TristEspresso is a biennial coffee event that attracts professionals from all points of the supply chain–and from all over the world.
How would attendees of TriestEspresso Expo 2016 describe the event? “One big party.” TriestEspresso was a three-day event held last October in Triste, Italy, which brings together coffee professionals from all points of the supply chain. The event, which happens biennially, is internationally regarded, and had vendors, exhibitors, and attendees from all over the world come together and lean about the global supply chain in a picaresque Italian seaside city.
“TriestEspresso Expo confirms its role as a specialized biennial event and a beacon for coffee operators; in a single venue it convenes the whole coffee supply chain. Indeed, as many as 202 exhibitors from 20 different countries of the world representing the entire caffè espresso supply chain—from green to roasted coffee, from roasting machines to porcelain manufacturers and business service providers—will take part in the eighth edition of this prestigious event,” a representative for the event stated in a press release. Over 12,500 attendees were recorded at the event—which represents about a 16% rise from 2014. Along with exhibitors, TristEspresso was also host to a number of lectures, the Italian Barista Championships and Barista Bonanza, an event hosted by the SCAE aimed at engaging baristas in the community and providing educational programs.
The growth of the event has signaled a move to a more global coffee community. Reporters from all over the world were in attendance, and many of the big names at TristEspresso weren’t Italian. “The winner of the Espresso Italiano Championship does not speak the language of the bel paese, he speaks Korean, proving that the globalization and culture of coffee have no boundaries now,” according to reports on the event. “Two of the books written by the Trieste-born authors Franco and Mauro Bazzara, La Filiera del Caffè Espresso and Cappuccino Italiano Latte Art, have just been published in Russian, so that the Italian coffee culture can be accessible to espresso professionals and espresso lovers in Russia and in the neighboring countries, after having been published in Italian, English, Thai, Chinese and soon in Spanish too.”
TristEspresso wasn’t just for industry professionals, but also for the community in Triste. A number of exhibits and workshops were held for the public, and TristEspresso hopes to make its current venue a permanent home. The administrators of the event worked closely with city officials to ensure that the event both ran smoothly and was beneficial to citizens. “Once more, quality trade events have shown they can bring great value to the city, the special commissioner of the Chamber of Commerce of Trieste, Antonio Paoletti, commented, “and a permanent multipurpose venue is needed. The fair has been a success, but Trieste has benefited a lot too. All the leading companies have sent their agents, their best buyers there, they have arranged meetings and dinners that have filled hotels and restaurants, that have made taxis, travel agencies and transport work as it rarely happens.”
All in all, TristEspresso hopes to continue growing and bringing in more coffee professionals. By growing in size it hopes to grow in quality and reputation, and be one of the leading trade shows for coffee professionals. “We have staked everything on quality goods: a strict selection of the exhibitors,” Patrizia Andolfatto, director of Aries, the company who helped run the show, commented, “[and we have] improved the quality of the event and the stands. The exhibitors’ attractiveness has brought in some of the most important industry players.” So if beautiful beaches and a trip to Italy to talk about coffee aren’t enough for you, rest assured that TristEspresso aims to garner the most important coffee leaders all under one roof—a place to meet members of the coffee industry representing all points of the supply chain. You have two years to sit and think on it.
