Karoliina Mäkelä

Hi, this is Karoliina, training expert based in Helsinki and a barista-at-heart. 

The coffee industry has had me since 1999. What a ride it has been so far! Coffee is a never-ending source of inspiration for me. There are so many angles and views you can examine coffee from. At the moment I am particularly interested in water quality.  

Being able to share my knowledge with customers is my daily source of inspiration. It is a great moment of joy when you see the light of interest and inspiration in your customers’ eyes. 

I am Authorized SCA trainer and organise Brewing courses within SCA Coffee Skills Program. 

I attended the first Finnish Barista Championship in 2000 and achieved the second place. Since 2001 I have been a technical judge in the Finnish Barista Championships, and occasionally also in the Finnish Latte Art Championships and the Finnish Coffee in Good Spirit Championships. 

I have been running the Finnish Speciality Coffee Association for over 10 years. After the change of the name and mission of the association (The Finnish Barista Association) I have been a board member only. I am also a co-founder of the SCA Finnish Chapter and a board member ever since the beginning (also the president for some operating terms). 

Fun fact:  I have been writing poems for over 20 years. Most of the time I had only published my production on a poetry website but in 2017 I finally published my own poem book. 

Coffee superpower: might be my knowledge regarding brewing water treatment.  

Favorite coffee destination: I curiously follow the Nordic countries. This is because of their talented baristas and interesting roasteries.