Itโs here, itโs finally here! The Specialty Coffee Associationโs Expo, the biggest week on the American coffee calendar, descends upon Portland, Oregon this week, offering attendees glimpses at cutting edge gear, national competitions, and so, so much coffee. And as is tradition with Expo, the week gets kicked off with the Re:Co Symposium. Taking place Wednesday and Thursday, April 19th and 20th, two-day series of discussions and seminars will look at the future of specialty coffee, led by some of the brightest and most innovative minds in the industry.
Building off the theme of last yearโs Re:Coโ”the many possibilities that exist if we let go of a singular narrative of โcoffeeโs next wave,โโ per the press releaseโthis yearโs Symposium will explore โwhat it means to progress within this new paradigmโ and how a “market [can] deliver diverse experiences to a community that has diverse tastes.”
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The event breaks down into two distinct sessions. Day One will feature presentations from experts across the industry, with topics ranging from the current state of the industry, what the future may hold, how future generations may engage with coffee, questions about green coffee standards, and what sort of big changes the industry is facing.
The list of speakers for this year’s Re:Co Symposium includes:
Andrea Hernandez, Founder โ Snax, Inc
Bill Durrant, President, Founder โ Exverus Media
Cheryl Hung, Vice President, Insights โ Dig Insights
Prof. Christopher Hendon, Professor of Chemistry โ University of Oregon
Dr. Fabiana Carvalho, Doctor โ University of Campinas
Ian Williams, Owner + Founder โ Deadstock Coffee
Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian, Founder โ JNP Coffee & Burundi Friends International
Julia Leach, President โ Toddy, LLC
Mel Bandler, Sustainable Sourcing Manager โ Bath and Body Works
Miranda Caldwell, Founder โ The Coffee MBA
Dr. Nancy Cordoba, Ph.D. โ The Ohio State University
Dr. Tania Humphrey, Director of Research & Development โ World Coffee Research
Prof. Ted Fischer, Professor โ Vanderbilt University
Vaughn Tan, Assistant Professor of Strategy โ University College London School of Management
Then on Day Two, the event will shift towards seminars, more interactive sessions with smaller group and longer time frames to dive in deeper to the topics. Per the SCA, this year’s seminars “are designed to help participants engage with the existential questions facing coffeeโs future, highlight case studies and modes of thinking valuable to coffee businesses, and proffer updates on the latest coffee research.”
Registration is still open to attend the Re:Co Symposium on Wednesday and Thursday before the official kickoff of Expo. For more information or to reserve your spot, visit the Re:Co Symposium’s official website.
Zac Cadwaladerย is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas.ย Read more Zac Cadwaladerย on Sprudge.
