Coffee champions
Owned and organised by the Speciality Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE), World of Coffee is the flagship event in the European coffee calendar. Now in its 16th year, this year’s event will take place in Dublin’s RDS from 23 – 25 June. In advance of this celebration of all things coffee, we caught up with Natalia Piotrowska, Irish National Barista Champion and owner of Coffee Consultancy Events, to learn more about what we can expect from its programme
Print18 May 2016
Q: Hi Natalia, thanks for talking to us. Firstly, why was Dublin chosen as the destination to hold this year’s World of Coffee event?
A: The destination for World of Coffee event is chosen by the WCE Advisory Board after all the submissions of host cities are reviewed. The submissions are reviewed in consideration of the host’s experience with conferences and exhibitions and the ability to meet the requirements stated in the event-hosting guidelines. The host city’s profile has to meet certain standards – the city itself and its surrounding areas should include areas of interest to the event attendees, readily available public transport as well as hotel accommodation within reasonable proximity to the event. The host city must show its receptiveness for the event and the benefit for the WCE’s global representation and outreach programmes – Dublin is a beautiful city that has it all. Ireland, and in particular the coffee scene in Dublin, is well known across the world as a leader in coffee trends making Dublin a must visit for any coffee professional.
Q: How does Dublin’s coffee scene compare to that of other major cities around the world?
A: Dublin is getting known for its coffee scene and it has changed and improved so much over the last five years. There are many shops which are inspired by many other shops from major cities around the world in terms of quality, traceability and service of the product which is great as we are constantly striving to be better. Dublin’s coffee scene is trying to evolve all the time and it is because of people leading amazing coffee businesses.
Q: Why would you recommend for retailers to attend World of Coffee Dublin?
A: The World of Coffee (WOC) in Dublin this June is going to be the hub for the most exceptional coffees and the most advanced equipment and technologies on the market. It is one of the greatest opportunities to get familiar with what is available on the market, it allows you to connect with the industry decision makers and get in-depth information about the industry. WOC is a unique opportunity for Irish retailers to see what trends are coming down the line.
Q: What do you hope the new addition of the Sustainability Forum will achieve this year?
A: The Sustainability Forum is going to bring an added value as it will create an opportunity for major discussions aimed at the economic side of our industry, as well as on the environmental and social side of it, all sustainability-focused. The forum will stimulate members of the industry and coffee community to think about what steps need to be taken to further sustain the industry as a whole. The aim is to bring new initiatives which might lead to the creation of new models for sustainability from a farm level to the final cup. The discussion will create greater awareness in relation to problems that the industry is facing, for example problems connected with climate changes or population problems in coffee-producing countries.
Q: The event will host the World Barista Championships and World Brewer’s Cup. How important are these competitions in terms of driving coffee industry standards?
A: World Barista Championships and World Brewer’s Cup are very important in terms of driving coffee industry standards, as they are competitions with a wealth of knowledge, quality and consistency. From previous years, we know that these competitions have a huge global impact on the coffee community. Some of the competition routines are bringing totally new ideas to the industry and presenting the most advanced techniques of brewing and serving coffee. The standard is improving every year which can be seen in the daily life of the industry and coffee industry standards.
Q: What are the latest trends in coffee that are currently driving sales within the industry?
A: The latest trends in coffee that are currently driving sales within the industry globally are cold brew and cold drink coffee offerings, signature flavoured coffee drinks and other espresso expanded beverage offerings. We are also seeing mainstream foodservice locations such as hotels and restaurants embracing speciality coffee. This is driven by their customers’ demand for better quality coffee.
To register for tickets to World of Coffee Dublin, head to www.worldofcoffee-dublin.com.
For more information, visit www.scae.com.
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