Hrishi Mohite

Hrishi Mohite

All Hrishi wanted was to fill his time after college with a part-time job. So, he popped by his local McDonald’s. Three months later he was slinging coffees in the McCafe division, his patrons’ smiles inspiring him to push on. 

Back then, specialty coffee was something alien to Hrishi.“You can call me a noob,” he sheepishly smiles. “I was not aware of many things.” The turning point came one day when he tried an incredible coffee at a Third Wave specialty coffee roastery. Hrishi recalls that experience: “An Aeropress of an Indian specialty coffee estate known as MS estate.”

Three years later, he is now a professional roaster with a specialty coffee company. Daily, he brews, cups, and roasts beans, so that the coffee quality he produces comes out consistently top-notch. Sixteen cafes are under his belt, so he plays a big role in ensuring each cup comes out just as delicious. He is incredibly proud of the role he plays. His parents share that pride. Hrishi remembers how proud his parents were when they first visited his roastery, as he explained his big part in the coffee chain. 

Hrishi Mohite

Hrishi sets high goals for himself. He has won the All India McCafe Championship and plans on going bigger from there.

“For me, success is winning the national barista championship and representing my country (India). I want to wave my countries’ flag and make it proud.”

Unfortunately, it isn’t always all smooth sailing. Hrishi likes thinking of himself as a positive person, but he recalls a rough experience he had back in the National Barista Championships 2018. “I ended up in the semi-finals, but because of just 2 marks, I lost the chance to proceed to the finals. That hit me so badly, I locked myself in my room for the next couple of days.”

Hrishi has since learned a lesson to keep a positive mind and to be ready for new challenges. Covid-19’s impact on competitions act as yet another challenge to overcome, but this time, he will be ready.

“I have changed a lot. Specialty coffee has taught me a lot of things, that I have to keep developing, and keep experimenting.”

What a story! Let’s wish Hrishi the best of luck as he gets ready to take on the future coffee competitions. 

If you travel to India one day, you can find Hrishi at The third wave coffee roasters in Bangalore.

Article by Sean Yew

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