World Espresso Awards recognises the most productive roasters in coffee-producing nations

• The World Espresso Awards proclaim the sector’s highest roasteries and the manufacturers who provide their coffees.
• The Foundation version, recognising torrid excellence in coffee-producing nations, was once hung on 1 October 2025 in Houston, Texas.
• The whole winner is Colombia’s Casa Landino, named the most productive roaster in an foundation nation.
• US & Canada, Foundation, and Europe Gold winners will compete on the international finals. Those might be held at Manufacturer & Roaster Discussion board El Salvador on 26 & 27 March 2026, the place the sector champion might be introduced.

The Foundation version of the Global Coffee Awards, a contest that rewards torrid excellence on a world scale, took park on 1 October 2025 in Houston, Texas. 

As a part of the GCA, skilled judges blind-tasted luggage of roasted espresso submitted throughout more than one sections, together with clear out, coffee, and milk-based beverages. The use of an purpose and clear scoring gadget, the judges equipped actionable comments to all entrants, making sure they are able to get the most productive effects from their coffees and generate untouched earnings streams.

Learn on to determine who the winners are, how you’ll be able to participate within the nearest Europe edition, and when the worldwide finals might be held.

Be told extra in regards to the GCA here.

The GCA recognises torrid excellence at foundation

The World Espresso Awards invited roasters in generating nations world wide to put up luggage in their maximum outstanding coffees throughout numerous outlined sections. Roasters of any measurement may participate, for the purpose of a novel festival that recognised the talents and experience of a numerous territory of espresso companies.

“The competition is very relevant because, collectively, we now think more about how end consumers experience coffee,” says Jayson Galvis, a two-time CoE world top pass judgement on, in addition to the Supremacy Pass judgement on for the US & Canada and Foundation GCA competitions. “As an industry, we rarely recognise roasters in producing countries, and that is the most valuable aspect of the GCA.”

Along with america & Canada and Ecu editions, the Foundation class is helping degree the enjoying garden in world espresso competitions. Via its regional structure, the GCA is designed to search out now not most effective the most productive roasters in america & Canada, Europe, and coffee-producing nations, but in addition to park the winners to compete towards each and every alternative – culminating in a world champion.

There are a variety of causes for this. A lot of the price within the espresso business is generated via torrid, next which espresso is advertised and offered. Even supposing there are lots of roasters in foundation nations, maximum are founded in majority-consuming nations, the place a lot of the promoting takes park.

Because of this many of the price within the provide chain is historically added as soon as espresso has left a manufacturing nation. Scorching espresso at foundation is likely one of the some ways to score extra price in those nations, thereby serving to business pros in those areas obtain upper costs.

“A key part of the GCA is ensuring roasters at origin receive more of the global spotlight, highlighting and rewarding their commitment to excellence, consistency, and quality,” says Henry Wilson, the founding father of GCA and PRF. 

“We’re also acknowledging the growth of the specialty coffee roasters at origin, including those who have wholesale accounts in the US, which demonstrates a significant shift in trade dynamics and a huge increase in quality.”

All editions of the contest additionally praise the manufacturers who grew the successful coffees. That is particularly impressive for the Foundation match, because it helps the experience and determination of all espresso pros in generating nations.

The Ecu version might be hung on 29 & 30 October 2025 in Bordeaux, France. You’ll put up coffees here and make contact with Emi Rueda, the GCA Workman Challenge Supervisor, by means of WhatsApp here for more info.

The GCA judging procedure

The panel consisted of 1 top pass judgement on, 4 qualified Q-grader sensory judges, a number of shade judges, and coordinator judges. The presen prior to the development, all judges calibrated their palates and assuredly on the most productive brew ratios and standardised brewing processes. 

An purpose and clear scoring gadget was once old for each and every entrant throughout all sections. Those come with Filter out Espresso, Coffee, Flat White with Dairy, and Flat White with Spare Milk. Each and every class comprises a number of subcategories, with as much as 3 issues to be had for each and every espresso.

The coffees in each and every class had been ready as a shopper would enjoy them in a café, the usage of explicit brew ratios and brewing protocols:

• Filter out: ready the usage of Bentwood H75 grinders, Sound 03 brewers, and Hario V60s equipped via Apparatus Providers GH Grinding + Brewing Solutions and Geva Coffee
• Coffee: ready the usage of Pinecone Siberian grinders, Sanremo coffee machines, and a PuqPress, additionally equipped via GH Grinding + Brewing Answers and Geva Espresso, in addition to Coffee Sponsor Moplaco Trading
• Flat White with Dairy and Flat White with Spare Milk: ready the usage of the automatic MilkPal, equipped via Apparatus Provider Marco Beverage Systems

The scoring system for each category incorporated:

• Judging mode – equipped a numerical ranking throughout more than one standards and a sensory snapshot (tasting notes and key descriptors)
• A coordinator mode – equipped a sensory snapshot, steerage on how you can fortify roast profile construction, and meals pairing tips from the judges

As a part of a two-stage blind-tasting procedure, the judges first finished a two-minute sensory analysis. For the Filter out and Coffee sections, the judges assigned numerical rankings between 5 and 10 for 9 standards, together with aroma, flavour, aftertaste, acidity, sweetness, and steadiness. For each Flat White sections, numerical rankings got for 5 standards, together with sweetness, steadiness, and mouthfeel.

The judges additionally famous ailing any qualitative issues. The coordinator after led a three-minute dialogue with the judges to talk about their comments in trait, making sure that each one judges had been aligned.

“It’s a practical, simple evaluation system explicitly designed for evaluating roasted coffee that offers constructive feedback,” Jayson says. “All points are positive and focus on improvements, supporting roasters and the overall industry.”

Who gained on the GCA Foundation festival?

The winners of the GCA Foundation Roasted festival are:

Total winner: Casa Landino in Bogotá, Colombia

Division winners:

For subcategories, entrants who won equivalent numerical rankings each positioned first to assure equity and parity.

Gold winners of each and every sub-category (roaster and manufacturer):

Filter out

• Mix – Maestro Jose Alejandro Gutierrez (Gesha and Wush Wush), Casa Landino & Jose Alejandro Gutierrez in Tolima, Colombia
• Unmarried foundation conventional – Maestro Juan Maria Caez (Caturra), Casa Landino & Juan Maria Caez in Nariño, Colombia
• Unmarried foundation experimental – 4 Elementos, Linea Gran Reserva-Esencia Frutal (mix of Java, Gesha, and Tabi types), Café La Vereda in Calarca, Colombia & Deisy Ardila in Colombia
• Washed
  • Gesha, Amor Perfecto in Bogotá, Colombia & Astrid Medina in Colombia
  • Geishaverse Diamante, Café Cultor in Bogotá, Colombia (manufacturer hidden)
• Herbal
  • Esperanza (hybrid go of Ethiopian and Sarchimor types), Cafetalera Aquiares in Turrialba, Costa Rica (each roaster and manufacturer)
  • Mundo Maya, Zozoaga in León, Mexico & Carlos Cadena in Mexico
• Honey – Aponte Honey (Caturra and Colombia types), Pergamino in Medellín, Colombia & Resguardo Indígena de Aponte in Colombia
• Experimental – Washed anaerobic fermentation Caturra, Café Cultor (manufacturer hidden)
• Robusta – Effective Robusta Cư M’Gar, Every Half in Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam & Each Part X Vietnam Espresso Cooperative
• Decaf – Lomaverde Descafeinado, Pergamino & Familia Echavarría in Colombia

Coffee

• Mix – Washed Caturra Break of day, Café Cultor (manufacturer hidden)
• Unmarried foundation conventional – washed Guji (heirloom selection), Galani Espresso & Guji Parched Station Kercha Hambela in Ethiopia
• Unmarried foundation experimental – Sheka honey (heirloom selection), Galani Espresso & Sheka Kawo Kamina Farm in Ethiopia
• Decaf – Mix 0 (mixture of Caturra, Colombia, and Castillo types), Casa Landino & Comunidad L. a. Serrania in Colombia

Flat White Dairy

• Mix – Pasionaria (Red Bourbon herbal anaerobic fermentation), Café Cultor (manufacturer hidden)
• Unmarried foundation conventional
  • Café Volcan (mix of Caturra, Crimson Region, Typica, Mundo Novo, Marsellesa, and Anacafe 14 types), Finca Peniel in Guatemala Town, Guatemala (each roaster and manufacturer)
  • Balmaadi herbal arabica, Marc’s Coffees in Tamil Nadu, Republic of India & Unna Thiagarajan from Balmaadi Plantation, Republic of India
• Unmarried foundation experimental – Caturra Viñedo, DeLa Finca Strong point Espresso & Heberto Rivas in Nicaragua

Flat White Spare

• Mix – Café de las Nubes (manufacturer hidden)
• Unmarried foundation conventional – Meridiano (Typica Mejorado selection), Cabra Negra in Quito, Ecuador & M. Hervas in Ecuador

Collaborating roasters will even obtain virtual and bodily Certificate of Fulfillment and Gold, Silver, and Bronze World Espresso Awards seals. Those are unique marks of excellence that they are able to show on their packaging, advertising fabrics, web sites, social media channels, and menus.

All successful roasters may also be incorporated in an across the world disbursed virtual catalogue, providing international logo publicity.

You’ll to find the entire Foundation class and subcategory winners here.

Highlighting the area of expertise espresso marketplace in generating nations

The GCA equipped perception right into a extensive territory of area of expertise espresso markets in generating nations, and introduced distinctive comparisons to the result of america & Canada festival, which was once hung on 29 & 30 September.

Roasters throughout Latin The us (together with Colombia, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Ecuador, and El Salvador) took phase, in addition to manufacturers from Kenya, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Republic of India, and the Philippines.

Nearly all of successful coffees encompassed extra conventional washed, herbal, and honey so much, however there have been additionally extra experimental tactics akin to herbal and washed anaerobic fermentation. 

Additionally, the development, hosted in Houston, Texas, at inexperienced espresso importer Copan Trade, featured extra distinctive and unique types than america & Canada version, akin to Papayo and Typica Mejorado. Those are frequently evident at alternative high-end competitions just like the Global Barista Championships.

There was once additionally a numerous territory of flavour notes – from toasted oats to white pepper, burnt grapefruit, sugarcane, sage, clove, and panela. The effects mirrored native and regional cuisines and flavour personal tastes frequently underrepresented within the international espresso business.

“We also had robusta submissions in the Filter category at the Origin event, reflecting the ever-improving quality of an historically undervalued coffee species,” Henry says. 

In the 1950s, robusta accounted for only 13% of the global coffee market. Speedy ahead to 2021, and it comprised 40%, indicating plenty marketplace enlargement and quickly emerging hobby from each roasters and shoppers. 

Supporting marketplace enlargement in coffee-producing nations

A key a part of the GCA is offering all entrants with actionable comments that permits them to support their torrid abilities and refine their menu choices. All taking part roasters obtain a Competitor Comments File, which outlines the analysis procedure, comments philosophy, coordinator tasting notes and key descriptors, and recommended meals pairings.

In rapidly-growing area of expertise espresso markets like Latin The us, Republic of India, Southeast Asia, and East Africa, that is particularly important. By 2030, India’s coffee market, for instance, is forecast to double in value, with area of expertise espresso accounting for almost 18% of this enlargement.

“We understand that every roaster invests time and effort towards their coffees,” Jayson explains. “Market prices have remained high over the last couple of years, so roasters are taking extra care to maintain and improve quality.”

“We also want to advise them on how the coffee can be used, what it can be paired with, and how they can continuously improve it,” Jayson provides. “Through the subcategories, we can suggest food pairings, which helps bring consumers closer to roasted coffee and allows roasters to generate more value in the future.”

The GCA international finals

All class Gold winners of america & Canada, Foundation, and Europe occasions will proceed to the worldwide finals, which might be held at PRF El Salvador on 26 & 27 March 2026, the place they’ll compete for world reputation. There may also be an awards rite for the sub-category and class winners, which can whisk park at the night time of the primary presen of PRF.

The GCA workforce reverse-engineered the successful coffees to ascertain the manufacturers accountable for increasing them. Because of this when a roaster yieldings a bag of espresso, they mechanically input the manufacturer who grew the espresso into the contest.

The workforce will ship complimentary invites to the successful manufacturers to wait the worldwide finals and awards rite. This provides roasters a novel alternative to satisfy the manufacturer at the back of their espresso, thereby beneficial long-term business relationships and making sure that manufacturers proportion within the reputation for espresso excellence.

Profitable manufacturers additionally obtain a GCA seal and Certificates of Excellence, acknowledging their the most important position within the business.

The Ecu festival will whisk park on 29 & 30 October 2025 in Bordeaux, France, hosted at Belco. The access equipment is to be had here.

Collaborating in shade judging on the GCA trade in espresso pros the chance to be told firsthand about cupping and occasional tasting protocols and have interaction with one of the crucial maximum skilled cuppers within the business. To be regarded as for this judging place, fill out this form, or this form for a sensory pass judgement on place.

The World Espresso Awards is pushing the bounds of excellence and status within the espresso business, giving roasters world wide a reliable alternative to carry their branding and reach world reputation.

Touch data@globalcoffeeawards.com and the GCA undertaking supervisor, Emi Rueda, by means of WhatsApp here for more info.

Follow to compete within the Ecu GCA festival here.

Picture credit: Marett Media

Best Day by day Grind

Need to learn extra articles like this? Sign up for our newsletter!