Ben Lewis, United Kingdom
Blue Hour Coffee
Please tell us a little about yourself:
I'm freelance as a promotional barista, content creator and trainer - I've been traversing the coffee scene (and the world!) as an independent since 2023 mostly doing events and creating fun coffee-centred videos alongside training a wide range of people and organisations. Since, I left my job in 2023 I've travelled to 14 countries (Switzerland being the 15th!) and worked with Celebrities, Football Teams, Rugby Teams, Car Brands and Coffee Festivals sharing knowledge, teaching latte art and hosting a variety of fun events! I got into coffee working in a big global coffee chain but, my true appreciation came from working in my first specialty coffee shop in 2018 which was owned then by the former UK Latte Art Champion, who led me down the path to where I am today!
What are you excited to do while you are in Geneva?
It sounds really boring to say but, when I go to new places especially cities I love to walk aimlessly and spend 6-8 hours walking around without trying to be anywhere - I might have to condense that time frame a little bit as we're hopefully going to be spending a lot of time at the show but, I'd love to walk around for a few hours and get a feel for the city.
What are your interests outside of coffee?
Are we allowed interests outside of coffee? As a massive Boston Celtics fan, I love basketball, both watching and playing is a lot of fun though I'm pretty terrible at it (with a very high irrational confidence level) I also love spending time with my partner and our big dog, he's 40kg and he has the turning circle of a cruise ship which is both adorable and hilarious.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank?
SO many people, I've been doing this for 7 years trying to get to this point so, let me list of a handful: my partner Baylee, my family, Dhan Tamang (former boss and UKLAC champ), Nick (Blue Hour Coffee), Heidi (Helping me Train), Dario (Swiss Champ), Darren and Martin (The Coffee Lobby) for helping me with equipment. And EVERYONE that supported me losing the 4 times before I finally won, I love you all.
