Starbucks Coffee Korea, Yoon Byung-kwon and Kim Yu-rim Appointed as 16th Coffee Ambassadors

From the left, Byeongkwon Yoon, Yurim Kim, Coffee Ambassadors.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Saeng-hye] Two coffee experts have been born this year to represent 17,000 Starbucks Korea baristas.

Starbucks Coffee Korea announced on the 12th that it selected baristas Yoon Byung-kwon and Kim Yu-rim as the 2020 Starbucks Coffee Ambassadors of Korea.

Starbucks selects the most outstanding baristas with excellent coffee knowledge and passion in each country every year through a Coffee Ambassador selection contest and appoints them as that year's Starbucks Coffee Ambassadors for the respective country.

During their one-year term, Starbucks Coffee Ambassadors act as coffee experts representing Starbucks in their country, spreading related knowledge and experience through internal and external lectures, training, and promotions. They are also given opportunities to grow as global coffee experts through overseas training, including visits to global coffee farms and the Starbucks Seattle Support Center (headquarters), where they interact with world-class coffee professionals.

Until now, only one Coffee Ambassador has been selected annually in Starbucks' countries worldwide, including Korea. However, in the 16th Starbucks Coffee Korea Coffee Ambassador selection contest held in 2020, two Coffee Ambassadors were chosen to strengthen coffee leadership. This is also the first time globally that two Starbucks Coffee Ambassadors have been appointed.

The two Coffee Ambassadors jointly won after fierce competition with Starbucks' regional coffee experts in various areas such as coffee knowledge tests, professional lectures on coffee, latte art, and developing their own creative beverages in this year's Coffee Ambassador selection contest.

In particular, Ambassador Yoon received high marks for creativity by presenting a "Takju Latte," which was created by boiling Makgeolli to vaporize the alcohol, then adding an espresso shot. This drink combined the sparkling acidity and smoothness of Takju with the rich and slightly bitter flavor of espresso.

Ambassador Kim also received high praise for the exquisite harmony of coffee and fruit by presenting a beverage that combined Starbucks Reserve beans with apricot flavor, "Guatemala Antigua Santa Clara," with peach syrup and finished with peach milk foam to emphasize the diverse charms of Starbucks coffee.

Both Coffee Ambassadors have made great efforts to become Starbucks' top coffee experts. Ambassador Kim, working as a regional coffee master, has consistently studied the latest coffee literature to understand the rapidly changing trends in the global coffee market. She also developed an interest in various variables affecting coffee flavor during extraction and worked to find the optimal coffee flavor tailored to different coffee extraction devices.

Ambassador Yoon was also fascinated by the numerous coffee extraction devices and special beans used worldwide. He has collected and studied various specialty coffees and coffee extraction devices while spreading coffee expertise to Starbucks baristas in his working area.

Ambassador Yoon expressed his aspiration, saying, "I want to become a coffee expert who spreads knowledge and experience not only to coffee beginners dreaming of becoming baristas but also to diverse customers in the local community." Ambassador Kim also said, "My goal is to grow as a coffee expert who connects people through coffee as a medium." They also announced their full-scale activities as representative baristas of Starbucks Coffee Korea, stating, "We will do our best to share Starbucks' professional coffee experience with many people and deliver the Starbucks experience that enriches everyday life."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.