Caffè Culture show is preparing to make a welcome return.

Caff è Culture show is preparing to make a welcome return

Organisers of this year’s Caffè Culture Show (the Business Design Centre, London, 2-3 September 2021), Living Media Events, have revealed what they have planned. ‘Reconnect’ will be Victoria Arduino’s new concept for 2021 and will play host to some of the UK’s fi nest speciality roasters including Caravan Coffee Roasters, London Grade, Cupper’s Choice, Crosby Roasters, Hasbean, Ozone, Foundation Roasters, Ue Coffee Roasters and Common Coffee. In a world where we crave contact with others for support, wellbeing and entertainment, the challenging times we face are taking their toll, feel the coffee machine company. However, as a community, we have the power to make positive changes, adjust our mindset and to reconnect with one another, they point out. Thus, Victoria Arduino and Caffè Culture will be welcoming those in the industry to be part of this change, as well as to show support for the coffee community which all are very much a part of (visitors will be able to come and share a coffee, meet their new favourite coffee roasters, and experience the ways in which we can all reconnect).

New for 2021 will be the Speciality Tea Hub. This new feature has been launched in partnership with the European Speciality Tea Association (ESTA) to promote the growing speciality tea market. As well as a variety of tea suppliers and an ESTA lounge, the feature will house a Brew Bar to enable visitors to taste some award-winning teas and to learn how to incorporate a more professional and profi table tea offering into their existing businesses. This year’s talks programme will be hosted across two theatres and will consist of four one-day seminar streams, each with a distinctive focus around speciality coffee and the people within it. Each programme will have six one-hour sessions and will be a mixture of presentations and lively and informative panel discussions. In Theatre 1 on Day 1, Coffee Studies (2021), sponsored by Assembly, will consider the standardisation of ‘specialty’. Coffee Studies will be continuing its successful format of borrowing from the TED style presentation coupled with a curated panel to discuss in real terms contrasting and complimentary perspectives of the presented topic. This year, they will refl ect on the last 18 months of lockdown and its impact on how the industry has responded to global supply chain challenges and evolving perspectives on sustainability. As always coffee studies will focus on real business stories, and challenging the prevailing narratives surrounding Speciality coffee and its position within the framework of global trade. In Theatre 1 on Day 2, the Roaster’s Forum, sponsored by DR Wakefi eld, will focus on the growing artisan roasting scene within the UK and Ireland. The programme will offer artisan roasters a series of interactive and educational sessions where they will meet farmers and producers from leading speciality regions and learn what changes and advancements are shaping the green coffee industry.

On Day 1, Theatre 2, sponsored by Good Till Company, will see CaffeInsights with John Richardson. The CaffeInsights programme was launched online during last year’s lockdown to offer business owners practical advice on how to navigate the pandemic.

Continuing in the same vein, the post-lockdown live programme, which will be hosted by café expert, John Richardson, will cover topics such as building a successful brand and social media strategy, how to boost profi ts by adding a retail offering to your existing business right through to current and future trends. He will also be inviting previous CaffeInsights contributors who after a year of lockdown managed to change their business models to create stronger, more resilient businesses. New for this year too will be the People and Culture Programme which will aim to highlight a number of crucial conversations to promote a better future for the coffee industry. Cafés act as a ‘third space’ - a break for so many - and without the passion from its people the industry would lose the strong foundation it’s been so long recognised for. Led and curated by the Kore Directive - a community-led nonprofi t organisation created to challenge convention within the coffee industry - these panel-led discussions will cover a variety of topics including equity, inclusion, rights and responsibilities, mental health, and the development of initiatives through coffee.

The SCA UK Latte Art Championship is an exhilarating competition showcasing pouring perfection. Each competitor will showcase their latte art skills in pouring and matching pairs of drinks, with the most complex and visually appealing designs possible, and John Richardson will be presenting a half-day session on: How to build a Profi t Producing System - creating a business that doesn’t require you to “be there”.