Trying to decide between going to a coffee lecture program like Re:Co Symposium or making a trip to origin? Why not do both at Let’s Talk Coffee? Taking place October 13th through the 16th in beautiful Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Let’s Talk Coffee is part lecture series and part origin trip, all happening in four jam-packed days.
In its 14th year now, Let’s Talk Coffee is one of the premiere events bringing coffee lectures to origin countries. Past events have been held in coffee-producing countries like Rwanda, Colombia, El Salvador, and Panama, and have included guest speakers like New York Times columnist Oliver Strand, 2011 World Barista Champion Alejandro Mendez, and Cuatro M Cafes owner Emilio Lopez Diaz.
The theme for this year’s event is “Prospering in the New Reality,” and will examine “the challenging economic, social, and environmental issues facing specialty coffee in 2016.” Discussion topics will include gender equity in the coffee supply chain, the influence of economic consolidation and climate change on the coffee landscape, and the role of responsible sourcing practices in light of scrutinized labor conditions at origin.
This year’s speakers include Helen Russell of Equator Coffee & Teas, multi-time Mexican Barista Champion Fabrizio Sención Ramírez, and The Coffeewoman’s Tracy Ging.
For the final day, Let’s Talk Coffee offers an optional field trip to visit a coop and coffee farm in the region of Chiapas. Or, if you’re looking for something not coffee-related, there is a tequila field trip available that will tour the Jose Cuervo agave fields and distillery.
For those only able to make one coffee vacation a year, Let’s Talk Coffee is the perfect marriage of lecture series and origin trip. For a full list of details, visit Let’s Talk Coffee’s website here.
Zac Cadwalader is the news editor at Sprudge Media Network.
