Barista Stories: Haruka Nango of Formative Coffee, London/Osaka

by on 1 month ago

Meet Haruka Nango, a seasoned coffee professional who grew her impressive career and skills in London and she just a few weeks ago moved back to her hometown – Osaka. Haruka is the Wholesale Partnerships Representative at Formative Coffee and she plans to expand international relations in the near future!

Haruka had an amazing competition season this year! She placed 2nd in the UK Barista Championship and won the UK Latte Art Championship. She later on represented the UK during the World Latte Art Championship in Copenhagen and ranked an amazing 16th place! Seeing Haruka’s radiant attitude, resilience and constant devotion to growing her skills, we are sure she will be back on the World Stage soon.

Barista Stories are sponsored by PUQ. Photo by SCA UK.

Haruka, what is your first memory with coffee?

I remember the first proper coffee that I had in Melbourne, Australia in 2016. I ordered a mocha from Brother Baba Budan. I chose a mocha because I needed milky coffee and also chocolate as I was still very new to coffee. The first coffee was still bitter to me but I was impressed by the barista’s work; their latte art and their service.

What inspired you to pursue a career in the coffee industry, and how did you get started? What did you do before coffee?

Before coffee, I was still working in hospitality. Because of my experience visiting cafes in Melbourne, and seeing the role of a barista which was something I hadn’t known, my motivation for learning new things led me to start working in a coffee shop as an all-rounder. I was intrigued by the different types of coffee that could be made, flat white, latte, etc. Beyond that, I began learning about all the processes involved that lead to each cup of coffee. And to this day I have not stopped learning.

Haruka during a shift at Formative Coffee.

Tell us a bit about the place you work at. What is your role there?

I currently work at Formative. Formative is a coffee shop and roaster that is playing a big part in the coffee industry. It is where I have grown a lot as a coffee professional.

I spent most of my time there in the shop as a Barista and then as the Manager. Our menu is my favourite thing in the shop. Baristas behind the bar dial in new coffee and decide what we want to call it, like “Very Berry Chocolate”, “Apple Crumble”, “Bubble Gum” etc.. based on how it tastes! This can give customers a clearer idea about how their drink will taste, and we love to share more information about the coffee (origin, process) when they ask. I find that this is a unique and nice way of introducing our specialty coffee world to customers.

Formative introduced me to the coffee competition world. They provided me with the resources and support I needed to be competitive. Now I help run our wholesale partnership program. I am trying my best to spread our coffee across the UK, and beyond in the future.

Always serving coffees with a big and sincere smile!

What kind of experience do you want your customers to have when they visit you at the cafe?

I want all our customers to have a slightly better experience than what they were expecting before stepping into the shop. Coffee tastes better than expected, Baristas are friendlier than expected, and now they know a little more about the coffee they are enjoying.

I can not impact their life massively, but I hope they will leave the shop with a happier feeling than when they came in!

What is your favourite part of the day in your cafe, and why?

Opening. This is the time when I can dial in, taste, and talk about coffee with fellow co-workers while looking forward to and wondering how the day will turn out.

How do you stay motivated and inspired to keep improving your coffee-making skills?

I have a rule, to work every day, aiming to be better than I was the previous day. I can’t change myself massively, but I can be better at one small thing per day. For example, learning another customer’s name, tending to a cupboard that needs organising or learning about a new coffee process.

Haruka during the UK Latte Art Championship. Photo by SCA UK.

You have some amazing achievements in championships. Can you tell us more about them? What are the next championships you’d like to compete in?

What I most enjoyed about the championships was the journey before the presentations. I enjoyed the process of practice, preparation, and support from the people close to me. I feel like the results, no matter what they were, were just a conclusion to the exciting journey.

The reason for joining the competitions was to force myself to learn more and I like to challenge myself all the time. Whenever I see the announcement calling for competitors for the next championship, I just think to myself; “Why not?”.

The Barista Championship in Japan will be the next championship that I’d like to compete in.

How did it feel to win the UK Latte Art Championship and place 2nd in the UK Barista Championship in the same season? Must have been a rollercoaster!

I was proud to add two more trophies next to Ian’s collection in the shop. The first half of my 2024 was all about competitions. When I look back now, it felt like time went very quickly as I was busy all the time.

To be honest, I was surprised at my results, as I had no expectations coming into the championships.

Haruka during the UK Braista Championship. Photo by SCA UK.

How did you organise the preparations for both championships?

I made deadlines for each stage of my preparation. I also had a notebook where I tracked my progress and recorded how long I practised, what I did, and what I learnt from each session. The process of writing my results cleared my mind and was my way of managing stress. The notebook also helped me maintain a productive practice pace.

How did it feel to compete on the World Stage?

I felt lucky to be on the same stage with all the talented baristas. All I was thinking on the stage was to appreciate the great opportunity I was given and enjoy the moment. Being surrounded by all these amazing people made me want to come back to the world stage in the future.

What is in your opinion the most important thing to have in mind when you start to compete in coffee championships?

For me, I had to have a clear reason for why I decided to compete. I needed to remember what I wanted to achieve by competing. I knew the competition journey was not going to be easy, so I needed to keep in mind that it was my own decision to join, and I was solely responsible for determining how difficult my own personal journey was going to be. This kept me motivated as everything was kept within my scope of control.

What coffee challenges are you looking forward to? Any new projects or collaborations?

I’m looking forward to growing international wholesale once we begin. I can’t wait to share the Formative coffee that I love with as many people as possible in the world!

Competing in the Championships in Japan is also the next challenge that I am looking forward to. I just moved here last month so I am very new to the industry here. I am excited to meet more coffee professionals in Japan soon!