He also won the latte art competition, taking home a total of B15,000 in prize money and a place in the national finals in Bangkok, to be held in March 2013.
Chakrit, 28, is originally from Phang Nga but has been living and working in Phuket for the last four years. He is employed as a barista at the Garage Cafe in Kamala.
Winning both competitions was a “dream come true”, says Chakrit, but says he must now lift his standards even higher for the national finals in Bangkok.
Chakrit qualified in first place for the final in the regional competition, and fought off competition from five others to take out first place. There were four others in the latte art section.
Chakrit was trained by local coffee guru Danny Hyams from Phuket Coffee Lab, who also owns the Garage Cafe.