KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Malaysia celebrates its highly spirited coffee scene and industry in the new decade with the opening of Café Malaysia 2020 this morning. The country’s longest-running international coffee showcase which officially opened this morning at the Malaysia International Trade & Exhibition Centre (MITEC) was attended by industry leaders and key players from the coffee and tea industries.
The highly anticipated international coffee showcase also honours Malaysia’s exceptional accomplishments in recent international coffee championships as it continues to witness the increasing vigour of its local coffee culture.
Renowned Malaysian barista Irvine Quek had clinched another world coffee championship title in latte art in South Korea in November 2019.
The recent victory follows his championship success at the World Latte Art Championship in Brazil in 2018. In the same year, Malaysia’s very own Regine Wai and Keith Koay won the 2nd Runner-Up and 10th ranking in the World Brewers Cup Championship and the World Barista Championship respectively, stamping Malaysia’s position as one of the world’s giants in the international arena of coffee championships.
At home, the successive international achievements by Malaysia’s finest baristas and latte artists are complemented with the increasing local consumer demand for specialty coffee from around the world, including the rise of coffee-related professions among the younger generations of café owners, bean roasters, suppliers, distributors, importers, and baristas.
The sixth edition of the Café Malaysia series, an annual three-day event which proclaims Malaysia’s vibrant coffee scene, is the country’s largest gathering of industry players, café owners, professional baristas and latte artists.
The event showcases the latest supplies and products, an array of coffee beans and tea leaves from around the globe, equipment, machinery, accessories and technology, all under one roof. The comprehensive one-stop platform will also be a focal point of business opportunities as industry players will network with another to explore opportunities in the fast-growing regional and international coffee businesses.
Café Malaysia 2020 is projected to attract 15,000 coffee and tea trade professionals, congress delegates, baristas, café owners, coffee and tea suppliers, equipment distributors, members of the Malaysia Café Owners Alliance from across East and West Malaysia, and members of the public.
It is also expected to host coffee exhibitors from more than 20 countries on a gross exhibition area spanning across 6,000sqm. When the very first edition of Café Malaysia opened its doors in 2015, the show attracted participation from 73 exhibitors from 14 countries, and welcomed a recorded number of 13,280 local and international visitors.
For visitors who are keen to acquire knowledge on topics pertaining to managing a café and how to brew the best cuppa, the Café Malaysia 2020 Seminar on Friday, 10 January 2020 will feature café and coffee experts who will share insights on various topics such as ‘Maximizing and Capitalizing Your Milk for Customers’, ‘The Importance of Having a Good Sound System’, ‘Origami Coffee Dripper’, ‘Philosophy of Coffee Brewing and Brewing Method by Tetsu Kasuya, World Brewer Champion (2016)’, and ‘Green Coffee Buying: Guideline for Specialty & Micro-lot Selection and Purchasing.’
Over the next three days, visitors will witness a roller-coaster ride of excitement at the stage area where Malaysia’s top baristas and prolific latte artists will face off one another to win the top national titles at three national coffee championships – the 2020 Malaysia Barista Championship (MBC), the 2020 Malaysia Brewers Cup (MBrC), and the 2020 Malaysia Latte Art Championship (MLAC). The anointed champions from each competition will also win the honour to carry Malaysia’s flag at the international arena of coffee competitions.
According to the latest December 2019 top-line report on the coffee industry in Malaysia by Euromonitor International, an increasing number of consumers in Malaysia enjoy drinking their cup of coffee. This is true not just in local coffee shops, but there is also a growing trend towards consumption of artisanal and premium coffee products.
With Malaysian consumers having a bigger appetite for specialty coffee, players in the coffee industry continue to expand their premium ranges to meet these demands. The highly competitive environment among players in the coffee industry is also expected to spur them to differentiate their product offerings. The coffee category remains robust, with a constant flow of new players seeking to capitalise on Malaysian consumers’ growing love for coffee.
The Cafe Malaysia series is organised by CEMS Conference & Exhibition (M) Sdn Bhd, and is hosted by the Malaysia Specialty Coffee Association (MSCA) and the Café Owners Alliance Malaysia. MSCA is a member of the ASEAN Coffee Federation (ACF). The show is also endorsed by the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE).
