What does it take to become an award-winning coffee roaster?

• There is a growing number of coffee competitions that honour roasting excellence, including the Global Coffee Awards, Golden Bean, and the World Coffee Roasting Championship.
• Many participants train for months, aiming to become award-winning roasters.
• Winning competitions can strengthen roasters’ branding and assure consumers of an unwavering commitment to coffee quality.
• But becoming a decorated roaster is about more than just selling exceptional coffee. Focusing on consistency and investing in community engagement and equitable supply chains helps build the foundation for success.

As the bar for coffee quality continues to rise, the niche market for competition-winning lots is growing.

More consumers are appreciating the unique flavours that these coffees offer. Roasters, meanwhile, are discovering how exclusivity and rarity can boost the perceived value of their coffees. High-end lots can even command eye-watering prices; a washed 98-point Gesha received a world-record bid of US$30,204/kg at the 2025 Best of Panama auction.

To capitalise on this growing interest, more roasters are entering competitions, hoping to earn the title of award-winning brand. While sourcing and roasting exceptional coffee are essential to achieving this, the effort required is often more holistic. Prioritising consistency and building relationships with suppliers and customers are also key.

Bruno Colozza, the president of Barocco Coffee Company in Mississauga, Canada, explains more.

You may also like our article on why coffee quality is no longer a differentiator for roasters.

Why competitions offer roasters a chance to stand out

Many consider competitions to represent the pinnacle of coffee excellence. Their prestige draws industry professionals from around the world to showcase their skills and talents. All of them hope to receive awards and accolades that can be displayed in cafés or on packaging.

Coffee championships vary widely in scale, judging protocols, and overall structure, but all recognise the highest standards of production, processing, roasting, and brewing. The World Coffee Roasting Championships, the Global Coffee Awards, and the Golden Bean are widely regarded among the leading roasting competitions.

In today’s highly competitive and saturated specialty coffee market, competitions can offer roasters a point of differentiation. Customers have come to expect consistently high-quality coffee with a resonant brand story – and awards can verifiably demonstrate this.

“Becoming an award-winning roaster elevates a brand far beyond simply producing good coffee; it signals verified excellence in a fiercely competitive industry,” Bruno says. “While taste will always be subjective, awards provide credible, third-party recognition that a roaster’s quality, consistency, and innovation meet the highest standards.” 

The relentless pursuit of flavour diversity and innovation has also spurred market diversification. As more consumers demand new sensory experiences, many roasters have pivoted their sourcing strategies to offer truly unique coffees, including competition and auction-winning lots.

These coffees spark curiosity, attracting customers who want to expand their palates and try more exclusive offerings. They also redefine what’s possible in quality and flavour innovation, showcasing entirely new sensory profiles and often boasting higher cup scores.

Barocco Coffee Company is a Canadian specialty coffee roaster which celebrated its 15th anniversary this year. Since 2017, the roaster has participated in six Golden Bean competitions and won more than 40 awards.

“Earning recognition from respected judges and peers validates our approach to sourcing and roasting coffee,” Bruno says. “It also shines a spotlight on our brand, helping us break through the noise of an increasingly crowded specialty coffee landscape.”

How do you become an award-winning roaster?

Naturally, to win awards, roasters must source outstanding coffees and develop roast profiles that highlight their best characteristics.

Quality and craft have always been unique selling points of specialty coffee. While large brands focus on reaching as many consumers as possible, specialty coffee roasters prioritise quality above all else, catering to a niche but growing market segment.

As more consumers seek premium options, the push for extraordinary coffees intensifies. This, however, creates a double-edged sword: offering these coffees helps raise industry standards, but it also makes quality a prerequisite, not a differentiator.

While many competitions favour limited-edition releases and micro lots, it’s often unsustainable to build a brand around these coffees. Instead, roasters should focus on the quality and consistency of all of their offerings.

Barocco Coffee Company, for instance, implements strict quality control measures and ensures that all its coffee scores at least 82 points. The roaster’s offerings include a wide range of specialty coffees, from more “traditional” single origins to limited-edition micro lots. 

“We offer a space to explore specialty coffee, from the comfort and familiarity of traditional sensory profiles to delicate, vivid, and more adventurous flavours,” Bruno says. “The goal is to ensure that our entire range delivers exceptional quality and flavour. We want every coffee to shine on its own and be recognised for the care and expertise behind it.”

By entering a range of coffees into competitions, roasters can showcase the value of coffee diversity to consumers. Additionally, they can demonstrate that excellence in quality and flavour isn’t just restricted to high-end and exclusive lots.

Barocco Coffee Company’s 40 Golden Bean awards prove its commitment to consistent quality over the last eight years. At the 2024 event, the roaster won 15 medals, including for its Forte and Centrale blends, both of which contain robusta. Once sidelined as the more bitter and astringent alternative to arabica, robusta is increasingly finding its place on specialty coffee roasters’ shelves. Recognition at competitions only fuels this shift.

While many hope to win awards, taking part in competitions also offers roasters a chance to challenge themselves and improve.

“The feedback we receive from fellow roasters plays an important role in refining, validating, and sometimes reshaping our roasting theories, helping us continue to evolve,” Bruno says. 

For every Golden Bean event, Barocco Coffee Company creates a limited-edition Bespoke blend that showcases its continued growth and innovation, in line with the competition’s evolution. 

But winning awards requires more than excellent coffee

High-quality coffee will always speak volumes about the brand behind it. Decorated roasters demonstrate skill, intuition, and creativity – all essential to staying relevant in today’s dynamic specialty coffee market.

“Our roaster and partner, Noah Walker, understands how to bring out the unique character of each coffee, balancing scientific precision with the creativity of flavours that are both consistent and surprising,” Bruno says. “This requires knowledge of roasting science, a refined palate, and the ability to make split-second decisions that can transform a good roast into an exceptional one. 

“Awards recognise not just the coffee itself, but the dedication, expertise, and passion that Noah brings into every batch.”

Ultimately, sourcing high-quality coffee is integral to becoming a standout roaster, but securing that position requires a more holistic approach. Roasters must innovate across the supply chain to win awards while remaining true to their brand. 

For Barocco Coffee Company, in particular, this means investing in its stakeholders at origin and in its local community.

In 2024, for example, Bruno visited Brazil to connect directly with farmers and local cooperatives, strengthening its ability to source exceptional coffees while paying higher prices. 

“These direct relationships also provide invaluable on-the-ground insight into crop quality and conditions,” Bruno explains. “We have also made connections in Ethiopia and Colombia, working closely with farmers and co-ops to ensure quality, sustainability, and traceability at every step of the supply chain.”

Building strong, mutually beneficial relationships with producers is essential to safeguarding all three factors, thereby increasing the chances of success in competitions. But roasters also need to look towards the other end of the supply chain if they want to become an award-winning brand.

Barocco Coffee Company, for instance, engages directly with its customers through pop-up bars at events and trade shows like the Toronto International Film Festival, the Sundance Film Festival, Montreal’s Café Collectif, the Halpern Gran Cru for UHN Foundation, and the annual Restaurants Canada Show.

The roaster also supports local and international fundraisers, such as the SickKids Fund, Community Living, and the Safe Water Project in Colombia, to demonstrate its commitment to the communities it relies on.

Barocco has also collaborated with other companies, including Succulent Chocolate and Des Barres to produce bean-to-bar chocolates and Escape Coffee Company on a special-edition Nerds Coffee Box. Additional relationships fostered by managing partner Phil Lanzarotta with Monin Syrups and Citizen Tea also enhance Barocco’s offering. The Barocco team further supports ongoing training for its customer base, ensuring that coffee’s long journey is carried through to the cup.

“These and other partnerships allow us to extend our impact beyond direct service and sales, nurturing a vibrant community that values both quality coffee and professional growth,” Bruno says. 

Achieving the title of an award-winning roaster puts brands in the company of international heavyweights recognised for quality, sustainability, and innovation. While using outstanding coffee is essential to this pursuit, investment needs to extend along the supply chain.

“Above all, winning medals is more than recognition for our team; it’s a meaningful win for our customers and for the farmers who grow our coffees,” Bruno concludes. “Awards give them added confidence and a stronger story and platform to promote the coffees they serve and produce.”

Enjoyed this? Then read our article on why specialty coffee roasters need to find new ways to diversify.

Photo credits: Barocco Coffee Company, Barry W. Green

Perfect Daily Grind

Please note: Barocco Coffee Company is a sponsor of Perfect Daily Grind.

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