Photo by Steven Maxwell
[T]he leading event for the country’s coffee industry, Mexican coffee showcase Expo Café kicks off today, August 29, at the World Trade Center in Mexico City, coinciding with The Gourmet Show and Salon Chocolate y Cacao. Running through Saturday, August 31, the Expo is aiming to deliver a caffeine boost to producers small and large by increasing the level of international interest in the crop and highlight Mexico’s status as the world’s 11th-largest coffee producer and leading grower of organic coffee.
Now in its 22nd year, Expo Café 2019 is expected to see up to 35,000 attendees, including visitors from the U.S., Canada, and Europe. This year’s theme is mirrors, with the accompanying slogan, “Find Your True Reflection in a Cup of Coffee,” inspiring a special installation looking at how reflections are found in daily life, from coffee cups to popular culture.
The event celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Expo Café Flavor Prize, a competition that showcases the finest artisan coffees, which culminates in the naming of the Mexican Coffee of the Year.
“Since its beginnings, the Expo Café Flavor Prize has sought to extoll the virtues of Mexican coffee by giving it the importance it deserves, with each semifinalist receiving a distinctive seal of quality that recognizes the coffee as a high-quality product,” says Marcos Gottfried, Expo Café’s managing director.
“Expo Café is the largest exhibition of its kind in Mexico and focuses on the whole culture surrounding coffee consumption, from producing coffee in the fields, through toasting to preparation of cups of coffee,” continues Gottfried. “One of the principal objectives behind promoting this culture of consumption is that people better understand and value Mexican coffee.”
