Honoka Kawashima, Aotearoa / New Zealand

Frank's Coffee

Tell us about yourself:

I am originally from Japan, and I have been living in New Zealand for about 6 years. I first fell in love with coffee in Sydney, Australia where I built a basic knowledge of coffee making. Then I decided to move to New Zealand to develop my coffee skills in 2018, and I started my career at Frank's coffee in Wellington. Since then I have participated in many throwdowns and competitions to keep challenging myself, and to continue to develop my skills as a barista. In 2022, I got top 3 in the meadow fresh NZ Latte art championship at my third attempt, then won the NZ Barista championship in 2023 thanks to the massive support from the New Zealand barista community.

What are you excited to do while you visit Busan?

I’m obsessed with Korean food and I’m super excited to get street food with local soju.

What are your interests outside of coffee?

I love cooking. I get lots of inspiration from Japanese cuisine, and love exploring the potential of food pairing too.

Is there anyone you would like to thank or recognize or who helped you to prepare for the WBC?

I would like to thank the amazing New Zealand coffee community. I got huge support from many talented baristas all over the country. My team has been really supportive, patient, and always tried to bring out the best in me: Logan Collinge from hammerstone coffee / Mojo coffee has been with me for the entire of this journey, and spent numerous amounts of time. He is one of the greatest people I’ve ever met! David Huang from Society coffee shared his greatest knowledge as a world experienced judge, and put a team together. Frank Hsu, who is also my boss and roaster, gave us his unique perspectives and allowed me to improve a lot both as a competitor and a barista. I really couldn’t be on the world stage without their support.