It's about time we celebrate coffee
Our Philosophy
Existing coffee championships primarily focus on celebrating baristas and roasters, inadvertently neglecting coffee as a terroir product. The rare coffee-focused competitions often require producers to send their coffee green, subjecting it to a standardized roasting, and limiting promotion solely to green coffee buyers.
The World Coffee Challenge aims to elevate coffee as a refined terroir product, akin to other high-quality agricultural products. This entails recognizing roasting as an integral part of the production process, which must be carried out locally. Judging coffee therefore becomes tasting the final product expertly crafted in its country of origin, encompassing all aspects as a cohesive whole. The ultimate assessments and awards are bestowed upon the roasted coffee, ready for consumption.
Our Mission
1 – Empowering Positive Change in the Coffee World
At the World Coffee Challenge, we foster local initiatives that prioritize quality, social responsibility, and environmental-friendly practices. Recognizing the negative consequences inherited from the colonial era and the way the coffee industry developed since the 1980s, we aim to empower coffee producers at the origin. With the rise of coffee consumption at origin and the shift towards specialty coffee, producing countries can now roast and sell their coffees with true added value
2 – Connecting Producers and Consumers
Our mission is also to bridge the gap between coffee producers and consumers, encouraging a genuine connection. This means on the one hand help coffee producers communicate and understand the needs and aspirations of the consumers from Europe. Simultaneously, we educate consumers about the essence and possibilities of coffee roasted at origin.
It’s a two-way street, where a well-organized competition becomes the catalyst to both inspire producers and ignite excitement among consumers.
3 – Cultivating and Safeguarding Identity
Sharing experiences and embracing market trends like Direct To Consumer and sustainable agricultural practices are key to success. Finding inspiration and adaptable models helps define approaches and products with potential. We emphasize the importance of Geographical Indications as a way to market roasted coffee with authenticity, transparency, and traceability. A coffee supported and protected by a Geographical Indication gains inherent value and can be defended.
¡Aprovecha la Oportunidad y Eleva su Marca!
Participating is already a first win
The presence of your coffees in our international competition is your gateway to increased visibility and a testament to your dedication.
Seize the chance to stand out among exceptional coffees and elevate the reputation of your estate or partner producers, supported by objective quality criteria that exude prestige.
Our carefully curated categories and special prizes celebrate the diverse tastes and flavors of coffee, resisting product standardization. Your coffee’s unique strengths will be acknowledged, fostering a culture of appreciation for individuality.
Professional recognition serves as a powerful tool in your national market, positioning your product as one of excellence. With a neutral jury of European experts endorsing your achievement, it’s an accolade that commands attention, as we have seen with many of our 2022 winners, elevating their local standing like never before.
Then it opens new horizons internationally. Be the benchmark for geographical appellations, regions, or terroirs, showcasing your roasting and packaging capacities, and establishing your coffee as unparalleled in the global arena. Join us and begin your journey towards success.
Confronting yourself with European consumers expectations through a professional jury
Participating in the World Coffee Challenge provides a unique opportunity to introduce your roasted coffee to European consumers and gauge their expectations.
While winning an award celebrates your hard work and brings prestige, every rank, and even participation without a prize, offers valuable insights for improvement. Discover aspects to enhance and considerations to tailor your coffee for the market’s preferences.
We propose participants who wish to obtain a detailed account of the scores awarded by the jury and any exchanges that will have taken place during the blind tasting. Contact us to get a special quote.
Coming to Chocomad would also allow you to connect with consumers and collect their comments and feedback first hand.
Unlock Global Networking and Exposure
Participating in the competition opens doors to international recognition. Your estate or brand will be prominently featured on social networks and listed in our Roasted@Origin physical book which will be sent out to distributors interested in coffee roasted at origin. Journalists from national and international press covering the event and Chocomad 2023 will also take note of your coffee.
Then, getting noticed at the World Coffee Challenge would allow the connection with distributors in Spain and more widely in Europe. Alternative Café, partner of the event, will support and help you study product market fit and give you real world confrontation.
Finally, exchange and meet your peers to share your experiences and create joint initiatives to federate a corporation around coffee roasted at origin.
Competition’s Calendar
Prizes, categories and special awards
1 – Main categories and their prizes
The main categories of the competition are as follow:
- Arabica Coffee – Washed
- Arabica Coffee – Natural
- Arabica Coffee – Honey
- Arabica Coffee – Mix / Other
- Robusta Coffee – Washed
- Robusta Coffee – Natural
- Robusta Coffee – Honey
- Robusta Coffee – Mix / Other
- Blend / Mix / Other
The number of prizes will depend on the number of competitors in each category (see official rules). Note that a category needs a minimum of 3 participating coffees to be validated.
Extra category:
- Espresso Coffee
All coffees registered for the espresso tasting will compete in a different category. The number of prizes will depend on the number of competitors.
2 – Special awards
A series of awards will give extra opportunities for competitors to obtain prizes :
- Coffee of the “Region”: depending on the relevance of the scope and the number of competing coffees, geographical categories will be defined and each offer a unique prize.
- Very Special Coffee: category open to all coffees grown under exceptional conditions, micro-climates, or transformed through innovative processes.
- Best Estate Coffee: category open to all coffees grown and roasted at the estate / farm / finca.
- Sustainable Coffee: category open to coffees cultivated by communities with a serious commitment to the protection of the environment and/or that promote social development and education
- Organic Coffee: category open to coffees which have obtained an organic label that complies with the European regulation for Organic foods
- Women Coffee: category open to coffees where women are involved and in charge of at least 50% of the management, the roasting, the transformation and the growing.
- Special Prize of the Jury: the jury sets aside a special award at their discretion
3 – Example
Let’s take an example :
A washed arabica coffee from Peru, certified organic, coming from a single estate, will compete in 4 different categories : Best Washed Arabica, Regional award (which could be continental, national or regional), Best Estate Coffee, Best Organic Coffee. It could rank 5th in the washed arabica category and 9th in the Estate coffees category and hence not win either Gold, Silver or Bronze prizes in these two categories, but it could rank 1st at the national level (Best Coffee from Peru), and 2nd in the Organic Coffees and be awarded Gold and Silver in those two categories.
Competition Sponsors
