BY DANIEL CULLEN
Portree’s Birch has been named one of the world’s 100 best coffee shops for 2026 at CoffeeFest Madrid, one of Europe’s largest coffee gatherings.
Birch placed at an impressive number 50 and was one of only two UK coffee shops to make the global top 100 after over 15,000 coffee shops worldwide were nominated for the awards.
Final rankings were determined by a combination of public vote and scores from 800 international judges.
The Free Press spoke to Niall Munro, founder of Birch, about the achievement.
“It was a pretty surreal feeling!” Niall said. “To place where we did at one of the biggest festivals in the world for coffee was incredible.”
Niall explained that he had some prior warning Birch had made the listing before the ceremony took place: “A few weeks before, I was told that we’d be placed on the list so we could make plans for heading over to Madrid, but when I saw where we were on the list –it was bonkers.”
Attending the event had particular significance for a business based on Skye, Niall said, with industry connections made in Madrid already bearing fruit.
“Where we live, you can feel isolated at times, but being there in Madrid with so many folk who you’d looked up to in the coffee world – it was a whirlwind of a few days.”
Niall added: “One highlight from Madrid was connecting with a coffee farmer from Columbia, I have tried loads of pour-overs made from his coffee – which is used in big competitions. I found out he was there and managed to chase him down and meet him, and I’ve recently put in an order with him for coffee, and he’s already packed it up himself and sent it over. Attending the coffee festival allowed us to connect with loads of other folk from the industry.”
Birch’s inclusion in the top 100 list placed it alongside long-established global names.
“The top 10 shops are widely recognised as the best in the world and have been for many years,” Munro said. “These are coffee shops that have been on my radar for such a long time. It’s really cool to be in their company.”
Despite strong competition from major cities worldwide, Niall said he believes Birch’s location is part of its appeal. “So many of the other coffee shops listed were in major cities across the world, from the USA to Australia, to Asia – being a part of that list, given our location, is really crazy. But there is something in our location too that captures the imagination, people wouldn’t necessarily expect to find us here.”
He also pointed to Scotland’s wider coffee scene. “Skye and Scotland have a lot to offer, there’s lots happening on the coffee scene here, Edinburgh in particular is an amazing city for coffee. There are so many incredible spots.”
For Niall, attention to detail has been central to Birch’s growth. “I think Birch, for me, has been about the smaller details. Everything we do is thought out and considered. People pick up on these little things. It’s not just ‘grab a coffee and go’, it’s more about the overall experience – starting from when you walk down the lane, with the amazing mural and (probably) the most-photographed piece of poetry in Scotland, to the food, the art, the pastries! It’s not just about the coffee.”
