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Barista & Cacao Beverage Development Specialist — Bali

Bali, Indonesia | Full-time | On-site

Create memorable experiences around coffee, cacao and chocolate

IKAT is building a new kind of cacao and chocolate company in Indonesia. We work closely with origin, ingredients and production to create products and experiences that combine excellent quality with transparency, reciprocity, regeneration and respect.

For our guest-facing concept in Bali, we are looking for a technically strong and genuinely warm barista who is excited not only about coffee, but also about cacao, chocolate and the development of distinctive non-alcoholic drinks.

This is not only a classic barista position. You will help us develop how guests experience and understand IKAT through beverages, service and product knowledge.

What you will do

• Prepare espresso-based drinks, manual brews and other beverages to a consistently high standard.

• Develop original cacao-, chocolate- and coffee-based drinks by testing ingredients, refining recipes and documenting results; standardise portions and preparation methods for consistent reproduction.

• Provide warm, attentive and professional service, explaining ingredients, flavours and product origins clearly and naturally to guests.

• Maintain high standards of cleanliness, hygiene and machine care.

• Support inventory, ordering and preparation planning, and contribute to menu development, costing and practical bar workflows.

• Help train team members as the concept develops.

What we are looking for

• Proven professional barista experience, with three or more years preferred, and strong practical skills in espresso extraction, grinder calibration and milk texturing.

• Good sensory awareness and attention to flavour, balance and consistency.

• Experience developing drinks or improving recipes, with a structured approach to testing, documenting and refining them.

• Genuine curiosity about cacao, chocolate and Indonesian ingredients. Hands-on cacao or chocolate experience is an advantage; a strong learning mindset is essential if this is new to you.

• Warm, confident and respectful guest communication, with professional English and fluent Bahasa Indonesia.

• Reliable organisation and the ability to work independently.

• Indonesian citizenship and availability for full-time on-site work in Bali.

The kind of person who will thrive at IKAT

You care about the details, but you do not lose sight of the guest. You are curious enough to experiment, disciplined enough to create consistent results and humble enough to keep learning. You enjoy explaining products without sounding scripted and take responsibility for the quality of your work.

A place with personality

We’re creating a small café in Penestanan, Ubud, a leafy neighbourhood on the Sayan side, close to town. The space is being thoughtfully designed with plenty of greenery and room for around 20 guests. We expect to open in late December 2026.

You’ll join before opening, when your main focus will be developing, testing and refining cacao-led drinks, then documenting the recipes so the team can prepare them consistently. You’ll work directly with the founders and a close-knit team.

We’re looking for real people with real character: warm, curious and happy to put care into their work. We want guests to feel a genuine connection, not a scripted “just serving” interaction. If you enjoy creating drinks, sharing what you know and making people feel welcome in your own natural way, you’ll fit in well here.
Compensation will depend on experience, practical skills and the level of responsibility you can take on.

Interested?

Continue to the short application questionnaire. It takes approximately 8–10 minutes.

Please answer based on what you have personally done. We value real experience, curiosity, warmth and consistent execution more than polished application language.

To complete your application, please also email your CV as a PDF to michael@ikat-cacao.com.