Danny Wilson of Ona Coffee has achieved a second-place finish in the World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship, which was held at World of Coffee Geneva from 26 to 28 June.
The runner-up position is Danny’s best result in the competition, previously taking third, fifth, and ninth in previous iterations. He is a four-time Australian Coffee in Good Spirits champion, having won the 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2025 competitions.
“It has been a wild week here in Geneva with hot weather, great drinks, and a high level of competition,” Danny tells BeanScene.
“I’m very happy to have achieved second place and present my vision for coffee cocktails. This year I presented a range of drinks across the three days centred around two imagined bars based on my favourite style of venue.
“My preliminary routine featured drinks from The Marque – a five-star hotel serving detailed, high-end cocktails with refined service.”
Danny was one of six competitors to make the final round, where he switched his theme from the high society setting of The Marque to a more down-to-earth, gritty venue.
“My final was set in The Doghouse – a rock ‘n’ roll dive bar serving modern cocktails with energetic and fun service,” he says.
“My final designer drink, the Thirsty Puppy, featured Hartshorn Vodka from Tasmania, mango liqueur, spiced rum, orgeat and sparkling apple juice. It was served in a custom 3D-printed glass with flavours enhancing the natural quality of the Iris Estate geisha espresso I used.”
Indonesia’s Georgius Audrey Teja was named World Coffee in Good Spirits Champion. Van Lin (third, Taiwan), Christos Klouvatos (fourth, Greece), Vladyslav Demonenko (fifth, Germany), and Gary Hau (sixth, Hong Kong) also made the finals.
Danny was not the only Ona Coffee representative to earn recognition at World of Coffee Geneva, with Ming Wan achieving a sixth-place finish in the World Latte Art Championships.
Chen Zhuohao (China) was named World Latte Art Champion, with Ryusei Nozawa (second, Japan), Elly (Jiyu Lee) (third, South Korea), JiaMin (fourth, Singapore), and Bank Sarawut (fifth, Thailand) making up the final standings.
Ona Coffee congratulated Danny and Ming on social media following their achievements.
“Both of you have poured your hearts into this – the countless hours of preparation, the passion, the creativity, and the unwavering commitment to your craft. You’ve inspired all of us to dream bigger, work harder, and keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in coffee,” Ona says.
“This isn’t just about the trophies. It’s about how you showed up with humility, joy, and true sportsmanship. You’ve made our team, our coffee community, and Australia incredibly proud.
“Thank you for inspiring us to keep growing and evolving, and for reminding us why we love this industry.”
