The city of Newport, in Wales, is to get its first Coffee Festival. Organised by Horton’s Coffee House, based on the Newport riverfront, the August festival will put speciality coffee into the spotlight.
Horton’s owner, former steelworker Gavin Horton, said he hoped the festival – being staged in the upstairs gallery area at Newport Indoor Market on August 11 – would encourage other independents to look at offering speciality coffees.
Horton said:
“Horton’s is still the only speciality coffee house in Newport. I’m hoping by organising the festival and bringing roasters to the city to meet up with other independents, it will show the local coffee shops that they too can have a speciality offering.
The Newport Coffee Festival will include live music, coffee tasting, displays from professional baristas and latte art.
He added:
“We will also have the ‘flat white challenge’ in which competitors have to make the fastest flat white, a little like the omelette challenge on TV’s Saturday Kitchen Live.”
The festival is backed by Mead Farm Foods. The Monmouthshire dairy, run by husband and wife Lawrence and Izabela Hembrow, will provide 600 litres of fresh milk for the event.
Izabela Hembrow said:
“I wanted to get involved with the Newport Coffee Festival as soon as I saw it mentioned on social media by organisers Horton’s Coffee House. It’s a perfect fit for Mead Farm Foods and a great opportunity for us to get our home-grown products out to a wider market.”
Employee at Horton’s Coffee House, Scott Lewis, said:
“We’re hosting Newport Coffee Festival to show how well independent coffee shops are doing, and how speciality coffee is gaining popularity in the UK.
“We are trying to keep is as local as possible. Hopefully it will mean increased quality in coffee on offer at Newport. A lot of people don’t realise what speciality coffee means; it’s basically going to farmers and seeing the process of producing coffee.
“It’s more organic than mass produced coffee, which means better quality and taste.”
Proceeds go to Project Waterfall
Tickets for the Newport Coffee Festival are on sale via Eventbrite and cost £4 each. Proceeds from ticket sales go to charity Project Waterfall, which brings clean drinking water, sanitation and education to coffee-growing communities.
Businesses taking part in the Newport Coffee Festival include:
Clifton Coffee Roasters; Uncommon Ground Roaster; Welsh Coffee Roaster; Manumit Roaster; Angel Bakery; Global Brands; Clam’s Cakes; Carrot Top Bakery; Mead Farm Foods; BWT (Best Water Technology); Rival Brewing Company and Hivetrike.
