The Africa Fine Coffee Association (AFCA) is challenging the idea of a simple competition by relaunching Taste of Harvest as an event to celebrate the entire coffee community. AFCA Executive Director Gilbert Gatali joins The Cupping Table to discuss the vision for this continental platform and the importance of celebrating Africa's vast coffee diversity. He details how the ambition to honor everyone (from farmers to the local judges) and to introduce groundbreaking categories like specialty Robusta drove the creation of this new auction, resulting in a program that builds a stronger, interconnected community while proving its quality to the global market.
Celebrating their 10th anniversary, Clearpath Coffee founder Vicente Mejia discusses the company's idealistic origins, which focused on creating a social impact by connecting remote Colombian producing families with the global market. We also talked about "new school" innovative processing (using technology and specialized methods) and "old school" tradition (focusing on terroir and clean washed coffees) in the Colombian specialty coffee industry, including names like Nestor Lasso, Jhoan Vergara, and Wilton Benitez. Clearpath’s exclusive Colombia Legends auction features 15 of Colombia’s best farms, segmented into Heritage and Innovative Producers known for pushing boundaries. This invitation-only auction, running December 1st through the 3rd, offers a unique opportunity to taste the best of both competing philosophies, including a rare, limited-production lot of Inmaculada’s Eugenoides, a coffee known almost exclusively as a competition lot.
Finca Sophia defied skeptics by proving high-altitude Geisha farming was possible. Founding partners Willem Boot and David Pohl join The Cupping Table to discuss the 10-year waiting period and the immense risks involved in establishing an award-winning farm on the "very edge of what is possible" in Volcán, Panama. They detail how the ambition to produce coffee at unprecedented altitudes drove them to persevere through challenges like dieback fungus and perfect their lots, resulting in one of their best harvests yet.
UK's 2025 Barista Champion, Will Woodhouse-Banks, details his four-year journey culminating in preparation for the World Barista Championship (WBC). The Innovation Developer at Taylor's of Harrogate and evolved Q Grader competes not just for the title, but also for professional growth and to honor the trusted, long-term relationships he has built with coffee producers. Fresh off his UK victory, Will joins host David Paparelli to discuss how competition success drives global demand, acting as a crucial business model for producers. They discuss the evolution of the WBC score sheet to equally favor presentation and coffee quality, the value of changing routines annually, and the intense mental and physical commitment required to achieve excellence on the world stage.
For the last 25 years Longboard Coffee has produced beautiful Panamanian geisha coffees. Justin Boudeman founded Longboard through a love of Panama and a love of surfing. Over the years he took an unconventional, meticulous approach to coffee farming, that emphasized the authentic expression of the terroir. Justin sadly passed away recently. His legacy has been carried forward by his daughters Sophia and Noemi. They discuss the lessons they have learned from Justin, their own passion for coffee, and the what's next for Longboard.
Why do certain coffees get extraordinary prices? In this episode of The Cupping Table our co-founder, David Paparelli, discusses auction buying trends. The recording was done in 2024 at the Producer Roaster Forum in Guatemala. The next Producer Roaster Forum is in El Salvador in March 2026 for all interested in attending.
Enrique Navarro is a fourth generation coffee producer in Costa Rica. In this episode we discuss the evolution of the Costa Rican specialty coffee industry, the history of Monte Copey, and the innovation that Enrique is bringing to his micro mill to carry on his family's legacy.
Tamiru Tadesse founded Alo Coffee in 2020 and won Cup of Excellence in 2021. In this episode Tamiru shares his experience starting strong and navigating the complexities of Ethiopian coffee. From community to the processing methods to the cupping table to the market, Alo strives towards excellence.
Wilford Lamastus Jr. is the next generation at Lamastus Family Estates. Lamastus sold a coffee last year for $13k USD per kilogram. It takes more than excellent quality coffee to get to that price. In this episode Wilford Jr. shares his experience in the Best of Panama competition, the future of his family's estates, and his vision for the emerging luxury class of coffee.
Julith and Hacienda La Esmeralda meet for the first time in this episode. An interesting conversation on any day, but Julith and Esmeralda just made history. Serkan of Julith won Rachel Peterson and the Esmeralda team's geisha washed, the best coffee ever produced, on auction for $30k USD per kilogram for a total purchase of over $600k USD for just 20 kilograms of coffee. This breaks the previous price record by almost 3X. Rachel and Serkan reflect on the experience.
21 years ago Hacienda La Esmeralda became synonymous with Geisha coffee. Rachel tells the remarkable story of what led to Esmeralda's historic "Triple Crown" victory at the Best of Panama competition. For the first time, a single farm won first place for its Natural, Washed, and varietal coffees, building on the Peterson family's legacy in specialty coffee production.
From a challenging start to a world-renowned Gesha Forest, Max Perez of Finca La Hermosa shares his story of passion, perseverance, and pioneering innovation in Guatemalan coffee.
"What if we do this ourselves?" Adam Overton and Rachel Samuel, the visionary founders of Gesha Village, walk us through their journey from documentary filmmakers to pioneering coffee producers. Their passion and insight come through in this episode of The Cupping Table. Their journey captures the beauty, quality, and community of the remote Ethiopian forrest that became Gesha Village.
What's next for Kona coffee? Jean Orlowski, the founder of Hala Tree, walks us through his journey from french family farm to global commodity trading to "retiring" to Hawaii, where he met his hardest challenge yet: Kona coffee farmer. His passion and insight come through loud and clear in this episode.
In this episode of The Cupping Table podcast, David Paparelli sat down in London with Nic Lauten and Fred Nsengiyumva of the Kula Project—a nonprofit organization working on the ground in Rwanda to bring coffee farmers out of poverty. The conversation offered a rare behind-the-scenes look at the realities of running a washing station, managing farmer relationships, and building a business that is both impactful and sustainable.
Join us for an in-depth conversation with Maria Olano, Senior Coffee Trader for the FNC in Colombia. This episode explores the role of the FNC in shaping the future of Colombian coffee, from sustainability and research to fostering stronger connections between growers and roasters. Maria shares her insights on the evolving coffee market, the impact of innovation, and the upcoming 10th edition of the Colombia Land of Diversity Auction, which showcases the best of Colombian coffee to the world. Tune in for a closer look at how Colombian coffee continues to set the standard globally.
In this special episode of The Cupping Table, we bring you an exclusive conversation from the Dubai Coffee Auction live at WOC, where M-Cultivo CEO David Paparelli sat down with four of the world’s most innovative coffee producers:
From the cups that changed their lives to the science and controversy of fermentation, the role of auctions, and the future of high-end coffee, this discussion dives deep into what it takes to produce some of the most exceptional coffees in the world
Three-time Turkish Barista Champion Serkan Sagsoz shares his journey from coffee enthusiast to entrepreneur in Dubai. In this episode of The Cupping Table, hosted by David Paparelli, Serkan discusses his passion for Liberica coffee, the challenges of building a specialty coffee business, and his vision for Julith Coffee. Discover how he is redefining coffee experiences and pushing the boundaries of quality in Dubai’s competitive market.
Join David Paparelli as he sits down with Andrew Yu, co-founder of Panda Bear Express, to explore the complexities of sourcing high-end specialty coffee. From navigating global markets to building long-term producer relationships, Andrew shares insights into what makes a coffee truly exceptional. Tune in for a deep dive into the evolving specialty coffee industry, the role of auctions, and the future of high-quality coffee sourcing.
What happens when a consultant stumbles upon a Colombian coffee farm and never looks back? Don Tulio (Sharam) went from finance to farming, building Colombian Exotics—a vertically integrated coffee company spanning high-altitude farms to global markets.In this episode, recorded at World of Coffee Dubai, he shares how a single visit transformed his life, why he puts jazz music on for his coffee, and his mission to make specialty coffee more accessible. From battling weather challenges to breaking into China’s coffee scene, Don Tulio is redefining what it means to be a modern coffee producer.Tune in for a story of passion, persistence, and a vision for the future of coffee.