About
Welcome to Let's Talk Coffee®—specialty coffee's premier conference and training event hosted by Sustainable Harvest Coffee Importers. Every October, we come together with our partners for an open and transparent weekend, where we add fresh insights to the conversation, examine how to bring the sustainability of the industry to scale, and celebrate the strong network of partners that we have created over 15 years working in specialty coffee.
Let's Talk Coffee® 2013 will take place October 30th - November 3rd on the pacific coast of El Salvador.
Collaboration
At Let's Talk Coffee® 2013 we'll be focusing on the power of collective action to guide us through the ups and downs of the international coffee market. We’ll work to foster direct conversations among coffee industry partners and cultivate a community of trust that results in higher quality coffee and reliability throughout the supply chain.
Quality
Let's Talk Coffee® is a chance for the entire industry to calibrate and innovate its understanding of taste and quality. At the 2013 event, we will meet producers from Rwanda to El Salvador that are taking their coffee production to the next level, shattering our notions of origins, varietals, and processing.
Climate Change
Challenges felt by the entire industry can be overcome if we face them together. This year's harvest season has been marked by the outbreak of Coffee Rust Disease in Central and South America. At Let's talk Coffee® 2013, experts at the forefront of the situation will share their latest findings and help the entire industry react to this crisis and emerge stronger.
What are people saying about Let's Talk Coffee®? Read 2012 event coverage from Sprudge.com, CRS Coffeelands, and Fresh Cup.
Let's Talk Coffee® 2013
Let's Talk Coffee® is a place for producers and roasters alike to learn about the latest innovations and challenges in specialty coffee. It’s a one-of-a-kind opportunity to collaborate with over 500 people from every step in the specialty coffee chain: experts from around the world share cutting-edge ideas in financing and traceability, business models, technology, exemplary quality, and best practices among coffee suppliers from Latin America, Africa and Asia. Over the course of four days, participants attend discussions, workshops, and field trips--a hands-on experience that is the basis for the continued unity and success of our industry.
This year, we’ll be focusing on the power of collective action to guide us through the ups and downs of the international coffee market. How can everyone, from the farmer to the consumer, work together to embrace the future?
2013 Keynote Speakers
Oliver Strand
Oliver Strand is a regular contributor to the New York Times, Bon Appétit and Vogue. He writes about food and specialty coffee, commenting on all aspects of the coffee industry - from single serve capsules to grinding techniques - and is now writing a book on coffee to be published in 2014. His remarkable insight into consumer trends and coffee ideas is valued by the whole industry.
Stanford's d.School
Stanford University's Institute of Design, or d.School, is reknowned for its innovative and disruptive ways of thinking about design solutions. d.School faculty David Janka and Joan Dorsey will demonstrate the institute's powerful theory of collaborative problem solving and work with us to apply it to coffee's biggest challenges.
Sponsors
Let's Talk Coffee® could not be possible without the help of sponsors.
If you are interested in being a sponsor for this year's event,
please contact Olga Cuellar at Olga@sustainableharvest.com
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does registration cost?
Registration for Let's Talk Coffee® is $1,950. This fee includes: 5 days and 4 nights of lodging at the Royal Decameron Resort and Convention Center on El Salvador's Pacific coast, all meals and beverages during this time period, round-trip transportation from San Salvador's airport or bus station to the hotel and conference center, and participation in all Let's Talk Coffee® workshops and activities. If attendees are interested, they can also sign up for a field trip to one of several nearby coffee farms on November 3rd for an additional USD$200, which includes an extra night of food and lodging through the morning of November 4th.
As always, producers in Sustainable Harvest's coffee supply chain
will receive a discount on their registration fee.
Where is the event taking place?
Let's Talk Coffee® 2013 will take place at the Royal Decameron Resort and Convention Center in Salinitas, El Salvador October 30 to November 3. Everyone who attends the conference will stay at the same hotel adjacent to the conference center.
When should I plan to arrive and leave the conference?
Registered participants should arrive at the San Salvador airport in El Salvador on Wednesday, October 30th, 2013, by air or by bus. From there you will find Let's Talk Coffee® staff and vehicles to transport you to the conference center in Salinitas, a 2 hour drive from the airport. The reception for the conference will take place on the evening of October 30th and program events will begin on the morning of October 31st.
If you are only attending Let's Talk Coffee®, you should plan to leave the conference on the 3rd of November. If you are attending Let's Talk Coffee® and will also attend the Let's Talk Coffee® farm field trip, you should plan to leave on the 4th of November.
If you are planning to attend Let's Talk Coffee® and Let's Talk Roya, you should plan to leave on the 6th of November. If you are planning to attend Let's Talk Coffee®, Let's Talk Roya, and the Let's Talk Roya farm field trip, you should plan to leave on the 7th of November.
What is the difference between Let's Talk Coffee® and Let's Talk Roya?
Let’s Talk Roya and Let’s Talk Coffeee® are complimentary conferences, but have different objectives and audiences. Let’s Talk Coffee® is an invitation-based event for Sustainable Harvest’s supply chain partners and others interested in relationship coffee. Let’s Talk Coffee® will include discussions on Roya and feature talks by several of the same experts that will speak at Let’s Talk Roya, but the event will also address quality, supply chain sustainability,
business partnerships, and more.
Let’s Talk Roya is an open event immediately following Let’s Talk Coffeee® focused specifically on empowering a wide range of attendees to combat Roya and plan for future outbreaks. For more information about Let’s Talk Roya, visit www.letstalkroya.org.
Further questions?
To download an extensive and in-depth FAQ sheet, click here.
Contact us if you have additional questions.