite part of the job is teaching people barista skills and watching them grow and bloom.
How do you like to brew coffee at home? Any special techniques or equipment? I am a coffee glutton so brew coffee at home in many different ways but experimenting with my sodastream and coffee bags.
What’s your go-to song to brew to? Beverly Hills by Doechii
If you won Regionals, who’s the first person you’d share the news with? My cafe team – they’re such a huge inspiration for me.
Which Meadow Fresh Milk do you recommend to pair with coffee, and why? Original because my latte art is better with it, but honestly prefer it black!
What does being a barista mean to you? To serve. It means to serve others to provide them with an amazing coffee experience.
2:50pm Akine Nakashima, supported by Zephyr Coffee Co. Auckland
Where do you work, and what’s your favorite part of the job? I work at Black Antler Eatery in Browns Bay. I love seeing customers smile when they take that first sip of coffee. It makes my job feel worth it.
How do you like to brew coffee at home? Any special techniques or equipment? I use a basic espresso machine, but for me, it’s more about the moment. Brewing coffee while chatting with my flatmate makes it even better.
What’s your go-to song to brew to? Whatever’s playing on the restaurant playlist. It sets the mood and keeps things flowing.
If you won Regionals, who’s the first person you’d share the news with? My mum. She’d be the happiest to hear it.
Which Meadow Fresh Milk do you recommend to pair with coffee, and why? Original milk. It’s smooth, creamy, and brings out the best in the coffee.
What does being a barista mean to you? It’s more than just making coffee. It’s about the little connections, regulars coming in, quick chats, and being part of someone’s day. That’s what makes it special for me.