Blog

At each Let’s Talk Coffee® since the event’s inception in 2003, we’ve learned amazing things from professionals who are either in the industry or in some way connected to it. Each of us has a stake and a story to share, and when we come together, we are able to innovate and create the strongest possible version of the coffee supply chain.

Laila Willbur had an exciting year in coffee in 2014: After winning the United States Barista Championship in Seattle, she traveled to Rimini, Italy, to represent her country at the World Barista Championship. (She placed 10th.) In the ensuing months, Laila—who is Director of Coffee at the Cherry Street Coffee House chain of cafes in Seattle—made many trips as a barista ambassador and representative of her title. Among them, she traveled to Panama for Let’s Talk Coffee® 2014. Joined by producer Emilio Lopez Diaz of Cuatro M and roaster Phil Beattie of Dillanos, Laila and the team shared with the audience the story of collaboration that led to her barista victory (watch the session here). We talked to Laila about her experience in Panama and why Let’s Talk Coffee® is an important industry event.

Last week, registration opened for Let’s Talk Coffee® 2016, taking place in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, October 13-16. Coffee pros from around the world will flock to this supply chain gathering, in its 13th edition. But before we look forward to the event in Mexico, let’s step back to learn more about what makes Let’s Talk Coffee® a destination event.

In November 2015, Sustainable Harvest® Rwanda and Bloomberg Philanthropies presented Let’s Talk Coffee® Best of Rwanda, an event in Kigali bringing together 100 rural women smallholder farmers with the international specialty coffee community. Here’s the story of how this unique event unfolded.

We’re very excited for this week’s Let’s Talk Coffee® Best of Rwanda, which will bring 100 rural smallholder women farmers together with the international coffee community. The event takes place Wednesday through Friday at the Serena Hotel in Kigali.

In March 2015, the Let’s Talk Relationship Coffee event brought coffee producers from all over the world to Melbourne to share their stories and their coffees. Over three days, attendees tasted coffees, established relationships with producers, and took in top-notch content on topics including the volatile coffee market, the future of coffee production, and new developments in eco-friendly farming techniques.

In March 2015, the Let’s Talk Relationship Coffee event brought coffee producers from all over the world to Melbourne to share their stories and their coffees. Over three days, attendees tasted coffees, established relationships with producers, and took in top-notch content on topics including the volatile coffee market, the future of coffee production, and new developments in eco-friendly farming techniques.