About the SCAE UK

SCAE UK is an organisation open to anyone with a passion for coffee.
Our core activities include running the UK Barista Championships, Latte Art, Coffee in Good Spirits, Cezve / Ibrik and Uk Cup Tasting Events

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We have set-up an FAQ section where you can get answers to your questions.

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    What is SCAE UK?
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    The over riding goal of SCAE UK is to spread the knowledge of great coffee! Whether this is through entering any of the competitions we oversee, or by attending any of the training events we host throughout the year. SCAE UK is also about fun and friendship! The competitions are not only a great way to learn but also about meeting other people in the UK’s ever growing coffee community and forging great new friendships and contacts.SCAE UK is an association with a growing number of members - people like you, who are looking for coffee excellence. Our members come from all areas of the coffee industry, from machine manufacturers to roasters, café owners and ancillary suppliers.

    SCAE UK is one national chapter of the parent Speciality Coffee Association of Europe. There are currently 40 chapters throughout Europe – all of whom compete in the world championships. Together with the SCAA (Speciality Coffee Association of American) and the AustralAsian Specialty Coffee Association (AASCA) these organisations encompass every area of the coffee industry, from growers and importers to roasters and baristas. You can join the SCAE by visiting http://www.scae.com/join

    Links to all of these organisations can be found at the foot of this page

    Who are the SCAE UK Working Party Members?
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    Marc-Pierre Dietrich

    23 years in the beverage industry, and all by accident. After working with blue-chip organisations including Mars Confectionery and Hilton International, Marc started his coffee journey with GKN Vending Services Division

    He has since been working in a variety of roles, all with coffee in one form or another. He has been a distributor for Lavazza, Business Development Director for Segafredo Zanetti in the UK and an importer of Italian top end espresso brands.

    He has been specifically involved in Speciality coffee for 17 of those 23 years, and now runs a Specialist Coffee Services group, based near London. Marc is on the SCAE UK Committee specifically tasked with Judges Certification and coordinating PR.

    Over the last 2 years, Marc has been running Judge Training / Certification / Calibration programmes in more than a dozen countries. He also serves on the Communications Committee of the SCAE itself. Marc has been a UKBC judge for the last 5 years, he is also Europes only World Barista Championship (WBC) Technical Judge and since the WBC in London, he has been a member of the WBC Judges Certification Committee.

    What little time is left, Marc spends with his son Max, as an IRB Level 1 Rugby Union coach with Saracens under 9's, and enjoys Reading, Cooking, Cinema, Music and most sports.



    Andrew Tucker

    Andrew Tucker has enjoyed a varied and successful career, which has taken him from a electrical engineering background, to managing skiing and outdoor pursuit holidays in the French Alps to two years on a British Antarctic Station with the British Antarctic Survey. Andrew was then responsible for the design and development of tabletop coffee equipment for Westomatic Catering Systems before establishing espresso machine supplier, SanRemo UK Ltd, in 2001. A keen supporter of the drive to constantly develop our industry, Andrew is on the Executive Committee of both the Beverage Services Association (BSA) and the UK Barista Championships (UKBC).



    Kenneth Cooper

    Kenneth works for Pennine Tea and Coffee a wholesaler/distributor based in Halifax, West Yorkshire who distribute tea, coffee and associated products throughout the United Kingdom and Europe.

    Kenneth is also a committee member of the UKBC and one of their Barista Championship judges. He has also judged at the World Latte Art Championship and World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship in Copenhagen and Cologne.



    Jamie Banwell

    A career in the City as a Private Client Broker and Fund Management with Deutsche Bank/Threadneedle Asset Management and Kredietbank Luxemburg is not the usual path to becoming a coffee judge. Keen to move back to Cornwall and take on a challenge Jamie has recently set up Base//Coffee Cornwall down in the Southwest and is keen drive the industry forward. As a lover of fine espresso he certified last year as a sensory and technical judge and attended many of the regionals.



    Denise Hall

    I originally trained as a ballet dancer and teacher at Northern Ballet School. I have worked as a teacher for my whole career alongside whatever else I have done. I retired from this in July as I have a bad back. My husband and I then ran our pub and restaurant for 3 years in Manchester ( no coffee), then 9 years in a pub just outside Cambridge. I came into the coffee industry in 2000. Chris and I started our own coffee business 2 years ago. We specialise in working with our customers to provide them with an appropriate solution for their coffee. We then set up the equipment to give the best results from the coffee and the brewer in whatever form. We then give free training as and when appropriate to all customers. My education in coffee started really with James Hoffman who at the time worked for La Spaziale as their trainer. He was and still is a great inspiration to the coffee industry. Then as with most people I sought more information and went to several courses at London School of Coffee both with James and Annette. During this time I also became a Sensory Judge for UKBC. I have been a judge now for 6 years and have commented on various things over the years so when I was asked to join the woking party I viewed it as an opportunity to implement these things. I aim to make the process for barista's as easy as possible. Competing should be an enjoyable experience. We aim to help with this by providing barista information packs, with information on hotels, directions to venues, and am open to any other ideas of what would make life easier for them. I am also the point of contact for any information I can supply.



    Glenn Watson

    Glenn's introduction to the UKBC came when he volunteered to be Timekeeper at the SouthEast Regional Heat in 2009. Following this he volunteered to barista buddy/host WBC contestants in 2010, and qualified as a UKBC Technical Judge in the same year. Glenn is a keen photographer and runs Coffee Forums UK.