Benjamin Brassart, world roasting champion: a strong signal for Belgian specialty coffee
I came across an article from Forbes Belgique that made me happy: Belgium has won the World Coffee Roasting Championship, six years after its last appearance. Benjamin Brassart claimed the title on June 27, 2026, at the World Coffee Fair in Brussels, ahead of the national champions of the other countries.
What struck me is his path. Only about two years ago, he launched Boo Coffee Roasters with his partner Benoît Desmaretz in the industrial district of Anderlecht. A small independent roastery working with committed producers has ended up on top of the world. It makes you want to believe in small operations.
The article also gives the floor to two professionals. Thomas Wyngaard, founder of OK Coffee Studio, believes the title will help specialty coffee be heard more in Belgian HORECA (hotels, restaurants and cafés). Maxime Lemploy of Cuprima, the specialty branch of the importer Efico, links this coffee to the slow food movement: rarity, distinctive taste, traceability.
A few figures put things in perspective. Specialty coffee accounts for only about 2% of the global market, even though it is growing much faster than the rest. In the United States, according to a survey by the Specialty Coffee Association, 47% of adults drink it every day, compared with 42% for traditional coffee. In Belgium there are no reliable consumption figures, but coffee shops keep opening in Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent and in Wallonia.
Wyngaard predicts that the market will polarize between very cheap coffee and excellence, with less and less room in the middle. Personally, I find that a useful reminder: behind a medal is a whole ecosystem of roasters, importers and producers who decide what ends up in our cup.
Source: Forbes Belgique
What struck me is his path. Only about two years ago, he launched Boo Coffee Roasters with his partner Benoît Desmaretz in the industrial district of Anderlecht. A small independent roastery working with committed producers has ended up on top of the world. It makes you want to believe in small operations.
The article also gives the floor to two professionals. Thomas Wyngaard, founder of OK Coffee Studio, believes the title will help specialty coffee be heard more in Belgian HORECA (hotels, restaurants and cafés). Maxime Lemploy of Cuprima, the specialty branch of the importer Efico, links this coffee to the slow food movement: rarity, distinctive taste, traceability.
A few figures put things in perspective. Specialty coffee accounts for only about 2% of the global market, even though it is growing much faster than the rest. In the United States, according to a survey by the Specialty Coffee Association, 47% of adults drink it every day, compared with 42% for traditional coffee. In Belgium there are no reliable consumption figures, but coffee shops keep opening in Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent and in Wallonia.
Wyngaard predicts that the market will polarize between very cheap coffee and excellence, with less and less room in the middle. Personally, I find that a useful reminder: behind a medal is a whole ecosystem of roasters, importers and producers who decide what ends up in our cup.
Source: Forbes Belgique
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