Best Coffee Shop in Olympia 2026
CoffeeLab Award 2026 Winner
10 Olympia shops were screened for this award and one was fully scored — the winner is the candidate our documented-evidence screening selected for full scoring, so the award is an editorial selection, not a quantitative ranking of the city. The full reasoning, source trail and honest limitations are published on the award page.
Why Olympia Coffee Roasting Co. won — the short version
Two Good Food Awards for Coffee in One Year, on the Awarding Body's List
The Good Food Awards judge coffee blind, and their winners' list is public. Daily Coffee News, reporting the 2024 results on 30 April 2024, wrote that "Olympia, Washington-based Olympia Coffee was the only other roaster to win two awards. Continue on the award page →
A Transparency Report Every Year Since 2018, Down to the Price of Every Lot
The company's Fair For All programme states its practice plainly: "We publish the precise quantities and prices paid for all coffees in our annual transparency report." The 2025 report, which we opened in full, is a seventeen-page table — country, coffee name, quantity in pounds, cupping score, how it was sold, the FOB price paid, varietal and years of relationship — and states: "In 2024, our average price (FOB, or F… Continue on the award page →
A Co-Owner Who Is a National Champion, Reported by the Trade Press
Barista Magazine, in a June 2023 interview with the new champion, wrote: "Sam Schroeder is co-owner and retail director for Olympia Coffee Roasting Co., and will compete for CIGS on the world stage in November." The company's own account of the same weekend adds the second title: "In the U.S. Coffee in Good Spirits Championship , Olympia Coffee co-founder Sam Schroeder took the top spot. And, in the U.S. Continue on the award page →
What the sources say
Every citation is named, dated and checkable — this is what the award actually rests on:
“"Olympia, Washington-based Olympia Coffee was the only other roaster to win two awards.”
— Daily Coffee News (Apr 2024) — Here Are the 2024 Good Food Award Winners for Coffee, Apr 2024“"Sam Schroeder is co-owner and retail director for Olympia Coffee Roasting Co., and will compete for CIGS on the world stage in November." — the trade press naming the co-owner and the title. Verified 2026-09-21.”
— Barista Magazine (Jun 2023) — 10 Minutes With Sam Schroeder, the U.S. Coffee in Good Spirits Winner, Jun 2023“"In the U.S. Coffee in Good Spirits Championship , Olympia Coffee co-founder Sam Schroeder took the top spot. And, in the U.S.”
— Olympia Coffee Roasting Co. — press page: two first-place finishes at the U.S. Coffee Championships (2023), Jun 2023We did not visit or taste — this evaluation tier uses documented evidence only, and the award page says exactly what we did and didn't do, including its known limitations.
Also recognised in Olympia
Award recognition is not a verdict on any other shop. These are recognised in their own right, for what our research found in their favour:
An Honorable Mention is a recognition, not a placing — we do not rank the shops we did not score, and we do not publish scores for shops that did not receive recognition.
Olympia coffee — FAQ
Who won Best Coffee Shop in Olympia 2026?
Olympia Coffee Roasting Co. (600 4th Ave E, Olympia, WA 98501) won the CoffeeLab Award 2026 for Best Coffee Shop in Olympia, recognised at Gold on the published six-dimension venue rubric.
How were Olympia coffee shops evaluated?
10 independent shops were screened on documented evidence — specialist press, judged competition results, and published sources — and the screening selection was fully scored on six equal-weighted dimensions. The award is an editorial selection, not a quantitative ranking of the city; the full methodology, source trail and limitations are published.
Did CoffeeLabAdvisor visit or taste the coffee?
No. This evaluation tier uses documented evidence only — we did not visit the shops or taste the coffee, and every award page says so. Hands-on assessment belongs to the separate CoffeeLab Verified tier.
Which other Olympia shops were recognised?
Papaver Roaster House, Rhythms Coffee received Honorable Mentions — recognitions, not placings. We do not publish scores for shops that did not receive recognition.
How we evaluate
Every shop passes the same published five-gate methodology — coffee quality only, named checkable sources, honest published limitations, and no commercial influence on any selection. See the full Olympia award or all CoffeeLab Awards 2026.
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