NCA Names 2026 Individual Award Winners and Origin Charity of the Year

The National Coffee Association has named recipients of its 2026 Individual Recognition Awards and selected Strategies for International Development as its 2026 Origin Charity of the Year, with formal presentations scheduled for the Friday Luncheon & Awards Ceremony at the NCA Convention in Tampa, Florida on March 13, 2026. The convention runs March 12–14, 2026.

The NCA Distinguished Leadership Award was bestowed posthumously on the Late Pedro Lázaro Gaviña, identified in the announcement as Co-Founder, Gaviña Coffee Company. The NCA described the honor this way: "The NCA Distinguished Leadership Award is given to an individual who has demonstrated exceptional leadership, unwavering service, and dedication to the U.S. coffee community."

NCA President and CEO William "Bill" Murray framed the slate in the organization’s announcement: "The NCA is proud to recognize the recipients of this year’s NCA Individual Recognition Awards for their leadership and dedicated service to the coffee industry. Each of the honorees has gone above and beyond to leave an indelible mark on the sector."

Nora Johnson was named the inaugural NCA Rising Star Award recipient. Johnson is Senior Director of Commodities at Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA, joined the NCA Next Gen community in 2020, and rose to Chair of the Next Gen Council. NCA materials singled out her work as instrumental in shaping mentorship programs and industry challenges and noted that the association "introduced its inaugural Rising Star Award, a new accolade designed to spotlight emerging talent."

Strategies for International Development received the NCA Origin Charity of the Year Award for its work in origin countries. The announcement highlighted SID’s "regional approach to training smallholder farmers in Guatemala, Uganda, and Tanzania, helping them transition from subsistence to successful commercial farming." Mother Parkers Tea and Coffee is listed as sponsor of the Origin Charity of the Year award. Grounds for Health was named a finalist and described as "a longtime provider of cervical cancer prevention in coffee regions."

The NCA Individual Recognition Awards are sponsored by Eight O’Clock Coffee Company, with the association extending "Special Thanks to Eight O’Clock Coffee Company" in its materials. The convention is expected to draw over 700 industry professionals from across the coffee value chain, including roasters, manufacturers, retailers, importers, exporters, traders, growers and allied businesses. Registration for the 2026 Convention opened October 21, 2025, and nomination materials noted that "For nominees to be considered as award recipients at the next NCA Annual Convention, nominations must be submitted to the NCA by November 7, 2025."

The association provided a point of contact for awards inquiries: Terri Bartlett, Director of Member Relations, at (646) 924-4039 or trbartlett@ncausa.org. The NCA corporate address is 45 Broadway, Suite 2020, New York, NY 10006. The announcement did not list a named winner for the NCA Volunteer of the Year, and the role of Thomas J. Hartley was not specified in the materials released with the honors; the association will formally present these recognitions in Tampa on March 13, 2026.