You can still nab your tickets for the third annual Austin Coffee Festival, which takes place at the Palmer Events Center on Saturday, September 28th, and Sunday, September 29th.
The event will feature stands from Austin’s best roasters dishing out coffee and other treats for patrons to try, live music from local artists, a throwdown hosted by the Austin Coffee Collective, and a panel hosted by Fresh Cup’s own Lydia Stolper.
Why It Matters: The Austin Coffee Festival is organized by Craft Hospitality, LLC, the same team behind the DC and San Francisco Coffee Festival. The aim is to be an event both for professionals and experts alike, exposing coffee fans to dozens of new roasters while bringing professionals together to learn and network.
Tickets start at $24 per session. Each day is broken up into two sessions, but folks can snag all-day passes to enjoy the festivities throughout both sessions or score a VIP ticket to get in an hour earlier. Both days will feature the same roasters, including booths from:
Fara Coffee, Barrett’s Coffee Roasters, Dog Day Coffee, Hard Charger Coffee, Malone Specialty Coffee, Carta Coffee Merchants, Red Horn Brew, Luna Espresso, Sightseer Coffee Roasters, Haciendo Coffee Roasters, Kimbala, Merit, Far Horizon Coffee Company, Cuvée Coffee, and more. See the full list here.
There will also be a latte art competition, held over the event’s two days, and the winner will receive a $500 cash prize. All participants must register here.
The Full Extraction: Fresh Cup’s Stolper will be hosting a panel with leading coffee pioneers in the city, where attendees can “glean pearls of wisdom from some of our local titans of the industry as we hear their stories, and learn their perspectives on where we are today,” according to the website. The panel will feature Mike McKim of Cuvee Coffee, Charles Emile Lauriat of Trianon (one of the city’s oldest shops), and Joel Shuler of Little City Coffee Roasters.
“I’m excited to have the chance to talk with pioneers in the Austin coffee industry about how they got their start, along with the various changes and challenges they’ve faced,” says Stolper. “I hope that the audience will walk away with a better understanding of how the industry has changed over the years and what exciting things are on the horizon.”
What’s More: If you’re still not convinced, coincidentally, Stolper was at last year’s event and did a run-down for readers. Stolper hit the show floor, asking folks what they thought of the event and what they took away from all the panels and roasters.
“We’ve had a ton of consumers, a ton of people that are new to us, and we’re new to them,” said Billy Wiginton of Haciendo Coffee. “Some of the other roasters have wanted to come and see what we’re about, especially since we’re not in Austin. It’s been nice to meet other roasters and build some new relationships.”
“There’s a lot of people, a lot of knowledge, and a lot of really unique things [roasters] are doing,” said Jakob M., an attendee who tagged along with his barista friend. “It’s just really interesting to see what [coffee shops] are doing beyond the core processes.”
Tickets are still available, and you can find out more by visiting austincoffeefestival.com
