KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – The International Café & Beverage Show (ICBS) 2023, the leading showcase of artisan food, beverage and café products, returns to the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from 25 to 27 May 2023. This year’s three-day show is expected to attract over 8,000 visitors and more than 500 brands exhibiting from Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia, The Netherlands and Italy. The decision to return with the show follows on the from the success of the inaugural edition last year.
In addition to the exhibition, which is focused on specialty coffee, drinks, F&B products and café lifestyle, as well as furniture, design and technology related to café operations, the organisers (Montgomery Asia) have teamed up with the Malaysia Specialty Coffee Association (MSCA) to host the semi-finals and finals of the 8th edition of the Malaysia National Coffee Championship (MNCC). The ‘national champion’ baristas (in three categories – Gigi Coffee Malaysia Barista Championship 2023, Falcon Coffees Malaysia Brewers Cup 2023 and Gigi Coffee Malaysia Latte Art Championship 2023) will go on to represent Malaysia at the World of Coffee Championships (WCC) 2024.
Christopher McCuin, Managing Director of Montgomery Asia, the show organiser, shared, “We were so happy with how ICBS 2022 turned out, recording over 6,000 visitors from 35 countries was a great achievement. The feedback from exhibitors was very positive, with 98% looking to return in 2023 and many already securing their attendance at this year’s show which is a great testament to the success of 2022’s exhibition. Most importantly, 94% of exhibitors achieved their objectives and 98% of visitors viewed last year’s show as a successful visit. Fortunately, the demand for in-person events is very high post COVID-19. Many people are positively enthusiastic about meeting face-to-face again and that trend looks to continue this year.”
Echoing McCuins comments, Kelvin Ngow Wai Hng, President of the Malaysia Specialty Coffee Association (MSCA), said, “As the national trade association championing specialty coffee, MSCA is excited to be a part of this show again as a strategic partner. ICBS provides the perfect platform to help Malaysia’s coffee and café industry grow. This is perfectly in line with our vision when we first launched the Malaysia National Coffee Championship (MNCC), a platform designed for young professionals to showcase their talent, skill and creativity in the specialty coffee industry. Over 650 baristas attended ICBS 2022 and we saw a lot of new blood joining the competition which was great. We hope that this year will see even more participation and look forward to hosting an even better competition.”
ICBS 2023 is organised in collaboration with MSCA and has received strong support from both sponsors and exhibitors again. Sponsors include Bean Brothers, Claytan, Dutch Lady Professional, Falcon Coffees, Gigi Coffee, Hario, Monin, Cafetto, and Marco by Dankoff Coffee Specialist, La Cimbali by Coffex Coffee, Mazzer by Classic Fine Foods Malaysia and Vitasoy. Exhibitors will include Frad Coffee, K Hub, Qube Apps, Eciatto, Green Pot Tea, Conx Design, Forest Cloud, HisBrew, Da Di Coffee, Niju Coffee, LewisGene Roasters, Gourmet Partner, Global Coffee Resources, Organic 7 Days, Asia Hegner, Big Fame, Stallion Creation, Necessary Provision, MPFA Trading and SEA Global, amongst others.
Commenting on the show, Zhou Chern Wang, Marketing Manager at Dankoff Coffee Specialists, said, “We believe that ICBS is the ideal platform for brands and distributors to showcase their latest offerings to the industry and the team at Montgomery Asia will continue to make ICBS stand out as a premier show for the food & beverage industry.”
“We believe ICBS provides a good platform and opportunity for us to showcase our coffee & beverage products and machines to the right audience, as the event is considered a ‘major gathering’ of coffee players from different industries. We are confident to once again achieve positive feedback and results at ICBS 2023. We look forward to having many fruitful discussions with other exhibitors and like-minded attendees,” added Goh Wan, Sales Manager, Beverage Division at Classic Fine Foods Malaysia.
Other key supporting partners for ICBS 2023 include the ASEAN Coffee Federation, Association of Indonesian Coffee Exporters and Industries, Barista Association of Thailand, Hotel & Restaurant Association of the Philippines, Philippine Coffee Board, Lao Coffee Association, Myanmar Coffee Association, Singapore Coffee Association, Specialty Coffee Association of Indonesia, Thai Coffee Association and Vietnam Coffee Cocoa Association.
Also returning to ICBS 2023 is the ‘Roasters Pavilion’, which is designed to provide a cost-effective way for many smaller Malaysian coffee roasters (a relatively niche and specialist part of the business) to showcase their unique coffee flavours to as many people as possible during the show. Visitors should take advantage of this opportunity to try some really creative and innovative coffee roasts produced by homegrown Malaysian businesses.
In addition, ICBS 2023 will have a Singapore Pavilion consisting of 10 companies specialising in the Café and Beverage industries and will play host to the ASEAN Coffee Federation Board Meeting. This mini-event is expected to welcome delegates from Laos, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Myanmar, the Philippines and Australia – in the process contributing to the development of the fast-growing Malaysian coffee, F&B and café industry, as well as the bounce back of the local business events industry.
McCuin concluded, “I would also like to thank the Malaysian Ministry of Tourism, Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), Professional Culinaire Association and Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) for their support as without it none of this would be possible. As we get closer to ICBS 2023 our excitement grows to once again welcome all elements of the Malaysian and regional café and coffee industry, as well as coffee enthusiasts to the show.”
The show is being held in Halls 4 & 5 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, with trade and industry visitors the focus of the first two days (25th and 26th May – 10.00am to 6.00pm). The third and final day (Saturday, 27th May – 10.00am to 5.00pm) will be open to the public who can enjoy a true treat for their tastebuds. Anyone interested in visiting or exhibiting at ICBS 2023 should visit www.intl-cbs.com to find all the latest news and updates.
