The award-winning roaster and barista displays on communist Romania, the place espresso was a valuable commodity—and the way she, and her nation, have grown since then.
BY MICHAEL BUTTERWORTH
FOR BARISTA MAGAZINE
Photographs by Paula Detesan
Delia Avram is enjoying chess along with her son, Vladimir, at her espresso store, Rox Specialty Espresso, in Baia Mare, Romania, when Barista Journal calls. Delia turns the digicam round on her telephone to show the board.
“I misplaced for the primary time,” she says, sounding slightly stunned. Principally she is happy with her son, although. Competitors, in spite of everything, runs within the household. Delia is simply again at her café after a whirlwind journey to the Victoria Arduino manufacturing facility in Belforte del Chienti, Italy.
“I gained finest barista abilities at a contest on the CoffeEast competition,” she says. “The prize was a go to to the manufacturing facility.”
The journey to Italy is the most recent addition to a protracted record of espresso competitors accolades. Most notably, Delia gained the Roast Masters competitors in Milan in 2023, and the Romanian Barista Championship in 2019. In 2024, Delia competed within the Romanian Barista and Brewers Cup competitions on the identical day, and positioned high six in each.
“I’m a sporty particular person. I wish to compete. I wish to win,” she says.
However Delia shouldn’t be merely a espresso competitors contender. She’s a serial entrepreneur who balances competing with operating a number of companies, together with her café, Rox, and the wholesale espresso roaster Arusha Roastery.
Delia’s different accomplishments within the espresso business are maybe stunning contemplating that when she first labored as a barista, Delia didn’t drink espresso. “I beloved the scent of espresso, however I by no means favored the style,” she says. “I by no means understood why individuals drank it.”
In Delia’s household, nevertheless, espresso was a cherished ritual. “My mother would have me make espresso within the morning with a Moka pot. She would inform me to ensure I bought all the espresso out,” she says.
In communist Romania, espresso was a valuable commodity. With extensive shortages and bans on imports, most Romanians within the Eighties brewed a beverage known as Nechezol, a espresso substitute constructed from roasted oats and chickpeas and that solely contained hint quantities of precise espresso. So Delia’s dad and mom relied on work journeys overseas for espresso procurement.
“My dad was bringing espresso from Germany as a result of it wasn’t simple to purchase throughout the communist period,” says Delia. “My dad and mom weren’t capable of finding espresso within the grocery store. Even if you happen to had cash, there was nothing to purchase; the cabinets had been empty.”
Romania’s communist dictatorship led to December 1989, and Delia was born a couple of weeks later in January 1990. The Nineties had been a turbulent time in Romania as the brand new authorities initiated reforms and privatized business. By the 2000s, nevertheless, the economic system was rising and metropolis facilities like Bucharest quickly had been dwelling to a rising variety of specialty-coffee outlets, together with Coftale, an early pioneer within the Romanian specialty-coffee scene.
Based mostly on a good friend’s advice, Delia agreed to strive a espresso there. “I ordered a cappuccino. I keep in mind it even right this moment,” she says. “I attempted it earlier than including sugar. It was good.”
On a whim, Delia requested the proprietor for a job. “I wished to know why the espresso right here was so completely different than all the espresso I tasted,” she says. Delia bought the job and threw herself into her new vocation.
“What I all the time do in life, regardless of the topic, I attempt to perceive. I search for one of the best individuals within the discipline and skim their work. I begin from there,” she says. “I attempt to perceive the idea, and begin with the sensible.”
From Disqualified to Champion
A turning level in Delia’s profession occurred when she found barista competitions—she instantly knew she wished to compete. She entered the 2017 Romanian Barista Championship with little background info and solely a imprecise concept of what she wished to say.
“I used to be very underprepared. I had the concept in my thoughts. I by no means did a routine begin to finish,” says Delia. “I used to be not in a position to serve my signature drink, and I used to be disqualified.”
Many first-time opponents would view getting disqualified as a crushing defeat, however Delia was impressed to return again extra ready the next yr. Extra importantly, she realized she favored being on stage.
“I discovered I like doing this. I truly loved being there,” says Delia. “I actually loved making espresso for the judges.”
By this time, Delia had relocated to Cluj, Romania’s second-largest metropolis, and was working for Meron, a roaster-retailer with greater than 20 places across the nation. Armed with a bigger assist group and with entry to higher-end microlots, Delia ready for the 2018 Romania Barista Championship in a extra regimented trend.
“I went from being disqualified to being second place,” she says. However relatively than being excited on the dramatic enchancment, Delia found a irritating mistake within the competitor debriefing. “I misplaced first place as a result of I forgot the napkins,” says Delia. Napkins are one of many necessary equipment for World Espresso Occasions barista competitors, and the factors deducted for having missed this element had been sufficient to maneuver Delia from first to second place. “That made me extra motivated to work more durable, be cleaner and extra environment friendly, to decide on a espresso and ship it one of the simplest ways I can brew it,” she says.
She additionally discovered a beneficial lesson about espresso competitions: “Learn the foundations. Learn them twice. Know them by coronary heart,” she says.
The third time would show to be the appeal for Delia. In 2019, Delia gained the Romanian Barista Championship and would go on to symbolize her nation on the World Barista Championship in Boston. The possibility to symbolize your complete nation on a worldwide scale “affirms all the work you’ve put in,” she says.
Delia’s proudest achievement within the espresso business, nevertheless, was profitable the Roast Masters competitors on the Milan Espresso Competition in 2023. The title got here with a big money prize, however Delia was most excited to have fun profitable along with her youthful brother, who labored as her assistant all through the competitors. “I used to be so completely satisfied as a result of we did it, and he was there to assist me,” she says.
Homeward Certain
Regardless of her quite a few achievements and rising repute, the challenges of balancing profession and household started to meet up with Delia.
“As Vladimir began to develop, I started to overlook my household,” she says. “Cluj is a giant metropolis. I used to be waking up. Making meals for my child. Taking him to kindergarten. Working within the roastery. I didn’t have time for a espresso.”
Delia determined to maneuver to Baia Mare to be nearer to household. She even thought-about leaving the espresso business. “Transferring again dwelling, I used to be compelled to see what I might do,” she says.
Baia Mare is a comparatively small metropolis of roughly 100,000 individuals, so when Delia returned, she was stunned to seek out the specialty-coffee market had already been tapped. A café crawl round her hometown, nevertheless, revealed some white house to Delia.
“There was no place that delivered the expertise I used to be anticipating,” she says. “I wished to have a spot as a press release so I can present individuals how hospitality needs to be.”
Delia rapidly discovered a potential location, however had a restricted funds for transforming. “We opened a espresso store with solely 40,000 euros,” she says. “We needed to renovate every little thing. I discovered the arduous approach how building works.”
Along with her restricted funds going towards the transforming, there wasn’t cash left over for an espresso machine. A loaner machine from Meron allowed Delia to open Rox and switch a revenue, enabling her to purchase her personal tools. “Within the huge image, it’s essential maintain the individuals, the place, the vegetation—it’s not solely espresso,” she says.
Regardless of the challenges, Delia’s repute as a barista champion helped construct the model. “We did no advertising on-line,” she says. “Folks knew I moved again dwelling and opened a espresso store.”
It appeared Delia’s dream was lastly coming collectively when she confronted an sudden hurdle. “A couple of months after we opened, the Ukrainian conflict began. Everybody was actually scared,” she says.
Baia Mare is simply 70 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, and residents had been anxious that Russian missiles would possibly strike their metropolis. Quickly, town was welcoming Ukrainian refugees fleeing the battle.
“I stated, ‘OK, we’re going to brew espresso. We don’t wish to run away or transfer from right here. We will likely be right here brewing espresso for whoever comes by,’” she recollects.
A Countryside Roastery
When Rox Specialty Espresso first opened, Delia seemed to Meron to be her wholesale roaster. However that didn’t final lengthy. When she was employed by Meron, Delia labored in sourcing inexperienced espresso, roasting, and high quality management. She had traveled to the London College of Espresso to take roasting programs with Specialty Espresso Affiliation teacher Morten Münchow.
As Rox bought up and operating, Delia discovered herself lacking roasting. And the work she had completed at Meron, she says, “gave me the boldness I wanted.”
Delia supplemented her roasting training by studying books by longtime specialty-coffee professionals Scott Rao and Rob Hoos. “I began doing the experiments within the books—I wasn’t simply studying,” she says. “It took me a yr to assimilate all of this info and make it my very own.”
Now, whereas operating Rox Specialty Espresso, Delia started to think about what it could be wish to open her personal roastery. “Within the roastery, it’s essential concentrate on the espresso. I wished it to be a quiet place with stunning surroundings. I selected a village close to my metropolis,” says Delia.
There was just one drawback: The distant construction she wished to construct out didn’t have electrical energy. “It’s very troublesome. Nearly inconceivable,” she says of the method of bringing electrical energy out to the constructing. “It took us 4 or 5 months.”
However Delia was decided to make the house work. She bought a P-III collection, 5-kilo fuel Probat espresso roaster, which arrived earlier than the constructing was wired for electrical energy. Ever resourceful, Delia “began roasting on a generator. We didn’t have the posh to attend—we had huge payments to pay,” she says.
For Delia, opening Arusha Roastery allowed her to supply and roast coffees that expressed her persona and roasting philosophy. “It’s not the right technique to brew espresso, it’s the best way Delia likes it,” she says. Even the choice to call her roasting model Arusha, a uncommon espresso selection grown in Tanzania, displays Delia’s determination to heart espresso’s origin.
“We supply espresso from all all over the world. We ship three origins on espresso and 5 on filter,” she says. “Arusha is a press release that we care about espresso.”
Seeking to the Future
As a longtime barista competitor and enterprise proprietor, it could be simple for Delia to relaxation on her laurels. However at the same time as she prepares to welcome her second little one, she additionally has plans for the long run that target neighborhood constructing and client training.
“We’ve been guiding individuals the way to brew espresso for some years now. We made some movies throughout the pandemic, principally to not repeat myself,” Delia says. “These movies went viral on YouTube.”
Now Delia is sort of able to launch a Romanian-language platform for client espresso training, full with new video modules. “Folks must know extra. Sequential steps. I can educate you. It’s not rocket science,” she says.
However make no mistake, Delia shouldn’t be retiring from the competitors scene any time quickly. “I nonetheless wish to return to the Worlds,” she says. “I’ve one thing to say there.”
This text initially appeared within the October + November 2025 problem of Barista Journal. Learn extra of the difficulty on-line right here without cost.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael Butterworth (he/him) is an Approved SCA Coach and the co-founder of Etkin Design. He publishes the The Espresso Compass on Substack.
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