From farm to stage: beyond the 3rd place at 2026 IBC

At the 2026 Italian Barista Championship, we placed 3rd.

Over the past four years, competitions have been an important part of our path:

-1st place in 2022
-2nd place in 2023
-2nd place in 2024
-3rd place in 2026

This consistency matters to us, not because of rankings alone, but because it reflects a long-term commitment to growth, research and coherence.

This year, however, something shifted.

Barista competitions are powerful platforms.
They don’t simply reward technical execution or stage presence.
They send signals and communicate what the industry values:

origins, producers, farming systems, processing methods, tools and the stories we choose to tell.

Competitions can shape trends, influence purchasing decisions and decide who gets visibility and who remains invisible.

This year, our routine started from a simple but uncomfortable question:

How can our choices shape the future of specialty coffee?

Because the future is not shaped only by innovation or technology, but by representation.
By which producers are given a voice.
By which agricultural systems we decide to support, or ignore.

Guatemala: where the routine really began

To explore this question, we travelled twice to Guatemala.
Not just to source coffees, but to spend time with producers. To understand quality beyond the cup.

This wasn’t a trip focused solely on flavour selection. It became an investigation into how quality is built.
With the support of anthropologist and development sociologist Lucia Rivera, we began to observe how “quality” is perceived and defined differently depending on scale, recognition and access to markets.

What emerged was a contrast that became the foundation of our routine.

Two coffees, two realities.

On one side, El Morito:

a Cup of Excellence–winning farm producing a stunning washed Gesha through intentional agroforestry, careful shade management and long-term soil health practices. In December 2025, we were privileged to witness this model of excellence in person. Hosted by the Monterroso family and guided by José Roberto, we had the opportunity to understand how a Cup of Excellence–winning farm approaches farming and quality, from agricultural practices to soil management and long-term vision.

On the other, Las Lajas:

a six-hectare farm in Sololá, run by agronomist and fermentation expert Luis Sanchez who we were lucky to meet. He produces one of the most innovative Caturra I’ve ever tasted, through a two-stage experimental fermentation process. The farm is a great example of regenerative agriculture and agroforestry approach, showcasing innovation at a small scale.

Two exceptional coffees, two very different forms of excellence.

A deliberate choice

This year, I was the only competitor not using coffees from Colombia or Panama.
That choice was intentional.

Not to be different for the sake of originality, but to challenge a narrative that has become repetitive, both globally and at national level. The same origins, the same producers, the same names appear again and again on competition stages. These often chosen coffees are exceptional and they deserve respect, but they are not the whole story.

Extraordinary quality exists far beyond the usual competition script. Competitions, precisely because of their influence, carry the responsibility to reflect that diversity.

Why third place still matters

A technical issue during finals impacted the final score, but results are only part of the story.

What truly matters to us is the response. The conversations sparked. The messages we received from people who watched the routine, both online and in person.

They weren’t just compliments, they were reflections.
That’s how we know this routine resonated beyond points.

We hope to see more origins, more producers and more farming systems represented on competition stages, driven by curious and courageous baristas willing to step outside the “winning formula”.

Curious to taste?

Keep an eye on our webshop, we are currently releasing four limited-edition coffees, directly connected to this project and to the producers we worked with in Guatemala, including El Morito and Las Lajas!

Each coffee will represent a different perspective on farming, scale, resilience and quality beyond trends.

Because for us, competitions are not an endpoint.

And this third place is one we’re proud to stand behind!

Matteo Pavoni