The World Barista Championship will return to HostMilano in 2025, joining the event as a key feature of its Salone Internazionale del Caffe (SIC): the International Coffee Exhibition.
The Championship, hosted by the Specialty Coffee Association and World Coffee Events, is one of the world’s largest coffee competitions. In the annual event, international Barista Champions showcase their expertise and creativity on the global stage, going go head-to-head with other champions in a series of rounds to claim the title of World Barista Champion 2025.
Coffee has been a staple of the HostMilano since it was established and will be a core element when the international hospitality tradeshow returns from 17 to 21 October for its 44th edition at the Fiera Milano in Rho, Italy. The biannual event’s coffee area, SIC, is a dedicated space for roasters, importers, producers, and operators from around the world to convene to do business and get first look at the industry’s latest innovations.
With the world coffee market looking set to close 2024 with a value of $461.30 billion according to Statista, HostMilano aims to highlight the industry as it gets ready to face future climate and geopolitical challenges. In a statement, organisers said:
“This is also a time of great challenges: from climate change and global warming, which will require an evolution of cultivars, to tensions over prices and supply chains, to coffee and gourmet cuisine that get together to promote a new creativity. In this scenario, it will be even more important not to miss the meeting place for industry players from around the world.”
More than 900 companies have registered for HostMilano 2025 so far, with 400 of them being international.