High Quality Colombian Coffees Were At The Center Of SCAA’s Annual Exposition And Seoul’s Coffee Expo

Bogota, April 10 2015 (FNC Press)– During April 2015, the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC) and Café de Colombia have been at the center of two of the world’s most influential fairs of the coffee and food industries: the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s (SCAA) Annual Exposition in Seattle and Coffee Expo 2015 in Seoul. Café de Colombia’s participation in both events has helped broadcast the wide range of Colombian specialty coffees and the latest food pairing innovations.

The constant presence of Café de Colombia in different international coffee fairs seeks to benefit Colombia’s 500,000 coffee producers. Not only does it strengthen Colombia’s position as a leading coffee producing country, but it also enhances the global recognition of Colombian coffee as the world’s best mild washed arabica coffee.  

SCAA’s Annual Exposition

SCAA’s Annual Exposition is considered the world’s leading specialty coffee fair. During the event, the FNC presented the latest innovations in coffee pairings with different food groups. The coffees used for the pairings were Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia, Huila, Sierra Nevada and Nariño. Thanks to the FNC’s denomination of origin strategy, these coffees are increasingly demanded by customers and sophisticated consumers who value differentiation.

The interest that Colombian coffee awakens in connoisseurs was reflected during the World Barista Championship. National barista champions that made it to the last phase of the contest, from Hong Kong, Poland, Lithuania, the United Kingdom, Australia and Colombia, used Colombian coffee in their preparations. In fact 3 out of the six finalists used Colombian coffee and the Australian champion also did.

Twelve Colombian coffee growing companies of regional origin, which participated in the training programs of ProColombia, participated in SCAA’s Exposition. This was the result of the joint efforts of the FNC and ProColombia to strengthen the presence of Colombian coffee producers in international events.

Parallel to the Championship, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) presented the results of a study that concluded that no significant sensory differences related to variety arise when the Caturra and Castillo coffee varieties are grown and processed under similar conditions.  The study’s findings have important implications for coffee producers and international buyers.

Not only do they debunk the false belief that introducing the Castillo variety will threaten the positioning of Colombian coffee in the international market, but they also ascertain that coffee-producing regions such as Nariño will not lose their reputation as high quality coffee producers by growing the Castillo variety.  Similarly, the study confirms that the unique flavor attributes of high quality Colombian coffees, for which buyers and roasters are willing to pay premium differentials, depend more on the environmental conditions at which the tree grows than from the use of Castillo or Caturra variety.

Coffee Expo 2015

Parallel to SCAA’s Annual Exposition,Coffee Expo 2015 took place between April 9^th and April 12^th in Seoul. The South Korean fair specializes in coffee and food, bringing together more than 200 local and international exhibitors from the coffee, tea and gourmet food sectors and Asian machinery and equipment companies.

Colombia was Coffee Expo 2015’s guest country, with Café de Colombia as its main representative.  Cauca, Colombian Coffee Cultural Landscape, Huila, Nariño, Santander and Sierra Nevada origins, and their pairing possibilities, were also broadcasted during this important fair.

As in the SCAA’s Annual Exposition, several activities were developed during Coffee Expo to promote Café de Colombia. Food pairing exercises that matched Colombian regional coffees including Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia, Cauca, and Nariño with foods identified by the Belgian company, Foodpairing, were at the center of the exposition.