MILAN – The World Coffee Championships take place thanks to the support and dedication of a wide array of organizations and individuals. Integral to that support are the Qualified Sponsors, the manufacturers who provide the equipment & products that competitors use on stage.
These sponsors sign three-year agreements to support strategic growth of the competitions, and dedicate time and resources to ensuring that every world championship competitor is using the same high quality of equipment.
2018-2020 will be the next qualified sponsorship cycle, with Victoria Arduino returning as World Barista Championship (WBC) Espresso Machine Sponsor, Mahlkönig as WBC Grinder Sponsor, and Urnex joining as Cleaning Products Sponsor for all of the world championships.
San Remo will be the Espresso Machine Sponsor for the World Coffee In Good Spirits and World Latte Art Championships, which will respectively have Mahlkönig and Anfim as grinder sponsors. Ditting will be the World Brewers Cup Grinder Sponsor, and Technivorm will be the World Cup Tasters Championship Brewer Sponsor.
To become a Qualified Sponsor, manufacturers submit their equipment and products to the Qualified Testing program for performance testing using a set of standards developed by the industry experts on the Qualified Testing Committee.
If the equipment or products passes all of the testing criteria for its category, then it is officially qualified for use at world championship competitions.
At that point, all qualifying manufacturers are then invited to submit proposals into the bid process for the upcoming Qualified Sponsor positions in each of the competitions.
Sponsorship proposals are evaluated by the WCE Advisory Board based on many considerations, including the offered equipment, logistics, staff, and financial resources for the championships events, as well as investment and interest in the global barista community.
Here is a complete breakdown of all 2018-2020 qualified sponsors and the equipment they will be providing in the 2018 competition cycle
WBC:
- Espresso Machine – Victoria Arduino, VA388, “Black Eagle”
- Grinder – Mahlkönig, Peak and EK43 (S)
- Cleaning Products – Urnex Cafiza® Espresso Machine Cleaning Powder and Puro® Espresso Machine Cleaning Powder
WBrC:
- Grinder – Ditting 804
- Cleaning Products – Urnex Cafiza® Espresso Machine Cleaning Powder and Puro® Espresso Machine Cleaning Powder
WLAC:
- Espresso Machine – San Remo, Cafe Racer
- Grinder – Anfim SPII
- Cleaning Products – Urnex Cafiza® Espresso Machine Cleaning Powder and Puro® Espresso Machine Cleaning Powder
WCIGS:
- Espresso Machine – San Remo, Cafe Racer
- Grinder – Mahlkönig Peak and EK43 (S)
- Cleaning Products – Urnex Cafiza® Espresso Machine Cleaning Powder and Puro® Espresso Machine Cleaning Powder
WCTC:
- Brewer – Technivorm, Thermoserve II-X
- Cleaning Products – Urnex Cafiza® Espresso Machine Cleaning Powder and Puro® Espresso Machine Cleaning Powder
WCRC:
- Cleaning Products – Urnex Cafiza® Espresso Machine Cleaning Powder and Puro® Espresso Machine Cleaning Powder