Bellissimo Media Productions to Film 2007 World Barista Championship in Tokyo

Bellissimo Coffee InfoGroup, the specialty coffee industry's leader in consulting and the production of award-winning coffee education and training DVDs, including “Espresso 101,” “The Passionate Harvest” and “Advanced Barista Training: Extreme Pours, is set to make a professional film of the 8th Annual World Barista Championship (WBC), hosted by the Specialty Coffee Association of Japan, July 31 to August 2, 2007 in Tokyo.

In a joint venture with the WBC, Bellissimo will create a two-DVD set recording the event. The first DVD will be a documentary-style overview of the WBC competition that will include interviews, local color shots and footage of many of the competitors in action. The second DVD will feature the performances of the six finalists in their entirety.

"It made sense to split the project into two DVDs," said Bruce Milletto, Bellissimo's president and the film's director. "The first DVD will document the full WBC experience. We want viewers to see and feel the excitement generated by this competition as well as to hear from the participants, attendees and coffee professionals from all over the world. The second DVD is for all the baristas out there who dream about competing or bettering their skills and who want to analyze every move these champions make."

Baristas who have won sanctioned WBC competitions held around the world are illegible to compete for the title of world's best barista. Baristas are judged on artistry, presentation, technical skills and the quality of the beverages they prepare. In 2006, Denmark's Klaus Thomsen won the competition in a field of 39 competitors. Matt Riddle of the United States took third place.

The two-DVD set will retail for $69.95, or each disc can be purchased separately for $49.95.

In addition to capturing the WBC on film, Bellissimo has been named a Silver Sponsor of the event, joining Bunn Brewing Systems, Clover Single-Cup Brewers, Compak Grinders, Probat Roasters, Monin Syrups and LaMarzocco Espresso Machines as supporters of this prestigious and high-profile competition.