Meet June Simon, an all-rounder coffee professional born in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany. Nowadays June splits her time between Berlin and Hamburg juggling multiple responsibilities. She is half of Juel Coffee – a creative venture that she started with her sister dealing with coffee consulting, training and events. Additionally, she is a quality manager/analyst for a green coffee trader in Hamburg.
June is a Q Arabica Grader and a remarkably versatile and talented coffee competitor. She doesn’t specialize in just one aspect of coffee but she competes in latte art, cup tasting and brewing. She is the current German Cup Tasting V-ce Champion and the current German Brewers Cup Champion. Whenever she doesn’t compete, she helps her sister Ella when she is rivalling.
June, what is your first memory with coffee?
When I was a kid I spent the weekend at my grandparents’ place quite regularly. On Sundays, my granny always used to bake cake and in the afternoon when my parents came to pick me up we had coffee and cake together (a pretty German thing to do).
The adults had some filter coffee from a big thermos flask and I got a teapot of fruit tea. Everything was served in matching sets of cups, saucers and cake plates. Some of those sets she still has until today. Maybe that’s how my brain connected coffee with fruit tea (notes) early on.
Tell us a bit about Juel Coffee. What are your diverse roles in the project?
Juel Coffee is the company of my sister Ella (German Barista Champion 2023) and me. We’ve both worked in the coffee industry for many years – mostly freelance – and decided to join forces this year.
We aim to create more awareness and spread curiosity for coffee by sharing our knowledge through classes, when serving coffee at events or hosting public cuppings. My role in all of this is super diverse but doesn’t vary much from what Ella does. We both give classes (for coffee shops or home users), do coffee catering, compete at championships and host public cuppings at least once a month – sometimes together and sometimes just one of us.
The only thing that we kind of split the responsibilities for is accounting (my part) and creative/ social media (Ellas’s part), but even for those parts, we keep ourselves updated and involved.
How do you stay motivated and inspired to keep improving your coffee-making skills?
Keeping the motivation high can be a bit tricky on some days. Surrounding myself and exchanging with passionate people really helps. Almost as if their spark jumps over and revives my own little flame to then maybe be a spark for someone else that needs it. Staying open-minded and experimenting helps to improve your skills, as well as taking part in interesting classes and workshops – there’s always so much more to learn and explore!
Can you share a memorable moment from your coffee journey that deeply impacted you?
In February 2023 a massive dream of mine came true when I got the chance to join KaffeemacherInnen for their farm training in Nicaragua. After more than a decade of working with coffee, I finally made it to origin – that was so exciting.
To me, it was always important to go on a trip that was not just about visiting a farm for some beautiful pictures, but more about learning, living and working with the people on the farm. The time in Nicaragua was a bittersweet reality check. The country is so full of contrasts. Colourful houses, beautiful landscapes, peaceful nature and positive people right in the middle of absolute poverty, political difficulties and plastic waste polluting the environment. People that have so little, but somehow seem to be happier than a lot of the people from our wealthy, Western society.
This experience really helped me to reflect on my own way of living and to feel more gratitude for everyone and everything around me. Also, knowing how hard the production of green coffee is and what challenges producers are facing, really makes you appreciate coffee even more.
As the German Brewers Cup Champion, what was the most challenging part of your journey to the top, and how did you overcome it?
Competing is a lot about having the right mindset. When I first started competing in 2018 I did it just for the fun of it and out of curiosity. To see what it’s like. I didn’t expect to succeed in a notable way at all but managed to place within the top three in Latte Art. After that, the next competition felt less light. I started to feel pressure because people now seemed to have expectations of me. That’s something that grew a lot over the time and with every successful competition. I really stressed myself a lot and feared the moment that I would miserably fail and be a massive disappointment to others. Of course, that was all just in my head. So not making it to the next round at the Brewers Cup 23 was somehow a blessing. It didn’t feel great, but not as bad as I always imagined it to be and life went on. People didn’t think less of me.
I spent a lot of time thinking about my “why” regarding competitions. Why do I want to compete? Since finding my answer to that question I got a lot of my lightness back. Competing is fun again. I allow myself to stay curious with a playful mind, ask a lot of questions and don’t take everything too seriously.
I know that a lot of successful competitors share this fear and feel this pressure of expectations, especially when thinking of competing again after a longer pause or in another discipline. Please don’t let that stop you! Same for everyone that’s thinking of competing for the first time – do it for yourself and your own “why”.
Competing in the World Championship is a huge milestone. How are you planning to prepare for it?
Luckily I already had the pleasure of working and training with a true World Class Coach – Janine de Laar. So the training for the national competition was already on a very high standard regarding its structure and procedure. There will be slight adjustments for the preparation for Jakarta, but no massive changes. As Jakarta is still a few months away the preparation process is rather a marathon than a sprint. The most important part is finding the right green coffee and keeping the motivation high for a long period of time.
Trying outstanding coffees definitely helps with the motivation part!
How do you balance being both a competitive barista and an entrepreneur?
I won’t lie – it’s tough. Each day has only a limited amount of hours and next to Juel Coffee and the competitions, there’s this thing called social life that I also try to maintain. What really helps is my strong (and understanding) support system. One central character of it is for sure my sister Ella.
Juel Coffee is our shared company, so all of the work and challenges that come with running a business is shared. That way the workload doesn’t get too overwhelming for one of us alone – we help each other out.
What is also very special is that there is a mutual understanding between Ella and me when it comes to competitions as she is also a competition barista herself. In 2023 she won the German Barista Championship and represented Germany in Athens last year. So again, we help each other out. She’s supporting me for my competitions and I support her when she’s competing.
Next to having my sister in my support system, I’m also very grateful for having a very understanding husband. Doing both – work and competitions – ultimately means less time for just the two of us and listening to all of my ideas, concerns and “bla bla/mimimi ” before a competition is probably very exhausting at times. It really helps that he (like basically most of my social environment) also works in the coffee industry to discuss coffee-related ideas together.
What advice would you give to aspiring baristas who want to make a mark in the coffee industry?
Find your why. Why do you want to compete? Is there an interesting coffee you found and want to share with an audience, people you want to support by using this platform, a fancy new dripper you discovered or simply for the curiosity and fun of it all? Your why can stay private – You don’t have to share it, but it helps whenever motivation might drop.
Also, stay curious and open-minded. Try to exchange with people that might have competed themselves already and don’t hesitate to ask questions.
Most importantly, choose a coffee and a routine that you love, not something you think will have the best chance to win. You will spend so much time with this coffee, so choose something you enjoy drinking and stay authentic on stage. Even if things don’t turn out as planned you will have a damn good time.
Quick Fire Questions for June Simon
Would you serve filter coffee with milk if asked for it?
Yes, but I would recommend trying the coffee as it is first. If milk is still requested then, of course, I’ll serve it. Everyone can enjoy their coffee like they prefer.
Do you ever take sugar with your coffee?
No, but sometimes a little salt.
Espresso or Filter coffee?
Filter coffee.
Milky or Black?
Black.
Do you aim for Sweetness, Acidity, or Body?
Ideally the balance of all three. If that’s not possible, then sweetness.
Slurp or Spit?
Slurp.
Cake or Pastry with your coffee?
Both are great, but after the coffee.
Hobby besides coffee?
I’m a massive crafty and always have a knitting project with me.
Favourite piece of barista equipment?
My pink cup – all the coffees taste a little sweeter in it
The number one coffee shop in Europe that every coffee geek should visit:
The Good Coffee Society in Vienna.
