Coffee Leader
Boram Um
Coffee Leader, UM Coffee Co.; 2023 World Barista Champion
- Discipline
- Coffee Leader
Portrait of Boram Um
i. Biography
Coffee work here is tied first to formal study. At Boston University, Boram Um built the educational base that preceded his move into coffee entrepreneurship, with academic training later applied to company-building, production, and competition practice.
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The Route
A roasting company becomes useful to the trade when it connects sourcing, preparation, training, and market discipline. In 2015, Boram Um established UM Coffee Co. In São Paulo, Brazil, turning that structure into a working platform for coffee quality and service rather than a brand claim alone.
The Work Today
Roasting and preparation remain the active work at UM Coffee Co., where Boram Um focuses on the decisions that determine cup quality and service consistency. The company’s training academy frames coffee as a chain of roles, not a single-person performance, with attention to how production, roasting, brewing, and service affect one another. That same chain extends to farm-level work through Fazenda Um, where Boram Um is involved as a producer. His leadership roles at Luckin Coffee and Easy Brand place the same coffee practice in broader industry settings.
Career - Founder — UM Coffee Co., São Paulo, Brazil (2015–present) Education: Boston University
Distinctions
Barista titles measure repeatable skill across recipe development, sensory judgment, workflow, and service under competition rules. Boram Um was named World Barista Champion in 2023, after winning the Brazilian Barista Championship in 2021, 2020, and 2019.
FAQ Where did Boram Um train or study? Boram Um trained at Boston University. What recognition has Boram Um received? World Barista Champion (2023).
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