Frans

Name: Frans Bartul Haswell
DOB: August 18th, 1974
Residence: Bainbridge Island, WA
Occupation: Barista

Frans Haswell has not always lived in Washington state, but just recently transplanted there from his native Denmark. Born in Coppenhagen, the child of wealthy coffee heir Bas Haswell and his wife Beatrix nee’ Svensdotter, Frans displayed a knack for the family business from an early age. Much to the joy of his parents, before he could walk Frans could differentiate between good and bad Espresso beans. By the time Frans hit puberty he was already influential in selecting blends for the Haswell Coffe Co.
Although Frans life has been one of wealth and privilege he has not been content to sit idly by waiting for his inheritance (estimated at 328m). Instead he has been a fierce competitor in the World Barista Championship since its inception in 2000. In the last four years Frans has made the semifinals, but was defeated. Haswell believes judges are not being unbiased in their scoring because of his name and family history. In an attempt to cancel out any preconceived notions judges have of him Frans very publicly separated himself from his family and moved to the Americas.
This got the Coffee world buzzing with speculation that it was just a ruse, but reporters have discovered that Frans is no longer heir to the Haswell coffee fortune. Many have lauded his recent move as the most noble act in the history of Coffee and it has helped add to the legend of his brewing prowess. Once in Bainbridge Frans opened a small coffee shop and began amassing a cult like following. People from all over the state of Washington have flocked to the small and rainy island to get a sniff of his roasting beans and stand in line for hours just to have a sip.
Many believe Haswell will sweep the World Barista Championships this year when they are held for the first time outside of Europe or the US in Japan. It is exciting to note that having the WBC hosted in an Asian country marks the significant increase in Asian consumption of coffee (historically tea drinkers). Frans is very confident that he will be a good ambassador of coffee to Japan and will give his Asian brothers in coffee a treat they will not soon forget.
Frans has not encountered much in the way of obstacles in his life aside from perceived biases of judges, but he does possess a great deal of character and self confidence. His father, Bas, known for being hard nosed and emotionless was very proud that his son struck out on his own and said this, “My son has made me so very proud. It is the ultimate honor to a parent to know that their child has exceeded their expectations.”