Biography
The story of Sasa Sestic begins long before winning the title of World Barista Champion 2015. From humble beginnings in war-torn Bosnia, Sasa’s family immigrated to Australia in 1997. Driven by a love of sport, Sasa competed for Australia in European Handball in the Sydney Olympics in 2000. However, it wasn’t until he started making coffee in a bakery in Canberra that Sasa’s true passion was realised.
While immersed in the café culture, Sasa’s obsession with coffee and his passion for quality led him to begin roasting coffee beans in a garage, attempting to learn everything about coffee and how to perfect it as a drink. This obsession would soon change his life and the world of speciality coffee.
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The Cupping Room, Canberra Australia -
ONA Coffee House, Canberra Australia
Sasa saw an opportunity to produce high quality and sustainable specialty coffee in a small café, a plan that was etched onto the back of a napkin while sharing a coffee with friends. Ten years on, Sasa heads a global distribution company, ONA Coffee Wholesale (Canberra) Pty Ltd, and a range of cafés including The Cupping Room, ONA Coffee House and ONA Manuka.
Sasa and his company have won a host of prestigious industry awards. In the Australian 2015 Golden Bean Roasting Competition, ONA Coffee was awarded gold medals in four categories including Espresso/Filter (Pressed), Milk Based, Chain/Franchise Milk and Chain Store/Franchise. In the 2015 TISCAWRBC Competition held in Taiwan, ONA Coffee won the awards for Best Espresso and Best Roaster. Sasa’s personal accolades are equally impressive with a haul of titles including five ACT Barista Champion titles, two ACT/NSW Barista Champion titles, 2015 and 2016 Australian Barista Championship titles and, most notably, 2015 World Barista Champion.
“Like a great wine, truly great coffee tells a story. each of our blends has a unique and enthralling tale that spans continents, culture, climate, flavour and—above all—passion.”
Sasa’s unwavering vision to create and connect a global coffee community and his unwavering quest for the ‘perfect cup’ has seen him reinvent the entire production process. In his relentless pursuit to improve the industry and reward those truly committed to producing quality coffee, Sasa pioneered a new and comprehensive eco-system.
He founded Project Origin, an ethical green bean trading company that establishes long-term and mutually rewarding relationships with more than 100 growers in developing coffee producing countries.
Working to develop and invest in farms for the purpose of conducting extensive research and development allows Sasa to control the variables and continually push the boundaries to improve the quality and process of coffee production. His innovation and its impact on the global coffee industry is profound and goes far beyond just producing a great cup of coffee. He is committed to improving the quality of life of farm workers’ by paying a premium price directly to the farmers, through a ‘direct trade’ relationship. His passion for improving their communities is also notable in his efforts to collect donations and raise funds for health, education, sanitation and child care facilities in these areas.
“Our goal is to build relationships all over the world with the best coffee farms because we believe that every country has the ability to produce hidden gems.”
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Hugh Kelly, 2016 & 2017 Australian barista champion -
Sam Corra, 2017 Australian brewing champion -
Natalia Piotrowska, 2017 Polish Barista Champion
Widely regarded as one of the industry’s leading educators, Sasa mentors, trains and consults to baristas and café owners from around the world. Most recently, under Sasa’s guidance, ONA Coffee’s very own Hugh Kelly was awarded the 2016 Australian Barista Champion and placed 8th in the World Barista Championship 2016.
Sasa’s innovation extends to day to day cafe work; he recently designed and created an innovative barista tool known as the ONA Coffee Distributor (OCD). This is an essential piece of equipment for any serious barista, insuring consistency and quality in every cup. Having established himself as an authority in the field of coffee, Sasa is currently writing his first book, following the success of the documentary ‘The Coffee Man’, which documents his journey from coffee farms to winning the World Barista Championship.
