The recently held World of Coffee Milan 2022 hosted The Best New Product (BNP) Competition and Display Awards where new products are judged by their quality and value to the speciality coffee and tea industry. Ten categories produced winners for the competition this year.
The judging criteria are based on the product’s impact on IDEAS, which stands for Innovation and/or Improvements, Design, Education, Agro-ecology, and Science.
The winners did not only receive recognition at the exhibition but also got featured on Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) news, press releases and SCA social media accounts. Each winner received a unique digital mark to symbolize their victory.
Members of the SCA board announced and presented the awards to the following recipients at the World of Coffee Milan 2022:
Technology
A category that is open to computer and mobile applications. This year’s winner is an updated version of Algranos software. We’re supporters of Algranos mission, which makes choosing and shipping coffee a worry-free experience.
Winner: Algrano
Technology: My Customers
Booth #H3-B09
Algrano has been in direct trade since its conception in 2009 under the motto – “You connect. We deliver”. Its platform connects roasters and producers, gives the price breakdown for every coffee on its offer list and manages the entire delivery process. Producers can create an account, and write a presentation of their business, then create listings for their coffees. The platform facilitates direct communication with built-in chat where roasters can contact the producers and ask them questions.
The company has added an important new feature with their Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software for coffee farmers and exporters, which earned them the Best New Product Award in the technology category at World of Coffee Milan 2022. The CRM software.
Algrano’s CRM (sic) puts coffee producers at the forefront of the sales process. Combining tools that inform sales, build market knowledge and improve customer service, it creates opportunities to reach new markets and optimize sales.
SCA’s award page for Algrano
With CRM, producers gain a better insight into the operations of roasters. They can view their purchase history and how much they usually pay for coffee. The platform enables sellers to understand the market dynamics better, which helps them sell more but also smarter while building relationships that last.
Roasting Equipment and Tools
A new category that recognizes the excellence and innovation in tools designed for roasting coffee. It includes commercial roasters, sample roasters, and other roasting equipment, as well as analysis equipment and control software.
Winner: GARANTI ROASTER
Product: FOCHA
Booth #H3-P06
Coined from the term “guaranteeing,” Turkish manufacturer Garanti has the vision to ensure the quality of its roasters, grinders and equipment. Established in 1951 by Master Mustafa, who is simply called “Uncle” by many, Garanti has gained a reputation abroad through constant innovation and keeping in touch with the customer’s desires and demands.
Garanti Focha is a modular roaster that won the Best New Product Award in the Roasting Equipment & Tools category. It tries to save valuable space by removing external extensions of the machine, providing more ergonomic space. Its light blue colour evokes the feel of the Aegean Sea; the minimalist form emphasizes the functionality of the machine; the design leans towards a more organic form.
The judges at Milan were impressed by the efficiency of the machine, which it achieves through “well-placed 3 mm thermocouples, simultaneous acquisition of temperature data of drum and exhaust, and results being graphically illustrated.” The speed of the double-wall drum can also be controlled, heat insulation structure is increased, and the burner is more efficient.
Consumer Coffee Preparation and Serving Equipment (Electrical)
A category that is open to any equipment used to prepare or serve coffee or tea in a non-commercial environment — such as grinders, brewers, espresso machines, roasters, thermal pots, and servers — in enhancing the quality of speciality coffee and tea beverages in the consumer marketplace.
Winner: GOAT STORY (EQUA d.o.o)
Equipment: ARCO 2-in-1 Coffee Grinder
Booth #H3-R10
Goat Story is a company that made its breakthrough in 2014 with the love-it-or-hate-it Goat Mug. Through crowdfunding, the company managed to raise almost half a million dollars and send its first product to the market.
Although roasting coffee was not really on the agenda, the company nonetheless opened its own roastery in 2020. Its newest product just won the Best New Product Award in the Consumer Coffee Preparation & Serving (Electrical) category.
Arco 2-in-1 can be used as a single dose electric grinder or as a hand grinder with almost zero retention. Arco achieves exceptional grind quality as it “utilizes a unibody aluminum casing that is milled from a single piece of aluminum and a 47/32mm conical steel burr that is held in place with a 10mm steel shaft and two precision bearings. The hand grinder can be cranked by hand or connected to the ARCO power dock that is powered by a slowed-down electric motor.”
The grinder boasts 240 grind settings and is capable of grinding all the way from powdery Turkish coffee to coarse cold brew. Although it was designed with the home coffee lover in mind, “ARCO is a single dose grinder that makes grind adjustments easy and intuitive.” In spite of this, the grinder “excels with superb grind consistency and superb particle size distribution that was tested using laser diffraction methods.”
Commercial Coffee Preparation and Serving Equipment
A category that is open to any equipment used to prepare or serve coffee or tea in a commercial environment, including grinders, brewers, espresso machines, roasters, thermal pots, and servers.
Winner: Latte Art Factory
Equipment: Latte Art Factory Bar PRO
Booth #H3-F03
Frothing milk seems easy, but it’s a skill to achieve that perfect foam for cappuccino and latte art. We’ve seen a lot of commercial milk frothers like Perfect Moose come to the market recently, and the results have been surprisingly good. Latte Art Factory has been focusing on providing exceptional milk frothing equipment to perfectionist baristas, and it seems their new product will please many of them.
Designed to be the perfect space-saving addition to any coffee shop, the patented LAF Bar Pro can foam 1.5 liters of milk in just 60 seconds, while maintaining the perfect temperature for your beverages.
The device even comes with integrated IoT features “that provide full telemetry and remote access to the machine for quick service and software updates.” Additionally, the LAF Bar Pro is a fully automated device, so anyone, from home users to baristas in a professional environment, can create the top-notch milk foam on demand.
The Laf Bar Pro is capable of creating hot or cold milk foam in up to four different textures, offering drinkers a range of beverages. It can also interact with various liquids, “from plant-based milk alternatives to chocolate milk, cold brew, and even kombucha!”
This versatile “barista assistant” can help prepare just about any drink people want. With its range of functions and fully automated cleaning mode, it’s no wonder that it won the Best New Product in the Commercial Coffee Preparation & Serving category.
Commercial Cold Brew Preparation and Serving Equipment
A new category that is open to any equipment used in preparing and serving cold-brewed special coffee beverages.
Winner: Hard Beans
Equipment: Hardtank Dispenser
Booth #MS-I06
The roots of the Polish company Hard Beans date back to 2009 when it opened Kofeina Art Café in Opole. After serving speciality coffee for 10 years, they decided to start roasting, creating the brand Hard Beans Coffee Roasters.
Cold brew is gaining in popularity, but the equipment is not so cheap and also usually has a big footprint. The company’s first product, Baby Hardtank, impressed the jurors of the 2021 SCA Best New Product Award and won in the Commercial Cold Brew Coffee Preparation & Serving Equipment category. With its small footprint, flexible productivity, ease of operation and delicious cold brew, it became popular among coffee lovers.
This year, Hard Beans won another Best New Product Award in the Commercial Cold Brew Coffee Preparation & Serving category. Their Hardtank is no longer a “Baby” as it combines the keg, cooler, and pourer into one space-saving unit.
The dispenser can be synchronized with the Baby Hardtank. Both devices can also be cleaned easily with the same chemicals, reducing cost and labour. After extraction is finished, “the Baby Hardtank beverage is automatically transferred to the dispenser’s built-in keg, which eliminates oxidation risk. The built-in refrigerator keeps the temperature low and stable which extends the shelf life. “
Hard Beans’ equipment combines all the necessary equipment to create a delicious cold brew while saving precious space at home or the café. Thanks to its innovative technology, the Hardtanks reduce energy consumption, making it sustainable as well.
Coffee Accessories
A category open to items such as mugs, cups, lids, cleaning brushes, dump boxes, tampers, measuring items, etc.
Winner: Kaffeeform
Product: Weducer Cup Refined
Booth #H3-A05
Kaffeeform takes recycling to a whole new level: “We give renewable resources – that would have ended up in the trash – a second life by transforming them into beautiful everyday objects and infusing them with a new purpose.” Their path began in 2009, but it was a difficult one. After countless experiments, they created the recipe for their iconic Kaffeeform Cups made of used coffee grounds.
The winner of the Coffee Accessories category at the World of Coffee 2022 is a refined version of Kaffeeform reusable Weducer cup. It’s “slightly bigger in size, double-walled, […]. The dark outer shell is made from our iconic recycled coffee material, and the colorful inner layer and the drinking lid are crafted in an innovative material composition based on recycled beechwood.
The cup comes in two versions, “the ‘caffeine-free’ Weducer Cup Essential and the premium version Refined”, which are made of the “inner layer made with recycled wood fibers” and have no coffee aroma. A subtle, natural and pleasant wood scent is perceptible, which makes the cups perfect “for any hot and cold drinks beyond coffee, including tea, smoothies, juice… – or even small snacks like biscuits, berries, and nuts.”
Winners in other categories of the 2022 Best New Product include:
Consumer Coffee or Tea Preparation and Serving Equipment (Non-electrical)
Winner: CoffeeZ Inc.
Equipment: Duomo The Tamper
Roasters Village
Open Class
Winner: Rocket Bean
Class: Cold Brew Coffee Kombucha
Booth #MS-I06
Speciality Coffee Beverage Flavor Additive
Winner: MONIN
Product: Le Sirop de MONIN Brown Cane Sugar
Booth #H3-O08
Speciality Non-coffee Beverage Stand Alone
Winner: Chalo Company BV
Product: Chalo Lemon & Ginger Iced Chai
Booth #H3-F05
The judges of the Best New Product Award highly commended the following entries:
Etkin Design – Etkin Dripper | Booth #MS-H04
Amor Perfecto – Olla Cafetera | Roaster Village #76
