The championships, driven via the company’s Barista Academy, celebrates baristas’ knowledge, preparation and delivery of coffee via a series of challenges devised to test their skills and ability.
Tim Sturk, head of coffee training and development at BaxterStorey, said: “This year will be our best yet. Our barista programme has gained tremendous momentum and recognition within the business and is now an award-winning, industry leading academy.
“The record numbers of entries is testament to how much our academy has continued to develop over the last year.
“Coffee accounts for anywhere between 35% and 60% of our sales, so it represents a massive part of our business.
“We are proud to provide some of the best training in the industry; our Barista Level 1 (BL1) is second-to-none and we are committed to the continued career development of our people and teams.”
Last year, BaxterStorey barista Jana Slamova finished third in the UK Barista Championships, the highest ever placing for a barista from the foodservice industry.
The final will take place at Hospitality House, in north London, on October 8th.