Angelino’s Coffee

Angelino’s Coffee is a California-based specialty roaster and, since 2024, the holder of the highest price ever paid at a Cup of Excellence auction.

Role

• At the 2024 Ethiopia COE, Angelino’s bought the winning lot — grown by smallholder Basha Bekele in Bensa, Sidama and scored 90.50 — for $980.64/kg,about$445/lb (Ethiopian Monitor, accessed 2026-07-22). That beat a 2022 Ethiopia lot bought by a UAE company at $884.10/kg.
• Precisely what it bought, per ACE’s official table: lot 1A, 90 kg (198.42 lb), at $445.00/lb—$88,296.90. The winner’s harvest was split into two auction lots, and the second half (1B, 231.49 lb at $350.10/lb) went to Orsir International Co. Ltd. and Saza Coffee (ACE — Ethiopia 2024, accessed 2026-07-23).
• The purchase matters beyond the number: top auction lots had long gone to East Asian buyers, so a US roaster taking the record marked a widening of the bidding field. See Premiumisation.

To verify

Angelino’s is also reported to have taken both 1st and 2nd place at the 2024 El Salvador COE with a $122/lb winning bid. That claim rests only on the company’s own news blog, which was unreachable when checked (HTTP 429). Confirm against Alliance for Coffee Excellence results before repeating it.

Related

• Cup of Excellence · Cup of Excellence records by country
• Basha Bekele — the farmer whose lot it bought · Saza Coffee — named on the other half of that lot
• Alliance for Coffee Excellence · Premiumisation
• Coffee scoring

Official links

• Official site — Angelino’s Coffee

Sources

1. Angelino’s Coffee — official site — accessed 2026-07-23
2. Alliance for Coffee Excellence — Ethiopia 2024 results and auction — accessed 2026-07-23
3. Alliance for Coffee Excellence — competition & auction results — accessed 2026-07-23
4. Cup of Excellence — official site — accessed 2026-07-23
5. Ethiopian Monitor — Ethiopian coffee smashes Cup of Excellence auction record — accessed 2026-07-23