The NOLA Coffee Festival, scheduled for September 15-16, 2023, aims to unite coffee industry professionals and enthusiasts in New Orleans for a two-day event. The festival will blend industry trade show classes with a consumer coffee festival atmosphere, focusing on education and collaboration within the coffee sector.
Why It Matters: The NOLA Coffee Festival aims to recreate the excitement and community of other coffee industry trade shows—typically hosted in major metros and coastal cities—for professionals and enthusiasts in the Gulf South region of the United States.
Event Co-founder Jim Currie explains in a press release: “Of the 3,500 coffee shops located in LA, MS and AL, very, very few have ever attended a national coffee conference or training event. We want to flip that around and make great coffee education easily accessible for the thousands of baristas, coffee shop owners/managers and green coffee roasters that work in the gulf south.”
The Full Extraction: The show will feature southern coffee subject matter experts who will share insights, conduct demonstrations, and engage in panel discussions. Speakers and demonstrators will include, among others:
- Andrea Allen, Onyx Coffee Lab, will lead a class on competing in competitions as a barista
- Chris Kornman, Royal Coffee, will teach a class on the coffee flavor wheel
- Rhiannon Enlil, a local cocktail expert, will discuss coffee cocktail innovation and trends
- Melissa Dixon, La Marzocco, will conduct a session on espresso flavor and brewing
- Lauren Fink, Cherry Coffee Roasters, will guide a roundtable on roasting businesses
What’s More: The event will be divided into two days: an Industry and Trade Day and a Consumer Day. Patrons will be able to engage with over 50 exhibitors, innovative Gulf South roasters, and coffee connoisseurs nationwide. The Trade and Industry Day will highlight the latest coffee trends, equipment, and brewing techniques; the Consumer Day will allow attendees to connect directly with consumers eager to dive into the world of coffee.
New Orleans is a coffee shipping and roasting hub and natural home for the regional event. The city acts as the headquarters of both dozens of independent coffee businesses and industry giants like Smucker’s, Community Coffee, and PJs Coffee.
You can buy tickets now starting at $15 and learn more about the event at the NOLA Coffee Festival website.
