• 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 – one of many world’s most prestigious specialty espresso origins and the first-ever PRF host nation.
• Over 4,200 guests and 350 worldwide consumers are anticipated to attend, with an estimated US$15.7 million to be generated in enterprise gross sales.
• PRF El Salvador will host the fifth World Roasting Contest, the seventh Chilly Brew Espresso Championship, the third Cacao Grasp Cup, the second World Cupping Championship, Central America: Soil of Excellence by Belco, and PRF Matchmaking.
• Speaker functions for PRF Voices are open now.
• The occasion may also coincide with the World Espresso Awards finals, the place the world’s finest roasters will probably be introduced.

On 26 & 27 March 2026, the eleventh version of Producer & Roaster Discussion board – the biggest and most prestigious espresso occasion in Latin America – will happen on the Hilton Lodge in San Salvador, El Salvador.

The 2-day discussion board unites a worldwide neighborhood of producers, roasters, merchants, baristas, and business specialists. Each occasion supplies alternatives to community, trade concepts, construct lasting enterprise relationships, and expertise a few of the world’s finest coffees.

Along with a specifically curated PRF Voices programme, workshops, and cuppings, PRF El Salvador will host the fifth World Roasting Contest, the seventh Chilly Brew Espresso Championship, the third Cacao Grasp Cup, the second World Cupping Championship, Central America: Soil of Excellence by Belco, and PRF Matchmaking.

The occasion may also coincide with the World Espresso Awards finals, the place regional Gold Champions will compete for the title of the world’s finest roaster.

Learn on to seek out out extra about what’s occurring on the occasion and how one can apply to turn out to be a speaker.

Be taught extra about PRF right here.

Celebrating over ten years of PRF

For over a decade, PRF has performed a number one function in connecting worldwide consumers with a few of the world’s finest espresso producers. The 2-day discussion board serves as a platform to domesticate long-lasting relationships, handle key business points, promote innovation within the world espresso sector, and facilitate the sale of inexperienced espresso.

There have been 5 host international locations thus far: El Salvador, Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras, and Colombia. Greater than 16,400 espresso professionals have taken half in earlier editions, together with over 4,300 inexperienced espresso consumers and roasters. 

Along with the two-day boards held in main cities throughout Latin American producing international locations, the first-ever PRF: Farm Summit – which centered particularly on regenerative and natural farming practices and happened solely on a espresso farm in 2024 – introduced collectively 1,387 attendees in a extra intimate setting just like the Sourcing Journey Expertise. These included 404 farmers and 96 roasters.

Why PRF issues

Over the past ten years, roasters and importers from 40 international locations – together with the US, Australia, South Korea, the UK, Uganda, Japan, Barbados, Spain, Germany, Poland, Denmark, Saudi Arabia, and lots of extra – have attended PRF occasions.

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 world wide to supply distinctive, high-quality coffees.

“PRF is a superb platform for roasters to satisfy producers,” says Darius Vėželis, the CEO of Vero Espresso Home in Lithuania. “It’s necessary to know the nation that you simply’re shopping for espresso from, in addition to operations at origin and the way the availability chain works.

“At PRF, you possibly can meet in individual, and you’ve got time to speak and trade concepts with espresso professionals at origin, in addition to roasters from different international locations,” he provides. “I first attended the occasion in El Salvador in 2023, and have since developed relationships with Salvadoran producers and roasters from everywhere in the world.”

A return to El Salvador

In March 2026, the occasion will return to El Salvador, a rustic famend for its distinctive high quality specialty espresso and the first-ever host of PRF.

“El Salvador produces distinctive varieties, resembling Bourbon, Pacas, and Pacamara, which all have deep heritage within the nation’s espresso sector,” says Henry Wilson, the founding father of PRF. “Greater than 95% of the nation’s espresso crop is shade-grown, supporting regenerative agricultural practices.”

The nation performs a pivotal function in Central America’s espresso sector. The USDA forecasts El Salvador’s manufacturing volumes to extend to 597,000 60kg luggage within the 2024/25 harvest interval, however highlights key challenges – resembling labour shortages, local weather vulnerability, and excessive enter prices – that proceed to impression farmers.

Subsequent yr’s discussion board is predicted to convey collectively some 4,200 attendees, together with round 1,600 worldwide guests and 350 world consumers – indicating PRF’s substantial, ever-growing worldwide attain. 

The occasion can also be anticipated to generate greater than US$15.7 million in enterprise gross sales, bolstering native and nationwide economies and supporting Salvadorian producers.

“We’re proudly returning to El Salvador ten years after the inaugural version in a mill in Santa Ana again in 2016,” Henry says. “This marks the subsequent chapter in PRF’s mission to convey producers and roasters collectively in coffee-producing international locations. As at all times, count on trustworthy conversations about actual challenges that the business is going through.”

Which competitions will happen?

Constructing on over a decade of success, PRF will return to El Salvador with an occasion line-up that guarantees worth for all attendees.

“Since 2019, we’ve sponsored PRF, and it’s unbelievable to see how the occasion has developed through the years,” says Mark Zhou, the founding father of MTPak Espresso, a sustainable espresso packaging firm and a PRF Gold Sponsor and GCA Platinum Sponsor.

“We’re extremely proud to be a part of one other occasion that helps domesticate longstanding, mutually-beneficial partnerships between producers and roasters,” he provides. “El Salvador will probably be no exception, serving as one of the necessary platforms for the specialty espresso business.”

The championships that can happen are:

• The fifth World Roasting Contest – high worldwide roasters showcase pure roasting abilities and experience to compete for the technical and other people’s selection high spots.
• The seventh Chilly Brew Espresso Championship, sponsored by Toddy – a choose group of opponents exhibit their experience in crafting distinctive chilly brews and signature drinks.
• The third Cacao Grasp Cup – baristas and cacao fans put together two distinct scorching drinks utilizing totally different chocolate varieties with various cocoa and low percentages, showcasing the deep connection between the 2.
• The second World Cupping Championship – opponents put their sensory abilities to the check in a high-stakes cupping problem, evaluating aroma, flavour, acidity, physique, and steadiness with precision and pace.
• Central America: Soil of Excellence by Belco – first held at Farm Summit, the Soil of Excellence competitors redefines high quality requirements within the espresso business. The competitors highlights the significance of soil well being and regenerative agriculture in producing distinctive espresso, and this version will focus particularly on coffees from Central America.

Extra data on easy methods to apply to compete will probably be introduced within the coming weeks.

World Espresso Awards finals

The finals of the World Espresso Awards (GCA) – a contest awarding roasting excellence – will probably be hosted at PRF El Salvador on 26 March 2026.

Addressing a spot within the business, the GCA recognises the world’s finest roasters and the producers who develop their coffees. Specialty espresso roasters can submit luggage of their high coffees throughout outlined classes for blind judging by a panel of specialists. 

The classes and a few subcategories embody:

• Filter (roasted particularly for handbook or automated pour over brewing)
  • Pure
  • Washed
  • Honey
  • Experimental processing methodology
  • Robusta 
• Espresso (roasted particularly for espresso to be served with out milk)
• Flat White – Dairy (roasted particularly for espresso to be served with dairy as a flat white)
• Flat White – Different (roasted particularly for espresso to be served with a plant milk as a flat white)

How does the GCA work?

For the primary spherical, there will probably be three regional competitions:

• US & Canada: 29 & 30 September 2025 in Houston, Texas, hosted at Copan Commerce
• Origin class (any roaster based mostly in a coffee-producing nation): 1 October 2025 in Houston, Texas, hosted at Copan Commerce
• Europe: 28 & 29 October 2025 in Bordeaux, France, hosted at Belco

“Together with these three classes ranges the enjoying area,” Henry says. “Roasters in producing international locations have a possibility to go head-to-head with their friends within the US, Canada, and Europe, and win the title of world’s finest.”

The Gold winners of every class of the US & Canada, Origin, and Europe competitions will compete on the world finals, the place producers who’ve grown their coffees will be part of them. The general champion will probably be topped throughout the GCA awards ceremony on the night of 26 March. There may also be a VIP dinner on the identical night.

To study extra concerning the GCA and how one can participate as a competitor, go to the web site and look at the entry equipment right here.

PRF Matchmaking

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

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

“Throughout a time of sustained excessive espresso costs, it’s by no means been extra essential for roasters to have the chance to satisfy 1000’s of producers, cooperatives, and exporters to seek out the appropriate espresso and flavour profiles for his or her finances,” Henry says. “Producers may meet roasters from throughout the globe, giving them entry to new markets.”

The programme is designed particularly to attach producers and roasters on the devoted Matchmaking Zone: an area designated for significant conversations and new relationships between roasters and producers, proper on the coronary heart of the exhibition.

“With all the present challenges that the business is going through – value volatility, local weather change, provide chain disruptions, and tariffs – it’s extra necessary than ever that roasters are extra concerned of their provide chains, construct direct relationships, and meet producers at origin,” says Henry.

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

What else is occurring at PRF El Salvador?

PRF El Salvador may also launch a brand-new initiative to facilitate inexperienced espresso gross sales between producers and roasters.

“This new occasion activation will enable consumers to pick out coffees dwell on the cupping desk and immediately obtain pricing – not simply FOB, but in addition spot-delivered to their roastery,” Henry says. 

Like different PRF occasions, the 2026 discussion board will embody workshops and cuppings, hosted by a few of Latin America’s finest producers and merchants that showcase the variety of the area’s espresso. 

Openings to host cuppings can be found now, offering alternatives so as to add real worth and domesticate long-term business relationships.

“I met a number of consumers from the Center East at PRF El Salvador in 2023,” says Fernando Alfaro, a Salvadoran specialty espresso producer. “We offered to 2 totally different consumers that yr, and this yr is the second consecutive time that we offered to the identical consumers – due to a relationship supported by the efforts of the PRF workforce. The occasion is a superb car to kickstart long-term business relationships.”

There may also be an Espresso, a Brew, and a Chilly Brew Bar, sponsored by Toddy, for attendees to strive distinctive coffees from El Salvador and past.

Speaker functions

Each PRF occasion hosts the PRF Voices programme: a specifically curated lineup of lectures and panels led by a few of the business’s foremost and well-known specialists. 

Over the past decade, audio system from 36 international locations have participated, discussing numerous subjects throughout the espresso provide chain. These embody:

• Progressive Composting Methods for Espresso Producers (Bob Fish and Michelle Fish – OBIIS, a PRF Gold Sponsor)
• The Science of Roasting for Useful Advantages (Ildi Revi – Purity Espresso, the PRF Silver Sponsor)
• Espresso Fundamentals and Worth Danger Administration: Navigating Market Volatility (Tomás Araujo – StoneX, US)
• Fluctuating Pricing and Shifting Sourcing Methods: An Importer’s Perspective (Abraham Castro – Ally Espresso, US)
• Leveraging Computational Simulation to Optimise Espresso Drying, Storage, and Roasting (Jaime Daniel Bustos – Universidad Surcolombiana, Colombia)
• Understanding Inexperienced Espresso Logistics: Overcoming Challenges and Constructing an Environment friendly Provide Chain (Afshin Roshanian – Artisan Espresso Gear, Romania)

English and Spanish audio system are invited to use for PRF Voices. Excellent candidates ought to have a powerful background within the espresso business, over 5 years of expertise of their subject of curiosity, earlier PRF participation, public talking abilities, and contemporary perception into key traits and challenges in in the present day’s espresso sector.

You’ll be able to apply to be a speaker right here. Functions will shut on 31 January 2026.

Volunteer alternatives

Sponsored by Copan Commerce, the volunteer programme permits passionate espresso professionals to realize helpful expertise, keep up-to-date with the most recent traits, and develop their private community as they assist run the occasion. 

Volunteers are additionally eligible to use for the PRF Seed programme, which recognises entrepreneurs within the espresso business and empowers them by funding helpful community-focused initiatives. On the earlier two editions, PRF, with assist from manufacturers like OBIIS and Mayorga Espresso, awarded over US$36,000 to 10 scholarship recipients.

Volunteers work on the registration, cuppings, Bars, competitions, and different areas, enjoying a pivotal function in shaping the success of PRF El Salvador. Candidates should be comfy working with espresso gear and have some customer support abilities.

You’ll be able to apply to be a volunteer right here.

PRF will return to El Salvador on 26 & 27 March 2026, highlighting over ten years of facilitating significant connections between producers and roasters.

Worldwide tickets and Sourcing Journey Expertise tickets are in the stores right here.

You’ll be able to keep updated with all bulletins for PRF right here, or by subscribing to the publication right here.

Picture credit: Producer & Roaster Discussion board

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