Melbourne International Coffee Expo Cements us as World Coffee Hub
We’ve all long suspected Melbourne to be a world leader in the cafe industry, and the recent Melbourne International Coffee Expo (held 22-24 March 2018 at Melbourne Showgrounds) has just confirmed it. The event was huge. Crowds were estimated at about 10,000 over the 3 day event, which included coffee sampling, industry networking, specialty exhibitors, product innovation awards, origin/’source’ exhibitors, the Australian International Coffee Awards, and the very fun latte art and “Barista Big Bash” competitions.
Craig Simon, of Veneziano Coffee Roaster won the 2018 Australian Barista Championship, having previously won the event in 2012 and 2014. Craig will go on to represent Australia at the World Barista Championship in Amsterdam in June. Shin Fukayama of St Ali won the Australian Latte Art Championship, with creative designs of a queen bee, jungle monkey and king rooster. He said “All I wanted was to entertain the audience, make my customers happy and present designs that bring a smile to people’s faces.”
MICE Show Director Simon Coburn said that the latest MICE (having been held 7 times now) said that the event “celebrated Australia’s coffee industry and highlighted the many talented individuals who proudly represent our passion and standards for excellence… (it) continues to prove why Melbourne is one of the leading coffee capitals of the world.”
The event hosted over 120 exhibitors, and showcased the latest technology in espresso equipment, coffee brewing, roasting equipment, and quality coffee beans. MICE is the largest dedicated coffee expo in the Southern Hemisphere, and is just another indicator that Melbourne is at the heart of the world coffee trade.
Here at First Choice Business Brokers we’ve been supporting hundreds of food hospitality businesses when it comes time to make a business transition. We are well connected across the industry, and we know the market.
Photos courtesy of beanscenemag.com.au