MEXICO CITY, Mexico – Mexican coffee showcase Expo Café 2019 – the leading event for the country’s US$474 million dollar coffee export industry – is aiming to deliver a caffeine boost to producers small and large by increasing the level of international interest in one of the nation’s strategic crops for future export growth. Targeted by the Mexican government as a key area for export development over the next 10 years, the event will highlight Mexico’s status as the world’s 11th largest coffee producer and leading grower of organic coffee.
With Mexico’s secretary of agriculture predicting coffee exports could reach almost 2.4 million tonnes by 2024, exhibition organisers have made facilitating business meetings a priority, with visitors from the US, Canada and Europe expected during the event, which runs from August 29-31 in Mexico City’s World Trade Center.
However, the small growers who comprise the majority of the country’s estimated 500,000 coffee producers are also a significant focus for the event, which is expected to receive up to 35,000 visitors, with a dedicated hall subsidised by organisers Tradex. Now in its 22nd year, Expo Café 2019 features the 10th anniversary of the Expo Café Flavor Prize, a competition that showcases the finest artisan coffees, which culminates in the naming of the Mexican Coffee of the Year.
Deserved importance
“Expo Café is the largest exhibition of its kind in Mexico and focuses on the whole culture surrounding coffee consumption, from producing coffee in the fields, through toasting to preparation of cups of coffee,” said Expo Café’s Managing Director, Marcos Gottfried. “One of the principal objectives behind promoting this culture of consumption is that people better understand and value Mexican coffee.
“Since its beginnings, the Expo Café Flavor Prize has sought to extoll the virtues of Mexican coffee by giving it the importance it deserves, with each semifinalist receiving a distinctive seal of quality that recognises the coffee as a high quality product.”
Gottfried said the event, which coincides with neighbouring exhibitions The Gourmet Show and Salon Chocolate y Cacao, features an increase in both the number of exhibitors and the total floor space, and includes not just products, but also machines, barristas and a coffee tasting zone. This year’s edition, which takes mirrors as its theme and features the slogan, ‘Find Your True Reflection in a cup of coffee’, features a special installation looking at how reflections are found in daily life, from coffee cups to popular culture, such as Alice Through the Looking Glass.
Expo Café also includes for the first time a dedicated space for one of India’s signature blends, Masala Chai. The event space, Cha Cha Chai, comprises a dedicated area for promoting and doing business with the blend.
Generating opportunities
“Every year, Expo Café grows in terms of both exhibitors and visitors, and includes a completely new programme, with speakers, conferences, courses, workshops, culture and everything related to the coffee industry,” continued Gottfried. “This year, we will be examining new trends in extraction and machinery, such as preparing cold brews at home, which will be reflected at Expo Café. Another is extractions of coffee with nitrogen, which offers a very similar finish to a pint of beer.”
There is also a section dedicated to all the complementary services for people wishing to launch a cafeteria or restaurant, from cakes and biscuits through to interior design and furniture.
But although there is a domestic side, Expo Café is very much international in flavour, with a focus not just on coffee but also on doing business. “People are coming to do business and to find a good coffee to take back to their country,” said Gottfried. “Expo Café connects businesses and generates opportunities. It showcases the work being done in the Mexican coffee sector and helps connect and highlight small producers. These small producers have their own dedicated pavilion, which is subsidised by Tradex,” he added.
About Expo Café
Expo Café provides exhibitors and visitors with a unique opportunity to do business, enabling participants to speak directly to a huge number of Mexican producers and providers. Covering three days, the exhibition brings together all of the stages in the Mexican coffee production chain. For more information, visit: http://www.tradex.mx/expocafe
About Tradex International Exhibitions
Tradex Exhibitions has more than 30 years’ experience in the organisation of exhibitions and other events, focusing primarily on five sectors: food and drink; design including interior design; home decoration; beauty; and handicrafts. Tradex also acts as an exhibition production consultant, covering concept development, image design, as well as telemarketing, event management and logistics. Tradex’s mission to strengthen industries and open new markets in specialist sectors. For more information, visit: http://www.tradex.mx/home/
