GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala – The eighth edition of Producer and Roaster Forum will return to Guatemala on 7 & 8 March 2024. Every PRF event brings together thousands of international coffee professionals from across the supply chain to a prominent producing Latin American country.
Guatemalan Coffees is the Host Country Sponsor for PRF Guatemala, and the two-day forum will return to the Anacafé venue in Guatemala City.
PRF Voices
On top of an extensive trade show exhibition, at every PRF event, leading industry figures and experts are invited to give speeches and presentations. The PRF Voices speakers programme addresses some of the most pressing and compelling topics in the coffee industry.
Mark Zhou is the founder and CEO of MTPak Coffee – a PRF Gold and Sourcing Trip Experience sponsor.
“We have the same overarching goal as PRF: to generate conversations in the coffee industry and bring awareness to everything from sourcing to packaging,” he says.
International and Latin American speakers at PRF Guatemala will include:
- PRF Diamond Sponsor Mayorga Coffee leading a Mayorga Becados Roundtable – a scholarship programme which sponsors around 500 smallholder farmers to attend the forum
- Bob and Michelle Fish of One BIGG Island in Space
- Gabriel Restrepo of Ally Coffee
- Antoine Communaudat of BWT water+more
- José Arriola of Banco Industrial
Competitions
PRF Guatemala will host the third unique and innovative Global Coffee Roasting Contest, the fourth Cold Brew Coffee Championship, and the all-new French Press Championship.
The Global Coffee Roasting Contest features a collaborative judging format unlike any other coffee competition – with finalists’ coffees served at the Brew Bar for PRF visitors to vote for their favourite and decide on a people’s choice winner. The judges will also announce a technical winner. Nucleus Coffee Tools and I Coffee Solutions are the Official Roasting Sponsors for PRF. The competition rules can be found here.
In response to the soaring popularity of the cold coffee market, the Cold Brew Coffee Championship aims to encourage experimentation and elevation of cold coffee beverages in an inclusive and accessible environment.
Toddy is the Official Cold Brew Sponsor for PRF. The competition rules are available here.
PRF Guatemala will host the first-ever edition of the French Press Championship in partnership with coffee and tea appliances brand Bodum, which is also the Official Barista Sponsor.
The judges will blindly evaluate each coffee to decide on their favourite. At the count of three, all judges will simultaneously point to their preferred coffee – taking a much more informal approach to competitions. The rules can be found here.
Global Coffee Awards
PRF Guatemala will host the second edition of the Global Coffee Awards – an awards programme recognising and celebrating key innovators and leaders in the international coffee industry.
This year’s GCA will include five categories:
- Best Volunteer & Best Partnership – judged by the PRF team
- Best Becado – judged by Mayorga Coffee’s Sourcing and Sustainability Sara Velasquez
- Best Booth and Best Speaker – judged by Cleia Junqueira, Jonathan Morris, and Ashley Prentice
PRF Workshops and PRF Coffee Cuppings
PRF Workshops will be hosted by Escuela de Café Anacafé and their expert team of instructors – including the guidance of Edvin Gonzalez, who has represented Guatemala at various coffee competitions.
PRF Coffee Cuppings will be led by some of Latin America’s finest coffee producers and traders, showcasing the best coffees that the region has to offer. The Official PRF Cupping and Water Sponsor is BWT water+more.
The two-day forum also includes an Espresso Bar in partnership with Official Espresso Bar Sponsor I Coffee Solutions and a Brew Bar hosted by Official Brew Bar Sponsor TONE.
PRF Seed
The first edition of PRF Seed will take place at PRF Guatemala. The programme will provide a collective fund of US $10,000 provided by PRF as part of its social commitment programme.
Eight selected finalists will have the chance to present their entrepreneurial or community-building ideas before a judging panel at PRF Guatemala, which will include national and international industry experts.
Each presentation will be limited to five minutes and will take place on 7 March 2024. The judges will evaluate all finalists’ presentations. After reviewing and deliberating, the judging panel will determine how to distribute the total seed capital of US $10,000.
Other sponsors of PRF include PRF Gold Sponsor One BIGG Island in Space, PRF Silver Sponsor Banco Industrial, and PRF Bronze Sponsor Ally Coffee.
