It’s hot outside but the summer coffee calendar is getting even hotter. And while South Africa may not be experiencing the same sort of heatwave America is, thanks to the Southern Hemisphere-ness of it all, the coffee calendar is scorching. It’s all thanks to Creative Coffee Week, who is kicking off their event tour of South Africa at the end of this month in Durban, for two days of expansive coffee programming.
Taking place July 30th and 31st, the Durban event will be the first in 2025 and is bringing together educational and networking opportunities for business owners, roasters, baristas, and consumers alike. It breaks down into two days with distinct programming for each. Day One leans more educational. Kicking things off at the Acacia House, there will be cuppings, featuring coffees from Cup of Excellence, Origins Unusual, Colombia’s Finest, and Green Coffee Supply, as well as explorations of coffee blending and sensory analysis. There are a host of scheduled talks, including a Q&A with World Barista Champion Mikael Jasin, a Cup of Excellence presentation by head judge Stephen Vick, a panel discussions about the SCA’s takeover of the Q grader certification, as well as a handful of origin-focused talks. Even one of coffee growing within South Africa.
From there, the event goes to breakaway sessions that focus more on specific parts of the industry, competitive baristas and coffee evaluators in particular.
The fun ramps up on Thursday, with a 7:00am coffee party at Humble Coffee, and Colombian pop-up cafe, and a mini-origin trip to the southern coast. There is also an optional omakase coffee service with Mikael Jasin, who is teaming up with South Africa’s Chef of the Year Joannes Richter to create “a multi-sensory journey where precision, passion, and pure artistry come together on every plate—and in every cup.”
But Durban is just the first of the Creative Coffee Week stops. Events in Cape Town and Johannesburg are scheduled for September and December, respectively.
Tickets for Creative Coffee Events Durban start at R 700 ($40USD), with the option of adding on the mini-origin trip for another R 450 and the omakase experience for R 3,000 (while they last).
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit Creative Coffee Events’ official website.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
