BOGOTA, Colombia – Under the motto “Colombia, a new vision,” the eighth edition of the international specialty coffee fair ExpoEspeciales will take place in Bogota’s Corferias from October 15th through October 18th 2015.
Organized by the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC) in different Colombian cities each year, ExpoEspeciales seeks to promote and give visibility to the production of high quality coffees from different Colombian coffee growing regions.
ExpoEspeciales is now considered Latin America and the Caribbean’s leading specialty coffee fair due to the number of visitors it receives annually, its academic agenda, and the high-level networking possibilities it offers. The event integrates the coffee value chain and brings together producers, traders, visitors and coffee lovers in one common space.
Aside from providing a showcase for coffees from different Colombian regions, the event is an opportune scenario to highlight the coffee industry’s trends and innovations in the domestic and international arena. ExpoEspeciales is an attractive scenario for both Latin American consumers and professionals, as well as Asian, North American and European buyers to enjoy commercial, cultural and academic exchanges.
For the second year in a row, the FNC and ProColombia (formerly Proexport) will organize a business round within ExpoEspeciales.
Producers, suppliers and distributors of goods and services will be able to set up appointments with buyers and with companies that are interested in proposals and business models that can help them grow in the coffee industry.
The ExpoEspeciales 2014’s conference recorded a total of $1.6 million in new business between producers and foreign buyers.
International Women Coffee Alliance
The IV International Women Coffee Alliance (IWCA) COFFEE & BUSINESS: OVERCOMING BARRIERS will also take place on October 15th and 16th during ExpoEspeciales 2015.
Organized by the IWCA and the FNC, this educational and networking forum will explore a wide range of current issues impacting the families, men and women involved in the coffee chain.
The event will have more than 300 attendees from the international coffee growing sector including producers, exporters, importers, roasters, baristas and analysts.
As Ana M. Lleras, coordinator of the FNC’s Coffee Growing Women program, notes, “The IWCA represents coffee growing women in order to enhance their role, help them achieve visibility, get a hold of support programs and disclose the importance of women in the coffee value chain.”
X Colombian Barista Championship and V National Tasters Championship
The X Colombian Barista Championship and the V National Tasters Championship will also take place during ExpoEspeciales 2015. The selected barista champion will represent Colombia in the 2016 World Barista Championship in Dublin, Ireland.
The V National Tasters Championship seeks to select the taster who demonstrates speed, skill and precision in distinguishing the different specialty coffees. The winner will represent Colombia in the World Tasters Championship.
Academic Program
A rich academic program will allow participants to learn about relevant matters related to the Colombian coffee industry such as the diversity of Café de Colombia, the FNC’s specialty coffee strategy and current market trends.
Other events that are likely to enrich ExpoEspeciales’ academic agenda are foodpairing samplings, the traditional Q Encounter –co-organized by the FNC and the Coffee Quality Institute–, and activities related to the Toma Café domestic coffee consumption program.
History
ExpoEspeciales was created to strengthen the coffee industry and invigorate the business revolving around coffee. The first ExpoEspeciales fair took place in 2008 in the city of Neiva.
With great success and an increasing number of attendees, ExpoEspeciales promotes a different Colombian coffee region each year. Ibague (2009), Pasto (2010), Bogota (2011 and 2013), Popayan (2012) and Medellin (2014) have been the hosts of ExpoEspeciales in previous years.
In 2011, when the World Barista Championship was held during ExpoEspeciales, the fair brought together more than 19,000 attendees.
Frequent exhibitors at ExpoEspeciales include:
• Coffee growers and industry partners (cooperatives, associations)
• Departmental Coffee Grower Committees
• Manufacturers and distributors of equipment and supplies for postharvest processing, coffee production (threshers and roasters), and coffee shops
• Thresher and roaster companies (roasting and grinding)
• Exporters
• NGOs and support institutions
• Financial institutions
• Certifiers
Visitors and buyers:
• Coffee growers
• Representatives, managers and professionals related to the coffee sector
• Coffee roasters and retailers
• Tasters
• International buyers
• Academia
• Professional baristas from establishments such as hotels, restaurants, coffee shops and bars
• General public
