KEY POINTS:
Julianne Frith will be part of this year's Olympic support team in Beijing - but she won't be there to help with the sports.
The 21-year-old will be keeping the athletes awake and amping with her coffee-making skills.
Miss Frith, a food and beverage supervisor at the Novotel
and Ibis hotels in Ellerslie, has been chosen as the team's barista - a special role created this year.
She will work from a stand in the athlete's village making up to 500 cups of coffee a day for athletes, support staff and visitors.
"It's totally different from my normal position so it will be really interesting, the whole energy and the environment," Miss Firth said.
"It will be great to see the athletes all excited and nervous before their games."
She will work around the athletes' timetables, travelling into the village most days from her hotel with other support team members.
If she gets a break, Miss Frith hopes to watch the Dunedin-based synchronised swimming sisters Lisa and Nina Daniels compete and do a bit of sight-seeing around China.
"I was told to be prepared not to get a day off but they'll do their best."
New Zealand Olympic Committee secretary-general Barry Maister said the team had always had coffee machines and staff assigned to "coffee duty" but this was the first time they were taking a professional barista.
Miss Frith's flights and accommodation will be paid for by the committee and Accor - a principal sponsor of the Kiwi Olympic team - and she will earn her usual wage as well as receiving some spending money.
Accor invited employees to apply for the role and Miss Frith was one of four finalists interviewed by a committee panel including previous Olympians triathlete Hamish Carter and mountainbiker Robyn Wong, Commonwealth Games rugby sevens gold medallist Dallas Seymour and chef de mission Dave Currie.
Mr Currie said Miss Firth would add "real value" to the team.
"We were impressed with Julianne's understanding of the inspirational high-performance environment we are creating in Beijing."
Miss Frith has worked for Accor for more than two years and has won numerous hospitality awards including Waiter of the Year at last year's Culinary Fare in Auckland.
Accor's vice-president for New Zealand and Fiji, Paul Richardson, said: "This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and Julianne is proud to be ... using her skills and enthusiasm to make the most of the experience."
Miss Frith will fly to Beijing on Saturday. The Games start on August 8.