BOGOTA, COLOMBIA – From September 8 to 13, 2014, Colombia will host the 25th International Conference on Coffee Science (ASIC 2014), the most prestigious international event focused on science, innovation and their impact on knowledge and sustainability of the coffee industry as a whole.
Under the motto “Leveraging knowledge for coffee sustainability,” this event, organized by the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC) and the Association for Science and Information on Coffee (ASIC) will be held at the Cultural Metropolitan Convention Center in Armenia, Department of Quindío, heart of Colombia’s Coffee Cultural Landscape, declared UNESCO World Heritage Landscape.
The meeting takes place every two years, under the leadership of ASIC and a local organizing committee, with the purpose of bringing together the coffee industry leaders, the academy and international specialists working in different fields of coffee science and technology, which gives them the opportunity to share and compare their investigations, contributing to an increasing worldwide awareness and knowledge of coffee.
This event attracts more than 400 scientists and specialists from all over the world, besides the domestic scientific community interested in topics such as coffee and health, agronomy and sustainability, among others. It also attracts the interest to other industries and companies where innovation, science and technology play an important role.
The FNC’s leadership and accumulated experience working with coffee, science and cutting-edge technologies have given Colombia international recognition in different areas including genomics, plant breeding and adaptation to climate change.
The presence of the most important representatives of the entire coffee industry will also confer this 25th Conference special relevance for participants.
Participants will also enjoy Colombia’s Coffee Cultural Landscape, a site that has been included in UNESCO’s World Heritage and surrounds the Conference host city, Armenia.
The event focuses on the challenges faced by the coffee industry and offers a great opportunity for innovation. The program includes conferences, lectures and presentations on agronomy, coffee consumption and human health, chemistry and technology, among other relevant topics.
During the 2014 ASIC Conference, several awards will be granted for the first time, such as “Coffee consumption & physiological effects on humans,” “Coffee chemistry,” “Coffee sustainability in production, safety for consumers & quality” and “Environmental research on coffee quality from the tree to the cup,” sponsored by leading companies of the industry.
The ASIC was founded in 1966 with the purpose of having a permanent organization that would periodically bring together specialists from all over the world working in the different fields of coffee science and technology. It has organized a series of international scientific conferences in different coffee producing or consuming countries.
The 24th conference was held in 2012 in San José, Costa Rica.
The FNC, better known for its Juan Valdez brand, represents over 500,000 coffee producing families and has played a key role in positioning Colombia as the producer of the best mild washed coffee in the world.
Additionally, the organization helps producers get the best market price as well as help them with the production of specialty coffees, including sustainable ones, and positions Colombian coffee growing as the leader in scientific and technological developments, among other achievements.
With institutions such as the National Coffee Research Center (Cenicafé) and the 1,500-strong Extension Service (technical assistance), the Colombian coffee-growing industry has also achieved important progresses on developing rust resistant varieties that can better be adapted to climate variability, good agricultural practices, quality assurance, traceability and defense of the origin in international markets.
More information on the conference can be found in www.asic2014colombia.org.
