La Esmeralda – El Salvador

Siblings Sonia and Maurizio Valli founded Bugan Coffee Lab in December 2014 in Bergamo, inspired by a trip Maurizio took to Panamanian coffee plantations that same year, though their roots in the coffee business stretch back to 2000. Named after bougainvillea flowers, Bugan became Italy's first coffee laboratory to combine a roastery, coffee academy, cupping room, and tasting bar under one roof, and Maurizio personally selects every coffee during his travels to plantations around the world. The team roasts some of the lightest specialty coffees in Italy, working exclusively with single origins and refusing blends, an approach that has helped produce nine national Italian coffee titles and two world podium placements, including Daniele Ricci's second place finish at the World Barista Championship in Athens. A squad of ten young coffee professionals, including world class competitors Ricci and Andrea Villa, makes Bugan one of the most competitively decorated roasteries in Italy. The operation expanded to Milan in July 2025 with a bookable tasting room, carrying Bergamo's specialty coffee revolution into Italy's largest city.