Coffee specialists flock to SCAE's Antwerp Fiesta
30th May 2007
Coffee specialists and aficionados from all over the world responded to the SCAE's invitation and came to Antwerp's Hilton Hotel in late May to benefit from the huge pool of knowledge and enthusiasm that characterised the 2007 Coffee Fiesta there.
Besides the SCAE's own three world competitions (in Cup Tasting, Latte Art and Coffee in Good Spirits), the event included the Brazil Late Harvest competition, and added a conference, tabletop exhibition, workshops and training sessions, the results of the SCAE's new Coffee Photography Competition, the SCAE's Annual General Meeting and several memorable social gatherings -- to make for an unforgettable weekend.
Even before the Fiesta officially got underway, dedicated meetings brought in both SCAE National Coordinators (from as far afield as El Salvador) and SCAE-approved Trainers to discuss important matters relating to the organisation's future development.
The Conference
The official opening session, hosted by outgoing SCAE president Colin Smith, gave attendees a taste of the current state of the coffee business and the way the speciality sector fits into it.
International Coffee Organization executive director Dr Nestor Osorio presented a positive view of the supply/demand balance at present, highlighting the slow but steady growth in worldwide coffee consumption and the fact that the current season marked the third year that supplies were in deficit. The speciality sector, he said, had taken on an important role in the world coffee business, in creating the necessary mood to encourage the mainstream business to improve quality (and he pointed to both the World Barista Championship and to Cup of Excellence as two programmes which had helped with this).
Analyst Robert Simmons of LMC Commodities reckoned that the speciality coffee sector was about 8m bags or about 9% of total world consumption now. Giving a worldwide review of the sector, he pointed to growth in the important markets all over the world, and even in the mature markets where the mainstream coffee business shows little growth. While the US is starting to mature in speciality, he said, Europe and Japan were demonstrating continued development in the sector. Meanwhile, at origin, producers will carry on differentiating their coffees to take advantage of the increasing demand from speciality markets.
Responding to a question, Dr Osorio said that with prices fairly stable at the $1.20-$1.45 level for arabica, the correct conditions were being created for producers to go on improving quality. In this situation, he added, "it is not impossible to say that in five to eight years speciality could be 15-20% of the market -- but in any case, the dynamic is a positive one."
Dr Giorgio Graziosi of the University of Trieste examined the fascinating subject of "coffee forensics", explaining that with modern DNA analysis it was now possible to trace the true origin of any coffee on the market. The technology could eventually be used for the benefit of the speciality sector, he said, allowing consignments to be tested for origin, or for the amount of arabica in a particular blend, for example. Scientifically certified quality coffee could be sold at a higher price because of this, he suggested.
Traceability was also a watchword for the final speaker, Lucas Simons of Utz Certified, who saw it as "an integral part of the business model." With consumers expecting more and more from the products they are buying and governments introducing stringent controls on imports, he said, retailers, roasters and producers were all gaining from certification. "Where does a product come from and how was it produced? Any serious brand not able to answer these questions will soon no longer be in the market," he said. (SCAE members interested in the Antwerp conference sessions can download the PowerPoint presentations from Dr Osorio and Robert Simmons here; Lucas Simons' presentation here; the presentation of Dr Graziosi will be available shortly)
The Competitions
Highlighting the weekend in Antwerp were the three SCAE world championships, which began with the fourth edition of the fast and audience-friendly World Cup Tasters Championship. This year, the coffees in question were sourced directly from estates all over the world and roasted at Belgian private label supplier Sas. The 19 finalists -- all national champions -- came through their exacting taste tests to prove their supreme expertise in coffee cupping, but it was Norwegian-born Anette Moldvaer, representing the UK who came in first, just ahead of second place Iceland representative Arni Ragnarsson and Jacques Pereira of Brazil. At the close of the Championship, the audience was given the chance to taste all of the coffees in the competition, finally identified as some of the best in the world. (For more details of the Cup Taster Championship, see the news story here, and by clicking the appropriate link at the bottom of the home page)
Also attracting good audiences was the third edition of the World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship, which compared the talent of 17 national contestants at making two perfect Irish coffees and two eye-catching and tasty signature drinks blending coffee and alcohol. Estonia came first in the contest, with Helger Aava taking the prize.
The third edition of the World Latte Art Championship drew 19 contestants and a very partisan and noisy audience cheering for their respective representatives in what was almost a party atmosphere. The clear winner, who made his presentation last of all, was Jack Hanna of Australia. (More details of the Coffee & Good Spirits and Latte Art Championships are available here and by clicking the appropriate link at the bottom of the home page)
The pursuit of excellence
With the SCAE's emphasis on training and education, it was not surprising that, while the Hilton's main ballroom was occupied with the conference and competitions, adjacent breakout rooms were offering workshop sessions on filter brewing (including an introduction to the SCAE's new Gold Cup standard) and on espresso and the art of the barista (with the launch of the new Master Barista certification).
Both tracks included written and practical examinations in these two indispensible coffee fields, and a number of attendees went away with official SCAE certification of their expertise in these areas.
Throughout the weekend, about 35 firms were represented at tabletops in the event's exhibition, an area which attracted a great deal of interest among the attendees, with its variety of coffee, equipment and expertise on display.
The weekend also saw the Brazil Late Harvest Competition, which pitted a large number of Brazilian coffees against each other, to be judged by an international panel of expert tasters. The eventual deserving winner was a catuaí variety from the Fazenda Diamantina in the Sul de Minas region, entered by grower Camilo do Carmo Andrade Melles.
(More details of this competition are available on the Brazil Specialty Coffee Association's website, which is accessible by clicking here)
The Annual General Meeting of the SCAE, also held at Antwerp, marked the changeover to a new regime at the association, as outgoing president Colin Smith handed over the post to his successor, Max Fabian (of Trieste-based decaffeination firm Demus).
In his farewell speech, Smith said that it was the excitement of members that had enthused him, and he noted with pride that the association has now passed the milestone of 1,000 members. He was then presented with the traditional plaque in honour of his two years in office as president, as well as a surprise coffee multimedia artwork commissioned especially for him by his successor.
Also introduced at the AGM was the new vice president of the association, Nils Erichsen of German grinder manufacturer Mahlkönig, with board director Mark Käppeli (of Swiss roaster and trader Blaser) assuming his former responsibilities as treasurer.
During the AGM, members were told about the advances that the association had made in the past year, not least in its finances, which had been buoyed by the success of the Berne World of Coffee event held in 2006. (More details of the AGM will be available when the official minutes are published; these will be available to all members at this site)
Rewards and awards
With so many coffee specialists getting together, there was no opportunity wasted for social gatherings during the weekend. Firstly, to kick the event off with pomp and circumstance, the Port of Antwerp hosted an evening reception in the beautiful mediaeval Town Hall of the city.
This was followed by a freewheeling Barista party at one of the city's hip venues, which included on-the-spot barista competitions and other light-hearted amusements.
Finally, the Antwerp Coffee Fiesta climaxed with the Annual Banquet, held in the Horta Restaurant in a spectacular room reflecting that architect's work.
Past president and keen photographer Trygve Klingenberg, who headed the jury of the new Photo Competition, presented the three winners of the first edition with their awards. He announced that the top pictures submitted were the work of Menno Simons of Trabocca (first place), Gary McGann of Espresso Warehouse (second) and Annick Kuppens of Light Lunch (third). (The three winning images and some of the other entries can be seen here)
Membership Development chair Pauline Sherwood presented honours to distinguished former national coordinators Tone Liavaag (Norway), Stephen Hurst (UK), Steffen Schwarz (Germany), Teresa de Batres (El Salvador), and Samuel Zenger (Switzerland), before announcing that the winner of National Coordinator of the Year was Roberto Trevisan of the Czech Republic. Iceland was named as the winner of the Nations Cup, having garnered the highest number of points in the three world championships.
Well known Marketing and Advertising Manager (and former Secretary) Betty Attwood, who is retiring from the SCAE post this year, was given a special award in recognition of her contribution to the association.
The Awards for Coffee Excellence were presented in a session hosted by Marketing and Projects Officer Jens Henrik Thomsen. He announced that The Young Entrepreneur Award had been won by John Sytmen of Istanbul, while the jury gave the Coffee Teacher/Trainer Award to Sonja Grant of Kaffitar, Iceland.
Gerard-Clement Smit of Netherlands-based brewer manufacturer Technivorm took the Coffee Technician Award (in a new category introduced this year), while the Award for Originality in Design went to Zander Nosler and Randy Hulett of brewer innovators Clover.
Daniele Giovannucci, a consultant to the World Bank on coffee and sustainability issues, took the Sustainablity Award, while US-based speciality coffee pioneer and Cup of Excellence co-founder George Howell, of Terroir Coffee, was named the winner of the Better Coffee World Award, the association's highest honour.
The awards capped a weekend of varied experiences in quality coffee amid a gathering of experts and enthusiasts from all over the world. It only remained for the organisers to invite members, attendees (and all those involved in the speciality coffee sector), to the two upcoming speciality coffee events in which SCAE is involved: the World Barista Championship, coming this summer in Tokyo, Japan (click here for more details), and next year's SCAE Worlds of Coffee Conference, Exhibition and Events, to be held June 18-21, 2008 in the Danish capital, Copenhagen.
All photos by Charles Prager; use elsewhere by written permission only, with credit to the photographer and this site