Global Coffee Awards crown the best roasters in MENA

Estimated reading time: 12 minutes

Key takeaways

• The Global Coffee Awards (GCA) recognise the world’s best roasters and the producers behind their coffees.
• The MENA (Middle East and North Africa) edition was held on 15 June.
• The overall winner of the MENA edition is Woods Specialty Roastery from Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia.
• The top-scoring coffee was a Gesha in the Filter Single Origin Experimental category. The coffee was produced by the Aguirre Family at El Injerto, Guatemala and roasted by Brew 92 from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on a 25kg drum roaster.
• All Gold, Silver, and Bronze category winners are invited to compete in the 2026 GCA World Championship.

The MENA edition of the Global Coffee Awards (GCA) took place on 15 June 2026. Roasters from across the region submitted their best coffees across multiple categories and subcategories.

Each sample was assessed double-blind by a head judge and at least three judges. All judges are Q graders with experience at competitions such as the World Barista Championship and Cup of Excellence. Prior to the competition, all judges were interviewed and selected by an expert panel.

Using an objective scoring system, the judges provided actionable feedback to all entrants, allowing them to improve roast profiles and future submissions.

Read on to find out who the winners are and learn more about the upcoming GCA competitions.

Learn more about the GCA here.

Recognising the booming MENA coffee market

GCA is structured around regional competitions. Roasters of all sizes, from small-batch independents to large-scale national brands, are invited to submit their most exceptional coffees across defined categories.

“The GCA showcase the highest standards in roasting across the world, including in exciting emerging markets like the MENA region, where specialty coffee consumption is rising rapidly,” says Mark Zhou, founder of MTPak Coffee, a leading global supplier of custom-printed coffee packaging and the Global Coffee Awards Gold Sponsor.

“In line with our focus on spotlighting exceptional coffee packaging, we selected one roaster from each competition that had the most creative, eye-catching, and forward-thinking designs.”

After successful editions in the US & Canada, Europe, and Origin Roasted countries (any coffee-producing country) in 2025, the GCA expanded into MENA this year.

“The growth of the MENA coffee market has been impossible to ignore in recent years,” says Emi Rueda, Sales and Relationship Manager at the Global Coffee Awards. “The GCC coffee market alone is estimated to be worth over US$6.8bn, and coffee brands are using countries like the UAE to ‘crack’ the region and scale.

“The GCA’s expansion into MENA is then significant,” she adds. “Roasters in the region are innovating rapidly and creating market trends in real time, resulting in one of our most dynamic editions yet.”

Originally scheduled for Dubai, the competition was hosted at Balzac Brothers.

“The GCA uses a rigorous, objective judging process to evaluate coffee,” says Eurie Chen, Sales & Marketing at GCA Equipment Partner Hiroia. “The most exciting part of the competition has been seeing the sheer diversity and exceptional quality of the submissions.

“Seeing entries from both established and emerging markets reveals just how much passion there is in coffee right now. It’s incredibly rewarding to see the data and cupping scores come to life.”

The GCA judging process

All judging at the Global Coffee Awards follows a strict double-blind protocol. No identifying information is shared with anyone involved in the process, including the Sensory Judges and the barista team preparing the samples. This means that all coffees are assessed on quality alone, rather than a roastery’s name or reputation.

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. Every sample is assessed by at least three judges and a Head Judge.

Before judging begins, every judge completes a one-day calibration session to align on scoring categories and criteria. Real-time check-ins during the judging process maintain this consistency throughout.

Every submitted coffee receives written feedback according to defined assessment protocols. Entries are evaluated purely on sensory quality, giving roasters clear, actionable insights into their roasting styles and how to improve.

The MENA categories were Filter, Espresso, Flat White Dairy, Flat White Plant-Based Milk, and Specialty Drip Bag. Each category included several subcategories, such as Experimental Blend, Classic Roast Profile, Gesha, Co-Fermented, and Liberica.

All coffees were prepared as a consumer would experience them in a café, using specific brew parameters and brewing protocols to maintain consistency and ensure fair, accurate judging. 

Equipment Partner Hiroia provided Hikaru automated pour over systems and Jimmy Scales. Equipment Partner GH Grinding + Brewing Solutions provided specifically modified Bentwood Vertical 75 grinders. Water purification and remineralisation systems were provided by Water Sponsor Bluewater Group.

Each category had its own separate objective scoring system. All judges used a judging form to assign 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 MENA

The winners of the 2026 GCA MENA edition are:

Overall winner: Woods Specialty Roastery from Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia

Category winners:

• Filter – Woods Specialty Roastery
• Espresso – Brew 92 from Madinah, Saudi Arabia
• Flat White Dairy – Oasis Coffee Trading Company from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• Flat White Plant-Based Milk – Woods Specialty Roastery
• Specialty Drip Bag – CMI Roastery from Abu Dhabi, UAE

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 the results stayed fair.

Filter

• Barrel aged – Narino from Ritual Coffee Company from Cairo, Egypt and Andre Mauricio in Colombia
• Blend – Guatemala x Indonesia Typica & Sigar Utang from Oasis Coffee Trading Company and various producers from Sucafina and Gayo Mandiri Coffee
• Classic roast profile – Los Colores Bourbon and Pacas from El Salvador from 48 East Roasters from Salmiya, Kuwait (producers undisclosed)
• Co-Fermented – Colombia Grape Caturra from Oasis Coffee Trading Company and Alexcafe in Colombia
• Decaf – Pink Bourbon sugarcane from Woods Specialty Roastery and Jhoan Vergara at Finca Las Flores in Colombia
• Experimental blend – House Blend Heirloom Gesha & Catuai from Ethiopia, Guatemala, and Colombia from Woods Specialty Roastery (producers undisclosed)
• Gesha – Gesha Suprema from Cypher Urban Roaster from Dubai, UAE, and Finca Los Rodriguez in Bolivia
• Honey – Doga Napoles Catuai & Caturra from Kohi Coffee Roasters from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and Las Lajas in Costa Rica
• Natural – La Fresa Castello from Kohi Coffee Roasters and Top Taste Trading Co. in Colombia
• Single origin – Uraga Heirloom Ethiopia from Woods Specialty Roastery and producers at Guji PLC
• Single origin experimental
  • Gesha from Brew 92 and the Aguirre Family at El Injerto, Guatemala
  • River Flow Washed CF10 74158 variety from Archers Coffee from Sharjah, UAE and Eliyas Dukamo & Atiklit Dejene at Elto Coffee in Ethiopia
• Washed – Santamaría Estate Gesha Washed Lot 7 from Archers Coffee and Edwin Santamaria & family in Panama

Espresso

• Blend – House Blend 2 Brazil, Colombia, and Nicaragua from CMI Roastery (producers undisclosed)
• Classic roast profile – Arrogate Caturra and Castillo Colombia from The Coffee Factory from Yanbu, Saudi Arabia (producers undisclosed)
• Decaf – Pink Bourbon sugarcane from Woods Specialty Roastery and Jhoan Vergara at Finca Las Flores
• Experimental blend – House Blend Catuai, Gesha, and Heirloom Guatemala, Colombia, and Ethiopia from Woods Specialty Roastery (producers undisclosed)
• Single origin – Guatemala Villaure Gesha from Brew92 and Aurelio Villatoro at Finca La Esperanza in Guatemala
• Single origin experimental – Gesha from Brew 92 and the Aguirre Family at El Injerto, Guatemala

Flat White Dairy

• Blend – Guatemala x Indonesia (50% Typica and 50% Bourbon) from Oasis Coffee Trading Company and various producers at Sucafina
• Classic roast profile – Silk Milk Castillo & Catuai Brazil and Colombia from Ritual Coffee Company and Fonda Paean and Cesar Junior Dos Santos
• Experimental – Ethiopia Chelchele Worka Heirloom from Oasis Coffee Trading Company and Al Fanoos in Ethiopia
• Single origin – Colombia Sudan Rume from Brew 92 and Rigoberto Herrera at Café Granja La Esperanza in Colombia

Flat White Plant-Based Milk

• Blend – House Blend Catuai, Gesha, and Heirloom Guatemala, Colombia, and Ethiopia from Woods Specialty Roastery (producers undisclosed)
• Single origin – Pacaya Catuai from Woods Specialty Roastery and Pablo in Guatemala

Specialty Drip Bag

• Decaf – Anaerobic fermentation Red Bourbon from CMI Roastery and Wilton Benitez at Granja El Paraiso 92 in Colombia
• Experimental – Extended fermentation Passion Fruit Caturra from CMI Roastery and Rodrigo Sanchez Valencia at Aromas Del Sur in Colombia

MTPak Packaging Award winner: Roasting House in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

All participating roasters received detailed feedback forms for each sample submitted. For example, for an entry in the Filter Natural subcategory (an Ethiopian coffee roasted on a 60kg drum roaster), the judges recommended a slightly longer Maillard phase, paired with a faster drying stage and a lower end temperature, to help build additional sweetness and body, allowing the coffee’s fruit character to become more integrated and rounded.

Roasters also received digital Certificates of Achievement and Global Coffee Awards seals in Gold, Silver, and Bronze. These are distinctive marks of excellence that they can display on their packaging, marketing materials, websites, social media channels, and menus.

You can find all the GCA MENA category and subcategory winners here.

Upcoming Global Coffee Awards editions

The full 2026 GCA schedule includes:

• US & Canada: Judging will take place at Copan Trade in Houston, Texas, US. The entry kit is here, and all samples must be received by 5 August 2026.
• Latin America & Caribbean: Judging will take place at Copan Trade. The entry kit is here (available in English and Spanish), and all samples must be received by 3 August 2026.
• Europe: Judging will take place at Belco in Bordeaux, France. The entry kit is here, and all samples must be received by 21 October 2026.

The GCA Asia edition was held on 17 June 2026, and the winners will be announced on 14 July.

For roasters based in coffee-producing countries, there will be a separate Origin Roasted category. This means that if roasters are located in a producing country, such as Brazil, Colombia, Honduras, and Guatemala, and submit a coffee grown in their home nation, they receive automatic, free entry into the Origin Roasted category.

Join the upcoming webinar

The How to Compete in the Global Coffee Awards webinar, taking place on 8 July, is designed for roasters considering the upcoming US & Canada competition. The webinar will provide an overview of the competition process, including coffee selection, submission strategy, judging, scoring, and category selection.

Attendees will also hear directly from top-performing roasters from the 2025 Global Coffee Awards, including Eric Garcia at Sur Coffee in San Diego, California, the GCA US & Canada Gold Flat White Alternative winner. Eric will share how he selected Sur’s coffees and prepared submissions for the competition. You can register here to attend the English webinar. 

A Spanish version of the webinar will also be held on 15 July for roasters considering the Latin America and Caribbean competition. Confirmed speakers include Adriana Villanueva from four-time GCA Origin Roasted Gold winners Café Cultor (Bogotá, Colombia) and Norberto Vásquez from GCA Origin Roasted Cabra Negra (Quito, Ecuador), which won Gold in the GCA Origin Roasted Flat White Alternative Single Origin Traditional subcategory. You can register here to attend the Spanish webinar.

The 2026 GCA will be the biggest edition yet, featuring more roasters from around the world than ever. 

Through its international competition circuit, the GCA is designed not only to identify the best roasters across regions but also to pit them against one another in the World Championship, culminating in the World’s Best Roaster.

Contact info@globalcoffeeawards.com and the GCA Sales and Relationship Manager, Emi Rueda, via WhatsApp here for more information.

Apply to compete in the GCA here.

Perfect Daily Grind

Photo credits: Global Coffee Awards, Woods Specialty Roastery, Brew 92, Oasis Coffee Trading Company, CMI Roastery, Archers Coffee, Roasting House, Cypher Urban Roaster

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