If I had to sum up my time in Paris, the first word that comes to mind is crazy…the whole experience was crazy. It was also incredible, exhausting, and something that will go down as one of the best experiences of my life. To be one of three baristas for the Australian Olympic Team in Paris was a definite career highlight for me.
After a direct 18 hour flight from Perth to Paris (it’s maiden voyage), I landed around 7am and went straight to the village to start bumping in the BK Cafe. Like any good install, there were a quite a few hurdles to overcome. Water issues, electrical issues, and missing bits & pieces delayed when I was hoping to kick off service. Luckily, I was able to make bulk chilled filter coffee to keep everyone going during the bump in process.
In between setting up the cafe, I was helping the AOC ops team prep the village before the athletes arrived: the likes of setting up furniture, hanging artwork and even moving over 1000 bags off trucks into the three 10-floor apartment buildings. The size of the operation was huge, but the level of organisation was incredible to see and be a part of. After a few days Rach (Locale WA) landed, and despite all of the initial issues, we were able to kick off on Day 1 of athlete arrivals as planned.
The first few days started slow, which gave us some time to sharpen up our processes and workflow, while also taking in the unique environment we were part of. We were meeting so many new people, whether they be athletes or support staff, we were surrounded by excellence. As we settled in, we began to get more comfortable and could start to really connect with the Aussie team. In no time the banter had begun, jokes were flying, and we were stoking their competitive fires to see who could pour the best latte art.
While the days could feel like groundhog day at times, there was always something amazing going on. Jess Mauboy dropped by for a coffee and performed live for the team. Queen Mary of Denmark came by to show support of her Tasmanian roots (she did say it was the best coffee ever!). Plus the numerous times service had to stop so we could all cheer on another medal hope.
The village was such a surreal atmosphere. The best way to describe it was a mini CBD full of apartment buildings. Some buildings were dedicated to a whole country (the Aussie’s had three to themselves), while some of them where shared by multiple. In amongst the apartment buildings were laundry services, a beauty salon, a gym, a games room with hangout spaces, grab’n’go pop ups and dining halls. It was so big they had free bikes that everyone could use to get around the village.
The BK Café was set up like any specialty café you might find back home in Australia. We had 2x 2grp Synesso S200s and 3x Mazzer Major grinders, filled with our limited edition G.O.A.T. Blend, created specifically for the Olympics.
In the beginning, we were doing approx. 400 coffees per day and it felt hard. As we ironed out our workflows & processes and managed some ongoing machine issues, it slowly got easier and the volume quickly increased. By the time the games kicked off and the village was full, we were averaging 1200+ coffees a day, sometimes having done 800 of them by 10am!
A typical day looked like a 4.30am wake up, setting up the cafe area to be pouring by 6am, finishing around 4pm, followed by cleaning and prep; our days were long and pretty repetitive. While I was exhausted, I’d still make myself hit the gym to keep the body moving as it started to seize up behind the machine (I even had the team physios working on me). Afterwards, I’d shower, grab some dinner from the dining hall, then open the laptop to get some work done til 10.30ish (always with the Aussie’s on in the background). It was hard not to get caught up in the village vibe. 6 hours sleep felt great, usually it was more like 4, though.
Around the midway point, Rach tapped out and Andrew (Genovese NSW) arrived with an injection of some new energy. By this stage everything was running smoothly, it was a well-oiled machine. Unfortunately for Drew, it was a baptism by fire as we began hitting daily PB’s of 1500+ cups! After a couple of days though, he had already made his mark.
In the beginning, we did feel a bit like imposters. Here were the best of the best athletes, surrounded by so many high performance staff and everyone kept saying how important we were. We were just making coffee which felt more like a novelty, how important could that really be? We soon began to realise, very important indeed!
People will debate the effectiveness of caffeine for performance, especially through coffee, but it was so much more about providing a comfortable environment where the athletes could relax. The majority of them hadn’t had an Aussie coffee for months and seeing the joy it brought when they first tasted Locale was pretty special. We created a fun environment, so it became about more than just coffee, it was like a local hangout spot.
Everyday we met new interesting and inspiring people, and unlike almost any of the other HQ staff, got to chat with them daily (generally multiple times), getting to know them, building rapport and strengthening connections. We prioritised remembering names and orders early on (we would’ve met 700+ new people over the games and I think I knew about 70% of names and orders – just not sure what important info I’ve forgotten in the process!) as well as engaging with the athletes that wanted to have a bit of fun & get behind the machine.
During the 4 weeks running the café, we served over 23,000 cups and 500lt of cold brew! And while the days were pretty hectic, pumping out coffees for the 467 athletes, plus the coaches & support staff, it wasn’t all work & no play. I was lucky enough to get the chance to head to some of the events & cheer our Aussie’s on. I got to see the Boomers (men’s basketball), saw Keegan take gold in the Skate, watched the men’s Rugby 7s & the Stingers (women’s waterpolo). We were truly embraced by everyone & made to feel like honorary members of the team. We did sleep in the village (yes, on the cardboard beds) & got to wear the official Olympic kit too – although our Asics were definitely a different shade to everyone else’s by the end.
While it’s hard to pinpoint a favourite moment, I never expected that I would’ve been able to get the opportunity to watch the Boomers. Not only did I get to see them twice, I had the privilege of hanging with them in the village and even had Joe Ingles make me a pre-gym coffee! Fun fact: I had to move out of my apartment when the Boomer’s moved into the village from Lille.
Now, I’m not saying that Locale was responsible for Australia’s most successful gold medal haul at an Olympics but there is a strong correlation there!
As the four weeks came to a end, I was able to reflect on just how lucky I was to experience the Olympics the way I did, and to have meet so many incredible people. I’ll forever cherish those memories.
Still want more? Click below to head to Josh’s interview with Broadsheet or head on over to Instagram for behind-the-scenes footage.
