Coppa del Mondo del Panettone 2026: winners and recap

On 7 and 8 November, the Meliá Milano hosted the world final of the fifth edition. Ecopack was there as Gold Sponsor, and inside every panettone in the competition.

In short: the final of the Coppa del Mondo del Panettone 2026 took place on 7 and 8 November at the Meliá Milano. Fiorenzo Ascolese (San Valentino Torio, Salerno) is World Champion for Traditional Panettone; Spain’s Miguel Angel Castro Garcia is World Champion for Chocolate Panettone. All finalists baked their panettoni in Ecopack’s custom paper moulds, as Ecopack was Gold Sponsor of the competition.

On Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November, Milan once again became the world capital of panettone. The Meliá Milano hosted the final of the Coppa del Mondo del Panettone 2026, the competition created by master pastry chef Giuseppe Piffaretti: finalists from 20 countries across Europe, the Americas and Asia, two international juries with twenty professionals in total, and registrations sold out for both days before the doors even opened.

Alongside the sourdough starter, there was another common thread: paper. All finalists baked their competition panettone in custom Ecopack moulds, as Ecopack was Gold Sponsor of the 2026 edition.

Saturday 7 November: the world in one room, day one of the Coppa del Mondo del Panettone 2026 final

Day one of the Coppa del Mondo del Panettone 2026 began early in the morning with the closed-door tasting by the Chocolate Panettone jury. Then the doors opened to the public, and the international finalists told their stories in the “Discover Panettone” sessions: Brazil, Peru, Mexico and Ecuador, the United States, Canada, Spain, Switzerland, Portugal, France, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, and Germany.

The talks covered panettone and artificial intelligence, packaging and consumer psychology, and gluten-free, lactose-free and vegan panettone. In the afternoon, the panel “From Seed to Table” focused on the Made in Italy supply chain: alongside Rossella Cerea (IULM Food Academy), Igor Maiellano (Agrimontana) and Sabrina Dallagiovanna (Molino Dallagiovanna) was our own Roberta Venturini, Head of Global Marketing at Ecopack, who reminded the audience that the mould is also part of the quality of a great leavened cake.

In the Gae Aulenti room, masterclasses and demos with tastings followed one another, while in the foyer the Artecarta Capsule Collection displayed the finalists’ boxes for the public to vote on. The day ended with the “Maestro del Panettone 2026” honours.

Sunday 8 November: the final and the winners of the world’s best panettone 2026

On Sunday, the Traditional Panettone jury tasted the competing entries, while the Italian finalists and those from Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines took the stage. Between a talk on Milan as the capital of panettone and another on leavened cakes in luxury hospitality, the Youth Space brought hotel-school students into the room with “La Colazione d’Autore”.

In the afternoon came the Coppa del Mondo del Panettone 2026 awards ceremony. The Traditional title goes to Campania, the Chocolate title to Spain.

Category	Placing	Pastry chef	From
Traditional Panettone	1st – World Champion	Fiorenzo Ascolese	San Valentino Torio (SA), Italy
Traditional Panettone	2nd	Roberto Moreschi	Chiavenna (SO), Italy
Traditional Panettone	3rd	Matteo Papanice	Castellana Grotte (BA), Italy
Chocolate Panettone	1st – World Champion	Miguel Angel Castro Garcia	Spain
Chocolate Panettone	2nd	Pompilio Giardino	Ariano Irpino (AV), Italy
Chocolate Panettone	3rd	Andrea Ceracchi	Cori (LT), Italy

Other awards:

• Best non-European traditional panettone and Press Jury Award: Jaime Martinez (USA)
• Best non-European chocolate panettone: Ammary Coromoto (USA)
• Best packaging, Jury Award (joint winners): Jie Lun Jan (Taiwan) and Paolo Loraschi (Switzerland)
• Best packaging, Audience Award: Wilson Ernesto Flores Torres (Ecuador)
• Best video: Karen Ng (Singapore)
• Maestro Panettone: Rolando Morandin; special recognition to Carlo Gronchi and Franco Antoniazzi for their contribution to great leavened cakes

“Panettone was born in Italy, but today it belongs to anyone who can interpret it with skill, respect and passion.” – Giuseppe Piffaretti, creator of the Coppa del Mondo del Panettone

Ecopack, Gold Sponsor: the mould of every finalist

Behind every great panettone there is a supply chain of excellence, and the mould is part of it. That is why, as Gold Sponsor of the Coppa del Mondo del Panettone 2026, Ecopack supplied all finalists with its paper panettone moulds, customised for the competition. The shipments left months before the final and reached the competitors’ bakeries all over the world, so that each of them could test and fine-tune the bake in their own competition mould.

As a result, both new World Champions, Fiorenzo Ascolese and Miguel Angel Castro Garcia, won their titles with a panettone baked in an Ecopack mould. The same goes for every entry tasted by the two juries.

For us, it confirms the work we have been doing since 1939: Ecopack is a family company founded in Piedmont, with 6 plants worldwide, producing paper baking moulds and cups for panettone, colomba and other large leavened cakes. We support them from the artisan bakery to large-scale industry, from the oven to the table. We share the same values as the Coppa del Mondo del Panettone: quality, research, tradition and openness to new markets.

Frequently asked questions

Who won the Coppa del Mondo del Panettone 2026?

Fiorenzo Ascolese, from San Valentino Torio (Salerno), won the Traditional Panettone category. Miguel Angel Castro Garcia, from Spain, won the Chocolate Panettone category.

Where and when did the 2026 final take place?

The world final took place on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November 2026 at the Meliá Milano. It was the fifth edition of the competition.

How many countries took part?

The finalists came from 20 countries across Europe, the Americas and Asia. Two international juries of ten members each judged the panettoni through blind tastings.

Who created the Coppa del Mondo del Panettone?

The competition was created by master pastry chef Giuseppe Piffaretti and was first held in 2019 in Lugano.

Who supplied the panettone moulds to the finalists?

Ecopack, Gold Sponsor of the Coppa del Mondo del Panettone 2026, supplied all finalists with paper panettone moulds customised for the competition. Ecopack has been producing paper moulds and baking cups for large leavened cakes since 1939.

Why is panettone baked in a paper mould?

The paper mould supports the dough during proofing and baking, helps the dome rise high and stays with the panettone all the way to the point of sale, with no need to remove it from the mould.

Thank you, and see you at the next bake

Thank you to Giuseppe Piffaretti and the whole organisation of the Coppa del Mondo del Panettone 2026, to the juries, to the partners and above all to the finalists, who trusted our moulds with months of work. Congratulations to Fiorenzo Ascolese and Miguel Angel Castro Garcia, and to all the award winners.

Are you a pastry chef or a company looking for a made-to-measure paper panettone mould? Discover our range of tall panettone moulds and low panettone moulds, or contact us: we will design the shape, size and customisation with you. More stories from the Ecopack world are in our news.