Largest Coffee Trade Event in the US is Opening to the Public

2014 US Barista Champion Laila Ghambari of Seattle’s Cherry Street Coffee House. 

The largest annual coffee trade show in the United States is for the first time in its 29-year history opening its doors to consumers. The new event-within-an-event, taking place this year in Seattle, promises to give the most enthused of coffee enthusiasts a rare opportunity to taste coffees from some of the world’s most renowned producers, roasters and baristas.

Organized by the Specialty Coffee Association — the name given following the recent merger of the largest coffee trade organizations in the U.S. and Europe — the Global Specialty Coffee Expo will welcome members of the public on the event’s final day, Sunday, April 23 from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Washington State Convention Center. Tickets cost $50.

While the annual event typically draws well over 10,000 people from throughout the coffee world, Sundays are typically the slowest days at the major events for any trade. On this particular Sunday, the public will have the opportunity to see at least a portion of the final stage of the US Coffee Championships, including the crowning of the 2017 US Barista Champion.

According to a press release issued by the SCA this afternoon, public attendees will also have access to the expo hall, where rows upon rows of fluorescent-lit booths will offer — among a litany of things associated with the web-like coffee industry — some of the latest coffee gear currently and imminently available.