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On September 20-23 in balmy Cartagena, Colombia, 236 people from throughout the coffee supply chain united for Let’s Talk Coffee® Global, the conference bringing together coffee farmers, roasters, NGOs, financiers, and a range of other stakeholders to connect as a supply chain, learn from each other, and strategize solutions to the challenges facing the coffee industry.

Look around at a Let’s Talk Coffee® event, and you’ll likely notice something you don’t see at your average coffee event: representatives from throughout the entire coffee supply. Yes, at any Let’s Talk Coffee® session, you’re likely to have coffee producers, baristas, coffee roasters, and representatives from NGOs, government, philanthropy, the impact investment world, and beyond.

On the first day of Let’s Talk Coffee® Mexico, Daniele Giovannucci of COSA delivered a presentation to the assembled crowd of coffee producers, roasters, financiers, media, and NGOs titled “The Coffee Industry at a Crossroads.” In it, he detailed the challenges from climate change, low prices, and the departure of young farmers facing coffee, and presented the power of communication throughout the supply chain as a tool to solve these challenges.

Vera Espindola has worked toward building sustainable, inclusive coffee supply chains for many years, including in her previous role at UTZ Certified and now with SAGARPA, Mexico’s Secretary of Agriculture. With Mexico’s coffee industry currently recovering from Coffee Leaf Rust and other challenges that have lowered its production (find out more in our recent blog here), the country’s government institutions like SAGARPA are developing plans to improve coffee production. With Mexico’s coffee industry a major topic at this year’s Let’s Talk Coffee® event, we talked to Vera to find out more about her work.

Let’s Talk Coffee® is now just five weeks away, with stakeholders from throughout the global supply chain preparing to join us for this one-of-a-kind industry event. In order to create the most diverse and broad gathering possible, we negotiated with our vendors to lower the registration cost for the event to $895 for producers and $1,095 for all other attendees. Register today, and apply these savings toward your flight to Mexico!

Since its launch in 2003, Let’s Talk Coffee® has served many functions for the global coffee industry. It’s been a meeting place, where stakeholders from throughout the supply chain travel to origin to reconnect with colleagues and meet new ones. It has been a platform for knowledge sharing, with attendees taking in compelling presentations and participating in a dialogue with the industry about the issues discussed. And it’s been a place to discover new amazing coffees and meet the producers who grew them.

Mexico is not just the producer of some of the world’s best coffees; it’s also a country that has played an important role in the history of Let’s Talk Coffee®. The event launched in Mexico in 2003, and the country hosted the first three incarnations of Let’s Talk Coffee®. In 2016, 11 years after the last Let’s Talk Coffee® in Mexico, we’re thrilled to take the event back to where it all started. As we gear up for Let’s Talk Coffee® Mexico, let’s take a closer look at our host country and its important role in the coffee landscape.

If you’ve ever met Fabrizio Sención Ramírez, there’s a good chance you remember his trademark mustache that flairs handlebars at its ends. His look may be memorable, but his accomplishments are what have truly made him stand out in the specialty-coffee world. In addition to being a multi-time winner of the Mexico Barista Championship and the second-place finisher at the the 2012 World Barista Championship, Fabrizio is the owner of Guadalajara’s Cafe Sublime and the Cafe Estelar roasted brand. This expert on Mexico’s specialty-coffee scene will play an important role in our Let’s Talk Coffee® Mexico program, exploring his nation’s emerging coffee culture. We spoke to Fabrizio about his history of attending Let’s Talk Coffee®, his feelings on coffee in Mexico, and much more.

At the last Let’s Talk Coffee® Global event in 2014, the famed Geisha variety played a key role in the program. It was only fitting, as the event’s host country that year—Panama—produces some of the world’s best Geisha coffee that has fetched incredible prices at auction. To tackle the amazing story of Geisha, we turned to Hanna Neuschwander, author of the 2012 book “Left Coast Roast,” who has since become Communications Director at World Coffee Research. She took the audience through the complete story of Geisha, from how the variety earned its name to its flavor, reputation, high prices, and much more. Now with Let’s Talk Coffee® Mexico right around the corner (October 13-16 in Puerto Vallarta), we sat down with Hanna to discuss her experience in Panama, her feelings on coffee in 2016, and what this year’s Let’s Talk Coffee® theme, “Prospering in the New Reality,” means to her.