The fourth edition of the Borneo Coffee Festival has attracted nearly 20,000 visitors, over the weekend.

Borneo Coffee Alliance (BCA) chairman Dick Lee said they managed to pull more crowd this year thanks to the Asian-standard latte art competition.

“We hope to provide more opportunity for our local baristas to show their talents,” he said after the closing ceremony, at Suria Sabah, here, Sunday. 

“We estimated that there were between 6,000 and 8,000 visitors per day throughout the three-day event.

“All 65 exhibitors were also happy with the number of crowd visiting their booths…some even had to replenish their products two to three times per day.

“Some of them had been with the festival since three years ago and they had been anticipating the event every year.”

Noting that the number of exhibitors and visitors had increased, Lee said, the organising committee is planning to hold the festival at a bigger venue next year.

“The committee members are still discussing about it. Some parties had shown deep interest in joining the festival but could not do so due to the limited number of booths.

“As such, we may choose a bigger venue next year,” he said.

Organised by the BCA under the Federation of Sabah Industries (FSI), Borneo Coffee Festival offered a wide range of coffee-related products and services. 

Aimed to generate more awareness and to promote ‘coffee culture’ among the society, Borneo Coffee Festival features both local and international exhibitors.

The main highlights were the Borneo Latte Art and the Borneo Brewer’s Cup competitions.

William Tiong from Sarawak, emerged champion in the Borneo Latte Art competition which was participated by nearly 30 baristas.

He brought home RM500, a return flight ticket to Shanghai, China for the Professional Coffee Athletics (PCA) Latte Art Grand Final, a trophy, and sponsored goodies.

In second place was Patrick Wong while Kevin Chew grabbed the third spot.

Tiong said, he had been training hard on his craft for more than half a year.

“In latte art, you need more practice…you cannot join any competition without proper preparation.

“I have joined several competitions since 2018 and I think the competitors were very good in the Borneo Latte Art competition.”

The Borneo Brewer’s Cup was won by Clarissa Chen, while Tiong won the second place and Angel Bannister held the third spot.

Chen was delighted as she won the competition in her maiden attempt.

“I have been a barista for about one and a half year. Initially, I felt nervous when I entered the competition ground, but afterwards I was excited as I can gain more knowledge and experience.

“Most of my competitors are my seniors in this field and this achievement motivates me to be better,” she said.

The prizes were presented by Youth and Sports Minister Phoong Jin Zhe.