Spirit Origin Wins Silver at 2026 Global Coffee Awards Latin America for Honduran Parainema Roasted at Origin

Oscar Ramírez's Paraideli Parainema took Silver in a double-blind judging in Houston; the roaster's new Las Huertas Catuai was named an Espresso Finalist.

ROATAN, HONDURAS, September 19, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Spirit Origin Coffee, the Roatán-based specialty roaster that roasts Honduran coffee at origin, has been awarded Silver in the Filter / Single Origin Experimental category at the 2026 Global Coffee Awards – Latin America for "Paraideli," a washed Parainema grown by producer Oscar Ramírez at Finca Paraideli, Honduras. A second Spirit Origin coffee, "Las Huertas," a Catuai from producer Carlos Amaya, was named a Finalist in the Espresso / Single Origin Experimental category.

The coffees were judged on August 12, 2026, in Houston, Texas, by an independent panel of expert judges under a strict double-blind protocol: no identifying information was shared with anyone preparing, serving, or evaluating the samples, and every coffee was scored without knowledge of the roaster's market or style. Only one Gold, Silver, Bronze, Honorable Mention, and Finalist are awarded in each category and subcategory. The Global Coffee Awards are organized by the Producer & Roaster Forum together with Perfect Daily Grind.

In their feedback report, the judges described the Paraideli Parainema as opening with "brown sugar syrup, grapefruit and green apple, developing prunes, stone fruit, caramel, fresh figs, raisin and sparkling, lively fresh orange zest acidity through a creamy texture," and called it "tart, sweet and very juicy," praising "the very bright acidity and well balanced structure that remained lively even as the cup cooled." The panel commended the entry as "a very well executed roast."

"The judges did not know this coffee came from Honduras, let alone that it was roasted in Honduras," said Paul Gromek, CEO and Co-Founder of Spirit Origin Coffee. "That is what makes this recognition matter. For decades, the assumption was that a Honduran coffee had to be exported and roasted abroad to compete at the highest level. Don Oscar's coffee, roasted on an island off the Honduran coast, just placed among the best in Latin America on the strength of the cup alone."

"This award belongs to Oscar Ramírez and Carlos Amaya," Gromek added. "Both producers have been invited alongside us to the Global Coffee Awards ceremony at the Producer & Roaster Forum in Chiapas, Mexico, in March 2027, and that is exactly where they should be."

The recognition follows Spirit Origin's back-to-back Cup of Excellence wins. In July 2026, the company secured the #1 lot at the record-breaking Honduras Cup of Excellence auction for the second consecutive year, after becoming the first company in Cup of Excellence history to acquire both the #1 and #2 lots in 2025 and keep them at origin.

The Silver-winning Paraideli Parainema, itself an 88.6-point Cup of Excellence winner, is available now at spiritorigincoffee.com, roasted to order at the company's Roatán roastery and shipped within days of roasting. It is also served at the Spirit Origin café and at its Coffee Omakase in First Bight, Roatán. Las Huertas will be released soon. Both coffees will carry the official Global Coffee Awards seal on their packaging.

2026 Global Coffee Awards – Latin America: Spirit Origin results

• Silver — Filter / Single Origin Experimental: "Paraideli," Parainema, washed. Producer: Oscar Ramírez, Finca Paraideli, Honduras.
• Finalist — Espresso / Single Origin Experimental: "Las Huertas," Catuai. Producer: Carlos Amaya, Honduras.
• Judging: August 12, 2026, Houston, Texas, USA. Independent panel, double-blind protocol.
• Full results: globalcoffeeawards.com/winners-latam-2026

About Spirit Origin Coffee

Spirit Origin Coffee (formerly Spirit Animal Coffee) is a B Corp-certified specialty coffee company based in Roatán, Honduras, dedicated to empowering small-scale producers through direct trade, transparent sourcing, and roasting at origin. Its flagship in First Bight houses a Probat roastery, a café ranked among the Top 100 Coffee Shops in the Americas, the From the Roots restaurant, and Central America's first Coffee Omakase — a 21-seat, reservation-only tasting experience developed in partnership with Tokyo's KOFFEE MAMEYA. Spirit Origin is the back-to-back buyer of Honduras' Cup of Excellence #1 lots (2025 and 2026), including both the #1 and #2 lots in 2025 — a first in global Cup of Excellence history — and a 2026 Global Coffee Awards Silver winner. Learn more at spiritorigincoffee.com.

Paul Gromek
Spirit Origin Coffee
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