Run by the “Comité Français du Café”,www.lestorrefacteurs.fr, this annual B to B trade expo changes location every year. This allows it to cover in turn all the regional areas in France, from North to South and East to West, thus attracting their smaller local operators in addition to the bigger national ones. The French Artisan Coffee Roasters’ annual event took place in Nantes, on 18 and 19 September 2016.
With over 120 exhibitors this year the numbers continue to grow on both sides, suppliers and buyers, making that event a must for the coffee sector. There one can meet green coffee importers, from global trading houses to specialty coffee hunters, manufacturers of roasting and grinding equipment, customized coffee capsule equipment and integrated single cup serving machines. Also a large choice of table ware, packaging materials and concepts, as well as attractive food items for pairing with the cups.
In 2005 this coffee specific platform has invited the tea sector to join the event, given the fact that the two hot cups have many common aspects and share a large segment of customers in the out of home and catering market, as well as in the retail sales for the in home consumption. At this years expo one noted the presence of 11 tea companies / brands , several of them participating as exhibitors for the first time.
A major enhancement of the event and which attracts a crowd of younger coffee professionals is the competition for the “Best French Coffee Roaster of the Year”. Taking a maximum registration of ten competitors this annual championship is run with the help of highly qualified volunteers, who assist with setting up the premises, prepare the questionnaire and act as the jury, amongst them the President of the Comité Français du Café himself. With the experience of his personal life long coffee roasting activity Jean Jacques Leuner has remained a coffee passionate who is proud to share his knowledge with the younger generations.
The competition includes several rounds, in particular origin coffee cup identification, preparing a customized high quality coffee blend, answer a global coffee knowledge questionnaire and finally display fine coffee roasting skills on the premises.
Picking up the challenge for ensuring workplace and overall safety the three 2,5kg coffee roasters have been put in place by Toper, a traditional, family owned coffee roasting equipment manufacturer. Founded in 1954 in Izmir, Turkey, the company is today ranking amongst the global top ten.
Although this colourful event targets first of all the French market, it welcomes professional suppliers and visitors from all over the world. The focus is mainly on branded quality.
Next years expo is scheduled to take place in Lyon, in the centre of France, in mid September 2017.
For more details and information you can get in touch with Eglantine Lhoir, the Déléguée Générale of the Comité Français du Café, who manages the expo and all the other committee business in her office in Paris,
cfc@cncafe.com
