BIGGBY COFFEE BREWING UP LATTE ART

Category: Uncategorized

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Pull, Pour, and Present Latte Art Competition Helps Baristas Build Lives They Love

 

East Lansing, MI, August 8, 2019–BIGGBY® COFFEE hosted their third annual latte art competition, Pull, Pour, and Present, on August 7 as a way to celebrate the talented baristas that make BIGGBY® COFFEE the fun, loving, and unique coffee community it is known as! The top three contestants walked away armed with cash prizes and bragging rights, and a room full of audience members were entertained not only by the gripping competition, but a fun MC, t-shirt giveaways, and more!

 

When BIGGBY® COFFEE Home Office announced the application process for the third annual Pull, Pour, and Present competition, many artistic baristas got to work perfecting their latte-art skills! Creating fun drinks for customers, BIGGBY® COFFEE baristas throughout the nation have been hard at work creating latte art in preparation for the yearly event. Creating unique experiences and delicious lattes for their customers, these baristas and latte artists have showcased the drive, creativity, and one-of-a-kind experience that BIGGBY® COFFEE prides themselves on.

 

As the event drew near, baristas across the nation sent in video submissions of their latte art. Ten talented baristas were chosen to compete in a closed preliminary round on August 7 just hours before the final round! Out of these ten, only three were chosen to participate; Cullen DeCou, Megan Kiker, and Cameron Chambers were chosen to participate in the live final round of the Pull, Pour, and Present competition based on the quality of their five-minute designs as well as how they displayed the culture of BIGGBY® COFFEE.

 

Armed and ready for competition, Chambers, Kiker, and DeCou had to create two stunning lattes—one using 2 percent milk and one using soy. With a room full of people cheering them on, four guest judges, and a $3,000 first-place prize on the line, each contestant had seven minutes and five chances to create the two most stunning pieces of latte art that they could and walk them over to the judges table!

 

Between cheers, screaming, and a lot of encouragement, the three contestants made their way individually onto the stage where they prepared their works of art and presented them to the judges, co-CEOs Bob Fish and Mike Mcfall; 2018 Pull, Pour, and Present winner, Patrick Rivet; and Pacific Foods Specialty Coffee Customer Marketing Manager and latte art expert, Nathanael May. The judges looked at the quality of the art, milk texture of the lattes, and whether the latte met weight and fill standards.

 

From BIGGBY® COFFEE South Haven, Mich., contestant Megan Kiker has been with BIGGBY® COFFEE since 2016. Winning the third-place prize of $500, Kiker created two beautiful rosettas. Spending a lot of time practicing and perfecting her rosettas in anticipation of the competition, Kiker said, “I was so excited and ready but also very nervous! My hands were shaking so bad I couldn’t focus on anything except [BIGGBY® COFFEE co-CEO] Mike McFall standing there watching me!”

 

As nervous as Kiker was, she noted that it was an incredible experience to have been chosen as one the top three and to compete while receiving so much encouragement from people she didn’t even know!

 

Using a portion of her $500 cash prize to help organize a beach cleanup for the City of South Haven, Kiker is excited to continue working for BIGGBY® COFFEE and representing a brand that believes when you love the world, the world will love you back!

 

Coming in second place, Cameron Chambers of the Union Street BIGGBY® COFFEE in Commerce, Mich., has been with BIGGBY® COFFEE for six years! He decided to compete as a possible way to earn money for a trip to Japan he had planned and had been long anticipating!

 

Chambers was nervous to perform in front of such a large audience, in an environment different than the store he works in; however, the relief after completing his two award-winning lattes made the whole thing worth it! Chambers noted that winning the second-place prize of $1,500 helped him have the trip of a lifetime! As he headed to Japan three days after winning second place with 14 of his friends, Chambers said, “It’s really been a trip of a lifetime. The money that I received completely changed my trip!”

 

Last, but not least, was Cullen DeCou. Winning first place and a $3,000 cash prize, DeCou entered the Pull, Pour, and Present competition on a whim, mostly out of curiosity. From the Jenison, Mich., BIGGBY® COFFEE, DeCou has been with the company for just one year. Unlike Kiker and Chambers who were nervous to perform in a room full of people, DeCou welcomed the pressure of the competition, and used that pressure to remain confident and relaxed as he created his first-place winning latte art.

 

Planning to set his winnings aside in order to save up to pursue a career in the professional music industry, Chambers said, “BIGGBY® strongly encourages creativity and uniqueness and having fun with whatever you do. BIGGBY® is helping me with my dreams.”

 

All three contestants displayed a fun, energetic, and creative spirit throughout the competition, and BIGGBY® COFFEE is honored to have such talented baristas among their team!

 

“Pull, Pour, and Present showcases all of our Cultural Values: B Yourself, Have Fun, Make Friends, and Share Great Coffee,” Franchise Training Coach and creator of the 2019 Pull, Pour, and Present competition said. “We are planning on continuing this competition for many years to come. We want Pull, Pour, and Present to be a tradition that brings people together and gets people excited about being part of BIGGBY® Nation.”

 

Raise your lattes with BIGGBY® COFFEE as we celebrate Cullen DeCou, Megan Kiker, and Cameron Chambers and congratulate them on their incredible talents, and look forward to the 2020 Pull, Pour, and Present competition!

 

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BIGGBY^® COFFEE, East Lansing, Mich.-based, was started with a single store on March 15, 1995. One year later, and on the cusp of opening a second location, Bob Fish and Michael McFall, on a handshake and $4,000, decided to franchise the concept. BIGGBY^® COFFEE’s cultural values of Make Friends, Have Fun, B Yourself, and Share Great Coffee help coffee-lovers and the coffee-curious alike benefit from a less pretentious and fun approach to the standard gourmet cafe paradigm. Besides connoisseur-worthy drinks with pronounceable names like Teddy Bear^® and Caramel Marvel^®, BIGGBY^® baristas provide a unique experience focused on brightening their customers’ day and supporting them in building a life they love. The “Big ‘B’” on the orange background caught on, and today BIGGBY^® COFFEE has more than 230 cafes across 9 states and counting including Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Florida, and Texas. In 2018, BIGGBY^® launched an Area Representative Program and currently has 8 Area Representatives in 6 states.

 

For franchise opportunities with BIGGBY® COFFEE, contact franchiseinfo@biggby.com.

 

If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Nicholle Robertson at 517-294-3487 or email at press@biggby.com.