Glitter Cat Bootcamps Resume In-Person Training for Aspiring Competitors

After a two-year hiatus, Glitter Cat will offer three fully funded bootcamps to support marginalized baristas preparing for the 2022-2023 US Coffee Championships season. Applications close on August 26, 2022.

Glitter Cat Bootcamps Return After Two Years of Digital Competition

After two years of hosting digital competitions, Glitter Cat Bootcamps are returning with in-person events. Glitter Cat is a non-profit organization that works to challenge the coffee industry's status quo by running competitions, fostering community engagement, and funding hospitality training.

The Glitter Cat Bootcamps are the organization's core program: a series of all-expenses-paid trainings designed for marginalized coffee workers. These bootcamps offer coaching and instruction to competitors during the 2022-2023 US Coffee Championships season. Applications opened on August 16, 2022, and will close on August 26.

Why it matters: Now in its fifth season, Glitter Cat shifted to digital competitions when many coffee competitions were canceled or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Glitter Cat was created to address inequities in coffee competitions. Over the years, many competitors who perform well have access to funding and training, and Glitter Cat aimed to provide these resources to “members of marginalized communities, including but not limited to: communities of color, 2SLGBTIQIA+, disabled, neurodivergent, and persons of marginalized gender,” according to a press release.

The full extraction: Glitter Cat will host three bootcamps for applicants who want to compete in the Barista, Brewers Cup, and Coffee in Good Spirits Championships for the 2022-2023 US Coffee Championships season.

The bootcamps will take place at the following locations:
- Barista: October 14-16, 2022 – Coava Coffee Roasters, Portland, OR
- Brewers Cup: November 4-6, 2022 – Barista Life LA, Los Angeles, CA
- Coffee in Good Spirits: November 11-13, 2022 – Coava Coffee Roasters, Portland, OR
Each bootcamp will accept a minimum of six applicants per program and will be led by world-class instructors, former coffee champions, and competition judges. Glitter Cat will announce COVID protocols shortly.
While there will be no in-person events for the Roasters, Cup Tasters, and Latte Art competitions, Glitter Cat will still offer online support programs for potential competitors.
Bootcamp attendees are expected to compete in one of the qualifying events for the United States Coffee Championships once the dates are announced.

What’s more: In recent years, several past Glitter Cats have achieved high placements in the US Coffee Championships. The Glitter Cat team looks forward to working with baristas and coffee professionals of all skill levels—applicants do not need prior competition experience or a required number of years in the industry to apply to be a Glitter Cat.

“We’re so thrilled that we get the chance to go back to our roots with in-person bootcamps,” says Eric Grimm, Director of Positive Outcomes for Glitter Cat. “The intensity of the education these cats get in a contained setting is matched by an equally intense and beautiful community building that happens when we’re all making coffee and learning together.”

Applicants have until August 26 to apply. See here for applications to the Barista, Brewers Cup, and Coffee In Good Spirits bootcamps.

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