About

Pete Licata

2013 WBC Champion

Chief Advisor

Pete Licata started in coffee as a barista in 2003. A college student at the time, he took a job at a coffee shop while pursuing a degree in linguistics. Little did he know the adventure that he was beginning. Following a visit from WBC Champion Tim Wendelboe, Pete realized there was more to being a barista than he had known. This landmark moment in Pete’s coffee career would become the spark that started a fire. He began his competitive journey with a dark horse win in the 2005 Midwest Region competition held in his hometown of Kansas CIty. From there he went on to compete for 6 more seasons, winning 4 more regionals, 2 US Championships and finally achieving his ultimate goal of 1st place in the world in 2013. One particularly pivotal year in his coffee career was 2011. While living in Hawaii, he saw a unique opportunity. Pete decided to pick, process and roast his competition coffees. The knowledge that he gained during this experiment did more than help him achieve his first national win. Along with many origin country visits, he gained a wealth of knowledge about farming and processing methods. He has spent the past 5 years focusing on coffee quality. Most recently he has focused on coffee roasting techniques and how they affect the flavor of the cup. After winning the WBC title he formed Licata Coffee Consultants, coaching and advising competitors, including Hidenori Izaki the 2014 World Barista Champion.

For more details on Pete's coffee history view his VisualCV.