14/11/2025
A few months ago we were asked to join the 1st asia edition of the competition and although we had our own reservations joining, Iβm glad we did. Saw quite a number of familiar faces yesterday & just tasting cups together, receiving the results of the blind cupping of each round, the applauses etc - it reminded me of why there is this charm to our industry. Community. Not always in long conversations, but in knowing.
We managed to speak to Steven, the founder who set up in London almost 30 years ago & learning about where this started truly brings more insight as to the how it was like before the start of the specialty coffee movement & depth to where weβve come from. Connecting with the producers themselves coming all the way from brazil also gave insight to the hardwork of the farmers that we so often cannot fathom. It was meaningful to receive the reminder from them that everyone has a hand in producing the best cup & that all of us have a role to play. Not carelessly, not haphazard. Theyβve really come a long way from starting in the 1990s, and the farm at Rio Verde is huge.
Being able to be part of something like the 1st ever mercanta asia edition roasting competition held in Singapore was truly a humbling experience, that there is so much history to the industry worldwide, there is much to calibrate, learn & grow into and also that everyone starts small and somewhere. We didnβt get top 3, but gained a lot, and for that we are thankful.
Thank you guys for organising this & all the hardwork put in to make it happen. We only had to show up (:
