Specialty Coffee EXPO Chicago April 12-14 2024

THE 35th ANNUAL SPECIALTY COFFEE EXPO BREAKS ATTENDEE AND EXHIBITOR RECORDS

Event Featured Two World Coffee Championships, Two New Feature Areas and In-Depth Education Programming

CHICAGO, IL, April 16, 2024 – This past weekend, approximately 17,000 coffee and tea professionals from over 85 countries gathered for the first time in Chicago, IL, USA for the thirty-fifth annual Specialty Coffee Expo, North America’s largest coffee trade show and host of the World Coffee Championships. The Expo owned and produced by the Specialty Coffee Association, saw a 23% increase in attendance from the previous largest show which took place in 2019, and an exhibit hall featuring 602 companies, the most to ever participate in the history of the event. Diamond Sponsor Sanremo Coffee Machines, Platinum Sponsor Pacific Foods Barista Series and the Portrait Country Guatemalan Coffees were instrumental in offering a dynamic three-day event where attendees had access to new products and equipment, an inspiring and motivating education program with over 50 lectures, scientific poster sessions, workshops, a Cupping Exchange, and several networking events.
Specialty Coffee Expo offered two new features areas. The Green Coffee Connect program, sponsored by Barista Attitude, provided interactive programming for anyone selling or buying green coffee. In addition, the coffee industry retail buyers had an opportunity to gain access to the Retail Buyers Lounge designed to provide a dynamic opportunity for retail buyers to network, conduct meetings, and explore potential business partnerships with exhibitors. The new Sustainable Expo, held in partnership with Caravela Coffee, sponsored by Pacific Foods Barista Series, and Barista Attitude inspired positive change within the coffee industry including planting 6,000+ trees, supporting 150+ farms, and offsetting 1,600-2,000 tons co2. Attendees also enjoyed several highly anticipated and long-standing interactive features including the Best New Product Competition, Coffee Design Awards, Cupping Exchange, and Roaster Village. There were several awards programs held during the Specialty Coffee Expo. (Photos of competitions and winners can be found at this link.) The World Coffee Championships were held in the U.S. for the first time since 2019, with the World Brewers Cup (WBrC) and World Cup Tasters Championship (WCTC) taking place at the Specialty Coffee Expo. The WBrC is a showcase of the artistry and skill behind hand-brewed filter coffee, while the WCTC celebrates cuppers who demonstrate speed, accuracy, and expertise in distinguishing taste differences in specialty coffees — with results revealed right in front of massive crowds. Both events are annual events that are the culmination of local and regional qualifiers, hosted by sanctioned Competition Bodies around the globe.