Sam Shi of Espresso Club, a Brisbane roastery, was named Overall Champion of the 2026 Golden Bean Australasia competition, held June 16 to 20 at Latitude Coffee Roasters in North Lakes, Brisbane. Judges scored 752 coffees across 12 categories, with more than 100 coffee professionals taking part as judges. Espresso Club also took the Overall Small Chain Champion title at the same event. At the time of writing, Espresso Club does not have a public online shop; its Brisbane operation is built around barista training, coffee education, and wholesale and contract roasting rather than direct-to-consumer sales, and the company can be reached through its Facebook page.
Visit Espresso Club Australia on Facebook.
The Winner
Shi has competed at Golden Bean Australasia in previous years as a runner-up before taking the top title in 2026. He works as a contract roaster for smaller coffee brands across Australia and has built a reputation over more than a decade in competition as a flavor specialist. Espresso Club, based in Springwood, Brisbane, offers professional barista training and coffee education alongside its roasting work, with training delivered across Brisbane, Springwood, Sunnybank, and overseas.
Golden Bean Australasia is the regional edition of Golden Bean covering Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific, and Southeast Asia, one of three regional editions alongside The Americas and East Asia.
Category Winners
Golden Bean Australasia judged 752 coffees across 12 categories in addition to naming an Overall Champion. Several category gold medalists have their own coffee for sale.
Espresso: Six of One Coffee Roasters, Toowoomba
Six of One took Espresso category gold with Las Flores Java, an award winning seasonal release.
Elite: White Horse Coffee, Sydney
White Horse Coffee won Elite category gold with Colombia Jhoan Vergara “Duo Cherry Velvet,” a competition lot from the Chiroso varietal.
For more on Golden Bean and past winners, visit our Golden Bean page.