World of Coffee San Diego is less than two short weeks away, and like its predecessor, SCA Expo, it is sure to be an action-packed and over caffeinated three days. There are going to be so many happenings and activations both inside the San Diego Convention Center and out—which Sprudg will have collected and collated for your viewing pleasure tout suite—that it will be easy to forget you are in San Diego, one of the rare cities in the United States with year round perfect weather. It’s the sort of place where you want to get out and explore.
And that’s exactly what Califia Farms is wanting WoC attendees to do. With the Califia Passport Program, the alternative milk brand is encouraging folks to take a break from the convention center and explore some of the best coffee shops in San Diego.
The Passport Program is Califia’s way of “connecting the energy of World of Coffee with the heart of San Diego’s specialty coffee community.” For it, they have teamed up with 12 “influential San Diego cafes” to help guide out of towners to some of the best coffee shops, restaurants, and hang out spots in the city.
The 12 cafes are: Mnemonic Coffee, Por Vida!, Long Play HiFi, Nomade, Selva Coffee, Genteel Coffee, Fuzz Coffee, Lafayette Hotel Cafe, Cafe @ Invigatorium, Little While, Chance’s Coffee, Relic Bakery & Kitchen, and Tori Cafe. During World of Coffee, each cafe will be featuring a drink that best represents who they are, including beloved signature beverages as well as completely new concoctions made just for the weekend.
To participate, all attendees need to do is stop by the Califia Farms booth at World of Coffee (#4052) and pick up a passport, map included. Take it with you as you visit shops on the list, where you will receive a stamp in your passport (after purchasing a drink of course). Once you’ve hit up as many cafes as you can, return your passport to the Califia booth to collect some cool prizes. The more stamps the better the prize. One stamp gets you a tote, two stamps a hat, three a beanie, and four or more gets you a “limited edition item.”
But the real goal, per Califia, is more than just swag. It’s about “giving people a reason to explore, supporting local shops, and sending visitors home with a genuine taste of the city and a lasting connection to the community behind it.”
So while I know it may be difficult to pull your away from the excitement and hot new gear of World of Coffee, or carve out a little time in between off-site post-parties, pace yourself. World of Coffee is a marathon not a sprint. Get out. They happen in all these great cities and it would be a shame to leave them unexplored.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
