New Zealand misses out on the 2024 AeroPress champs

Will this be the end of the Champs in New Zealand?

Jul 15, 2024

The AeroPress Championship has a special place in the hearts of professional and home-brew-cowboys all across the world.

Since at least 2014, Kiwi’s have had the chance to ‘Plunge their way to glory’, with the New Zealand AeroPress Championship (NZAC).

The stakes are high. The winner of this niche yet fun corner of the coffee world wins a chance to compete at the World AeroPress Championship (WAC).

It’s a high pressure business, and very expensive. And it appears that the expense to host the New Zealand edition of the champs has lead to this:

😭😭 indeed.

Where have all the hosts gone?

There has been a revolving door of hosts for the NZAC. Since 2017, they have been hosted by Coffee Supreme, Ozone Coffee and most recently Atomic Coffee.

Unfortunately no one was keen to host this year’s version.

Lisa Boudet, events and content coordinator at Atomic Coffee, said that hosting the event is being a pretty big undertaking.

“It is quite time, energy and money-consuming, so you need to be somewhat resourced to deliver a great competition, which might have been a hurdle for potential applicants,” Lisa said.

It’s expensive

While it looks low key and causal, these events are expensive to host. There’s the AUD $3,000 license fee payable to the World AeroPress Championship. Then there’s venue hire, coffee, food, equipment and you have to look after the winner.

Lisa Boudet mentioned that as a host, you have the responsibility to send the winner to the World Final and look after their travel and accommodation.

“We were very lucky that the Worlds last year were in Melbourne, Australia, as opposed to somewhere in Europe like Lisbon this year. The few thousands of dollars difference in flight costs could potentially be a deterrent for some.”

The New Zealand Specialty Coffee Association’s (NZSCA) Emma McDougall suggested that the venue for the world final could be putting potential hosts off.

“We look at the places we have to send our competitors next year and while amazing, it’s expensive to get to and stay in Geneva, and Milan. So for one company to have to send someone to Portugal for the WAC this year, it’s a big ask,” Emma said.

This was a sentiment echoed by others in the industry. In response to our Instagram story about the fate of the 2024 NZAC, once anonymous industry source replied:

I asked Tim Williams, Director of the World AeroPress Championship whether costs were a big barrier to hosting the event.

“Overwhelmingly, our hosting partners around the world find that a combination of entry fees and sponsorship support makes hosting at worst a break-even proposition,” Tim said.

“We're actually on track for a record year of participation, with 64 countries currently scheduled to host national events and take part in our world final in Lisbon in September!”

It’s not all about cost

While costs maybe a barrier for some, it appears that this isn’t stopping the global champs from going to strength to strength. So maybe there’s something else stopping a New Zealand host stepping up this year?

Lisa Boudet suggested timing might also be playing a part.

“The final this year was brought three months forward, September instead of December last year, which meant way less time for a host to organise an event,” Lisa said.

“Typically, there’s a cut-off for hosting your nationals, about one month prior to the World Final. I’d say if you’re looking at doing a great job of it, you probably need about three or four months minimum to organise - find a venue, find a coffee and a roast profile for it, organise the competitors side of it, create merch etc - so the timeline might have felt a bit tight.”

What’s in it for hosts?

The kaupapa for the AeroPress Champs means it is pretty accessible to baristas of all levels - from the seasoned pro to the home barista hack. This keeps entry fees pretty modest and priced in a way to help cover hosts costs rather than to turn a big profit.

So if money isn’t the motivator, what’s in it for hosts?

WAC’s Tim Williams told me that “In most cases [there’s] a net positive community building and marketing undertaking each year.”

I pressed Lisa to understand what Atomic were hoping to achieve by hosting the 2023 champs.

“I’m afraid I can’t go into too many details, as that would reveal valuable intel,” Lisa said. ”But to put it broadly, marketing initiatives tend to be either sales or brand focused. I’d say hosting an event, especially a National-level competition that’s costly, would tend to fall under the brand building category.”

So it’s about community, brand, marketing and vibes. In this tough economic market, particularly here in New Zealand, that may be a little too loose of an objective to get that that business case across the line. Understandable.

What’s in it for winners?

An all expenses paid trip to the World AeroPress Championship to represent New Zealand. Financially, it’s a top prize - but does our fear of being a tall poppy stop our winners from making the most of it?

Sean Tiernan, aka The Drumming Barista thinks so. And that might be having an impact on the ability of hosts to lean in.

“I would say that most global events that happen here in New Zealand never get a lot of traction due to the fact that the winners of said events, never go on to create a brand for themselves,” Sean says.

“I would imagine that adds an element to the global brands not wanting to give recognition to New Zealand events and or think about us as we aren’t worth anything to them.”

Is there a better way?

Given the costs and resources needed for hosting an event, maybe it’s too much for just one roaster or company to take on. Is there a place for more collaboration?

Lisa Boudet said that collaboration is encouraged through the search for sponsors.

“In the hosting guide, there is a lot of emphasis on the importance for the host to work with sponsors to create the event. Equipment sponsor - water, kettle, grinders, etc- venue sponsor, drinks sponsor, coffee sponsor, etc,” Lisa said.

“It’s very much encouraged to seek these valuable sponsorship and tap into your local network of suppliers, wholesale accounts, friends, to be able to deliver a fun event without feeling too much financial pressure.

“In certain countries, there seems to be a board or an organisation dedicated to organising the AeroPress Champs, which I’m assuming is made up of either a group of volunteers from the local Specialty coffee industry, or multiple industry players coming together. Or similar to the NZSCA. That could be a way to encourage collaboration at an industry level,” Lisa said.

The global competition circuit

There are a number of coffee competitions around the place, many under the umbrella of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), based in the USA.

In New Zealand, the NZSCA runs local versions of SCA sanctioned events, like the Barista Champs, Cup Tasters and Latte Art competitions.

While it seems like the NZSCA might be a well placed to step in and support the AeroPress Champs, Emma McDougall said that’s not an option.

“We love this event, but we don’t run it as it’s not a sanctioned SCA event,” Emma said.

And it appears that is an intentional decision by the World AeroPress Championship.

“…our structure and approach means that the competition is super-accessible for competitors,” said Tim Williams. “They pay a single entrance fee — capped to ensure it's affordable for baristas — and should they win, the rest of their expenses to compete at the world level are covered.

“By comparison, SCA competitions are notoriously expensive to take part in, while driving huge sponsorship opportunities and generating excellent revenues for the organising body.

“We took a different approach, focusing on the community-building nature of our event, and stand by that approach.”

A bit of a surprise?

News of a lack of host for 2024 appeared to come as a bit of surprise to some in the local coffee community.

Previous hosts haven’t been particularly forthcoming with their lack of involvement. And while the World AeroPress Championship team do post hosts on their website, it’s not really their job to highlight the countries who haven’t locked one down.

One unnamed industry source lamented the lack of communications about it.

“NZCA [sic] hasn’t posted anything about needed a host for APC 2024 to it’s members, which is super disappointing, because how is anyone supposed to sign up for it if we have no idea there is no host?”

While NZSCA aren’t responsible for organizing the NZAC, Emma McDougall did say “we’d naturally be happy to share any hosting information via AeroPress, or even if Atomic said ‘hey, we’re not hosting this year, please share this out.”

Is there still support for the NZAC?

Despite 2024 being a sad year for the New Zealand AeroPress Champs, there still seems to be plenty of support.

Lisa Boudet reckons there’s still a place for the NZAC in the New Zealand coffee landscape.

“There’s definitely still space for the AeroPress Champs in NZ. It’s a really friendly, fun, and open format that caters to the broader community of coffee lovers (with lots of non-professionals trying their hands at it, which is so nice to see).

“I don’t think the community will be willing to let it go forever.”

It’s clear that NZSCA love the NZAC too. Emma McDougall said “ We have enjoyed judging, competing and in some cases some board members have sponsored this great event.

“I’ve drunk some amazing coffee through the [NZAC] and love the vibes each of the hosts brings to the event. I love the way this competition has evolved too,” Emma said.

While there may not be a Kiwi rep at the 2024 World’s in September, there will still be a Kiwi influence, with ACME’s Megan Wyper and Paddy Kennedy heading over to be judges.