Wildkaffee congratulates Martin Wölfl on the Rolling Pin.Award 2023. At the end of May, the Viennese was awarded the title of “Barista of the Year 2023”. We as a Wildkaffee roastery are all the more pleased about this, as Martin Wölfl is not only a friend, but also the managing director of Wildkaffee Austria.
Martin Wölfl discovered his passion for coffee competitions in 2019 and, after third place in the same year and second place in 2020, won the Austrian SCA Brewers Cup title in 2021 and 2022. At the Brewers Cup World Championships in September 2022 in Melbourne, Australia, he was able to gain a lot of experience in international competitions. Armed with these experiences and lessons learned - and the title of best barista - he looks back on this time with great joy. “Coffee is a source of fascination and never ceases to impress me,” says Martin Wölfl.
Martin also manages the Vienna operations of Wildkaffee 2.0, also known as Wildkaffee Austria.
Barista of the Year - an appreciation for the craft
"It's obviously an incredible award for me," says the newly crowned best barista in Austria for 2023. It is especially special because you are only nominated and voted for by people from the catering, hotel and café scene. "It's great that Rolling Pin not only focuses on chefs and sommeliers, but also on the coffee scene," adds Martin Wölfl. This appreciation for his craft is very nice.
Barista of the Year - Completely without knowing it
Martin Wölfl didn't have to do anything to win the title of "Best Barista in Austria"... at least nothing extra. "I was nominated by Rolling Pin without knowing it." Two months before the award, he received a call saying that the expert jury had chosen him as one of the three finalists. After this call, the public vote began. "Anyone who works in the catering industry can then cast their vote," he explains.
Next goal: World Champion?
Martin Wölfl set his sights on the world championship title as his next goal and competed in the World Brewers Cup in Athens. “It was an honor to represent Austria there. A lot of work goes into the preparation,” Martin Wölfl emphasizes. While the goal is to win, the experience and lessons learned at the World of Coffee in Athens are just as important. “You get to meet a lot of people, taste a lot of great coffees, meet new roasters, and learn about the latest developments in the industry.”
Festivities in Austria
With Wildkaffee Austria - or Wildkaffee 2.0 - we now aim to serve as a one-stop resource for advice, education, and training for our customers in the coffee scene, the restaurant industry, and the hospitality sector throughout Austria, offering excellent customer service from our base in Vienna. To this end, we’ve opened a Wildkaffee showroom in Vienna. In addition to cuppings, the showroom offers personalized barista courses, consultations for customers, and themed event series. At the same time, the showroom serves as a place to purchase coffee beans and coffee equipment, as well as a space for exchange when producers from the countries of origin visit Austria.
New coffees for the opening
To coincide with the opening of Wildkaffee 2.0, we have developed two roasts especially for Austria. "Vienna Calling" and "Out of the dark" - both based on the titles of a very well-known Austrian musician. "Out of the dark" is a dark roast with 70 percent Arabica and 30 percent Robusta beans, which impresses with a very chocolaty taste and nuances of caramel and molasses. "Vienna Calling", on the other hand, is a blend of three coffees from El Salvador, Rwanda and Colombia. Only beans bought directly from social and sustainable projects are used: El Salvador Coffee School Project , Community Coffee Rwanda Project and ANEI Coffee in Colombia. By purchasing this bag of coffee you also support these three projects. The coffees are expected to appear towards autumn.
The showroom
The Wildkaffee Showroom is located at Hermangasse 21/2 in Vienna's 7th district and serves as a place for exchange, collaborative learning, and consultation. We will be happy to advise you and work with you to find the best coffee for your coffee shop, breakfast place, restaurant, office or hotel. We also offer individual barista courses and introduce the topic of coffee with a lot of knowledge and expertise.
So are you opening a new coffee shop and want to work together to develop your own coffee roast? Do you work in a restaurant or hotel and want to buy coffee from Wildkaffee in the future? Do you already work with Wildkaffee and want to train your employees? Then the Wildkaffee showroom in Vienna is the right place for you!
The goals
"We want to show even more presence in Austria, gain a stronger foothold, and be closer to the customer," explains Martin Wölfl. With Wildkaffee 2.0, we can serve customers in Austria even better, offer training and develop new products. The showroom also offers the opportunity to test new machines and train baristas.
Rolling Pin - About the Award
Since 2005, Rolling Pin magazine has been honoring personalities who have had a lasting, positive impact on the hospitality industry through their role models, courage, and creativity. Today, with 10,971 votes, the Rolling Pin Awards are not only the largest industry award, but are also considered the Oscars of the hospitality industry. "We are delighted that Martin is Barista of the Year in Austria and of course we are also looking forward to our shared future with Wildkaffee 2.0," say founders Steffi and Hardi Wild.
