In this episode of En la Barra we visit Afortunato in Pamplona and chat with Joaquín about its beginnings, the growth of specialty coffee in the city and its unique model: roastery and coffee shop on the same premises. We talked about coffee profiles (Floral, Citrus, Fruity and Chocolaty), sustainability and innovation, and the big challenges of the sector: logistics, consistency and use of data.

On January 26, 2026, Giesen Roasting Solutions hosted the Pre Open The Netherlands: an intense day of cupping and sensory memory with coffees from five origins. Hidde Smeets (Rotterdam) took the victory with 9 points and a time of 08:17.

We inaugurated our new hub in Greece as a strategic step in our expansion in Europe. Together with our partner IRM, this new logistics hub allows us to be closer to our customers, optimize delivery times and offer a more agile service adapted to the local market.

From Atitlán, Guatemala, we visited Farm Pampojilá to talk with Edgar Muralles and Alex Teleguario about the past and present of Guatemalan coffee. We talked about specialty Cultivation, renewal after climatic disasters, and the leap towards measured processes (more precise Washed, honeys and Anaerobic fermentations) with an eye on sustainability and the future.

At the end of November, part of the Mare Terra Coffee team traveled to Nyeri, Kenya, to work hand in hand with the washing stations we work with: technical visits, an intensive processing course in Ndurija and a running race that brought together the entire coffee community. An intense week at origin that reminded us that coffee is built together.

Pre Open de Cata - Italy 2025 was held at the Accademia del Caffè Espresso La Marzocco (Fiesole, Florence) and brought together 9 tasters from different European countries. Through three phases - Sensory Memory (semifinal and final) and Triangulation - the event tested sensory memory, discrimination and cupping accuracy with coffees from El Salvador, Nicaragua, Ethiopia, Kenya and Brazil. The winner was Denes Rajmond, who stood out for his consistency and impeccable reading of the sensory profiles.