Kyle Ramage is the 2017 United States Barista Champion and was a finalist and finished sixth in the World Barista Championships held in Seoul, South Korea. Kyle worked in Durham at Mahlkönig USA, a subsidiary of a German maker of high-end commercial coffee grinders that is based in an office park next to Bennett Place State Historic Site. Last year’s winner was Lem Butler, a Durham-based coffee roaster at Counter Culture Coffee. Butler coached Ramage throughout the process. Ramage is the first winner to come from outside a coffeeshop or roastery, but he spent years behind the coffee bar.
Originally from Mississippi, the 29-year-old moved to the area to study theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and began working at Jubala Coffee, a shop in Raleigh, while he was in school. Butler, the former U.S. champion, first met Ramage at Jubala, when he was the Counter Culture customer support representative for the cafe. Kyle and Lem recently purchased Back Alley Coffee Roasters in Wake Forest, North Carolina.
Originally from Mississippi, the 29-year-old moved to the area to study theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and began working at Jubala Coffee, a shop in Raleigh, while he was in school. Butler, the former U.S. champion, first met Ramage at Jubala, when he was the Counter Culture customer support representative for the cafe. Kyle and Lem recently purchased Back Alley Coffee Roasters in Wake Forest, North Carolina.
