World of Coffee San Diego breaks attendance records
Image credit: World of Coffee San Diego
The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) welcomed its largest crowd in event history to the World of Coffee San Diego, held 10-12 April 2026 at the San Diego Convention Center. Coffee professionals from across the globe gathered over three days to celebrate innovation, connect across the value system and advance the future of specialty coffee.
Colombia was celebrated as the Portrait Country, with dedicated activations, coffee tastings and cultural programming throughout the event. World of Coffee San Diego was proudly supported by Platinum Sponsors Pacific Foods Barista Series and Sanremo Coffee Machines, Diamond Sponsor and Official Water Filtration Sponsor Pentair Everpure, and Diamond Sponsor and Official Grinding Equipment Sponsor FETCO.
World of Coffee San Diego delivered a landmark programme that underscored the momentum and creativity defining the specialty coffee industry today. Specialty Coffee Association CEO, Yannis Apostolopoulos, stated, “World of Coffee San Diego was a true milestone moment. We brought together our largest and most diverse coffee audience yet, with people from every corner of the industry showing up to exchange ideas. The conversations were real, the innovation was exciting, and the energy was undeniable. This is the future of coffee taking shape.”
The 2026 Best New Product Awards recognized outstanding innovation in equipment, accessories and consumables shaping the future of specialty coffee. This year’s winners are:
- Coffee Accessories & People’s Choice: Satellite Coffee Guard by Squeaky
- Consumer Coffee Preparation & Serving: VS4 by Varia
- Commercial Coffee Preparation & Serving: OnePress Mobile Café System by Solrisen
- Specialty Coffee Consumables: APAX LAB KONFLUX by Slow Pour Supply
- Open Class: Precision Fill Mini v2 by Sovda
SCA’s panel of experienced judges evaluated each entry based on defined criteria.
The 2026 Coffee Design Awards celebrated remarkable creativity and innovation in coffee branding, packaging, and environments. This year’s winners are:
- Packaging: RIKKA FIKA LLC (San Diego, California, USA) – Designers: Scott Chen + Michelle Jow
- Spaces: SLOW BY SLOW COFFEE (Boise, Idaho, USA) – Designers: Eric Corbett and Gabe Watkins
- Branding: MONOGRAM COFFEE (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) – Designer: ReThink
Each winning project exemplified the vision, skill and storytelling that define exceptional coffee experiences.
