We recently mentioned Jonathan Meadows and Nathan Shelton held a Latte Art Throwdown at Stir Coffee. The two men are former White Rock Coffee baristas, and are also the owners of Cultivar Coffee and Tea Company. The company, which you can order from online since there is no store front, sells its coffee to several neighborhood coffee shops as well as local residents. The coffee its roasted to order, mailed every Thursday, and shipping is free for residents of Dallas proper. The co-owners also have another coffee competition ahead of them, only this time the challenge is for the South Central Regional Barista Competition from March 31– April 3 in St. Louis, Missouri. The competition challenges the skills and technique of baristas from several states in the southern U.S. Meadows competed for the first time in 2010 and placed fifth in the regional competition. “That was the first stamp of approval on me as a coffee professional, I felt like I made pretty good coffee, but I never had that professional feedback,” Meadows says. He says there are six different regional competitions in the U.S. and the winners of each of those competitions will go on to the U.S. competition. Meadows also says the challenge is fun, but it’s also something the competitors take very seriously. “I think the barista competitions create a little bit more respect for the coffee industry,” Meadows says. For more information, call 469.544.8848.