Meet Lakis, Swedish National Champion and Nestlé Professional Barista

Lakis Psomas’ passion for coffee and entrepreneurial mindset set him on the path to becoming an award-winning barista at Nestlé Professional Nordics and a gem to help foodservice operators build their coffee business.

His coffee journey started with a dream of wanting to be a business entrepreneur. Opening his new café near a subway station in his hometown of Stockholm – was the beginning of his coffee journey. He practiced how to make different coffee beverages, and fully immersed himself in the coffee world and community to learn the ins and outs of the craft.

Coffee spark

Four years later, Lakis opened two more café locations at Stockholm airport and in the city center with up to 15 people under his wing; broadening his coffee expertise, boosting his business management skills and increasing his passion.

“Something that started with an opportunity ignited a passion, it really shaped my path as a barista,” he explained. Lakis wanted to go a step further in the vibrant world of coffee by signing up to a local barista competition – and won. “I was so happy I gave out free coffees to celebrate,” he fondly remembers. 

With his passion for coffee and sheer determination, Lakis went on to become the double champion at the national Barista Championships – the third person in the world to achieve this dual accolade, and the first barista to accomplish this in Sweden. 

These fast-paced, high-stress experiences in front of huge audiences built up his confidence to hold coffee lectures and teach at big companies. One of them was Nestlé Professional.

Leveraging his experience

In 2020, Lakis decided to bring his passion for coffee, entrepreneurial spirit and business knowledge to Nestlé Professional as sales rep in for the in-store coffee roasting solution, Roastelier. Two years later, he stepped into his current role as key customer specialist and advisory barista, working in the marketing team.

Each day is different for Lakis, supporting the sales team to develop customers’ businesses by monitoring trends, providing insights and expertise, while also helping to create coffee innovations and initiatives.

Lakis is excited about the upcoming launch of a new digital barista platform for customers to share knowledge through videos and remote workshops, making coffee expertise more accessible, 24/7.

Award-winning barista

On top of all of this, Lakis still takes part in national and international barista competitions. Recently, he came home with both the national Brewers Cup and Barista Cup championship titles that took place in Gothenburg, Sweden in May. 

“I signed up for both competitions not realizing they took place on the same day,” he said. “I prepared and competed at Brewers Cup in the morning, then the Barista Cup in the afternoon. It was crazy but inspiring.”

Only six weeks later, Lakis was crowned 15th in the world at the Brewers Championships, and 21st place at the Barista Championships during the respective competitions held in Athens in July. “I was proud to deliver what I had prepared to do and absorbed the experience and community – I can’t wait for the next one,” he added.

Passion from the heart

Lakis believes that young talent has a pivotal role to play in the coffee industry. Whether as a barista, coffee expert or café owner, it’s all about mastering your passion. 

His advice to young people thinking about a career in coffee is two-fold: “Firstly, find out what is expected, so be curious, ask questions and connect with people,” he emphasized. “Then, and most importantly, it’s about doing something from the heart, something you truly love. With all this, you can go in any direction you want. I certainly did.”