What a great way start a Monday. When I arrived last Monday, I had a message of good news and glad tidings from Sarah Allen at Barista Magazine.

This past weekend (Sept. 12-14) Hiroshi Sawada, owner of Caffe Milk Art in Japan, competed in the Millrock Latte Art Championship and took first prize in one of the most challenging competitions to date, besting 39 of the best latte artists in the world. He has competed in numerous barista competitions traveling around the world to display his craft, but this is the first time he won. Sawada was awarded a check for $5,000 for his efforts.

Following the award ceremony Sawada tracked down Sarah Allen and said that he wanted to donate all of his prize money to Coffee Kids. All of us at Coffee Kids are humbled by Hiroshi's generosity and grateful for his help in improving the lives of coffee-farming families.

Congratulations on your win, Hiroshi and thank you!

The competition was presented by Barista Magazine, Nuova Simonelli and Dillanos Coffee.