MELBOURNE, Australia – The Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE2022) will open its doors next week from 26 to 30 September at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, and there’s a lot more to experience than just coffee competitions. Australia’s largest dedicated coffee event will also showcase the latest technology, products, and services to hit the coffee market in the past three months following the postponement of the event due to the global pandemic.
From temperature monitoring gadgets to basket-less portafilters and new-release espresso machines, the industry’s latest innovations and game-changing devices will be put under the spotlight when MICE hosts the 2022 Product Innovation Awards.
“The Product Innovation Awards are a celebration of the industry’s most advanced global products which largely contribute to the growth, success and quality output across the international market,” says MICE Show Director Lauren Winterbottom.
“The awards recognise outstanding innovation in the world of coffee. A few Australian finalists have made the cut, which further attests our representation as a country of innovators and creators. It’s another example of how Australians continue to push the boundaries despite hospitality being one of the hardest hit industries during the COVID pandemic.”
Products must address a need, solve a problem, or provide an upgraded or updated service to the industry. To be eligible for the awards, products must have been introduced since June 2021 and be available for sale from 27 September 2022, on the opening day of MICE.
An independent panel of industry leaders will award the Judge’s Choice categories, in addition to MICE attendees who are invited to help award the People’s Choice category.
To see all the finalist products on display, find out more and to vote, visit stand #327.
The 2022 MICE Product Innovation Finalists include:
Ancillary electrical equipment
This category recognises electrical products used in the coffee industry that are not espresso machines, roasters, or brewers.
Oktober Coffee Can Seamer – Coffee Can Australia (stand #306)
This product addresses the industry problem of a 100% per cent curb-side recyclable retail package for whole bean and ground coffee. This device is small, reliable, easy to operate and affordable. It is highly engineered to deliver a guaranteed seam of the foil end of the can, with a separate airtight lid allowing the can to be re-sealed after initial opening.
Prometheus – Eureka – Conti Valerio Srl (stand #69)
Prometheus is the right answer for those that are looking to serve the perfect espresso every time and every day, where innovation blends with design and quality makes no concession to quantity. The Prometheus grinder is equipped with the best of Eureka technology, which make it excel around three fundamental concepts: consistency, connectivity, and performance.
The New Mythos – Victoria Arduino (stand #513)
The new Mythos grinder is even more user friendly and intuitive to use, allowing baristas to change settings on the fly. The improved clump crusher provides fluffier grinds, and a distribution of ground coffee into the portafilter basket, so each espresso shot turns out perfect. This grinder embraces functionality with a single touch and maximum consistency. With two larger fans mounted to the rear and adjustable temperature from 20°C to 50°C, the new Mythos gives the barista total temperature control.
Coffee accessories
This category recognises complementary products that are used in the coffee industry.
Compass – Nucleus Coffee Tools (stand #493
The compass is a tool that offers the consumer a more educated coffee drinking experience by monitoring temperature. This education supports the specialty coffee industry in appreciation of coffee changes and flavours as the beverage cools. It is also useful for quality control when sampling and purchasing green coffee.
KeepCup Helix – KeepCup (stand #177)
The KeepCup Helix is a cup-to-bottle system that lets you twist together your reusable cup into a bottle by switching the fully sealed cup lid into a bottle lid. Even for committed reuser, the need to carry a reusable cup and a water bottle, is a barrier to repeat behaviour, particularly when travelling or out and about. The Helix range can be used as bottle or cup.
Unifilter – Weber Workshops (stand #77)
Uniquely, the Unifilter portafilter does not have a basket insert. The portafilter “is” the basket. By virtue of not having a separate thin basket, the Unifilter has much thicker walls that retain heat better than a standard portafilter. The 58.5mm portafilter has holes that go all the way to the edge, giving more than 30% more effective “active area” on the extraction zone. Typical users will see anywhere from a 2 to 4% increase in extraction yield, and more will lose the over-extracted and under-extracted zones from a typical portafilter.
Coffee Preparation Equipment
This category recognises the equipment used to prepare coffee – espresso machines, brewers and roasters.
Faemina – Slayer Espresso (stand #340)
From more than 70 years of history in producing professional espresso machines, Faema returns to the ‘home’ sector with a new iconic, state-of-the-art machine designed by ItalDesign Giugiaro. The combination of the world of design and coffee comes Faemina: the highest level of coffee experience with design, performance, product variety, sustainability, and user-centric solutions.
Heylo Coffee Module – Heylo (stand #112)
This espresso coffee machine can be set up as a double-head workstation arrangement. It uses induction to precisely brew coffee at different temperatures using flow or pressure profiles. It is boiler-less, making it extremely energy efficient as it only heats the water necessary to make coffee.
LaCimbali M200 – Service Sphere (stand #311)
The new M200 represents a decisive step forward in the brand’s aesthetic, and ticks all boxes from technical needs to design. This project combines passion for high-quality coffee with the rationale of functional and smart ergonomics. The M200 uses multi-boiler technology. It features three key types of multi boiler technologies: GT1, GT2 and profile technology.
About Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE2022)
The Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE) is the largest dedicated coffee show in the Southern Hemisphere. MICE2022 will welcome more than 170 exhibitors, featuring the latest in espresso equipment, coffee brewing devices, exotic and expensive coffee beans, roasting equipment, and more. For more information visit www.internationalcoffeeexpo.com
