Extraordinary attendance for the London Coffee Festival. More than 23,642 visitors (including 9,861 trade members) attended fifth The London Coffee Festival from 30 April – 03 May at the Old Truman Brewery in East London.
“We are thrilled to have had so many people join us for an incredible four day event, now established as the largest and most progressive coffee event in the world.
We had baristas and trade visitors fly in from all around the world to take part in this multi-sensory event and our exhibitors offered a fantastic quality of experiences to both trade and consumer,” explains festival organiser Ludovic Rossignol.
“We have been absolutely delighted to witness our exhibitors raising the bar again with so many exciting launches and new event features, beautiful stands and experiences; so many enthusiastic visitors coming through our doors and so much fabulous coffee served across this four-day gathering.”
The festival’s two industry days have been designed to provide a suitable platform for visitors to source new products, business model inspiration and take part in exciting and interactive coffee experiences.
“The London Coffee Festival is all about elevating standards in the coffee industry and educating people about speciality coffee,” continues Rossignol.
“It’s a celebration of the vibrant London Coffee Scene and the talented people who form its backbone, but it’s also a beacon model for the coffee industry and the creative sectors it surrounds. Through the festival we want to help both the industry and coffee scene to showcase speciality coffee, whilst educating all stakeholders and elevating standards among consumers.”
The event featured latte art workshops, world music from the coffee belt, live roasting demonstrations, brewing tutorials, bespoke coffee creations, unique restaurant idea the White Label Kitchen and the festival’s popular Lab programme.
New for 2015 was the inaugural Coffee Masters competition that tested top baristas to the very limit in this fast-paced contest across the four days of the festival. Competing baristas included World Coffee in Good Spirits Champion Matt Perger (Australia), Latte Art Champion Ben Morrow (Australia) and UK Brewers Cup Champion James Bailey, plus 17 other strong contenders from around the world.
“When we first talked about organising our own barista competition we wanted to create something entertaining, yet educational that embraced the fast-paced world of the barista, while fitting with the general feel of The London Coffee Festival.
“Our aim was to showcase the expertise, craftsmanship and dedication required to work in some of the best cafés in the world.
“But we didn’t want it to be one-sided – we wanted to create an event that was enjoyable, inclusive, interesting and highly entertaining to watch for everyone, no matter how much or how little they know about coffee.
“We’ve made sure that each discipline is self-explanatory – Cupping, Brewing, Latte Art, The Order Challenge and The Signature Drink, with The Espresso Blend.”
After four days of intense competition in front of a full audience – and with three wildcards making the quarter-finals – Sunday afternoon’s grand final came down to the UK’s James Bailey and Patrik Rolf Karlsson from Germany. The exciting final battle was close, but in the end it was James Bailey who became the first Coffee Master and took home the £5,000 prize.
“We are delighted that James Bailey from Workshop Coffee Co won the very first Coffee Master title,” adds Jeffrey Young, Founder of The Allegra Group. “James’ professionalism, expertise and superb practical execution make him an outstanding coffee professional and a thoroughly deserving Coffee Master.
“Equally this result is a fantastic outcome for London which is now established as one of the leading coffee cities in the world. Our next stop will be New York City where Coffee Masters USA will take place from 25 – 27 September 2015.
“We are also thrilled that The London Coffee Festival has raised over £65,000 through ticket sales for Project Waterfall, which aims to provide clean water to coffee producing communities.”
Other festival features included L’Accademia di Cimbali’s sensory sessions, La Marzocco’s pop-up coffee shop The True Artisan Café, DRWakefield’s green coffee classroom, Union Hand-Roasted’s pop-up roastery, the Make Decent Coffee Lounge by ThreeSixty° Coffee, fashion and lifestyle district Milk & Sugar and the House of Coffee & Co, the festival’s new VIP Hospitality Suite.
The London Coffee Festival will return in April 2016 for its sixth year from 07 – 10 April at the Old Truman Brewery.
About The London Coffee Festival
With over 22,500 visitors expected, The London Coffee Festival is an unmissable event for discerning coffee lovers and those working in the coffee scene.
The festival features over 250 artisan coffee and gourmet food stalls, tastings and demonstrations from world-class baristas, interactive workshops, street food, coffee-based cocktails, live music, DJs, the Coffee Masters competition, fashion and lifestyle district Milk & Sugar and much more.
The London Coffee Festival is the launch event of UK Coffee Week™ which takes place nationwide and features fundraising events in aid of Project Waterfall, a charity that delivers safe water projects to coffee-producing countries.
