Key takeaways
- The Global Coffee Awards (GCA) honour the world’s best roasters and the producers behind their coffees.
- The Latin America edition was held on 12 August 2026.
- Café Baluarte de Veracruz from Veracruz, Mexico, is the overall winner.
- The top-scoring coffee was Blend Espresso Macizo in the Espresso Blend subcategory.
- All Gold, Silver, and Bronze category winners are invited to compete in the 2026 GCA World Championship, held at PRF Mexico on 18 & 19 March 2027.
The Latin America edition of the Global Coffee Awards (GCA) took place on 12 August 2026.
A head judge and at least three additional judges assessed each sample in a double-blind process. All judges are Q graders with experience at competitions such as the World Barista Championship, Cup of Excellence, and Best of Panama, and an expert panel interviewed and selected each one prior to the competition.
The judges used an objective scoring system to give every entrant actionable feedback, helping them refine their roast profiles.
Read on to find out who won and to learn more about the GCA’s upcoming competitions.
Learn more about the GCA here.
Recognising coffee quality and excellence
The GCA runs its competitions regionally. Roasters of all sizes can enter, from small-batch independents to large-scale national brands, and each submits their most exceptional coffees across defined categories.
“Competitions like the GCA play an essential role because they give recognition to those who often work behind the scenes,” says Jonathan Ramirez Bravo, a certified Q grader, Authorised SCA Trainer, and a Barista Trainer at ICAFE in Costa Rica. Jonathan has over 16 years of experience working in coffee and has judged national and international coffee competitions. He served as a Sensory Judge at the GCA Latin America.
“Roasters and producers are a vital link in the coffee value chain: without their knowledge, precision, and sensitivity, we can’t experience a coffee’s true potential,” he adds. “Participating in the GCA gives roasters the opportunity to showcase their skills, receive valuable recognition, and share their coffees with an international audience of industry professionals.”
Latin America’s growing specialty coffee market
The GCA’s expansion into Latin America is significant. In recent years, targeted, policy-driven initiatives and a growing middle class have driven domestic coffee consumption in several Latin American countries. According to a Specialty Coffee Association report, specialty coffee accounts for between 3% and 5% of Colombia’s total coffee consumption, and the market is valued at around US $1.52bn.
“The quality of the coffees that were roasted in Latin America were on the same level as some of the best coffees roasted in other categories in other regions of the world,” says Mario Idrovo, founder of MI Coffee Solutions and Cafering in Miami, Florida. Mario has worked in the coffee industry for over a decade and has served as a judge for Taza Dorada, the Ecuador Barista Championship, and other competitions. He was the Head Sensory Judge at GCA Latin America and US & Canada.
“It shows that there’s a huge movement for specialty coffee in producing countries,” he adds. “The number of specialty roasters, professional baristas, and professional cuppers is growing, and more brands are investing in high-quality equipment. Ultimately, the GCA is helping retain more value in coffee-producing countries.”
Roasters from over ten countries competed, including Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Mexico, El Salvador, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Peru, and more, demonstrating the growing diversity of the Latin American coffee market.
Understanding the GCA judging process
All judging at the Global Coffee Awards follows a strict double-blind protocol. None of the judges and coffee professionals involved in the process, including the Sensory Judges and the barista team preparing the samples, receive any identifying information. As a result, judges assess every coffee on quality alone.
“Competitions like the GCA give roasters an opportunity to benchmark their work on a global stage and inspire us to keep innovating and improving,” says Ashley Prentice, the founder and CEO of Gento Coffee Roasters, a 2026 GCA Latin America Gold winner. “Just as importantly, they bring attention to the producers and origins behind each coffee, highlighting the important role the producer plays in competition coffees.
“Last year, after we receiving the title of Guatemala’s National Champion in the Origin Roasted competition, we had the honour of competing alongside 30 of the world’s best roasters at the GCA World Championship,” she adds. “Seeing our coffees be recognised affirmed that roasters at origin can compete at the highest level.”
Judging was held at green coffee importer Copan Trade in Houston, Texas, US. Copan Trade’s CEO, William Dunaway, was a proud volunteer sponsor of the most recent edition of Producer & Roaster Forum (PRF) in El Salvador, held in 2026.
The judging panel consists of a Head Judge, a certified Lead Sensory Judge, certified Q grader Sensory Judges, a Head Barista and a barista team. At least three judges, as well as a Head Judge, assess every sample.
Before judging begins, each judge completes a one-day calibration session to align on scoring categories and criteria. Real-time check-ins then maintain this consistency throughout the judging process.
Feedback for roasters
Every submitted coffee receives written feedback in accordance with defined assessment protocols. Judges evaluate entries purely on sensory quality, giving roasters clear, actionable insights into their roasting styles and how to improve them.
“This kind of feedback is invaluable; roasters can use it to fine-tune roast profiles and bring out the best in their coffees,” says Mark Zhou, founder of MTPak Coffee, a leading global supplier of custom-printed coffee packaging and the Global Coffee Awards Gold Sponsor.
“As part of our focus on exceptional coffee packaging, we select one roaster from every competition whose design stood out as the most creative, eye-catching, and forward-thinking,” Mark adds.
Categories at GCA Latin America
The Latin America categories were Filter, Espresso, Flat White Dairy, and Flat White Plant-Based Milk. Each category included several subcategories, such as Single Origin, Washed, and Gesha.
The team brewed every coffee the way a customer would encounter it in a café, following set brew parameters and protocols to keep results consistent and judging them fairly and accurately.
“Bolivia has a long history as a coffee producer, but we are still developing our presence in international competitions,” says Mai Suzuki, founder of Mugen Coffee Project, a a 2026 GCA Latin America Gold winner. “Finding out we could participate in the GCA Latin America was incredibly exciting. It’s a huge step forward for our national industry to be active competitors on the global stage.
“This competition serves as an important catalyst for the entire Bolivian coffee chain, from producers to baristas,” Mai adds. “For emerging roasters, it provides a crucial benchmark to learn from the global community, understand where we stand, and build a path toward continuous learning.”
Equipment Partner Hiroia provided automated pour over systems. Equipment Partner Geva Coffee provided espresso machines, grinders, automated tampers, and ceramic cups. Water Sponsor Bluewater Group provided water purification and remineralisation systems.
Each category used its own separate, objective scoring system. Every judge filled in a judging form, giving a numerical score across multiple criteria, including aroma, flavour, aftertaste, acidity, body, balance, sweetness, and mouthfeel.
You can find detailed information about the judging criteria here.
The winners of the 2026 Global Coffee Awards Latin America
The winners of the 2026 GCA Latin America edition are:
Overall winner: Café Baluarte de Veracruz from Veracruz, Mexico
Category winners:
- Filter – Macizo Café from Bogotá, Colombia
- Espresso – DeLa Finca Specialty Coffee from Managua, Nicaragua
- Flat White Dairy – Café Baluarte de Veracruz
- Flat White Plant-Based Milk – Café Baluarte de Veracruz
Here are the gold winners of each sub-category (roaster and producer, exporter, or co-operative). Entrants who received identical scores in a subcategory both placed first, ensuring fair results.
Filter
- Gesha – Gesha Natural Macizo from Macizo Café and Luis Gabriel Romero of Hacienda Misiones in Cundinamarca, Colombia
- Single origin – Osmanthus Gesha from Mugen Coffee Project in La Paz, Bolivia and Oscar Crespo in Samaipata, Bolivia
- Single origin experimental
- Washed
- Pink Bourbon from Café Cultor in Bogotá, Colombia and Estrella del Macizo of El Mirador in Huila, Colombia
- Gesha from Colo Coffee in Bogotá, Colombia and Andres Felipe Realpe in Narino, Colombia
- Natural – Gesha Natural Macizo from Macizo Café and Luis Gabriel Romero of Hacienda Misiones
- Honey – Java Honey Macizo from Macizo Café and Luis Eduardo Moreno of Finca Villa Hermosa in Cundinamarca, Colombia
- Experimental blend – Gento Blend (Bourbon, Caturra, and Catuai) from Gento Coffee Roasters in Guatemala City, Guatemala and Petrona Perez, Ellen Prentice, and Genaro Juarez in Huehuetenango, Fraijanes, and San Marcos in Guatemala
- Robusta – Natural robusta from Academia Barista Pro and Michael Trung in Lam Dong, Vietnam
- Blend – House Blend (Maragogype and Caturra) from DeLa Finca Specialty Coffee and Heberto Rivas at DeLa Finca Coffee Farm in Managua, Nicaragua
- Classic roast profile – Café Baluarte (Sarchimor and Caturra) from Café Baluarte de Veracruz and Graciela Cuevas Panzzi from Chocamán in Veracruz, Mexico
- Decaf – Washed Lomaverde Descafeinado from Pergamino Café in Medellín, Colombia and Familia Echavarría of Finca Lomaverde in Antioquia, Colombia
Espresso
- Single origin – Maragogipe Uva from DeLa Finca Specialty Coffee and Heberto Rivas at DeLa Finca Coffee Farm
- Single origin experimental – Gesha Los Pirineos from Academia Barista Pro and Diego Baraona from Los Pirineos
- Experimental blend – Gesha Carbonic Macerated Honey and Washed Gesha from Academia Barista Pro and Rafa Silvae from Finca El Ángel in Santa Ana, El Salvador and Diego Baraona from Los Pirineos
- Blend – Blend Espresso Macizo (82% washed Caturra and 18% Java Honey) from Macizo Café and Luis Eduardo Moreno of Finca Villa Hermosa
- Classic roast profile – Finca de Dios (Caturra and Bourbon) from Gento Coffee Roasters and Ellen Prentice in Fraijanes, Guatemala
Flat White Dairy
- Single origin – Papayo from Juan Valdez in Bogotá, Colombia and Jose Leonardo Chinchiya in Huila, Colombia
- Blend – Café Baluarte (Sarchimor, Caturra, and robusta) from Café Baluarte de Veracruz from Cuevas-Cumplido in Veracruz, Mexico
- Classic roast profile – Café Baluarte Gesha from Café Baluarte de Veracruz and Cadena-Fadanelli in Veracruz, Mexico
Flat White Plant-Based Milk
- Single origin – Chich’upaq Natural (Parainema, Sarchimor, and Yellow Catuaí) from Coffea Cafés Especiales in Antigua, Guatemala and Café de Chichupac in Baja Verapaz, Guatemala
- Experimental – Gesha from Cafeología in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico and Vitali Solís in Chiapas, Mexico
- Blend – Los Volcanes (Bourbon, Caturra, and Catuai) from Gento Coffee Roasters and multiple smallholder producers from Fraijanes and Cooperativa Esquipulas, ASODIETT from Huehuetenango, Guatemala
- Classic roast profile – Café de las Nubes (Bourbon, Sarchimor, and Gesha) from Café Baluarte de Veracruz and Fadanelli-Cuevas-Cadena in Veracruz, Mexico
MTPak Packaging Award winner: Chica Bean from Sacatepéquez, Guatemala
Key takeaways from GCA Latin America
The top five highest-scoring coffees were:
- First: Blend Espresso Macizo in the Espresso Blend subcategory
- The coffee was produced by Luis Eduardo Moreno of Finca Villa Hermosa and roasted by Macizo Café
- Second: Maragogipe Uva in the Espresso Single Origin subcategory
- The coffee was produced by Heberto Rivas at DeLa Finca Coffee Farm and roasted by DeLa Finca Specialty Coffee
- This coffee placed in the 2024 and 2025 Cup of Excellence Nicaragua competitions
- Third: Velvet washed Gesha in the Espresso Single Origin subcategory
- The coffee was produced by La Argentina in Huila, Colombia and roasted by Café Cultor
- Fourth: Gesha Natural Macizo in the Filter Natural subcategory
- The coffee was produced by Luis Gabriel Romero of Hacienda Misiones and roasted by Macizo Café
- Fifth: Java Honey Macizo in the Filter Honey subcategory
- The coffee was produced by Luis Eduardo Moreno of Finca Villa Hermosa and roasted by Macizo Café
All participating roasters received detailed feedback forms for each sample submitted. For instance, for a Single Origin entry in the Filter category, the judges recommended a slower Maillard phase and longer post-crack time, or a slightly higher finish temperature, to build more body and complexity; different airflow or end-temperature adjustments would also help clean up the slightly tannic aftertaste noted.
Roasters also received digital Certificates of Achievement, along with Global Coffee Awards seals in Gold, Silver, and Bronze. These distinctive marks of excellence can appear on packaging, marketing materials, websites, social media channels, and menus.
You can find all the GCA Latin America category and subcategory winners here.
Origin Roasted category
There was a separate Origin Roasted category for roasters based in coffee-producing countries. This means that if roasters are located in a producing country, such as Colombia, Guatemala, or Honduras, and submit a coffee grown in their home nation, they received automatic, free entry into the Origin Roasted category.
This category supports roasting coffee at origin, one of many ways to add value in producing countries and help industry professionals in these regions receive higher prices.
The national winners are:
- Bolivia: Mugen Coffee Project
- Colombia: Macizo Café
- Ecuador: SIMPO in Samborondón, Ecuador
- El Salvador: Academia Barista Pro
- Guatemala: Gento Coffee Roasters
- Honduras: Olanch Café with various locations across Honduras
- Mexico: Café Baluarte de Veracruz
- Nicaragua: DeLa Finca Specialty Coffee
- Peru: Abisinia Company in Pueblo Libre, Peru
Upcoming Global Coffee Awards editions
The 2026 GCA Europe edition will be held in October. Judging will take place at Belco in Bordeaux, France. The entry kit is here, and all samples must be received by 21 October 2026.
Every Gold, Silver, and Bronze overall category winner from the 2026 MENA, Africa, Asia, US & Canada, Latin America, and Europe editions will be invited to compete in the 2026 GCA World Championship, held at PRF Mexico on 18 and 19 March 2027.
The Global Coffee Awards & PRF Annual Dinner will take place across the two-day forum. All winning roasters and producers from the regional competitions are invited to attend, and they’ll be formally recognised alongside the newly crowned World Champions.
“It was so rewarding for us to receive this recognition, especially being a roaster at origin,” says Adriana Villanueva at Café Cultor, which also placed third in the 2025 Global Coffee Awards World Championship.
“Being the third-best roaster at the GCA World Championship has allowed us to objectively show that, through a rigorous process, we can deliver a guarantee of quality and excellence to our customers.”
Tickets to the Global Coffee Awards & PRF Annual Dinner are open to all PRF attendees and go on sale in the coming weeks. You can also view the information kit here.
The dinner gives attendees a rare chance to network with leaders from across the specialty coffee industry, including award-winning roasters and Cup of Excellence-winning producers.
The 2026 GCA will be the biggest edition to date, drawing more roasters from around the world than ever before.
Through its international competition circuit, the GCA identifies the strongest roasters in each region, then brings them together in the World Championship to find the World’s Best Roaster.
Contact info@globalcoffeeawards.com and the GCA Sales and Partnerships Manager, Emi Rueda, via WhatsApp here for more information.
Apply to compete in the GCA here.
Photo credits: Slow Pour Supply, Flannery Lenz, Macizo Café, Mugen Coffee Project, DeLa Finca Specialty Coffee, Academia Barista Pro, Cafeología, Chica Bean
Perfect Daily Grind
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