Colombia Named Guest of Honor Nation at 2018 World Barista Championship in Amsterdam

Colombia has been named as the “portrait country’ at this year’s World Barista Championship.

Hosted by the Specialty Coffee Association and held in unison with the World of Coffee (WOC) trade conference in Amsterdam, the championship pits the best coffee makers from around the world against one another to determine who can brew the best cup.

Photo: Enjoying some fresh-roasted Colombian coffee at the Ocaso farm near Salento, one of the country’s top tourism destinations. (Credit: Jared Wade)

The World of Coffee is the accompanying trade show, taking place from June 21-23 in the Netherlands capital, and will feature an array of exhibitions dedicated to Colombia, its coffee farmers, and its world-renowned beans. These will include cupping sessions of specialty coffee and a panel presentation highlighting the PPP Intelligent Water Management project, which won the “SCA Sustainability Award” for coffee-related projects in 2018.

“Café de Colombia’s participation at WOC is a testament of the country’s impact on the specialty industry, which has seen the launch of several Colombian single original coffee editions in 2018, and a recognition of the quality, diversity, and sustainability of Colombian coffee,” said the Santa Ana, California-based Specialty Coffee Association in a statement.

The National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia, the organization that represents industry farmers, says the nation’s status among the world’s best producing nations is testament to “more than 550,000 families” in the country that are dedicated to coffee.

“For us, coffee is not only our work,” said the organization. “Coffee is our culture. To be able to show and taste the diversity of our coffee on a platform such as World of Coffee in Amsterdam is a privilege and an honor.”