The Specialty Coffee Association of America has announced that Starbucks has made a deal to become the Official Host Sponsor for its 26th and 27th annual exposition, known as “The Event,” taking place in April in Seattle in 2014 and 2015 at the Washington State Convention Center.
The group also announced that Peru, where many farms are suffering from a widespread roya outbreak this season, has been named as the Official Portrait Country Sponsor for the 2013 event.
“We’re proud to once again welcome Starbucks to the SCAA Event as the Official Host Sponsor” SCAA Executive Director Ric Rhinehart said in a press release. “Official Hosts are companies who have a passion for specialty coffee and a dedication to the success of our industry; and Starbucks’ partnership with the annual SCAA Event is a demonstration of their commitment to those values.”
It is not uncharacteristic for the SCAA’s top tier host sponsorship — which includes a wealth of pre-show, during-show and post-show perks — to go to a company or Starbucks’ ilk. Starbucks itself bought the sponsorhip for the 2005 Seattle Event, and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters bought it last year for SCAA 2013 in Boston. A list of the remaining sponsorship opportunities for the 2014 show can be found here.
For a more on the 2014 and 2015 SCAA events in general, click here.
Nick Brown
Nick Brown is the editor of Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine.
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