This article is part of Fresh Cup’s ongoing coverage of World of Coffee, which took place in San Diego from April 10-12, 2026. We’re continuing our coverage after the event. See all coverage here.
The weather forecast called for rain in San Diego during World of Coffee, one of the coffee industry’s largest events. The forecast felt somewhat ominous: this year’s event, formerly known as the Specialty Coffee Expo, usually attracts people from around the world to the United States.
But traveling to a country that has become increasingly hostile to immigrants and travelers made it considerably risky for some to attend. On top of that, the coffee world has dealt with the yo-yo-ing of tariff threats and costs—all of this can pile up to cast a dour cloud over any industry event.
These serious concerns could not be fully rectified during World of Coffee, an event that styles itself the space to showcase the newest innovations in coffee.
But, despite the weather forecast, the sun did shine in San Diego and highlighted the worldwide camaraderie the coffee industry is known for, and the event somehow felt bigger—and warmer—than in years past.
Held at the San Diego Convention Center, notably home to ComicCon, another popular international gathering, World of Coffee sported a packed show floor and an array of events across the city after hours. There were clear trends as exhibitors showed many technical, practical, and personal innovations that truly seemed to push coffee forward.
I’ve been to dozens of coffee trade shows, and here’s what I saw and heard on the floor that caught my attention.
#1 California Coffee Rules
Roasters from around the globe showed the power of their brands across the show floor—but the spotlight was rightfully on California-based roasters. San Diego’s Provecho! Coffee was a clear hometown favorite: they had a bold presence with a bright blue booth at the Roasters Village, hosted an opening night collaborative event with Oatly, and had an endless line at their Logan Heights shop throughout the weekend.
Los Angeles heavyweight Be Bright Coffee booth had a revolving door of guest brewers at its booth making coffee, including their owner and 2024 United States Barista Champion Frank La—they also hosted a loudest slurp competition complete with a decibel meter to accurately judge.
As HR and Events Coordinator for bi-coastal roaster Canyon Coffee, which opted for no booth, I helped them pop up at seven equipment and product booths throughout the weekend. Our team was in near constant conversation about the recently opened Brooklyn location’s oft memeified long lines.
#2: Long Live Oat Milk
Reports of oat milk’s decline in popularity feel greatly exaggerated. Corn milk made waves at last year’s show, but no new alternative milk came swinging on the floor this year.
Instead, I saw impressive displays from alt milk stalwarts. Oatly, reliable in its grand trade show displays, had one of the most eye-catching booths with a merch claw machine and a conveyor belt. The conveyor belt hummed along carrying all sorts of coffee and tea beverages, including sneak peeks of new flavors from Oatly like a Matcha Latte Oat Milk.
While Oatly upped their game, LA-based Ghost Town Oats was all over the show floor. The team brought a pallet worth of the brand’s signature pink cartons, and their oat milk was used at 26 different booths.
#3: Say Goodbye to Neutrals
Booths at trade shows can be sort of boring—but not this year. Equipment booths were resplendent in color. BothFetco and Eversys opted for eye-catching pastels that felt like they matched with World of Coffee’s own floral branding.
The equipment itself also showed a growing desire for whimsy in presentation. Eversys traded in stainless steel for customized machines including one with a blue frame and a leather (!!!) back panel, something I’m not sure I’ve ever seen on an espresso machine whether manual or superautomatic. Duvall Espresso had a see-through machine, which showed off the interior orange pumps and pulleys. It made pulling a shot a spectacle.
#4: The Soup Latte Will Take Over All Our Lives
So many people at World of Coffee went wild for Soup Latte, a product that feels at once outlandish and brilliant.
Soup Latte is an offshoot of the tea company David Rio, made with powder fortified with protein and topped with steamed milk. Flavors like Truffle Mushroom and Coconut Curry were the savory latte flavors I didn’t know we needed. Twice while having important conversations with colleagues, I found myself saying, “Have you tried Soup Latte yet?”
The San Francisco based company starts accepting wholesale orders in May. They feel destined for TikTok virality.
#5: Latte Art Is Still Mesmerizing
While Soup Latte was the talk of the show, World of Coffee also played host to the World Latte Art Championship. Though the competition ran smoothly and surprisingly on time, the audience energy did not match the mind-blowing works of art coming from 33 national champions vying for the world title.
There was far more of a roar, at least, at the awards ceremony: Bala, representing Taiwan, won the top prize and gets to claim the title as the world’s best latte artist, while the rest of the top six featured national champions from Malaysia, China, Thailand, South Korea, and Japan.
#6: Social Media Connects Us All
If one trend felt particularly prominent, it’s that the most innovative brand has become the personal brand. The humans of coffee have never been more popular.
Whether one had a million followers or a few thousand, the most influential coffee figureheads were all over with pre-show Instagram posts that let you know where they’d be popping up throughout World of Coffee. Scores of attendees sought out selfies with coffee’s biggest and kindest celebrity Morgan Eckroth (known on most channels as @morgandrinkscoffee), the reigning U.S. Barista Champion Kay Cheon, and YouTube latte art sensation Emilee Bryant.
Cult favorite competitive brewer Christian Bak (@almondnoon on Instagram) continued to make a name for himself as a purveyor of singular coffee experiences with multiple booth placements and a standing room only after-show pop-up in collaboration with Eckroth at Rikka Fika. For most of coffee’s most recognizable faces, it seemed that individual success and self promotion were byproducts of being approachable and generous community members.
That’s a big win for an event as intimidating and all-consuming as World of Coffee.
Photos by Phillip White
