Highlights of the SCA Coffee Expo 2019: The People of Coffee

It has been almost two weeks since we got back from what is arguably the most important anual event in the Specialty Coffee Industry, the Coffee Expo. Held in Boston this year, the show presented its largest exhibition area to date, with a combination of Expo, Forums, Education, Workshops, and World Championships, among other activities. 

Having worked in the trade promotion industry for over 13 years now, the Coffee Expo stands out to me as one of the most effective trade shows for the different objectives that can be achieved by participating in it. 

Here are some of the highlights of the Expo, from a people-value chain perspective. A traditional value chain perspective refers to the business model that describes all of the activities needed to create a product or service. The specialty coffee industry is unique in  that in many levels and among many of the actors of the value chain, there is a genuine respect, value and appreciation for the people making possible each activity along the value chain.

1. Producers/ Origin

Many producers around the world mark their calendars and make a huge effort to make it to the Coffee Expo. There were at least 18 country pavilions. Burundi was this years' portrait country. From a country branding/ origin perspective, these 3 particular cases caught my eye:  

• Café de Costa Rica - From a marketing/design perspective, to me Costa Rica had the most effective, attractive and engaging stand among the country pavilions- a true communication tool.  It was modern, it was green, it was sober and elegant, yet colorful and creative, transparent, moving.  I thought the flavor wheel imagery was resourceful and creative,  playing with the information on the coffee regions of Costa Rica and the articulation of different elements, such as the pre-expo press release, the announcement of the different competitions during the event, and the clear message of transparency in trade relations, disclosing information on how much of the coffee price goes to the coffee producers in Costa Rica. 

Photo Café de Costa Rica

Photo Cafe de Costa Rica

• Café de Honduras- Honduras stood out to me as an example of articulation of actors to make the most of the promotion opportunities at  the Expo.The IHCAFE ( Honduran Institute of Coffee) had a senior level technical team, that coordinated participation  at the country pavilion, in technical pre-show visits, pre-booked cupping sessions at the stand with the head of the Quality Control Lab and had coffee tastings of the different regions- via pour over methods or espresso and cappuccinos/lattes. IHCAFE also coordinated the support team during the competition of the Honduras National Barista Champion. Honduras was  present at the workshops and seminars, with a special mention to a research presentation on the reality of women in coffee in Honduras.  There were Honduran representatives of coops and coffee farms at many of the importer and roaster booths, with some of the coffees winning awards during the show.  Cafe de Honduras was present at multiple levels during the trade show. 

George Howell Coffee 

Jorge and Yuliana. Marcala, Honduras. Their microlot is a hit in Café Registrado, Argentina. 

With Cafe de Honduras friends: Dylan, Thomas, Maria Esther, Mariana, Liliana, Omar

Visiting local roasters and coffee shops with Maria Esther and Wendy

COMSA, an exceptional company focused on human development, sustainability and building communities in Marcala, Honduras. 

• Café de Colombia- The Federación Nacional de Cafeteros organized the first "out of country" auction for Colombian coffees that are part of the FNC, during the CoffeeExpo, with the top lots being auctioned at US$54/lb and US35/lb. This took the common practice of  having cupping sessions at the trade show, a step further, to secure the sales of the coffee during the show. 

Oscar Daza. La Pradera & Juan Valdez, Café de Colombia

For the producers that are able to participate, the Expo facilitates the following: 

• A better knowledge and strengthening of the relationship with their current importers and roasters . Producers can become a part of the promotional efforts of their  importers/roasters, participating at cupping events, and providing further information on their coffee.

• The possibility to meet potential buyers and roasters in new markets- even taking part in field visits to coffee shops, warehouses and roasters. As a case in point, a Honduras delegation visited the George Howell Coffee Roasting plant. It was a unique opportunity for the producers to see first hand how samples are received and tasted, how lots are selected and the unique and innovative practice of George Howell Coffee of freezing samples and green coffee in their warehouses, having ample research to support their practice as quality is not compromised. 
• Exchanges with other coffee producers from their own country and different countries around the world. This is a powerful knowledge sharing experience, as producers realize they are facing many of the same challenges, yet they can share their own experiences and perspectives, growing and learning through these exchanges. 

• Discussions on the coffee prices, transparency, profit sharing and growth, with other producers and with the market. The topic is on the table, in the discussion rooms, at the stands, at the bars and hallways. The conversation has started and should continue. 
• Benchmarking, to learn about trends and what others are doing to promote their coffee, how they are collaborating with roasters and importers, 
• It is an exceptional opportunity to cup and taste coffees from other regions of the world, to understand the coffees that are being tasted and appreciated  by importers and consumers worldwide. 
• Access to new technology, packaging and equipment for production, milling and cafeterias. 

In short, the expo is a great opportunity to connect with others in the industry, to talk, learn and grow. The Expo could be enjoyed by producers in multiple levels: at the exhibition floor, in the workshops and seminars, at the networking events, in the parallel events that were held in the city of Boston, for example, the Cup of Excellence  Seminar on the Impact of COE Auctions, parties and in the Championships where the competitors showcased particular farms and producers. 

Ally Coffee

Re-connecting with Madeleine, exceptional coffee professional from Hawaii

Ramiro and Jordi from COOPARM, Perú 

Coffee Producers from Santander, Colombia

2. Service Providers: Export, Logistics, Quality, Marketing, Equipment, Certifiers, NGOs , Associations (including the SCA) , Press and others. 
The  Coffee Expo provides a unique opportunity for service providers to meet and present their products and services to their different clients along the coffee value chain. One of the services that caught my eye during the show was the the IT/Blockchain traceability solution called Trace Coffee Beans, that provides traceability info and interaction from the farm to the final consumer. 
The Small Producers' Symbol (SPP) also launched  a manifesto during the Expo, demanding justice in the price of coffee, explaining that it is not possible to have an adequate livelihood and cover minimum production costs with the current market prices of around US$ 90 per 100 pounds, and that a minimum price of US$220 per 100 pounds is more adequate  to cover costs and provide income for an adequate livelihood for producers of organic, sustainable, arabica coffee. 
All service providers reached out, through their booths, by hosting events, launching campaigns and press releases, to connect with their audience within the value chain.
The Design Lab provided a chance to admire design in packaging and spaces. The Best New Products is always a must-see, to check where the industry is going.  

3. Importers
Green coffee importers are also an important part of the Coffee Expo. My takeaway from what I saw at many of the  importers' booths was the focus many of them put on origin, coops, farms and producers. I witnessed meetings between importers and current suppliers, some had met before and the Expo was a chance to touch base and catch up. In other cases I saw importers that were meeting face to face for the first time with their suppliers, genuinely happy to consolidate the connection via a face to face meeting. I also saw importers meeting personally with new potential coffee suppliers. The value of these personal encounters is immense. 

The Expo provides a great opportunity to see several importers, and understand how each has a core vision and purpose, thus identifying those with whom producers may have a better "match".

Alfredo -NJ Douek and Edgar- Pacayal

4. Roasters
The Expo provides an exceptional chance for roasters to connect with importers, but most importantly, to connect with the coffee producers, farms and coops these importers are working with. I saw collaborations of roasters who were brewing a particular farm or producer's coffee, for example, at Ally Coffee's booth.  At another moment, these same roasters were able to cup new offerings for upcoming harvests. 
Roasters have a special space to connect with potential customers and coffee lovers at the Roaster Village. I think there is something powerful and full-circle, when a coffee producer can meet with a roaster that has bought his coffee and has worked carefully and professionally to develop a roast profile that accentuates the best attributes of this coffee, and they can share a cup of this coffee in which both have worked. It is a beautiful symbol of connection. 

Mark- Onyx Coffee 

Marlous and Coffee from Dagmar in the Netherlands

5. Baristas

Baristas are present in many place at the Expo, as guests in different booths, as attendees and also in the World Championships. Baristas are the final link that bring the coffee from producers around the world to the consumers at the coffee shops. Baristas today are more prepared, have access to a lot of information and experience in the whole voyage of coffee from the seed to the cup they are preparing. 
I want to briefly mention two baristas present at this year's Expo and Championship. One  is Honduras' Carlos Guerra, from San Rafael Coffee Roasters in Copan Ruinas. Carlos is a food technology engineer, a cheese-making artisan, coffee grower and barista. This unique background from his technical/academic studies, together with his practical experience at the coffee farm, and at the coffee shop as a barista are a perfect example of the quality of professionals we are gifted with today at coffee producing countries. I had the honor of judging one of his presentation at the Honduras Championship and witnessed how he continued preparing himself for the WBC. In the midst of a tremendous level of competition, we commend Carlos for the important jump in the ranking for Honduras from a previous 45 to position 16, one position away from making it into semifinals. We are confident we will continue seeing the growth of Carlos in the world barista arena. 

Carlos Guerra and Wendy Rodriguez

Baristas and women in coffee have been inspired and awed this year by the 2019 World Barista Champion, Jooyeon Jeon from South Korea. I have followed her preparation for a couple of years now, her dedication, visits to origin, her coaching by El Salvador's Federico Bolaños. In 2018 a technical situation took important points from her final score, but far from giving up, it seems she gained further inspiration and determination and returned full force this year with a presentation that combined science, technology, amazing coffee that was skillfully grown, processed, milled and roasted and finally prepared with  a combination of technical excellence, warmth and ease. She has become the second female Barista Champion and as competitions should go, she has raised the bar and the standard, so we anticipate that in the following years we will be witnessing even higher levels of competition and performance. 

Jooyeon Jeon and team Korea 

Jooyeon Jeon, said something during her winning presentation, that to me, summarizes  what we are witnessing in the Specialty Coffee Industry, and that could well sum up what the Coffee Expo 2019 was all about : 

 "There has never been a better time in history to drink coffee. Farmers, roasters and baristas are now connected and collaborating to create higher quality coffee than ever before. "

The heart of this industry is the people of coffee. The people involved from seed to cup. we firmly believe that it is possible for all the people involved in the production and delivery of this beautiful product to make a just and dignified livelihood that fairly recognizes the value each adds along the value chain. 

These are just a few things I observed, there were many conversations, discussions, etc. Read the many articles that will be written in the following weeks regarding the show and also make use of the many tools, especially the network, available through the SCA Coffee Expo 2019 App you most likely downloaded. 

Mark your calendars for the 2020 Coffee Expo in Portland. Until then let's continue working together, creatively,  to Make Coffee Better. 

Maria Esther and Heleana: great inspirations!