Good conversations happen over a good cup of coffee – or so I think 🙂 Enter this year’s Specialty Coffee Expo, held in Chicago for the first time, when a lot of delicious caffeinated sips were served, and a lot of conversations were initiated.
Approximately 17,000 attendees from over 85 countries gathered in Chicago recently at Specialty Coffee Expo, to experience one of the largest trade show gatherings in the industry. This year’s show offered new features and hosted two World Coffee Championships – and more!
Now on its thirty-fifth annual edition, the Specialty Coffee Expo is North America’s largest coffee trade show and host of the World Coffee Championships. The Expo owned and produced by the Specialty Coffee Association saw a 23% increase in attendance from the previous largest show (which took place in 2019), and an exhibit hall featuring 602 companies, the most to ever participate in the history of the event.
During 3 packed days, attendees had access to new products and equipment, an education program with over 50 lectures, scientific poster sessions, workshops, a Cupping Exchange, and several networking events.
Specialty Coffee Expo offered two new areas. The Green Coffee Connect program provided interactive programming for anyone selling or buying green coffee. In addition, the coffee industry retail buyers had an opportunity to gain access to the Retail Buyers Lounge designed to provide a dynamic opportunity for retail buyers to network, conduct meetings, and explore potential business partnerships with exhibitors.
Meanwhile, the new Sustainable Expo feature inspired positive change within the coffee industry including planting 6,000+ trees, supporting 150+ farms, and offsetting 1,600-2,000 tons co2.
Attendees enjoyed several interactive features including the Best New Product Competition, Coffee Design Awards, Cupping Exchange, and Roaster Village.
The World Coffee Championships were held in the U.S. for the first time since 2019, with the World Brewers Cup (WBrC) and World Cup Tasters Championship (WCTC) taking place at the Specialty Coffee Expo.
The WBrC is a showcase of the artistry and skill behind hand-brewed filter coffee, while the WCTC celebrates cuppers who demonstrate speed, accuracy, and expertise in distinguishing taste differences in specialty coffees — with results revealed in front of massive crowds. Both events are annual events and the culmination of local and regional qualifiers, hosted by competition bodies around the globe.
2024 World Brewers Cup Championship winners:
1. Martin Wölfl, Austria
2. Wataru Iidaka, Japan
3. Ryan Wibawa, Indonesia
4. Tom Hutchins, Australia
5. Charity Cheung, France
6. Jackie Tran, Czech Republic
2024 World Cup Tasters Championship winners:
1. Dionatan Almeida, Brazil
2. Aurore Ceretta, Germany
3. Han Jong Lee, New Zealand
4. Jonathan Rangel, Guatemala
The 2024 Sustainability Awards celebrated for-profit and non-profit companies that showcase innovation, collaboration, and positive impact across the entire coffee value chain.
2024 Sustainability Award winners:
• Non-Profit: Root Capital
• For-Profit: Sancoffee
2024 Best New Product Awards winners:
• People’s Choice – SQUEAKY – “ALSA : The Espresso Shot Cooler”
• Commercial Coffee Preparation & Serving Equipment: Ground Control – “The New Ground
Control”
• Consumer Coffee Preparation & Serving Equipment: ZERNO – “Z1 v2”
• Coffee Accessories: Acaia Corporation – “Astra”
• Open Class: Grain Pro – “GrainPro Compostable Hermetic Pouch”
• Specialty Non-Coffee Beverage Standalone: Explorer Cold Brew – “The Alchemist Dirty Chai
Concentrate”
• Specialty Coffee Beverage Additive: Noosh – “Noosh Barista Almondmilk Concentrate”
2024 Coffee Design Awards winners:
• Branding: Coffein Coffee Co. (Designer – Dr. Jennifer “Kat” Bechkoff from Clovis, CA, USA
• Spaces: Ministry of Roasters-Chiang Mai (Designer – Anuwat Kobnampetch from Chiang Mai, Thailand)
• Packaging: Speckled Ax Wood Roasted Coffee (Designer – Murphy Empire from Portland, ME, USA)
Retail Buyers Lounge Pitch Slam winner: Sam Schrup of AudienceTap, a Text-to-Buy platform for coffee brands & roasters
The highlights of my experience included visiting the various booths showcasing plant-based alternatives to milk, and reconnecting with brands such as Mooala (covered in the past here)…
… and local favorite Milkadamia.
I was super excited to come across pistachio milk, which was perfect to soothe my stomach after the numerous coffee rounds prior 🙂
I was also amazed to uncover a variety of syrups showcasing delicious, authentic flavors. Among my favorites were New Zealand-based SHOTT:
Free of artificial flavors and colors, SHOTT concentrates (such as the Raspberry featured in the soda below) impressed me with its refreshing crispness:
…and Torani’s Dragon Fruit syrup…
… were notable innovative flavors that stood out to me at the Expo.
In terms of teas, I was excited to come across delicious offerings from The Denman Island Tea Company…
… and Rishi…
… as well as numerous foodservice matcha tea companies:
The Roaster Village was huge!
Imagine lots of baristas in booths in close proximity to each other, brewing and serving cups upon cups of fresh coffee to excited attendees 🙂
Close to the Roaster Village, I was able to spot a local favorite of ours, and to reconnect with the amazing Conscious Cup Coffee Roasters. Their artisan espresso drinks are phenomenal! We usually visit their Crystal Lake location.
Other highlights were meeting ADAM the robot barista, caught in action making lattes…
… and familiarizing myself with various cup designs…
After lots of walking around and sipping left, right and center, I took refuge at the Vandemoortele booth, who were sampling their delicious croissants:
Vandemoortele were also showcasing their authentic Italian focaccia, along with other great products for coffee shops looking for sustainable, labor-friendly, and high-quality pastries.
I couldn’t leave the Expo without checking out the special exhibit showcasing a variety of award-winning espresso machines.
I can dream, can’t I? lol 🙂
I had an amazing time at the 2024 edition of the Specialty Coffee Expo: I learned, I made connections, and I had a lot of fun sampling a variety of delicious beverages and checking out the engaging and inspiring coffee competitions. The next edition will be held in Houston, Texas, between April 25-27, 2025. As a big fan of coffee interested in flavors, history, and sustainability, I am excited and eager to learn more next year, and I look forward to the opportunity.
Do you have a favorite coffee brand? Let me know in the comments 🙂
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