Initially hesitant to compete in this year’s competition, Simon Gautherin has come through to win the 2026 Australian Brewers Championship.
Held across the weekend of 20 – 23 November at Big Plans Melbourne, Simon’s success has bought him a ticket straight to the World Brewers Cup in Brussels next June.
Representing APAX Lab and Zest Coffee, Simon says it took “10 years of hard work and dedication” to reach this level.
“This is my tenth year in Australia, and it means a lot to me to represent Australia on the world stage, so it was amazing,” he says.
“I didn’t compete to win – I removed that from my mind, and I wasn’t too sure I wanted to be on stage because of the hard work and commitment that it means, so for me, it needed to have a real meaning.”
Simon worked with 2025 World Brewers Cup competitor Carlos Escobar, who he says “flew all the way from Colombia” to make the event in support.
Simon used Finca Nuguo coffee – helmed by José ‘Pocho’ Gallardo – who Simon describes as his “favourite all time producer”, and also worked with Jhoan Vergara from the Peñas Blancas Coffee Producing Center.
“The four people that we’re representing on stage – the two producers, Carlos, and Gary Ong from Waved Tech – they’re all also fulfilling their dreams. So that was the number one thing for me, representing these people,” he says.
“[Jhoan] is a producer that does a lot of amazing things in Colombia. Has a great heart, incredible human being.
“It was just amazing to be able to use this coffee in a competition stage, and his coffee, is very floral, very citrusy – just a very clean, delicate wash coffee.”
The 2026 World Brewers Cup Championships will be held alongside the World Coffee Roasting Championship and World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship at World of Coffee Brussels from June 25 – 27 2026.
