AGM SCA Switzerland: Review and outlook

On Wednesday, March 12, 2025, the General Assembly of SCA Switzerland took place. A heartfelt thank you goes to our hosts Rast Kaffee, who welcomed us with open arms at their new location in Ebikon. After an exciting tour of the roastery and an insight into the rich history of Rast Kaffee, the General Assembly began with a review of the past year and an outlook for 2025. The evening was rounded off with a cozy aperitif and engaging conversations.

Highlights from 2024

We look back with pride on the past association year. It is great to see how strongly we are connected with the Swiss coffee community, and the many positive responses motivated us to go the extra mile for numerous projects and ideas. Here are some of our highlights from 2024:

• Swiss Coffee Festival 2024: The board of SCA Switzerland once again organized Switzerland’s largest coffee festival. With over 4,700 visitors, 60 exhibitors, five food trucks, and numerous workshops, it was a big success.
• Preliminary Rounds of the Barista Championship: Last year, we held preliminary rounds for the Barista Championship to provide low-threshold access to this discipline. 24 baristas participated in the preliminary rounds, and 12 qualified for the semifinals!
• Swiss Roasting Championship 2025: Often requested by our community and implemented last year: The national roasting championship took place for the second time. In Cham, 14 Swiss roasters participated in the Swiss Roasting Championship.
• Swiss Coffee Championships 2025: Barista, Brewers Cup, Cup Tasters, Coffee in Good Spirits, and Latte Art: The stage at the Swiss Coffee Festival 2024 was buzzing. A total of 96 participants competed in the exciting national championships. The top 6 will represent Switzerland at the World Coffee Championships (see below; World Coffee Championships). All this was only possible thanks to the great commitment of the board, dedicated volunteers, international judges, and sponsors.
• International Success: Our Swiss champions once again achieved remarkable placements at the World Coffee Championships last year: Mathieu Theis reached the semifinals in the Barista category, Suki Hin Yeung Ma participated in the Brewers Cup Championship and reached the first round, Sandro Roth took 2nd place in Coffee in Good Spirits, Dario Pieber secured 4th place in Latte Art, Bettina Hanimann participated in the Cup Tasting Championship and reached the first round, and Konstantin Golubev reached the semifinals and placed 4th at the World Aeropress Championship.
• Board Activities: The board held ten meetings and supported various events, including the Swiss Aeropress Championship organized by the Académie du Café and the Swiss Coffee Connection.
• Instagram & Blog: The communication efforts paid off – 108 Instagram posts with 900k views, 19 blog posts, and increased website activity.
• Finances: Stands can now be ordered with all options through our webshop shop.swisssca.ch, which is directly integrated with our accounting system. The financial statement for 2024 is successful, thanks to strong visitor numbers and great support from our sponsors.

Outlook for 2025

• International Representation: Six Swiss champions will compete at the World Coffee Championships in Houston, Jakarta, Geneva, and Milan.
• Swiss Coffee Festival 2025: The next edition will take place on November 22-23, 2025, at StageOne. We are moving to the hall directly next to Hall 550 and will hold the festival over two days. The later date allows us to conduct the championships after Host in Milan and avoids school holidays. We look forward to your participation as an exhibitor!
• Board Elections: The current board has been confirmed for another two years. Anyone interested in participating is warmly invited to contact a board member.

A big thank you to all members, sponsors, and volunteers who made 2024 a successful year. We look forward to continuing to advance specialty coffee in Switzerland in 2025!

Important Events in Switzerland to Mark in Your Calendar

• World of Coffee Geneva – 26.06.2025 – 28.06.2025
• Swiss Coffee Connection Lausanne – 28.09.2025 – 29.09.2025
• Swiss Aeropress Championship – 28.09.2025
• SCTA, Swiss SCA Coffee Corner Basel – 02.10.2025 – 03.10.2025
• Swiss Coffee Festival StageOne – 22.11.2025 – 23.11.2025
• Workshops with Champions for Talent Development – tba
• Regional Preliminary Rounds Swiss Coffee Championships – tba
• Education Day – tba

World Coffee Championships 2025

Here our Swiss champions will compete on the World Championship stage.

Historical Swiss Successes at the World Coffee Championships

• 2006 – Gloria Pedroza, Cup Tasting – 1st Place (World Champion)
• 2007 – Gloria Pedroza, Cup Tasting – 6th Place
• 2007 – Anna Käppeli, Barista – 5th Place
• 2015 – Benjamin Prager, Brewers Cup – 3rd Place
• 2018 – Mathieu Theis, Barista – 3rd Place
• 2018 – Panagiotis Megalessis, Roasting – 5th Place
• 2018 – Emi Fukahori, Brewers Cup – 1st Place (World Champion)
• 2019 – Mathieu Theis, Barista – 6th Place
• 2019 – Daniel Hofstetter, Brewers Cup – 6th Place
• 2021 – Emi Fukahori, Barista – 4th Place
• 2021 – Matt Winton, Brewers Cup – 1st Place (World Champion)
• 2024 – Sandro Roth, Coffee in Good Spirits – 2nd Place
• 2024 – Dario Pieber, Latte Art – 4th Place