Twelve specialty roasteries from the Alpine region. One green coffee. Three identical Giesen G15E roasters. One champion.
The first Alpine Roasting Championship came to a close in Munich on 11 October 2026. Mariya Manerkina of CODOS Coffee in Hamburg took the title of Alpine Roasting Champion 2026. Her prize: a trip to Burundi to visit the farms where the competition coffee was grown.
Norman Klauck (Norman Kaffeeröster) finished second, and Jochen Ludat (HerzogKaffee) took third place. Congratulations to all three, and to every roaster who took part.
Same coffee, same machines
From 9 to 11 October, twelve specialty roasteries from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, South Tyrol and France roasted at ALRIGHTY's roastery in Munich's Werksviertel. Everyone worked with the same green coffee on three identical, electric Giesen G15E roasters.
That set-up put the focus where it belongs: on the roaster's skill. The roasting order was drawn by lot, and a five-person international jury cupped every result blind.
The competing roasteries were ALRIGHTY, Suuapinga, Norman Kaffeeröster, Man versus Machine Coffee Roasters, Minifundi, Kaffeemacher AG, CODOS Roastery, Kaffeelix, Mohlwerk, Radicale Caffè, HerzogKaffee and Avec Coffee.
Three days in Munich
• Friday: registration, briefing and calibration roasts to get to know the G15E.
• Saturday: competition day.
• Sunday: the jury's blind cupping, an open cupping for all participants, and the awards ceremony, where the anonymised samples were finally revealed.
Around 40 guests joined the evening events, including the Ambassador of Burundi. She presented the main prize and personally invited the winner to visit her country.
Roasting for Burundi
The coffees roasted during the competition are sold through the participating roasteries and partners. All proceeds go to Sucafina's Livestock Project in Burundi. The project gives coffee-farming families access to livestock such as goats, and passes the offspring on to other families through a solidarity chain. Read more about the Burundi Livestock Project.
See you in 2027
The Alpine Roasting Championship is organised by ALRIGHTY in cooperation with Giesen, and it is here to stay. The second edition is planned for 2027.
For us, this is what a roasting competition should be: roasters competing, learning from each other and pushing their craft forward. We're proud that the G15E gave every competitor the same precise, repeatable starting point.
A big thank you to ALRIGHTY and to this year's partners: Rehm & Co (green coffee), BWT, La Marzocco, Mahlkönig, Ypak, DiFluid, ACME, Oatly and Gambino Hotel Werksviertel (accommodation).
More about the championship: alpineroastingchampionship.com
