• The eleventh version of Producer & Roaster Discussion board (PRF) will happen on 26 & 27 March 2026 on the Hilton Lodge in San Salvador, El Salvador.
• PRF is among the largest and most essential occasions within the espresso {industry}, constructing direct connections between roasters and producers to facilitate inexperienced espresso gross sales.
• The occasion can even coincide with the World Espresso Awards World Championship, which can announce the world’s greatest roasters.
• Speaker functions are open for the PRF Voices programme, that includes main consultants within the worldwide espresso sector.
• PRF El Salvador can even host the fifth World Roasting Contest, the seventh Chilly Brew Espresso Championship, the second Soil of Excellence competitors, and PRF Matchmaking.

On 26 & 27 March 2026, the eleventh version of Producer & Roaster Discussion board will happen on the Hilton Lodge in San Salvador, El Salvador. 

The occasion is among the most distinguished within the espresso {industry}. For over a decade, PRF has challenged the established order of espresso commerce reveals, internet hosting the industry-leading occasions at origin and uniting producers, roasters, merchants, and baristas.

Over 4,200 guests and 350 worldwide patrons are anticipated to attend subsequent 12 months’s version, with an estimated US$15.7 million in enterprise gross sales.

Along with the PRF Voices programme, workshops, and cuppings, PRF El Salvador will host the fifth World Roasting Contest, the seventh Chilly Brew Espresso Championship, the second Soil of Excellence competitors, and PRF Matchmaking.

The occasion can even coincide with the World Espresso Awards World Championship. Winners of the US & Canada, Europe, and Origin (coffee-producing international locations) editions will compete for the title of the world’s greatest roaster.

Learn on to search out out what’s taking place at PRF El Salvador and how one can apply to develop into a speaker.

Study extra about PRF right here.

PRF returns to El Salvador

Occasions play a essential function within the progress of the worldwide espresso {industry}. Most main commerce reveals, nevertheless, happen in majority-consuming international locations, limiting alternatives for producers and roasters to attach immediately.

For over a decade, PRF has challenged this paradigm. Yearly, the two-day discussion board takes place in a key coffee-producing nation. Earlier host international locations embody El Salvador, Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras, and Colombia – 5 of the world’s most vital espresso origins.

“We’re proudly returning to El Salvador after the inaugural version came about at a mill in Santa Ana a decade in the past,” says Andrea Melo-Leon, the COO of PRF. “This can be a useful alternative for the occasion to revisit its roots and acknowledge the spectacular progress we’ve made over the past ten years.”

MTPak Espresso, a number one world provider of custom-printed espresso packaging, is the PRF Diamond Sponsor, partnering on a multi-year deal to sponsor future occasions. The corporate will succeed Mayorga Espresso, which was the earlier Diamond Sponsor for PRF.

MTPak Espresso can even sponsor the Becado scholarship programme, with extra data to come back within the following weeks. It’s going to additionally host occasion activations that spotlight and assist each producers and roasters in producing international locations.

“Assembly roasters and producers has develop into a necessary a part of our technique to strengthen relationships,” explains Mark Zhou, the founding father of MTPak Espresso. “PRF exists to serve this actual goal: connecting producers, typically underserved at espresso occasions, with roasters and inexperienced espresso patrons from around the globe. 

“I’m extremely proud to be a part of one other PRF occasion,” he provides. “It spotlights not solely producers, but additionally roasters at origin, showcasing their dedication to excellence, from espresso high quality to branding and packaging.”

Celebrating PRF’s ever-growing worldwide attain

PRF’s distinctive format provides producers and roasters a platform to domesticate long-lasting relationships to supply inexperienced espresso, deal with key {industry} points, and drive innovation within the world espresso sector. Greater than 16,400 espresso professionals have taken half in earlier editions, together with over 4,300 inexperienced espresso patrons and roasters. 

The ten earlier boards have generated greater than US$64.8 million in inexperienced espresso gross sales, benefitting over 4,650 smallholder farmers in Latin America and permitting roasters from around the globe to purchase a number of the area’s greatest coffees.

OBIIS (One Massive Island in Area), a farm-direct mannequin that buys espresso immediately from producers, is a PRF Gold Sponsor. The corporate is a long-time associate of the occasion and beforehand offered funding to the PRF Seed Initiative.

Following its participation in PRF Honduras in March 2025, OBIIS will display screen the La Fortaleza documentary throughout PRF El Salvador. The documentary, which spotlights the success and struggles of Mexican espresso producers, premiered in Honduras and can relaunch in El Salvador.

The Instituto Salvadoreño del Café (ISC) can also be a PRF Gold Sponsor. The ISC is El Salvador’s nationwide espresso affiliation, liable for guiding nationwide espresso coverage and supporting the nation’s producers. The affiliation will promote Salvadoran espresso excellence at PRF by showcasing high-quality varieties, together with Bourbon, Pacas, and Pacamara.

Purity Espresso, a purposeful specialty espresso model, is a long-term associate and the PRF Bronze Sponsor. Purity has spoken at earlier occasions, providing perception into the thriving purposeful espresso market.

Producer Companions Catholic Reduction Providers, a global humanitarian company, and Swiss Water, a decaf processing firm, can even present smallholder producers with free entry to the occasion.

Volunteer Sponsor Copan Commerce, a inexperienced specialty espresso importer, will as soon as once more host a particular volunteer cupping session. At PRF Honduras, this cupping led to a number of tons being offered to collaborating inexperienced espresso patrons and roasters. Copan Commerce can even organise unique networking actions for volunteers all through the occasion, serving to them achieve useful {industry} perception.

During the last ten years, roasters and importers from greater than 40 international locations – together with the US, Nigeria, Japan, France, Australia, South Korea, Uganda, Spain, the UK, Germany, Poland, China, Denmark, Saudi Arabia, and lots of extra – have attended PRF occasions.

Some 4,200 attendees, together with over 500 inexperienced patrons and worldwide roasters, are anticipated to attend subsequent 12 months’s discussion board.

The occasion can even host the World Espresso Awards World Championship and Awards Ceremony & Annual Dinner, bringing extra roasters than ever earlier than. 

Sub-category and general class winners from the US & Canada, Europe, Origin editions, in addition to the producers of the successful coffees, will attend. It will culminate in certainly one of PRF’s largest, most participating occasions up to now.

Roasters from the US & Canada, Europe, and Origin World Espresso Awards competitions are confirmed to attend PRF and the Sourcing Journey Expertise. A few of these embody Candy Bloom Espresso, Utopian Espresso, Lofty Espresso Roasters, Tree Artisan Espresso Home, Kaffea Terra, Vero Espresso Home, Mill Cross Espresso, Essential Mass Espresso, and lots of extra.

World Espresso Awards World Championship

The World Espresso Awards World Championship will start on 24 March 2026, with roasters competing for the title of the world’s greatest.

Designed to reward the roastery as an entire relatively than a person, the GCA is a prestigious competitors that invited roasters within the US and Canada, Europe, and Origin to submit luggage of their most distinctive coffees.

The competitors focuses on roasted espresso relatively than inexperienced beans to supply a complete high quality evaluation. A panel of professional judges blindly assessed entries and offered constructive, actionable suggestions to all entrants, enabling them to boost their roasting expertise.

The US & Canada, Europe, and Origin regionals came about in September and October 2025. The regional Gold, Silver, and Bronze general class winners who qualify for the World Championship are right here.

All Gold, Silver, and Bronze general class winners of the US & Canada, Origin, and Europe occasions have been invited to take part within the World Championship, the place they are going to compete for worldwide recognition and the title of the world’s greatest roaster.

The World Championship will comply with a format much like the regional occasions, by which roasters submit a bag of roasted espresso for blind analysis, sustaining the identical rigorous judging requirements and brewing protocols. Coffees might be ready precisely as shoppers expertise them in cafés, utilizing outlined brew ratios and strict preparation pointers.

On the World Championship, all entries might be awarded a numerical rating throughout a number of standards. A brand new Omni Roast class can even be launched to judge roasters’ versatility, technical ability, and skill to develop roast profiles that carry out effectively throughout a number of brewing strategies.

On the night of 26 March on the Hilton Lodge, there might be a GCA Awards Ceremony and Annual Dinner. Throughout this celebration, all successful roasters from the three regional competitions, the producers behind every successful espresso, and the newly topped World Champions might be formally introduced, recognised, and awarded trophies.

The night will supply an unique alternative for roasters to community with fellow winners, for producers and roasters to construct significant relationships, and for data sharing and collaboration throughout the availability chain.

Successful producers will obtain free tickets to the GCA Awards Ceremony & Annual Dinner. Confirmed successful producers who acquired a number of awards embody Ana María Donneys of Finca La Paloma in Colombia, Diego Bermudez of Finca El Paraiso in Colombia, Heberto Rivas of De La Finca in Nicaragua, Wilton Benitez of Finca El Paraiso 92 in Colombia, Vishal Mehta of Tat Vam Asi Farm in India, Bekele Yutute of Kokose in Ethiopia, and lots of extra.

Tickets to the Awards Ceremony & Annual Dinner might be open to all PRF attendees and might be out there for buy within the coming weeks.

Different competitions at PRF El Salvador

PRF hosts a number of the most visionary competitions within the espresso {industry}, showcasing the abilities of a various vary of espresso professionals, not simply baristas.

The championships that may happen in El Salvador are:

• The fifth World Roasting Contest, sponsored by Cropster – prime worldwide roasters compete for the technical and folks’s selection successful titles. Purposes will open within the coming weeks.
• The seventh Chilly Brew Espresso Championship, sponsored by Toddy – baristas and occasional professionals go head-to-head in creating chilly brews and signature drinks, showcasing the booming reputation of chilly espresso. Apply right here.
• The second Soil of Excellence, sponsored by Belco – highlights the significance of soil well being and regenerative agriculture in producing high-quality espresso, and this version will focus particularly on coffees from El Salvador. Apply right here and discover out extra about entry necessities right here.

Speaker functions open for PRF Voices

Each PRF occasion hosts the PRF Voices programme. This specifically curated lineup of lectures and panels is led by a number of the {industry}’s foremost and well-known consultants. 

During the last decade, audio system from over 36 international locations have participated, discussing varied matters throughout the espresso provide chain. These embody:

This version will embody fewer speaker slots to permit for deeper, extra centered discussions. Confirmed audio system and matters to date embody:

• What Espresso Can Study from Craft Beer: Forecasting Tendencies & Future Challenges (Erik Busch – LongStory Espresso, US, plus a particular visitor)
• High quality vs Novelty: Integrating Custom and Innovation in Specialty Espresso (Dakota Graff – Onyx Espresso Lab, US)
• Knowledge-Pushed Espresso: How Producers and Roasters Keep Forward in 2026 (Griffin Corridor – Verve Espresso Roasters, US)

English and Spanish-speaking candidates are invited to use for PRF Voices. Very best candidates ought to have a powerful background within the espresso {industry}, over 5 years of expertise of their subject of curiosity, earlier PRF participation, public talking expertise, and contemporary perception into key tendencies and challenges in at present’s espresso sector.

English audio system can apply right here, and Spanish audio system can apply right here. Purposes will shut on 31 January 2026; as areas are restricted, they’re more likely to fill rapidly.

What else is occurring at PRF?

There might be an exhibition space on the two-day discussion board the place attendees can community with main Latin American and worldwide firms and organisations, together with producers, exporters, roasters, importers, and café homeowners.

The Producer-Roaster Matchmaking programme, sponsored by Algrano, can even return after its profitable launch on the 2025 Honduras occasion. 

“Throughout a time of worth volatility, it’s by no means been extra essential for roasters to search out the best espresso and flavour profiles for his or her funds, in addition to for producers to search out secure patrons,” Andrea says. “The Producer-Roaster Matchmaking initiative provides each the chance to debate totally different espresso choices, develop extra private working relationships, and construct belief.”

The programme is designed particularly to attach producers and roasters on the Matchmaking Zone, an area devoted to curating significant conversations and constructing new relationships.

Roasters, producers, and merchants could have the chance to satisfy potential companions in a fast, structured velocity networking format. Algrano will assist information contributors all through the method, providing provide chain experience, logistical assist, key monetary data, and stay translations.

Like different PRF occasions, the 2026 discussion board will embody workshops and cuppings, showcasing a few of Latin America’s greatest producers and merchants and highlighting the area’s espresso range. 

There can even be an Espresso, a Brew, and a Chilly Brew Bar, sponsored by Toddy, the place producers can showcase their coffees and micro-lots and join with potential patrons.

Volunteers work at registration, cuppings, Bars, competitions, and different areas, taking part in a pivotal function in shaping PRF El Salvador’s success. Candidates should be comfy working with espresso gear and have some customer support expertise. You possibly can apply to be a volunteer right here.

PRF will return to El Salvador on 26 & 27 March 2026. The occasion will proceed its legacy of facilitating significant connections between producers and roasters.

Worldwide tickets and Sourcing Journey Expertise tickets are available for purchase right here.

You possibly can keep updated with all bulletins for PRF right here or by subscribing to the e-newsletter right here.

Photograph credit: Producer & Roaster Discussion board, Le Lab Manufacturing, Belco

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