Over the previous couple of years, there was a growth in specialty coffee-focused occasions. Rising in each quantity and selection, commerce reveals, expos, and festivals are evolving – reflecting the expansion of worldwide specialty espresso tradition extra broadly.
In flip, occasions have turn into an more and more vital a part of the trade. They’ve lengthy served as springboards for roasters and different espresso manufacturers to market themselves and doubtlessly generate extra income. Extra not too long ago, a deal with schooling, networking, and competitors is additional supporting the expansion of specialty espresso in a number of international locations, together with some distinguished rising markets.
To study extra, I spoke to Peter Ševič, the Director of Ljubljana Espresso Pageant, and Aleš Turšič, the founding father of Stow Espresso Roasters.
You may additionally like our article on how specialty espresso is evolving outdoors of extra mature markets.
How the diversification of espresso occasions is reshaping the trade
Traditionally, conventional espresso occasions had been confined to simple commerce reveals and exhibitions, primarily designed to supply roasters and different espresso manufacturers with alternatives to promote their merchandise, improve gross sales, and appeal to new clients. Whereas this serves a vital goal, there was an growing push in recent times to diversify the format of trade occasions to satisfy the evolving wants of the specialty espresso sector.
Right now, espresso occasions – together with festivals, expos, summits, and extra – have turn into multifaceted experiences that prioritise high quality, sustainability, and group engagement. Actions equivalent to lectures, panel discussions, workshops, and competitions are more and more key focal factors, permitting guests and exhibitors to acquire as a lot worth as doable.
Peter Ševič is the Director of the Ljubljana Espresso Pageant, the most important specialty coffee-focused occasion in Slovenia’s capital metropolis. The latest version was held on 21 and 22 September 2024, bringing collectively over 3,000 nationwide and worldwide roasters, baristas, producers, importers, researchers, and low champions.
“Occasions have developed as a result of the specialty espresso trade is extra subtle and numerous, with a higher emphasis on high quality, sustainability, and the buyer expertise,” he says.
As shoppers turn into extra discerning and educated, the trade is pushed to satisfy the demand for higher-quality espresso services. Given their essential function within the broader trade, occasions are serving as important platforms for manufacturers to share information, study from their friends, and uncover new methods to diversify their merchandise.
“Commerce reveals alone are now not enough; in the present day’s espresso professionals and lovers search to deepen their information and abilities,” Peter provides. “Training by way of workshops, certifications, and seminars permits attendees to remain forward of trade tendencies, whereas competitions provide a stage for baristas, roasters, and brewers to showcase their skills and push the boundaries of espresso innovation.
“These components not solely elevate requirements inside the trade but additionally encourage a higher ardour for espresso in any respect ranges.”
The expansion of occasions in rising markets
Many expos, commerce reveals, and festivals are held in mature markets, together with the US, Western Europe, and East Asia, the place specialty espresso consumption is excessive – attracting massive crowds of worldwide trade professionals and specialty espresso lovers.
Nonetheless, as consumption grows all over the world, it opens up new alternatives for occasion organisers and types to develop completely different markets additional. Over the previous decade or so, there was a pointy rise within the frequency and variety of specialty coffee-focused occasions, together with in rising markets equivalent to Central and Japanese Europe.
Established in 2016, the Ljubljana Espresso Pageant exemplifies how regional espresso occasions can spur and assist additional market progress. “When pioneering roaster Stow first opened in Slovenia about ten years in the past, there have been in all probability not more than 30 individuals who had heard of specialty espresso within the nation,” Peter says. “We then opened a espresso store and an academy to extend consciousness additional and construct a group, which then led us to create the occasion.
“On the time, there have been few alternatives for shoppers, baristas, roasters, and trade professionals to come back collectively in a single area, interact in dialogue, and expertise high-quality coffees from all over the world,” he provides. “The competition was launched to foster this connection and put Ljubljana on the map alongside a very powerful European specialty espresso occasions.”
The Slovenian capital is now house to a thriving specialty espresso scene, with a rising variety of cafés and roasteries opening up throughout the nation. Though progress has been slower in comparison with different central European international locations like Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland – primarily attributed to Sloevnia’s proximity to Italy and historic Turkish affect – espresso shopper curiosity in high quality and sustainability has elevated considerably.
Aleš Turšič is the CEO and head roaster at Stow Espresso. “The Ljubljana Espresso Pageant has been instrumental in driving the expansion of the Slovenian specialty espresso market,” he tells me. “It has created a platform the place each shoppers and trade professionals can come collectively to expertise and study extra about specialty espresso.”
Offering alternatives for expert professionals and trade consultants to attach and interact with curious clients in rising markets is among the driving forces behind rising specialty espresso consumption within the area.
Constructing the espresso group by way of schooling and competitions
Based on the ideas of craft and artisanry, passionate folks have all the time been an enormous a part of specialty espresso tradition. Occasions have lengthy been a number of the only methods to domesticate and assist a way of group, notably in rising markets, by bringing collectively a various vary of actors within the trade.
“We guarantee all areas of the espresso provide chain are represented on the Ljubljana Espresso Pageant. It contains farmers, importers, researchers, roasters, and world-champion baristas,” Peter tells me. “We even invite high Slovenian cooks and different gastronomy professionals in order that the espresso trade can study from the broader hospitality sector, too.”
Occasions foster an surroundings for natural collaboration and information sharing. Additionally they permit roasters, baristas, trade professionals, and low lovers to study from consultants in a spread of fields and nurture working relationships.
“Trade occasions are pivotal in rising nationwide and regional specialty espresso markets as a result of they supply a discussion board for schooling and change of concepts,” Aleš says. “They’re now not about simply showcasing merchandise: they’ve turn into platforms for significant dialogue on how the trade can adapt to altering shopper expectations.”
The function of instructional occasions and competitions
An growing deal with schooling and competitions at specialty espresso occasions in recent times underscores this shift. Whereas exhibitions and product shows are invaluable alternatives for roasters and different firms to drive model consciousness and assist additional enterprise progress, extra espresso occasions have pivoted their focus onto providing instructional actions and internet hosting modern competitions to supply worth to all attendees.
“This yr’s occasion featured expert-led lectures on a variety of subjects, together with the cultivation of unique and conventional varieties, perception into fermentation processes from famend producers equivalent to Café Inmaculada, Los Nogales, and the Santuario Venture, and the science behind espresso preparation led by Dr. Samo Smrke from ZHAW,” Peter tells me. “Attendees took half in masterclasses that includes world barista champions, together with James Hoffmann, Tim Wendelboe, Dale Harris, Martin Hudak, Carmen Clemente, and Manuela Fensore.”
He provides that the competition additionally hosted the 2024 Barista Battle Problem and Latte Artwork Throwdown, testing and celebrating important barista abilities.
Bolstering information within the espresso trade
Along with the worldwide Roaster Village and Slovenian espresso roasters exhibitions, the 2024 Ljubljana Espresso Pageant included varied talks as a part of The Lab occasion programme, which lined a spread of subjects.
“We hosted a novel dialogue about ‘Specialty Espresso and Haute Delicacies’ between a number of the world’s main espresso consultants and high Slovenian cooks, equivalent to James Hoffmann, Tim Wendelboe, and Dale Harris, together with distinguished Slovenian cooks like Igor Jagodic, Tomaž Bratovž, and Mojmir Šiftar,” Peter says. Panellists mentioned how specialty espresso may improve tremendous eating experiences, serving to to extend broader consciousness and appreciation of high-quality espresso.
“This yr’s competition aimed to develop the horizons of espresso experience, creativity, and artisanship, thereby nurturing a extra profound bond between espresso consultants and the culinary realm,” Peter notes.
Furthermore, as competitions and schooling foster innovation, it encourages espresso companies to refine their abilities and develop their information base.
“Roasters and low retailers can use occasions to extend model consciousness by actively collaborating in workshops, competitions, and tastings,” Aleš tells me. “Being current at occasions not solely places your model in entrance of a focused viewers but additionally means that you can showcase your experience and distinctive choices.”
Why occasions will all the time play a key function in specialty espresso
The affect of espresso occasions on the trade extends past the exhibitors and guests who participate; they’ll strengthen native and regional espresso communities. Native cafés and roasters acquire greater than only a platform to current their model; in addition they receive useful insights into trade tendencies and practices that may considerably affect and improve their enterprise operations.
“On the Ljubljana Espresso Pageant, we’re constructing a powerful instructional programme in order that baristas, roasters, and café house owners in Slovenia can study from the experiences of worldwide consultants,” Peter says. “Our mission is to bridge the hole between custom and innovation and to foster the expansion of a dynamic espresso tradition within the area.”
Wanting forward, occasions will clearly assist spur additional progress of specialty espresso markets all over the world, notably in much less mature areas.
“Espresso occasions are important for the continued progress of rising specialty espresso markets. As markets like Slovenia develop, occasions present a vital platform for schooling, networking, and publicity to world tendencies,” Aleš says. “As extra folks attend and take part in these occasions, the specialty espresso tradition will proceed to develop and evolve, bringing extra alternatives for each companies and shoppers to expertise one of the best the trade has to supply.”
The rising variety of espresso occasions underscores the function of group engagement inside the specialty espresso sector, driving each model consciousness and market progress.
That is very true for rising markets, the place occasions present the chance for espresso companies to have interaction extra intently with shoppers – doubtlessly growing consumption of specialty espresso in these areas.
Loved this? Then, learn our article on how espresso retailers can develop into worldwide markets.
Picture credit: Ljubljana Espresso Pageant
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