Announcing: KBI European Salon & World Kombucha Awards, Barcelona, Spain

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Barcelona is the place to be this October. There are two related events happening.

The World Kombucha Awards

The World Kombucha Awards (WKA) are the global awards selecting and promoting the best of the world’s kombucha. It began in 2023. This annual tasting selects, awards and promotes the ‘World’s Best Kombuchas’ to consumers and the trade throughout the world. WKA medals showcase winning kombuchas to buyers who are seeking the all-important WKA stamp of approval. The next edition of the competition will be in 2027.

Booch News reported on the 2024 winners.

This year the competition features 360 kombuchas from 39 different countries. This is up from 250 entries from 29 countries. last year. Judging took place in September and the Awards ceremony takes place on Saturday, October 25th.

The judging panel was truly international:

Sat Oct 25th Noon – 3:30 pm

Venue: Carrer de Pujades, 350, Sant Martí, 08019 Barcelona, Spain

The organizer informed Booch News:

The awards ceremony will begin around 12:00 PM and is expected to last about 1 to 1.5 hours. Afterwards, the Kombucha Bar will be open until approximately 2:30–3:00 PM.  Entrance is intended for participants, brewers who wish to attend, industry professionals and media representatives. Based on previous years, we expect around 100–150 attendees. Any professional interested in joining is welcome, we just ask that they send an email confirming their attendance to info@worldkombuchaawards.com.

The KBI European Salon

The 2025 Kombucha Brewers International (KBI) European Salon is on Sunday October 26 and Monday October 27 at the same venue as the WKA event.

Tickets are $US 250.00.

Sun Oct 26th 10:00 am – 3:00 pm

10:00 – 11:00: Homebrewing Workshop, Jordi, Mūn Ferments, Mataró. Barcelona.

  • Learn hands-on tips and tricks for crafting kombucha at home.

11:00 – 12:00 Verified Seal Updates & Education for the Consumer, Kendra Sepulveda, Director, KBI.

  • How transparency and trust will shape consumer perception.

12:00 – 3:00 Meet the Brewers & Taste Kombucha from Around the World.

  • Mingle with brewing innovators and sample award-winning flavors from across the globe, accompanied by live music by The Rusties Blues Band.

Mon Oct 27th 9:30 am – 5:00 pm

9:30 – 9:45: Opening Statement, Kendra Sepulveda.

10:30 – 11:15: Challenges And Solutions In Cold Chain Logistics, Gayatri Mehta – Lean SCM Consulting, VLB, Berlin, Germany.

  • What it takes to maintain product integrity during transport.

11:15 – 12:15: Event Sponsor, Michelle Yang, Carry Brewtech, Shandong, China.

  • Innovations and scaling strategies in kombucha equipment and systems.

12:15 – 1:00: Brazil’s Kombucha Boom, Thiago Cunha – Labkom – Laboratorio da Kombucha, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

  • Insights into the rapidly expanding Brazilian market.

1:00 – 1:445: Science of Kombucha, Martin Turjak – Ayatana Kombucha Brewery, Lesce, Slovenia.

  • Fermentation science and novel product ideas.
  • Developing Kombucha Flavors and other Kombucha based products.

1:00 – 1:45: Lunch

2:00 – 2:45: Worldwide Kombucha Market Trends, Ian Griffin (that’s me!), Booch News.

  • Market Geography & Growth Hotspots
  • Industry Consolidation vs. New Entry Patterns
  • Strategic Content Review

2:45 – 3:30: The Power of Organic Ingredients in Kombucha Production, Xenia Ejidike, Director, Ozora Kombucha, Lagos, Nigeria.

  • The future of kombucha is more than functional.
  • How organic inputs shape quality, branding, and sustainability.

3:30 – 3:45: Coffee (or Kombucha!) Break

3:50 – 4:30: Open Panel

  • An interactive, audience-driven discussion and wrap-up to leave you inspired.

4:30 – 4:45: Closing Remarks

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