A blockbuster line-up of coffee programming is happening this week in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. It’s International Coffee Week and delegates from around the world – including Sprudge.com co-founder Zachary Carlsen – are meeting in one venue for over thirteen events. If you’re not here with us, keep up with the goings ons by following hashtag #ICW2013 on Twitter and Instagram as we navigate through this week of mayhem, excitement, and coffee fabulousness.
Here’s a breakdown of what’s going on this week:
International Coffee Organization Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary: The ICO was established in 1963 in London in collaboration with the United Nations. International Coffee Week will celebrate the organization’s anniversary with a very special engagement.
Arabica Naturals Conference: The Arabica Naturals Conference began in 2008. This year, the ANC will hold its fourth event here at International Coffee Week. A number of group talks are slated for the two-day event, with guest speakers like SCAA Executive Director Ric Rhinehart and CQI Instructor Mario Fernandez, who is currently studying naturally processed coffees while working on his PhD in Coffee Science at Otago University in New Zealand. More information can be found here.
DNA Cafe International Seminar: A week’s worth of lectures and seminars lead by leaders from the international coffee industry – including Olga Cuellar (Sustainable Harvest), Ryan Knapp (MadCap Coffee), Alex Morgan (Rainforest Alliance), Ekfeldt Johan (Johan & Nyström), just to name a few.
Barista Competitions: The 13th annual Brazil Barista Championship will take place this week, alongside the 3rd Annual Brewers Cup, and the 6th Annual Brazil Cup Tasters Championship.
SEBRAE Business Roundtable Cupping: Bruno Souza (Academy of Coffee) and Marty Curtis have been roasting coffees for the last four days for an epic 76 coffee cupping at the SEBRAE Business Roundtable. Dismas Smith (Caffe Ladro, Seattle) will be among several roasters cupping these coffees.
Brazil Cup of Excellence Pre-Selection Cuppings: An early harvest pre-selection of Brazil coffees will be showcased this week in preparation for the national stage of selections at the end of this month.
International Alliance of Women In Coffee Brazil: The third meeting of the IAWC Brazil will commence on Wednesday with an entire’s day worth of lecture-based series.
Second Annual Brazil Coffee of the Year: The Coffee of the Year is like the people’s choice awards – visitors of the International Coffee Week have the opportunity to taste and vote on their favorite coffee (the coffees are brewed and assigned random numbers). The winner will be announced on Thursday.
There’s so much more happening this week. Regional lectures and cuppings throughout the week from ABIC, a weeklong workshop series concerning Coffee & Climate, even more cuppings, and a very special Tuesday Night Throwdown for baristas of Brazil (and beyond) hosted by the Academy of Coffee.
Are you here with us in Belo Horizonte? Here’s a simple map of where to find what (click to download a big .PDF version).
Remember, that hashtag is #ICW2013 on both Twitter and Instagram. This is Sprudge.com’s first-ever trip to Brazil, and as evidenced by the programming above, ICW will offer us no shortage of happenings to report on, from producer-oriented events and lectures, to top flight cuppings as part of the Brazilian COE program, to an inside look at Brazil’s burgeoning specialty coffee cafe culture via their Cup Tasters, Brewers Cup, and national Barista Competitions. We’re proud to be your source of live coverage all week long from Brazil!
Access to Belo Horizonte and #ICW2013 has been graciously provided by Cafemakers and SEBRAE.
