Nobody in the history of the Philippine National Barista Championship has ever done it three times. Until now. On June 14, inside the World Trade Center in Pasay City, Michael Harris Conlin stepped onto the competition floor at MAFBEX and defended his title — making him the first-ever three-time Philippine National Barista Champion. He's heading to the World Barista Championship in Panama City this October. And if you want a blueprint for what relentless, purpose-driven ambition looks like in Philippine coffee, his story is the answer.

June 14, Pasay City

The 2026 Philippine National Coffee Competition (PNCC)ran June 10–14 at the MAFBEX Brew District, World Trade Center, Pasay City— the Manila Food and Beverage Expo's competition floor, packed with the country's best coffee professionals.

To win, competitors had to prepare four espressos, four milk drinks, and four original signature beverages— all within15 minutes. Judges scored on technical skill, cleanliness, creativity, and beverage taste. It is one of the most demanding formats in local coffee.

Michael led a field of seven finalists that included Vincent Rosario dela Cruz, Diel Elison John Dano Or, Louis Vincent Yumul, Ann Mikayla Caysido, Argenel Vegas, and Jovielyn Manalastas.

He won.

Three Times. First Ever.

His 2026 title is his third. He won the national championship in 2019 and again in 2025— each time going on to represent the Philippines at the World Barista Championship. No Filipino barista has won the national title three times before him.

"We are now the first-ever 3x Philippine National Barista Champions. This win proves that our common love for coffee transcends all."

His 2026 presentation centered on global and human connections through coffee — a theme that runs through everything he does, on stage and off.

Twenty-Five Years Behind the Cup

Michael's story doesn't start on a competition stage. It starts in2001, in his family's abaca rope business. A supplier walked in one day carrying green coffee beans grown alongside his abaca crops. That moment changed everything.

He founded Conlin Coffee World that same year. In2013, he built Henry & Sons— where he now serves as president and CEO. He also established The Giving Café, a social enterprise connecting café culture directly to farming communities, and leads two initiatives focused on the industry's long-term health: the Foundation for Sustainable Coffee Excellence and the Institute for Coffee Excellence, both aimed at training local baristas and supporting regional coffee farmers.

"Coffee has always been a bridge for me — between people, between generations, and between possibility and purpose."

The Bean the World Kept Overlooking

Every time Michael steps onto the world stage, he brings barako— Philippine Liberica, a variety our farmers have cultivated for generations while global specialty markets largely ignored it. At the2025 WBC in Milan, his Liberica espresso earned the highest score in the first round. It wasn't a curiosity. It was a contender.

At the 2025 championship, he also debuted the Better Vessel— an espresso tool co-developed with his son Liam. Its concave inner walls let liquid espresso pass through while crema clings to the sides, removing bitterness without killing the workflow. Nearly two years of 3D prototyping went into the final design.

Why This Matters

Here is what young Filipino professionals and aspiring founders should take from this: Michael Harris Conlin has built a competition record, two coffee brands, a social enterprise, two industry foundations, and a patented espresso invention — all while championing farmers the market hadn't bothered to notice.

He didn't do it once. He didn't do it twice. He keeps coming back.

The World Barista Championship in Panama City happens this October. He will be on that stage — for the third time — with Philippine coffee in the cup and Filipino farmers in the story.

That is what "showing up" actually means. Not once, when it's exciting. Every time, because the mission isn't finished.

Whatever you're building — find your barako. And go back for it, again and again, until the world has no choice but to pay attention.