Lucky

This man is a bit of a legend, though “a bit” is an understatement. Considered one of the OGs in the Singapore specialty coffee scene, Lucky Salvador has worn the hat of many roles in the industry. Starting off as a barista, he progressed to become a trainer, competed in throwdowns and national competitions, took on the role as head of coffee for a few coffeeshops, and is currently calling home in an African theme café-restaurant where he manages the coffee program as well as picking up the intricate art of roasting.  

Lucky started his career with coffee sometime in the late 2000s, working in a coffee chain in the Philippines, learning the fundamentals of coffee brewing and the fact that coffee is a fruit. Months into his role as a barista, Lucky wanted to challenge himself by doing something different with the way he serves his coffee. Going onto YouTube, he found latte art, and that’s where he began to emulate the videos he’d watched and started pouring latte art in the coffee shop. Now, this was a time when most milk beverages were served without latte art. The company recognized Lucky’s talent and effort, so they promoted him to senior barista so he could train the rest of the team. 

Lucky Salvador - Barista / Roaster at Kafe Utu

Lucky participated in a competition for the first time in 2010, and it was the Philippines National Barista Championship. This was a period where competitions were not very common, so a lot of the routines presented then were very rudimentary – competitors were talking about how basic brew variables and giving a step-by-step commentary on what they were doing. Lucky, on the other hand, prepared for the competition by learning from winning routines in the World Championship through YouTube.  

That hard work and dedication put into his research and training rewarded him the title of Philippines’ first National Barista Champion, and that opened the door to many new opportunities in which he was invited to work with Forty Hands, one of Singapore’s first specialty café. His competence led him to be recommended as part of Tiong Bahru Bakery’s founding team, as well as his later role as Head of Coffee for Common Man Coffee Roasters. 

One way to stay relevant in the industry as well as make sure he’s constantly at the best of his game, Lucky would save up to visit Melbourne twice a year just to measure himself against some of the best baristas in the world as well as to learn from them. Lucky has since then gone on to become very active in the competition circuit, competing twice in Singapore’s National Brewers Cup, Fushan Cup 2018, the AeroPress Championship for Australia and many other brew-downs – all these while gaining valuable experiences and friendships.  

The definition of having fun at work and constant experimentation also led to the creation of one of Common Man Coffee Roaster’s popular house-blend, the Lucky Basterd, a 50-50% blend of Ethiopian and Guatemala.

When I asked Lucky what motivates him, the response he gave was simple. It was all about the continuous growth and learning. Joining all the small throwdowns and coffee events gave him an opportunity to exchange knowledge with others who were better. When you look at him, you’d get a sensing that this is a man with a wealth of knowledge and that he knows it all already, but Lucky remains ever humble, always wanting to absorb knowledge from people around as well as that deep desire to learn and progress continuously.