Let’s Talk Coffee will return to Colombia in 2018.
For 15 years, the event has been a premier gathering at origin for global stakeholders from throughout the entire coffee value chain—from roasters, farmers and researchers to baristas, government leaders and impact investors.
This year, Let’s Talk Coffee will be held from 20 to 24 September in majestic Huila, Colombia.
“83,000 families proudly farm high-quality coffee in the department of Huila, Colombia,” says Huila Governor Carlos Julio González Villa, who signed an agreement to help host the event. “We are excited to bring Let’s Talk Coffee’s global event and members of the coffee industry interested in developing direct relationships around quality and impact to Huila, one of Colombia’s finest coffee-producing regions.”
Let’s Talk Coffee 2018 attendees will have direct access to experts who will give highly engaging talks and lead action-oriented discussions about some of the most pressing issues in the industry.
Topics will include:
- Communicating Impact to Customers & Consumers
- Predicting the Future: Key Market Trends and the State of the Industry
- Climate Smart Agriculture: How World Coffee Research Is Using Science to Increase Quality
- Cutting-Edge Technology: The Role of Blockchain, Machine Learning, and AI in Coffee
- Measuring What Matters: Eliminating Brand Risk in Your Supply Chain
- Collaborating for Impact: High-Performance Projects & Public-Private Partnerships
- Innovations in Processing: On-Site Demos and an Introduction to the New Coffee Quality Institute Processing Certification
In addition to a range of networking opportunities, attendees will be treated to cuppings of exquisite Colombian specialty coffees and other top Relationship Coffees from around the globe.
While many coffee professionals have traveled to Colombia, far fewer have explored Huila, an emerging leader in both quality and volume — Huila’s production currently accounts for 16 per cent of the country’s total coffee production.
Let’s Talk Coffee attendees will be able to discover this growing region, learn about the opportunities it represents, and meet coffee leaders in the region who are excited to share their hard work with the specialty-coffee world.
“It’s been amazing to watch the Huila region emerge as a rich source of high-impact, exceptional coffees,” says Liam Brody, President of Sustainable Harvest Coffee Importers, which organises Let’s Talk Coffee. “We’re honoured to take Let’s Talk Coffee back to Colombia after hosting the event in the country’s Armenia region in 2008 and Antioquia region in 2012. With the event in Huila, we’ll witness firsthand the new beginnings brought about by the recent Peace Accords, and learn about coffee’s unique power to create common cause and a brighter future for all.”
Let’s Talk Coffee 2018 is made possible thanks to generous support from the Government of Huila and strategic collaboration from Sustainable Harvest supply partner Coocentral, one of the most important cooperatives in Colombia with over 4000 members.
Through these partnerships, attendees will be able to take field trips to some of Huila’s leading family farms and see beautiful attractions, such as the vast Tatacoa Desert and San Agustín Archaeological Park, home to hundreds of rare pre-Columbian monuments and sculptures.
Luis Mauricio Rivera, General Manager of Coocentral, invites attendees to “discover Huila in southern Colombia, where coffees are produced in the stunning Andes by smallholders devoted to producing the highest-quality beans in the world.”
Let’s Talk Coffee 2018 attendees should plan to arrive in Huila on 19 September. For more information, visit letstalkcoffee.org. Additional details, including featured speakers and housing information, will be announced during the first quarter of the year.