Athens Coffee Festival 2018: An all-weather event!
During three action-packed days –filled with demonstrations, seminars, concerts, DJ sets and lots of coffee– a total of 32,000 visitors flocked the grounds of the 3rd Athens Coffee Festival, organized by FORUM SA and held under the auspices of the SCA.
For the third consecutive year, coffee and its culture were at the very heart of the Athens Coffee Festival, with a plethora of new products, all the latest trends and ideas, as well as advice from experts in the field. At the same time, the presence of world champions, coffee experts, managers of big multinationals, roasters and micro-roasters and cupping experts consolidated the Festival’s reputation as the meeting point for coffee aficionados and sector professionals that had the opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences, and discuss everything from products to travels to coffee varieties, etc.
Broadly speaking, professionals, home baristas and consumers were quite pleased by their visit to the 3rd Athens Coffee Festival, even on that rainy day, while exhibitors expressed their satisfaction over the size and scope of the event.
The Festival’s 100 exhibitors –the most important companies marketing coffee and related equipment in the Greek market– have featured prominently at this great celebration of coffee, while all the special events that took place at The ChatRoom, The Lab and the Cupping Area, the contests offering big prizes, the DJ sets from known Greek radio producers and the two concerts from singer Myronas Stratis and band 1550, made a lasting impression.
Hundreds of professionals of the coffee industry but also coffee lovers visited for once again the most important festival in Greece, targeted at the coffee sector.
The Athens Coffee Festival 2018 at a glance!
Major participation at the seminars & workshops!
During the course of the new and improved events at The Lab, coffee professionals, baristas, roasters and coffee experts had the chance to be informed on key issues regarding coffee, such as the challenges facing the modern barista, with the help from interactive presentations and discussions. The rapporteurs were chosen among experienced sector professionals and revealed many a coffee secret while providing answers to all the questions concerning the favorite beverage. In addition, discussion panels provided the focus of increased interest from the audience and, through interactive presentations, opened new communication channels between professionals.
Presentations at The ChatRoom in the Innovathens area were met with overwhelming support from both consumers and coffee professionals. The discussion about the Basic Types of Espresso by Dionyssis Moustis (Lavazza) was particularly popular, while the feature “What are Espresso ‘Waves’” by Antonis Kargiotis (Sapid Coffee Roasters Co.) gathered a lot of interest. Finally, Greek coffee had a place of honor, as Manthos Archontakis, Iakovos Drakulis and Panagiotis Haskos talked about the triumphant return of the traditional beverage, especially at consumers of a younger age.
Finally, during the three days of the Festival, coffee aficionados attended in great numbers the cupping sessions at the specially-designed Cupping Area, where they were given the opportunity to try rare blends and coffee varieties from all coffee producing countries in the world.
Exhibitors expressed their complete satisfaction!
The strong turnout and the keen interest—from both professionals and home baristas—in the products and the companies taking place at the 3rd Athens Coffee Festival, left exhibitors enthusiastic. Featuring all the major espresso houses as well as most specialty coffee roasters, the festival succeeded in attracting a wide range of visitors. Exhibitor stands offered coffee and beverages on a daily and 12-hour basis, giving professionals as well as the general public the chance to taste and get to know rare coffee varieties from 65 coffee producing countries.
The 2nd Panhellenic Roasting Championship was hosted at ACF 2018
The 2nd Pan-Hellenic Roasting Championship organized by SCA Greece was completed with great success. The winner among the 14 contestants, was Giorgos Delichristos and, hence, he will be the one representing Greece at the Rimini World Championship in January 2019. However, the competition in the 2nd Roasting Championship was fierce with Panagiotis Mantzounis staying in the 2nd place. The winner was chosen after the Blind Cupping of the blend (three coffees) by the five judges. Finally, it is worth noting that the judges decided solely on the taste and not on the technical training of the contestants.