World of Coffee San Diego 2026 Marks First North American Event Under Global Brand

The Specialty Coffee Association is bringing its flagship North American trade show to San Diego's Convention Center under a new name and a significantly expanded footprint. World of Coffee San Diego 2026, running April 10–12 at 111 Harbor Drive, marks the first time the event formerly known as the Specialty Coffee Expo has operated under the World of Coffee global brand, joining editions already established across Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

The SCA projects more than 15,000 attendees from over 90 countries for the three-day event, which the organization bills as "North America's Largest B2B Specialty Coffee Event." Visitor registration is open now.

Colombia takes the Portrait Country spotlight this year, with programming that includes unique activations and coffee tastings built around Colombian producers and their offerings. That programming lands alongside a show floor that will feature the Roaster Village, dedicated Cupping Rooms, and a Producer Village making its North American debut. The Producer Village is designed specifically for face-to-face meetings between attendees and coffee producers and distributors based in origin countries and regions, a connection point that hasn't existed on this show floor before.

The World Latte Art Championship runs across all three days, putting elite baristas from around the world against each other for the 2026 world title. The format centers on technical mastery and visual execution as competitors work with milk and espresso in front of a live competition audience.

Three awards programs are running alongside the trade floor. Submissions for the Best New Product Awards and Coffee Design Awards closed March 9, 2026. A Sustainability Awards category will also be part of the on-site discovery experience. The SCA Lecture Series schedule has not yet been published, but the Workshop schedule is live and sessions are bookable through the registration portal for an additional fee.

Platinum Sponsors for the event are Pacific Foods Barista Series and Sanremo Coffee Machines. Pentair Everpure holds the Diamond Sponsor slot as Official Water Filtration Sponsor, and FETCO is supporting as Diamond Sponsor and Official Grinding Equipment Sponsor.

For a trade show community that spent years attending the Specialty Coffee Expo, San Diego 2026 represents something more than a rebrand. The SCA's global World of Coffee network now has a North American anchor, and the Producer Village addition gives origin-country relationships a dedicated physical space on the show floor for the first time in this market.