Barcelona, November 30, 2023 – Distinguished leaders from Europe’s vibrant coffee, foodservice, and hospitality sectors convened at W Hotel in Barcelona for the European Coffee Symposium (ECS) from November 27 to 29. The ECS, a hallmark event for the past 15 years, has facilitated connections among over 7,000 influential decision-makers, fostering valuable business alliances.
This year’s ECS featured an esteemed speaker lineup, with insights shared by industry luminaries such as Roland Horne (CEO and Founder of WatchHouse), Yassir Raïs (CEO and Founder of Syra Coffee), Ignacio Llado Alvarez-Salas (Managing Director for Blank Street UK), Koral Ibrahim (Founder & Managing Director of The Ready House), and Maxwell Colonna Dashwood, a notable coffee entrepreneur and author.
Notably, the 2023 ECS showcased the inaugural live recorded episode of the 5THWAVE podcast, featuring interviews with Marta Pogroszewska (Managing Director of GAIL’s Bakery), Elaine Swift (Out-of-home Director at UCC Europe), Guido Bernardinelli (CEO of La Marzocco), and Adrian Steiner (CEO of Thermoplan).
After a successful 1-to-1 Meetings Programme and Expo, attendees gathered for the prestigious European Coffee Awards + Gala dinner, a black-tie event showcasing the industry’s best through peer voting. The ceremony, adorned with comedy, live music, and culinary excellence, honored outstanding companies and individuals in Europe’s coffee and hospitality sector.
Without further delay, here are this year’s distinguished winners:
Best Coffee Chain – Western Continental Europe
- Winner: The Barn
- Runner-up: Costa Coffee
- Highly commended: Starbucks Coffee Company
Best Coffee Chain – Nordic Region
- Winner: Joe & The Juice
- Runner-up: Espresso House
- Highly commended: Starbucks Coffee Company
Best Coffee Chain – Southern Europe
- Winner: Coffee Lab
- Runner-up: Gregory’s
- Highly commended: Starbucks Coffee Company
Best Coffee Chain – UK & Ireland
- Winner: Blank Street
- Runner-up: 200 Degrees Coffee
- Highly commended: Costa Coffee
Best Coffee Chain – Central / Eastern Europe
- Winner: Costa Coffee
- Runner-up: 5 To Go
- Highly commended: Starbucks Coffee Company
Best Coffee Roaster – Europe
- Winner: Lavazza
- Runner-up: illy
- Highly commended: UCC Coffee
Best Specialty Coffee Roaster
- Winner: Origin Coffee Roasters
- Runner-up: Five Elephant
- Highly commended: Small Batch Coffee Roasters
Best Coffee Equipment Supplier
- Winner: La Marzocco
- Runner-up: Astoria
- Highly commended: Victoria Arduino
Best Independent Coffee Shop – Europe
- Winner: WatchHouse
- Runner-up: Bonanza
- Highly commended: La Cabra
Best Non-Coffee Supplier – Europe
- Winner: Monin
- Runner-up: Beyond The Bean
- Highly commended: Chalo
Most Ethical Brand – Europe
- Winner: Union Hand-Roasted Coffee
- Runner-up: 200 Degrees
- Highly commended: Starbucks Coffee Company
Outstanding Industry Contribution
- Anne Lunell
- Michal Molcan
- Radu Savopol
Lifetime Achievement Award
- Cosimo Libardo
Congratulations to all the deserving winners for their outstanding contributions to the European coffee, foodservice, and hospitality industries.