About the SCAE UK

SCAE UK is an organisation open to anyone with a passion for coffee.
Our core activities include running the UK Barista Championships, Latte Art, Coffee in Good Spirits, Cezve / Ibrik, UK Brewers Cup and UK Cup Tasting Events

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    What is SCAE UK?
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    The over riding goal of SCAE UK is to spread the knowledge of great coffee! Whether this is through entering any of the competitions we oversee, or by attending any of the training events we host throughout the year. SCAE UK is also about fun and friendship! The competitions are not only a great way to learn but also about meeting other people in the UK’s ever growing coffee community and forging great new friendships and contacts.SCAE UK is an association with a growing number of members - people like you, who are looking for coffee excellence. Our members come from all areas of the coffee industry, from machine manufacturers to roasters, café owners and ancillary suppliers.

    SCAE UK is one national chapter of the parent Speciality Coffee Association of Europe. There are currently 40 chapters throughout Europe – all of whom compete in the world championships. Together with the SCAA (Speciality Coffee Association of American) and the AustralAsian Specialty Coffee Association (AASCA) these organisations encompass every area of the coffee industry, from growers and importers to roasters and baristas. You can join the SCAE by visiting http://www.scae.com/join

    Links to all of these organisations can be found at the foot of this page

    Who are the SCAE UK Working Party Members?
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    Marc-Pierre Dietrich

    23 years in the beverage industry, and all by accident. After working with blue-chip organisations including Mars Confectionery and Hilton International, Marc started his coffee journey with GKN Vending Services Division

    He has since been working in a variety of roles, all with coffee in one form or another. He has been a distributor for Lavazza, Business Development Director for Segafredo Zanetti in the UK and an importer of Italian top end espresso brands.

    He has been specifically involved in Speciality coffee for 17 of those 23 years, and now runs a Specialist Coffee Services group, based near London. Marc is on the SCAE UK Committee specifically tasked with Judges Certification and coordinating PR.

    Over the last 2 years, Marc has been running Judge Training / Certification / Calibration programmes in more than a dozen countries. He also serves on the Communications Committee of the SCAE itself. Marc has been a UKBC judge for the last 5 years, he is also Europes only World Barista Championship (WBC) Technical Judge and since the WBC in London, he has been a member of the WBC Judges Certification Committee.

    What little time is left, Marc spends with his son Max, as an IRB Level 1 Rugby Union coach with Saracens under 9's, and enjoys Reading, Cooking, Cinema, Music and most sports.



    Andrew Tucker

    Andrew Tucker has enjoyed a varied and successful career, which has taken him from a electrical engineering background, to managing skiing and outdoor pursuit holidays in the French Alps to two years on a British Antarctic Station with the British Antarctic Survey. Andrew was then responsible for the design and development of tabletop coffee equipment for Westomatic Catering Systems before establishing espresso machine supplier, SanRemo UK Ltd, in 2001. A keen supporter of the drive to constantly develop our industry, Andrew is on the Executive Committee of both the Beverage Services Association (BSA) and the UK Barista Championships (UKBC).



    Lynsey Harley

    Lynsey is a Q Grader for United Coffee UK; who looks after sourcing, blend development, education and training. She competed in the UKBC’10 & spent 2011 judging in national/world competitions. With a good working knowledge of competitions; the support needed by baristas and the level of expertise required by judges, Lynsey put herself forward for the role of SCAE UK National Coordinator and was elected in February 2012. In her campaign she stated "My plan with the NC position would be to organise events, talks, and better education. Utilise the wealth of knowledge and expertise we have in the UK to bring the industry forward leaps and bounds. The chapter is more than competitions, we must engage those who don’t compete, but want to learn, develop and improve."



    Jamie Banwell

    A career in the City as a Private Client Broker and Fund Management with Deutsche Bank/Threadneedle Asset Management and Kredietbank Luxemburg is not the usual path to becoming a coffee judge. Keen to move back to Cornwall and take on a challenge Jamie has recently set up Base//Coffee Cornwall down in the Southwest and is keen drive the industry forward. As a lover of fine espresso he certified last year as a sensory and technical judge and attended many of the regionals.



    Glenn Watson

    Glenn's introduction to the UKBC came when he volunteered to be Timekeeper at the SouthEast Regional Heat in 2009. Following this he volunteered to barista buddy/host WBC contestants in 2010, and qualified as a UKBC Technical Judge in the same year. Glenn is a keen photographer and runs Coffee Forums UK.