London/Amsterdam Coffee Festival heads to New York

Allegra, the team behind both The London Coffee Festival and The Amsterdam Coffee Festival, have announced they are taking their show to New York. From 25 – 27 September, the city that never sleeps will have one more reason to stay up, when some of the United States best roasters set up stall in the 69th Regiment Armory building for three days. Allegra’s Jeffrey Young said the decision to launch the New York Coffee Festival reflects how far NY consumer’s coffee tastes have developed. “The New York coffee scene is rapidly growing – and growing up,” said Young. “You only need look at the expansion of small town roasters such as Stumptown, Blue Bottle and Toby’s Estate to realise that the specialty coffee trend is ever-growing – gone are the days when consumers are just looking for a quick caffeine fix.” The festival will launch New York Coffee Week, which will raise money for clean water and sanitation projects in coffee growing communities. Half of the money raised through New York Coffee Festival ticket sales will be donated to Charity Water to support their global projects. The New York Coffee Festival will also host the first Coffee Masters USA, a multi-discipline barista competition with a US$5000 cash prize. In conjunction with the festival, Allegra is introducing to New York its first-ever World Coffee Portal CEO Forum. On 24 September, senior leaders from across the coffee and food-to-go sectors have the opportunity to come together to discuss key industry topics. “New York City is one of the most globally influential cities in the world, not to mention one of the largest coffee drinking,” said Young. “It seemed only right to launch our first ever Global CEO Forum in New York, a city where cultural diversity, creativity and innovation is celebrated.” Through an international line-up of speakers, participants will learn the latest in consumer trends, market insight, growth strategies and forecasts for the future.