The first edition of Youth Academy Middle East officially came to an end last week.
If you haven’t heard of it, here’s the short version: it’s an initiative by the Simonelli Group, announced a year ago, built specifically for young people who want to build a real career in coffee. Six scholarships, fully paid, covering SCA-certified courses across Barista Skills, Sensory, Green Coffee, Roasting, and Brewing.
How the Program Works
Applicants between 18 and 30 years old complete an online application and answer a set of questions. If the Simonelli Group team feels they’re the right fit, they are invited for a face-to-face interview.
The six selected participants receive the full Specialty Coffee Association Skills Program. They are grouped together and trained by SCA-certified trainers based in the UAE, with some sessions held at the Victoria Arduino Experience Lab.
The SCA Coffee Skills Program is made up of five specialist modules, each focused on a different professional role in the coffee industry. The Youth Academy Middle East cohort completed all of them.
The Modules
Barista Skills is where most people begin. It covers essential practical skills behind the espresso bar—from grinder calibration and espresso extraction to milk texturing, latte art, health and safety, customer service, and basic business practices.
Brewing focuses on the science behind the cup. It explores grind size, water temperature, brew time, different brewing methods, strength measurement, and extraction analysis.
Sensory Skills trains the palate to recognize and articulate flavour. Students learn to identify core coffee attributes and master professional cupping techniques—essential for leading tasting sessions and quality evaluation.
Green Coffee looks at coffee before roasting. It covers evaluation of green coffee quality, processing methods, grading, and the basics of coffee market dynamics. It’s a part of the industry most consumers never see, yet it shapes everything in the cup.
Roasting is the technical core of the craft. Students learn to control roast profiles, manage colour development, operate roasting equipment, and handle production workflows. Understanding how heat transforms coffee—and when to stop the roast—is a skill that takes years to refine.
Each module runs across three levels: Foundation, Intermediate, and Professional. The Youth Academy students completed the Foundation level across all modules, building a structured base for their future careers.
Meet the Six
What made this edition special wasn’t just the program—it was the people in it.
Hnin Kha Nady is focused on growth. Recently joined Archers, she entered the program with a clear goal: to create more memorable coffee experiences. The skills she gained are already being applied in her work.
Mark Mwangi is well known in the community, especially for his matcha creations. As lead consultant behind Mihbash in Jumeirah, he has already contributed to one of the region’s successful café openings. He’s now applying his learning to mentor his own team.
Amritha Varsha transitioned from engineering into coffee, following a stronger personal calling. Now at Cartel Coffee Roasters, she continues to build her presence in the community, recently competing in the Polpanorte AeroPress competition.
Mohamed Alameeri, founder and head roaster of Palate Coffee Roastery and the first Emirati AeroPress Champion, joined a foundation course despite his experience. It reflects a simple principle: learning never stops.
Brenzen Labarete is a Senior Barista, Brand Ambassador for Davinci Gourmet Arabia, and Middle East Barista of the Year 2023. He joined not for credentials, but for depth—an indication of his continued commitment to craft.
Donna Santianez is working toward her long-term goal of opening her own coffee shop. She is steadily building toward it, one course at a time.
Six individuals, six different journeys, one shared vision: to master their craft.
The Trainers
The team behind the program brought serious experience to the table.
Antonio Orria, Simonelli’s Coffee and Beverages Community Expert, led foundational classes, introducing students to the broader specialty coffee landscape before they moved into specialist modules.
Raha Shahsavar, UAE National Roasting Champion 2025, handled Green Coffee and Roasting. Students learned how coffee is processed and graded before roasting, and how heat development, roast profiling, colour control, and production workflows are managed.
Dave Peralta, co-founder of Archers and head of its Coffee Academy, taught Brewing Foundation. Students explored grind size, water temperature, brew time, extraction, and how to measure and adjust coffee strength across brewing methods.
Irina Sharipova, a coffee educator with over a decade of experience, led the Sensory module. She focused on developing structured tasting skills—flavour identification, mouthfeel analysis, cupping, and sensory vocabulary.
Branislav Beronja, Brand and Training Manager for Cafes Richard, delivered Barista Skills training. His sessions covered grinder setup, espresso extraction, milk handling, machine maintenance, customer service, and workflow management.
These trainers are among the most respected professionals in the UAE specialty coffee scene and are widely regarded as mentors in the industry.
What Comes Next
With the first edition complete, Simonelli Group is already preparing the next one. No dates have been confirmed yet.
If you are between 18 and 30 and considering a serious path in coffee, this is a program worth watching.
When applications open again, it will be worth paying attention.
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