Expo Café aims to boost status of Mexico’s coffee industry

Mexican coffee showcase Expo Café 2019 intends to deliver a caffeine boost to the nation’s producers by increasing international interest in the crop. Targeted by the Mexican government as a key area for export development over the next 10 years, the event will highlight Mexico’s status as the world’s 11th largest coffee producer and leading grower of organic coffee. “Expo Café is the largest exhibition of its kind in Mexico and focuses on the whole culture surrounding coffee consumption, from producing coffee in the fields, through roasting to preparation of cups of coffee,” Expo Café Managing Director Marcos Gottfried says. “One of the principal objectives behind promoting this culture of consumption is that people better understand and value Mexican coffee.” With Mexico’s secretary of agriculture predicting coffee exports could reach almost 2.4 million tonnes by 2024, exhibition organisers they’ve made facilitating business meetings a priority, with visitors from the United States, Canada, and Europe expected during the event. However, the small growers who comprise the majority of the country’s estimated 500,000 coffee producers will also be a significant focus for the event, which is expected to receive up to 35,000 visitors, with a dedicated hall subsidised by organisers Tradex. Now in its 22nd year, Expo Café 2019 will also feature the 10th anniversary of the Expo Café Flavor Prize, a competition that showcases the finest artisan coffees, which culminates in the naming of the Mexican Coffee of the Year. “Every year, Expo Café grows in terms of both exhibitors and visitors, and includes a completely new program, with speakers, conferences, courses, workshops, culture, and everything related to the coffee industry,” Gottfried says. “This year, we will be examining new trends in extraction and machinery, such as preparing cold brews at home, which will be reflected at Expo Café. Another is extractions of coffee with nitrogen, which offers a very similar finish to a pint of beer.” But although there is a domestic side, Expo Café is very much international in flavour, with a focus not just on coffee but also on doing business. “People are coming to do business and to find a good coffee to take back to their country,” Gottfried says. “Expo Café connects businesses and generates opportunities. It showcases the work being done in the Mexican coffee sector and helps connect and highlight small producers. These small producers will have their own dedicated pavilion, which is subsidised by Tradex,” Expo Café will take place from 29 to 31 August in Mexico City’s World Trade Center. Follow Global Coffee Report on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter for up-to-date news and analysis of the global coffee industry.