RIMINI – Included in the official denomination since the last edition of the show, the world of coffee all meets at SIGEP, internationally acknowledged for its commitment to highlighting the professionalism of baristas and the entire industry of the product chain.
In fact, at SIGEP, the finals are held of all 7 Italian championships valid for the World Coffee Event circuit, the coffee industry’s “Oscar”: the Italian Cafeteria Baristas Championship (4 espressos, 4 coffee-based beverages based on coffee and hot milk and 4 personalized espresso-based soft drinks), Latte Art (4 artistic beverages based on coffee and milk), the Brewers Cup (a method of preparation widespread in Scandinavian countries, the USA and Asian countries), Coffee in Good Spirits (2 Irish coffees and 2 cocktails based on hot coffee and spirits), Ibrik (named after the small pot designed specifically for preparing a particular type of coffee), Coffee Roasting (roasting competition) and Cup Tasting (distinguishing the differences in flavour and aroma of various types of coffee).
The coffee sector will reach its climax with Barista & Farmer, the first international talent show dedicated entirely to the world’s most popular bean. At SIGEP 2018 the complete program of the next edition of the contest will be officially revealed, and will focus on the issue of sustainability starting from the country of origin.
Exciting competitions and sustainability will therefore be the key players of the coffee sector at SIGEP 2018.
Sonja Grant, one of the most authoritative judges at world level of the SCA association, barista, roaster and barista trainer of Icelandic origin, coffee world specialist since 1995, explains, “With these championships, Italy will have seven ambassadors who will represent the Italian coffee sector in the world’s most authoritative competitions. This is an important exciting part of the development of the coffee industry’s small and large players. The months/years of pre-championship preparation represent a fundamental process for participants’ training. In fact, for a barista, participation in these championships represents a very important component of his or her professional growth. Another essential aspect: these championships promote and highlight baristas’ professional role, giving proper respect to the artisan aspect of this profession. Moreover, the Italian championships contribute considerably to the growth of the coffee sector. A contribution that takes the form of the development and use of equipment, the control of the quality of the roasting and the drinks: this is a fundamental factor for running a coffee shop in Italy. Through the years, these championships have seen numerous evolutions, which have favoured training, research and technology. This has resulted in an increasingly high level of professionalism.”
The Great Barista & Farmer Show
Sustainability will be the focus of the next edition of Barista & Farmer, the first and only international talent show highlighting the quality coffee product chain. The Barista & Farmer format combines direct experience and specialist training. For ten days, ten fans of the coffee world will be able to experience the emotion of life as pickers and peasants, working on a coffee farm. They will be woken at dawn to pass the morning on the plantation, picking coffee beans, then in the afternoon they will attend the Barista & Farmer Academy, a very special multi-discipline school, at which all the lecturers are great professionals from the sector.
For the entire duration of the talent show, there will be transmissions on the Barista & Farmer Web site and, connected with the SIGEP site, it will be possible to see short films, interviews and promo spots from the selected farms. Competitions and special events will animate the days, during which the key player will be coffee, with original combinations with sweet and savoury food and other beverages, to show new tasting opportunities and drinking habits.
The Barista & Farmer project was officially presented at the WBC – World Barista Championship, the world cafeteria championship, which was held in Seoul in November.
The names of Barista & Farmer’s 9 finalists were announced for the very first time by Francesco Sanapo – responsible for the idea of the Barista & Farmer talent show – and by the winner of the last edition Greece’s Nikolaos Kanakaris: Nicole Battefeld (Germany), Diego Campos (Colombia), Iuliia Dziadevych (Ukraine), Cong Yuan (China), Matija Matijaško (Croatia), Daniel Munari (Brazil), Sara Ricci (Italy), Vala Stefansdottir (Iceland) and Victoria Rovenskaya (Russia). The tenth participant will be announced at the Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE) in March 2018
The talent show, created by multi-award winning champion barista Francesco Sanapo, and organized by Italian Exhibition Group and SIGEP – International Exhibition of Artisan Gelato, Confectionery and Bakery production and the Coffee sector, with the patronage of the Speciality Coffee Association (SCA), will be held in May 2018 in Colombia.
Focus on Sigep 2018
Dates: 20 – 24 January 2018; Organizers: Italian Exhibition Group SpA; edition: 39th SIGEP; frequency: annual; classification: international; admittance: trade members only; hours: 9:30 am – 6:00 pm, last day 9:30 am – 3:00 pm (3:00 – 5:00 pm only with online tickets);
