The 2025 SCA Expo kicks off this weekend in Houston, Texas! There’s so, so much to be excited about at this weekend’s event — and below we’ve put together a curated list of some of the coolest events, activations, and after-hours soirees from our esteemed roster of partners. Read on!
If you’re traveling to Houston and need advice on coffee, food, bars and so-forth, please consult this very well received guide to Houston produced in collaboration with Greenway Coffee’s David Buehrer.
La Marzocco
La Marzocco’s presence in Houston is action-packed, with daily activations at their popular True Artisan Cafe experience on the show floor and a can’t-miss party on April 26th.
“Our biggest news is that we will have a giant-sized booth covering three booth spaces with every piece of equipment that we distribute installed for hands-on interaction,” LM USA’s Jessie Raub tells Sprudge. “We’ll have the True Artisan Café serving up coffee from roasters around the US, a full machine gallery, and even a breakout La Marzocco Home section.”
Discover all of this at booths # 2031, 2131, and 2231.
The big to-do is the H-TOWN SPRODOWN on the evening of Saturday, April 26th. It’s going to be epic, but RSVP is required and space is limited. Learn more from this here handy Instagram post.
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DONA
DONA is activated all weekend long at SCA Expo Booth #2414 — and they’re taking part in a cafe collaboration with Odeko at Three Keys Coffee, featured in our recent Houston Guide. Each day the first 50 guests at Three Keys will receive a free drink and goodie bag.
Pacific Foods Barista Series
Check out the hot new milk of 2025—pistachio, of course—pouring all weekend long and making its big debut at Pacific Foods Barista Series booth #401.
Covoya
Our partners at Covoya are hosting a panel at the SCA Expo in collaboration with the United States chapter of the International Women In Coffee Alliance!
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“Moderated by Maria Cleaveland, our panel, Real Solutions from Women Across Coffee’s Value Chain aims to address vulnerabilities while promoting possibilities through cross-sector collaboration.
We’ve gathered coffee professionals from across the supply chain to discuss the role of women in coffee and how to empower more women in our industry. We’ll be serving up some Café Delas coffee along with this insightful conversation, you won’t want to miss it!
Ceado
Meet the REV ZERO! The newest member of the Ceado REV grinding series, this exciting new grinder will be featured in an exclusive preview at the Specialty Coffee Expo in Houston at booth #515 — on exhibition at GH Grinding & Brewing Solutions.
The REV ZERO takes things to the next level with features designed to give you active control over all extraction variables:
- Retention Control
- Rock-Solid Grind Size Consistency
- Pinpoint Weight Accuracy
- Grounds Temperature Stability
With 83mm Red Speed burrs, engineered for maximum flavor clarity, it brings out every delicate note from your coffee, turning every cup into a masterpiece.
Come check it out for the very first time at SCA Expo!
Cafe Imports
Cafe Imports are leaving no stone unturned at SCA Expo, with an unbelievable slate of programming throughout Expo Weekend. This includes an epic party, cuppings, a scavenger hunt, a live podcast taping, and much more. You can get RSVP links to all of these events here—read on for a summary straight from the team at Cafe Imports.
FEATURED PRE-SHIPMENT CUPPING: Friday, April 25th, 2:30-3:30 PM
Who doesn’t love a pre-ship sample cupping? We all know Expo falls right before fresh-crop coffees have landed, so let’s cup them.
RSVP now, and get yourself over to Room 381C at 2:30 pm on Friday to taste through a roster of coffees we’re stoked about.
We’ll be getting an early look at some microlots from Kenya, Bolivia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Venezuela, and more!
EASY DOES IT : PARTY Friday, April 25th, 6:00-10:00 PM
Join us for a party to ease into SCA weekend. We’ll be hanging out Friday evening at Angel Share in downtown Houston’s Historic District.
RSVP for a night of delicious drinks, a curated menu of light bites, live chainstitching, and all-around good vibes. Come as you are and enjoy a laid-back evening with us! RSVP HERE
SOURCE A GREEN BUYER PANEL: Saturday, April 26th, 8:30-10:30 AM
Join us for SOURCE, a live podcast featuring three importers and one roaster on the topic of the moment: green buying in today’s market.
The panel includes Omar Herrera and Piero Cristiani from Cafe Imports, Susan Heller Evenson from Atlas Coffee, and Charlie Habegger from Royal Coffee. Chris Baca from Cat & Cloud Coffee will moderate the conversation and field audience questions.
Coffee and breakfast tacos will be provided. RSVP HERE
PRODUCER CUPPING SHOWCASE: Saturday, April 26th, 2:30-3:30 PM
Cupping alongside producers doesn’t always require a passport. Join us during Expo to try fresh offerings and meet the producers that brought you them.
RSVP now to cup with our team and featured producers at 2:30 pm on Saturday in room 381C.
Hear from the people behind the cups, experience their latest coffees, ask them questions, or just say hi! SIGNUP HERE
LEGENDARY COFFEE EXCHANGE: It’s back – America’s favorite roasted coffee exchange!
Bring a bag of your roasted coffee to Expo, get a bag of someone else’s. Go home, taste it, and connect with your new roasting pal. We’ll put your name in a drawing to win an Ikawa Pro 50 Sample Roaster. It’s a win-win-win-win. LEARN MORE
Expo’s Greatest Scavenger Hunt: Houston, we have a mission for you!
The coffee universe is vast, encompassing roasters, brewers, and much, much more. It’s your job to explore it leaving no galaxy uncharted.
Across the Expo show floor are nine brands with pins to discover. Follow the clues, and collect the pins. The more you adventure, the more you uncover. Three who complete the challenge will be rewarded with treasures.
Ready to accept your mission? LEARN MORE
The Coffee Rose
Have you seen the news about our newest cupping protocol, The Coffee Rose? We’ll be demoing the application all weekend. Come by BOOTH #1236, taste coffees, and try out The Coffee Rose.
Califia Farms
Califia Farms presents “The Art of the Pour”, a two-part event series at Expo from our partners at Califia.
Please RSVP HERE or scan QR code below by Wed April 23rd to secure your spot at the SCA Expo Opening Night Party at The List + 808 Cocktail Lounge!
STOP 1: The Art of the Pour Throwdown @ XELA
Baristas, artists, and coffee lovers — this one’s for you.
XELA Coffee Roasters – 4409 Canal St, Houston, TX 77011
Throwdown Sign-Ups: 5:00–5:30 PM
First Pour: 5:30 PM
STOP 2: SCA Expo Opening Night Party @ The List + 808 Cocktail Lounge
When the throwdown winds down, the party kicks up.
The List + 808 Cocktail Lounge – 201 Roberts Street, Houston, TX 77003
Time: 8:00 PM – Midnight
Featuring:
- All-vinyl DJ sets from GOOD GRIEF & TIMA
- Live art by Ernest from KNEAT
- Chainstitch embroidery station by LAYNE STITCH
- Cocktails, food, dancing, and good energy all night
Come for the pour, stay for the party. Let’s celebrate artistry in every pour.
Ghirardelli
2022 US Barista Champion Morgan Eckroth is making their recipe “The Caramel Apple” at the Ghirardelli Booth #1023. Stop by for a sample and say “hi!” to Morgan! This special engagement happens April 25th from 11am-1pm.
Mazzer
Mazzer has a really intriguing presence at Expo this year that will turn heads for sure. First and foremost make sure you put their event on your calendar: The World’s First Crowd-Sourced Tiramisu Party!
It’s going down April 24th at 5:30 PM at Osso and Kristalia—featuring Italian aperitivo, talks from Luigi Mazzer, Laila Ghambari and Ryan Willbur, and a chance to participate in a truly incredible tiramisu experience. RSVP is required–sign up here!
Mazzer also has cool stuff happening all weekend at Booth #1039 — check out the Mazzer Partner Bar all weekend for packed happenings—here’s a schedule:
Friday 4/25
10 am – 11:30 am – Boram Um
11:45 am – 1:45 pm – Cat and Cloud
2:00 pm – 4 pm – Dayglow
4 pm – 5 pm – Guilder
Saturday 4/26
10 am – 11:30 am – Boram Um
11:45 am – 1:45 pm – Stereoscope
2:00 pm – 4 pm – Stumptown
Sunday 4/27
10 am – 11:30 am – Boram Um
11:45 am – 2:00 pm – Deadstock
Last but not least, there’s Mazzer Labs activation happening throughout the weekend at the Mazzer booth, featuring burr set experiments and a chance to win your very own Mazzer Philos. This is the beginning of a new program for Mazzer that will share experiments and new ideas in grinding with the industry.
Cropster
At booth #1323 visitors can step up and pull espresso shots to see how consistent they are from shot to shot using Cropster Cafe, a cafe tool that helps track and improve consistency. They’ll also have a screen recording of Cropster Roast in action to show how roast curves can be tracked and analyzed in real time.
Acaia
Acaia has some truly excellent stuff happening this year at Expo, all centered around booth #2531. A complete preview of what they’re up to can be found at the official Acaia website.
The big highlight this year is a mystery product which will be revealed on the first day of the show. They’re calling it Project Umbra until the reveal at 10 AM CT on April 25.
The booth will feature demos of a full range of products including scales, Orbit grinders, Orion coffee dosers, and accessories like the Ion Beam and their new Double Insulated Cups. Look for some fresh swag as well!
For those not able to attend Expo, Acaia are also offering free shipping on our US and EU websites. Qualifying details can be found on each site. For the US store, shipping fees up to $39 are waived automatically. On the EU store, orders over €100 will ship free. Both promotions go live this weekend, April 20, and last through May 3.
Last but certainly not least, Acaia’s team has put together a very cool road trip playlist for those traveling to Expo. Find the compilation on Spotify here!
Coffee Coalition For Racial Equity
Join CCRE for First Sip 2025! an evening of celebration, recognition and networking. Tickets are free, but this is a fundraiser for CCRE and a $30 donation is suggested. Learn more and get your tickets here.
Swiss Water
Check out the leading purveyors of fine decaf at Booth #416 for “a moment of decaf enlightenment” all weekend long. Special guests will be on bar talking about (and brewing up) delicious decaf—here’s a schedule!
Friday 4/25
11:00 Three Keys Coffee
12:00 Monogram Coffee + Ben Put (six-time Canadian Barista Champion)
1:oo Verve Coffee Roasters
3:00 Hacea Coffee
Saturday 4/26
11:00 Kafiex + Seidy Selivanow
12:00 Stacey Lynden (2024 Coffee In Good Spirits Champion)
1:oo Trabocca + producer Tesfaye Bekele sampling Suke Quto decaf!
3:00 Equator Coffees
4:00 Cofinet
Sunday 4/27
12:00 Bridge City Coffee
1:00 Onyx Coffee (WA)
3:00 Talking Crow Coffee Roasters
Atlas Coffee
Atlas has cool stuff happening all weekend long, including public cuppings and lectures. Check out this handy info sheet for details, and cruise over to the official Atlas website to learn more!
Got more cool stuff to list? Reach out to Sprudge and get featured!
