Sasa Sestic and the story behind Project Origin
Oct 28, 2025
How it all connects to Bogdan Georgescu and MABÓ Coffee
Few people have changed the world of specialty coffee as profoundly as Sasa Sestic .
Born in Bosnia and settled in Australia, Sasa is the founder of ONA Coffee and Project Origin — two projects that have become international benchmarks for innovation, ethics, and quality in coffee.
In 2015, he won the title of World Barista Champion , confirming a simple but powerful philosophy: coffee can be an art form, but also a means of creating real relationships between people.
From competitions to origins
After years of experience in competitions and roasting, Sasa began traveling to coffee farms around the world. He wanted to understand not only the taste, but also the context behind each bean: the people, the working conditions, how daily decisions influence the final quality.
That's how Project Origin was born — an initiative that directly connects farmers and specialty coffee roasters.
Today, Project Origin collaborates with over 100 farms from 13–14 different origins , constantly investing in infrastructure, equipment, and education at the origin.
Innovation and processing
One of Project Origin's most important contributions is the development and popularization of Carbonic Maceration (CM) processing – a technique inspired by winemaking, which brings clarity, sweetness, and aromatic complexity to the cup.
This method became standard in world competitions and inspired a new generation of farmers and roasters.
For Project Origin, innovation is not just technical — it is a means by which farmers can achieve fair prices and real sustainability , through quality differentiation and full traceability.
Collaboration with Bogdan Georgescu and MABÓ Coffee
The partnership between Bogdan Georgescu (founder and head roaster of MABÓ Coffee) and Sasa Sestic is based on the same vision: transparency, ethics and excellence in the selection of green coffees.
Through Project Origin, Bogdan annually selects rare and complex lots , which later become part of the MABÓ collections.
Each coffee is chosen for its clarity, the story of the people behind its origin, and the potential it can achieve when roasted.
This collaboration ensures a complete chain — from farm to roaster to cup in front of you — built on trust and a shared passion for excellence.
For MABÓ, the relationship with Project Origin is not only a source of professional inspiration, but also a reaffirmation of our values: quality, respect and continuing education .
The coffees produced through this collaboration are proof that, beyond origin and processing, intention matters.
Each package bearing the MABÓ signature tells a story about people, balance, and the desire to share the joy of well-made coffee — from the farm to you.
