Coffee roaster wins award

An Albany coffee roaster won a prestigious Australian International Coffee Award in Melbourne last weekend.

Beck and Call received the bronze award in single-origin category for its Ethiopian Guji Gigesa coffee beans, which lined up against 743 entries.

Owner Kade Sims said he was humbled to be recognised alongside Australia’s leading roasters for his first entry in the competition.

“We are a small, quality-focused roaster and we pride ourselves on offering the local market the best specialty coffee available. The result is a nice reward for hard work and shows that we are on the right track,” he said.

Mr Sims said his Ethiopian Guji Gigesa coffee beans had been a favourite at his roastery for some time.

“It’s grown in southern Ethiopia which is an iconic region — the coffee has a dynamic complex and has that balance of acidity with fruitiness and sweetness,” he said.

“That’s why I chose it, because as a single-origin coffee it has all the attributes that you need and really as a roaster I’m just putting a polish on a really good product.”

The single-origin category was judged on strict criteria based on balance, body and after-taste of the coffee. The strict criteria resulted in only bronze and silver winners, but no gold medals were awarded.

The AICA is Australia’s first and only international coffee awards which celebrate and promote coffee roasting excellence around the world.

The awards give roasters the opportunity to benchmark their produce against industry standards and to receive recognition and feedback from an independent panel of experts.

Beck and Call beans are stocked only in the Great Southern at Six Degrees, Teed and Co, Plantagenet Winery and other venues.