Jade first ventured into coffee back in 2005. Starting as a part time barista, her love for coffee flourished and she continues to enjoy learning about every aspect of the industry. A very polished barista, presenter and competitor Jade also instructs in Veneziano’s coffee training school.
2012 saw Jade’s first solo competition attempt in the Danes Grand Barista Competition, finishing a very respectable third place in both the national and Australasian competitions.
After finishing third in the 2013 AASCA Victorian Barista Championship, Veneziano’s operations manager Jade was sent to Pahala, Hawaii, where she had the opportunity to work on the very farm that provided her competition blend. Jade spent an entire week picking and hand sorting cherries as well as participating in each stage of the coffee processing right through to roasting.
In another interesting twist Jade had visited Rusty’s Hawaiin in Pahala, the very same coffee estate, in a previous barista role. A result of winning a competition she had the pleasure of meeting and learning from Pete Licata, pre-World Barista Championship status, whilst there.
Two weeks upon her return Jade competed in the Australian Barista Championship, qualifying for the semi finals and placing tenth overall in her first ever national AASCA competition. Expect to see more of Jade in future competitions and events as she certainly turned heads in the right direction as an exciting new talent in the specialty coffee industry.
