Some may argue that each day in Melbourne is a celebration of coffee. But this year the organisers of the Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE) decided to launch a dedicated event to honour coffee – for an entire week.
From 10 – 19 March, in the lead up to and during MICE, local coffee shops, cafés and roasteries were invited to participate in Melbourne Coffee Week (MCW). From machine launches to competitions and store openings, the inaugural event kicked off with a bang.
“The spotlight was on Melbourne as industry members travelled from around the country and from around the globe to partake in MICE, and the events that surrounded it,” Event Director Simon Coburn says. “MCW is about growing the coffee industry and celebrating Melbourne’s unique coffee culture, and I believe it did that. It really was a special time for our industry and a great opportunity to target the market who were all here for one big coffee celebration.”
MCW commenced with the official Launch Party and Australian Specialty Coffee Association (ASCA) Australian Coffee in Good Spirits Championship, sponsored by Galliano Ristretto.
The coffee community gathered at Panama Dining Room in Melbourne’s Fitzroy on the evening of 10 March to see Australia’s best mixology baristas creating coffee-based cocktails.
It was a fiercely contested event, with current and past national coffee champions taking to the stage, but it was Grinders Coffee’s National Coffee Ambassador, Shae Macnamara, who reigned supreme – and brought with him a large and supportive Grinders team to cheer him on.
From 11 – 12 March, the ASCA competitions continued with the Australian Brewers Cup and Huhtamakai Cup Tasters Championship at Veneziano Coffee Roasters in Richmond.
In front of a home crowd, Devin Loong, Head Barista and Operations Manager at Slater St Bench, won the Brewers Cup Championship for the second time.
Speed, skill and accuracy ensured Hyunsuk “Harry” Ko from Dukes Coffee Roasters won the Huhtamaki Cup Tasters Championship.
From coffee competitions to coffee appreciation, on 15 March Condesa Co.Lab hosted a Meet the Producers evening at Aunty Peg’s. Those who attended were treated to insights and collaborations from notable award-winning producers from origin countries.
Throughout MCW, Cafe Culture Walk also hosted guests on guided tours of Melbourne’s heritage, and lesser known food and coffee scene. This was a great opportunity for coffee and tea enthusiasts to learn more about Melbourne’s food and coffee reputation.
One hundred per cent of registration fees from MCW will be donated to StreetSmart, MICE’s official charity partner for 2016. The funds will assist StreetSmart with its action against homelessness, and raise awareness for small hard-to-reach services and projects around Melbourne.
“Over the past five years we have been working closely with the coffee industry to effect change in local communities through funding grassroots homeless services,” says Founder and CEO Adam Robinson. “As a very small charity, this partnership will be an important step in helping to build the CaféSmart campaign within the coffee industry, and raising more funds for people experiencing homelessness.”
From production to roasting, the next stage of the supply chain was celebrated on 16 March with the official Launch Party of MICE and the awards presentation of the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria, Australian International Coffee Awards (AICA) (See more page 33).
On 17 March, the anticipation for MICE was over, with the doors to the fifth expo opening at 10am, marking the start of another big event (For full MICE wrap up see page 78). While the expo was a chance for exhibitors, company owners and representatives to network and do business, at the end of each day the festivities to honour MCW continued.
To read the full article see the April edition of BeanScene Magazine. Subscribe here today: www.beanscenemag.com.au/subscribe