Specialty Coffee Trade Show Brings Wealth of Experience to Nation’s Capital in February

Seattle, Wash. – December 6, 2007 – Coffee Fest heads to the nation’s capital in February to host its 50th show. Held at the Washington Convention Center in downtown D.C., this year’s show is a culmination of 16 years of producing retail trade shows that have made significant strides toward bolstering the profile and profits of the specialty coffee and tea industry.

The show kicks off on Friday, February 15, 2008, with an opening ceremony with ambassadors representing coffee-growing countries from around the world.  Coffee Fest organizers will offer the gold standard of retailer education with a carefully crafted series of classes, workshops and seminars for retailers looking to make their business bloom. The Millrock Free Pour Latte Championship will draw an international group of talented baristas for an artful and technically challenging competition. And, a bustling trade floor with more than 200 booths will set the stage for forging new business relationships.

“The 50th show is a huge milestone for us,” says David Heilbrunn, Coffee Fest show manager. “We feel fortunate for the opportunity to have had a hand in the steady proliferation of coffee shops and the explosion of the specialty coffee retail business over the course of the past 16 years. It’s an exciting time to be in the coffee industry.”

Show Highlights

Balance your books, brew the best espresso, cup coffee and tease out the finer points of fair trade and organic coffee with D.C.’s educational line-up that offers 90 educational sessions – 45 of which are brand new for the Northeast market. Grab a seat for one of two free screenings of Black Gold: Wake up and Smell the Coffee, a hard-hitting documentary tracing the path of coffee from its humble farming origins to its ultimate arrival in an American to-go cup. Watch the Millrock Free Pour Latte Art finalists battle it out for a $5,000 winning purse for the best foam-based art. Attendees can watch as scores are immediately posted along with video stills of the art-on-the-spot. Blind-judging adds an element of purity and excitement to the competition.

Register for the show

The three-day show opens Friday, February 15, and runs through Sunday, February, 17. Educational sessions are held from 8am-noon daily. The show floor is open for business from noon-5pm on Friday and Saturday and will close at 4pm on Sunday.  To register for the show, please go to www.coffeefest.com or call 425.238.5058, ext 123 or 128. Applications for the Millrock Free Pour Latte Art contest are due December 14, 2007. Please contact Coffee Fest for more information.

About Coffee Fest

Coffee Fest has been bringing the specialty coffee, gourmet tea and alternative beverage industry professionals together since 1992 when the show first got its start as a consumer coffee festival in Seattle. Since 1998, Coffee Fest has gathered coffee retailers, roasters, distributors and manufacturers together for thrice annual trade shows to help attendees build and refine their businesses, learn about the newest products and remain current with coffee and tea industry trends. Coffee Fest will host its first show off the mainland in Hawaii in June. In November 2008, Coffee Fest goes international with its debut show in Hong Kong. For more information about all the shows, go to www.coffeefest.com


Media Contact:

Kathleen Finn
503.528.2652
503.887.2998 (c)
bellaluna@hevanet.com
kathleenf@coffeefest.com

David Heilbrunn
425.283.5058, ext. 113
davidh@coffeefest.com