Tenth edition of PRF to take place in Honduras on 27 & 28 March 2025
For nearly a decade, Producer & Roaster Forum has been hosting pioneering industry events that allow coffee professionals from all over the world to connect and learn. On 27 & 28 March 2025, the tenth edition of PRF will take place at the Copantl Hotel & Convention Centre in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
This milestone event is set to be the biggest and most engaging one yet. Bringing together thousands of international producers, roasters, traders, baristas, and other industry professionals in a key coffee-producing country, PRF Honduras will provide more opportunities than ever before to network, exchange ideas, and build lasting business relationships.
In addition to a specially curated programme of lectures, panels, workshops, and cuppings, the tenth edition will host the fourth Global Roasting Contest, the sixth Cold Brew Coffee Championship, a barista competition, and a cupping championship, the third Global Coffee Awards, and the second PRF Seed scholarship initiative.
Read on to find out more about what’s happening at the event and how you can attend.
Learn more about PRF here.
Celebrating ten years of PRF
Over the last ten years, PRF has become one of the most important events in the coffee sector. Each edition brings together leading international professionals and experts in a prominent coffee-producing country. The two-day forum serves as a platform for producers and roasters to forge mutually beneficial partnerships, share ideas, and discuss some of the industry’s most pressing topics.
Henry Wilson is the founder of PRF. “To celebrate our tenth anniversary, we are investing in the biggest and most exciting event yet in Honduras,” he says. “Year after year, PRF has continued to grow, and we will keep building on this momentum.”
More than 4,000 people are expected to attend, including over 400 international and 80 national coffee buyers, making it one of the industry’s most global events. Around 500 small producers will also be in attendance, offering roasters an opportunity to connect with and learn from farmers firsthand. The event is projected to generate US $14.5 million for the local economy, supporting one of Latin America’s most important coffee origins.
Martin Mayorga is the founder and CEO of Mayorga Coffee and is the Diamond Sponsor of PRF Honduras.
“Knowing your suppliers ensures better quality and consistency and gives you a deeper understanding of the realities of coffee-producing communities,” he says. “In my opinion, roasters who don’t personally know their producers and claim to care about their livelihoods don’t truly care about the long-term health of the supply chain and the people impacted by it. PRF serves as an essential platform for roasters to directly communicate with producers.”
Why Honduras?
The previous nine editions of PRF have been held in El Salvador, Brazil, Guatemala, and Colombia. During the Covid-19 pandemic, a virtual edition focused on the Honduran coffee market took place, but the event has yet to be held in person in the country.
“Honduras is such a popular coffee origin, so PRF attendees and roasters have demanded that we host a forum there for some time,” Henry says.
Known for its outstanding and diverse cup profiles, high-quality micro lots, and focus on organic practices, Honduras is a staple of many roasters’ single origin offerings. Moreover, as market prices have steadily climbed in recent years, demand for more cost-effective origins like Honduras has increased, allowing roasters to manage their margins while still offering exceptional coffee.
“At previous events in countries like Colombia, Guatemala, and El Salvador, the presence of Honduran coffee professionals was incredible,” Henry says. “At PRF Guatemala in March 2024, almost 40% of visitors were Honduran, so it’s with great pleasure that we will host an event to represent such dedicated PRF attendees.”
Karina Kafati is the Marketing Manager at Espresso Americano in Honduras.
“PRF Honduras promises to be a valuable opportunity for industry professionals in one of the most significant coffee-producing regions in the world,” she says. “Hosting an international event like this puts Honduras on the map and gives local coffee producers exposure by providing them with a platform to showcase their coffees and learn more from leading experts.”
The first-ever PRF: Farm Summit held in Colombia
In addition to the two-day forums held in major cities across Latin American producing countries, the all-new PRF: Farm Summit brought together 1,387 attendees over the two days in a more intimate setting similar to the Sourcing Trip Experience. This included 404 farmers and 96 roasters.
The inaugural Farm Summit, which focused specifically on regenerative and organic farming practices, was held entirely on a coffee farm on 17 and 18 October 2024 at Hacienda Cafetera La Pradera in Santander, Colombia. The farm was handpicked to host the event given its strong focus on organic farming practices, including producing shade-grown coffee, generating its own solar energy, and manufacturing its own biochar fertiliser.
“PRF is so important for the industry because it’s actually held at origin,” Ricardo Pereira, Chief Business Development Officer of Purity Coffee, said. “We need more events at origin; this is a platform for producers in coffee-producing countries. All the innovation, the talks, the subjects they cover… they’re amazing. People who came here acquired knowledge, and we know how powerful that is.”
The relevance of the debate about regenerative farming
Even with the C price recently reaching a 13-year high, many producers still aren’t receiving more money for their coffee. This puts them under more pressure to try new models to improve their economic stability.
In direct response to these issues, Farm Summit explored how holistic farming practices can help producers lower production costs, adapt to the climate crisis, maximise yields, improve profitability in the long term, and differentiate themselves in the market.
Over 75 roasters and traders from the USA, Canada, the UK, Chile, Nigeria, Spain, Ireland, Germany, the UAE, Indonesia, Hungary, Switzerland, Japan, Australia, Netherlands, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, and France attended to engage with producers.
Hosting the event on a coffee farm allowed roasters to learn more about regenerative and organic farming from the producers themselves, bridging the knowledge gap in the supply chain and placing farmers at the forefront of important conversations.
Attendees also saw the various stages of coffee production firsthand – from seed nurseries to wet milling to fertiliser production – and met producers who are driving innovation in coffee farming.
Competitions at Farm Summit
PRF Farm Summit’s groundbreaking format brought three competitions to a coffee farm.
The fifth Cold Brew Coffee Championship, sponsored by Toddy, was held at the event. A total of 16 competitors (including 2022 and 2023 finalists, along with 2024 winner Giovanni Sagustame from Guatemala) prepared two cold brew-based beverages. These included a designer drink, aiming to showcase innovation in the cold coffee market. Alongside a cash prize, Giovanni received a Toddy To Go brewer. As well as this, the signature drink will be served at the next PRF event in Honduras.
The first-ever Cacao Masters Cup also took place. Sponsored by Somos Cacao, the unique competition invited 14 separate baristas and cacao enthusiasts to prepare two distinct hot beverages using different chocolate varieties with varying cocoa and coffee percentages, showcasing the deep connection between the two. In the end, the winner was Fabian Zapata from Borrello Coffee Company in Colombia, who was awarded merchandise and products from Somos Cacao.
Lastly, the inaugural Soil of Excellence competition helped redefine quality standards in the coffee industry. Sponsored by Belco, the championship highlighted how integral soil health is to exceptional coffee production. Initially, 65 Colombian coffee producers competed to showcase the quality of their soils and coffee through rigorous evaluations using Pfeiffer chromatography.
Of the ten producers who made it through to the final round, the winner was Elkin Moreno. He represented Finca la Bendición. The top three farms all received the current market price per bag of coffee, plus 50% for the winner. And then 40% and 30% respectively for the second and third runners-up.
What else happened at the event?
Like other PRF events, Farm Summit featured a tailored PRF Voices programme including some of the industry’s leading figures. This year, lectures and panels focused on organic and regenerative farming, such as:
- Coffee for Health: A New Category with Great Potential (Ildi Revi, Chief Learning Officer at Purity Coffee, US)
- Innovative Fermentation: Creating Unique Flavour Profiles Through Experimental Processes (Manuel Diaz, founder of ONA consulting, Mexico)
- Certifications and Controversies: Reviewing Regenerative vs Organic Practices
- Jeff Chean, founder of Groundwork Coffee, US
- Melina Devoney, coffee journalist, US
- Role & Importance of Biochar in Coffee
- Oscar Daza, founder of Hacienda La Pradera, Colombia
- Mildred Muñoz, founder of Santa Maria Project, Colombia
- Amelia Connell, Agricultural Engineer at Purity Coffee, France
- Francisco Tamayo, Coffee Adviser at Purity Coffee, Colombia
- Collaborating for EUDR Compliance: Producers, Traders & NGOs
- Jaromir Hanzal, founder of the International Center for the Advancement of Coffee, Czech Republic
- Rodolfo Ruffatti, founder of International Center for the Advancement of Coffee, El Salvador
The event also included collaborative workshops and focus groups. Furthermore, some of Latin America’s finest producers and traders hosted cupping sessions which showcased the region’s most exceptional coffees. Given its smaller size, Farm Summit also included a select number of booths for brands interested in regenerative agriculture and organic coffee.
Building on a decade of industry-leading events
To acknowledge and celebrate ten years of PRF, the milestone two-day forum in Honduras will highlight how the event has served as an integral platform for roasters and producers to connect for almost a decade.
Bonface Mogesi is the Head of Coffee at Woods Roastery in Saudi Arabia. He has taken part in two PRF events and will be attending PRF Honduras.
“Attending events like PRF and the STE is essential for building connections in the coffee industry,” he says. “Through these events, you can appreciate all the effort behind the supply chain.”
PRF Honduras promises to be the most successful event to date, with more opportunities for networking, learning, and collaboration than ever before. Set in San Pedro Sula, a key hub in one of the most important coffee-producing regions in Latin America, it will bring together thousands of coffee professionals from around the world.
“We wanted to organise something truly special for our tenth anniversary,” Henry says. “PRF has returned to Colombia and Guatemala before. But in 2025, it’s an honour to us to finally host our biggest event in Honduras.”
The two-day forum will include an exhibition area for attendees to network with leading Latin American and international companies and organisations.
Visitor’s say: why PRF matters?
Laura Richard is the co-founder and COO of Saltwinds Coffee in the US. She has taken part in four Sourcing Trip Experiences and will be attending PRF Honduras.
“As a roaster, PRF is an important fixture on my calendar for several reasons,” she says. “I have the chance to go to farms. And there learn more about how coffee is grown from the people who do it firsthand.
“I can connect directly with producers, big and small, and discuss direct sourcing models with them,” she adds. “There is a huge variety of coffees to cup, and I can meet people across the industry.”
As with previous editions, PRF Honduras will host the PRF Voice programme. This initiative will feature lectures and panel discussions to provide invaluable industry insight to local and international coffee professionals.
There will also be a number of interactive workshops and roundtable discussions. Cuppings, espresso, cold brews, and brew bars will showcase some of the best coffees in the region as well.
Brian Kenny is the director of Silverskin Coffee Roasters in Dublin, Ireland. He has taken part in the Sourcing Trip Experience two times and will be attending PRF Honduras.
“PRF is such an important event, not just the forum, but also the STE,” he says. “It allows producers and roasters to connect on a level that is unachievable anywhere else. You learn in real-time and connect with colleagues in the industry to share ideas and build lifelong relationships.”
Competitions and awards
PRF has become known for organising some of the coffee industry’s most innovative competitions, and Honduras will be no exception.
Championships at the event will include:
- The fourth Global Coffee Roasting Contest – which includes both a technical and a people’s choice winner
- The sixth Cold Brew Coffee Championship sponsored by Toddy. In this contest, competitors must prepare two cold brew-based beverages, including a designer drink
- The Barista Championship to test essential and high-level coffee brewing skills, with more details to be announced soon
- An all-new coffee tasting competition to test industry professionals’ sensory analysis skills. We will share more information on this in the coming weeks.
After its successful debut at PRF Guatemala, PRF Seed will also return in 2025. This scheme recognises entrepreneurs in the coffee industry and empowers them by funding valuable community-focused initiatives. This edition of the programme will invite back previous Seed recipients to showcase. And also celebrate their achievements over the past year.
Finally, the event will also host the third edition of the Global Coffee Awards, which celebrate key innovators and leaders across the industry.
To celebrate its tenth anniversary, PRF will host a major event in San Pedro Sula, Honduras on March 27 and 28, 2025. This milestone will showcase PRF’s significant impact on industry. Over the past decade, PRF has facilitated connections among coffee professionals worldwide. Attendees can also expect opportunities to learn and evolve.
International tickets are available here. You can also purchase Sourcing Trip Experience tickets at this link. The organization will announce a complete event schedule in the coming weeks.
You can stay up to date with all announcements for PRF here, or by subscribing to the newsletter here.
Photo credits: Producer & Roaster Forum
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