Petrakis' journey in specialty coffee has been anything but conventional. After settling in Panama over a decade ago, he built a career that virtually spans the entire coffee value chain. He is an AST-certified trainer by the Specialty Coffee Association, a professional roaster, and a high-level competitor. Beyond his work at origin, he manages a roasting facility in the city where he processes approximately four metric tons of coffee per month — maintaining a permanent connection between production and consumption. His experience as a cupper, roaster, and barista directly informs every decision made at the farm, allowing him to design coffees with a fully integrated vision of quality.
Among his achievements: Panama National Barista Champion 2024, representative of Panama at the World Barista Championship in Korea, 2nd place at the Panama Brewers Cup 2023, and 3rd place at the Panama Barista Championship 2025 — competing with coffees produced on his own farm.
Belco's relationship with Baru Black Mountain predates Petrakis' involvement — we had already sourced coffee from the farm's previous owners. When Petrakis and his team took over the project, we knew we wanted to be a part of it. The collaboration has since been built around a shared vision of excellence, innovation, and Transparency. His ability to understand the needs of roasters and End Consumers has created a relationship based on consistent quality and continuous technical exchange.
Petrakis represents a new generation of Producers who understand coffee from multiple perspectives simultaneously — cultivating it, roasting it, teaching it, and competing with it. This comprehensive chain vision is what makes Baru Black Mountain truly singular. Shared values with Belco include continuous innovation and learning, Transparency, Product Traceability, and a commitment to creating value from origin to cup.
