LONDON, UK – Caffè Culture is back with 1,000’s of industry professionals to celebrate the first speciality coffee event of the year since the lockdown began in the UK. The show, which will host over 100 innovative brands will be taking place at the iconic Business Design Centre on 2-3 September and will provide an extensive and compelling programme packed with new feature content and sponsors.
After a crippling 14 months, the hospitality sector is finally re-opening with a renewed sense of optimism and relief due to the strongest growth forecast in 70 years. The sector has been given an essential shot in the arm as consumers flock back to their favourite coffee shops to reacquaint themselves with old friends and family.
As an integral part of the recovery, Caffè Culture will be providing a vital resource for coffee shop owners and operators who are looking at ways to stimulate their businesses. With its most wide-ranging programme to-date, visitors will be given the opportunity to immerse themselves in a series of live demonstrations and debates, barista competitions, workshops, speciality tea and coffee tastings, plus other sensory delights.
An over-arching theme of the show this year is about bringing the industry back together, so to celebrate that Victoria Arduino will be inviting visitors to come and share a coffee with some of the UK’s finest roasters in their aptly named Roasters Village ‘Re:connect’.
Continuing that theme, the curated Talks Programme will provide a full 360 of the speciality coffee industry with over 70 expert panellists and speakers offering insight and debate on a host of critical issues within 4 distinct streams. New for 2021, ‘People & Culture’ has been launched in partnership with the Kore Directive and will highlight a number of crucial conversations around equality and inclusivity to promote a better future for the coffee industry.
Launched online during the lockdown, ‘CaffeInsights’ is being sponsored by The Good Till Company and will continue to provide practical advice from a wide range of operators. These owners managed to adapt and thrive during the worst economic crisis of modern times – despite several being in extremely challenging locations. Host John Richardson of the Café Experts will be welcoming back previous CaffèInsight contributors to hear how they were able to innovate, pivot and ultimately accelerate their recovery. And, in all cases, create a more resilient and valuable businesses for the future. John will also be hosting a half-day workshop on ‘How to produce a profit producing system – without you having to be there’.
For true speciality aficionados, ‘Coffee Studies’ and the ‘Roasters Forum’ are back. Nick Mabey of Assembly has curated a series of TED style talks and panel discussions to debate the issues surrounding ‘The Standardisation of Coffee’ and how the last 18 months of lockdown impacted the global supply chain and sustainability. New Roasters Forum sponsor DRWakefield, will be using the forum as a platform for reconnection, exploring how past, present, and future trends, ideas, collaborations and innovation can stimulate better coffee production, sourcing and roasting. With a host of expert voices from within the supply chain, ranging from producers at origin to roasters and leading thinkers working alongside coffee, the forum will be a series of engaging talks aimed at bringing the industry together through knowledge sharing and interaction.
For those looking for a more in-depth sensory experience, two Brew Bars have been launched at the show to give visitors the perfect opportunity to test their palates. Swedish brewer manufacturer 3Temp will be working alongside some of the industry’s most talented coffee roasters to explore the frontiers of brewing using their Hipster profile brewers, allowing users to unlock an unprecedented depth of flavours in each coffee. Another new feature for the show is the Speciality Tea Hub which has been launched in partnership with the European Speciality Tea Association (ESTA). A tea brew bar will give visitors the opportunity to sample six categories of tea and experience the delights of matcha whisking, a range of delightful tea cocktails, whilst learning how to pair food, sample cold brew and nitro tea.
Bringing some necessary excitement and competition to the show, the SCA will be hosting their first championships in over 18 months. 20 competitors will battle it out by showcasing their complex and visually appealing designs to be crowned the SCA UK Latte Art Champion 2020 with the winner going on to represent the UK at the prestigious World Latte Art Championship in Taipei, later this year.
Event Director Elliot Gard, comments, ‘After the devastating impact of the last 15 months, I’m delighted we can now get on with our lives and get back to business. We will be doing our upmost to deliver on our aim of reconnecting the industry, to stimulate growth and ultimately bring old friends and colleagues back together at what will be a fantastic celebration of the industry we have all missed and love’.
Visitors can register for free here.
