The 6th edition of India International Coffee Festival, India's leading coffee summit, was inaugurated here at hotel Lalit recently. The festival will be on till Saturday.
Organised by India Coffee Trust and supported by the Coffee Board of India, the event was inaugurated by Roberio Oliviera Silva, executive director, International Coffee Organization.
The guest of honour at the event was Leena Nair, chairman, Coffee Board of India, and chairman, IICF Steering Committee; along with Anil Kumar Bhandari, president, India Coffee Trust, and VC, IICF Steering Committee. Geetu Verma, executive director, foods & refreshment, Hindustan Unilever Ltd (principal partner), addressed the audience and shared insights on the coffee industry.
Addressing the gathering after the inauguration, Silva said, “This is the second time that I have been to this festival. Its a pleasure to be part of this festival and as it is said there is so much to celebrate over a cup of coffee. I would like to thank all who have supported this festival and assure you all that when we meet next time, the coffee market will be much more wider and vast.”
Silva was followed by Nair, who said, "I am new to the coffee industry as chairman, but not new to coffee as a drink. Coffee is a versatile and a unique beverage made in a number of ways. Internationally, coffee has transcended beyond levels in the last few years. India for the last decade has recorded a robust consumption rate of 5-6%, but it is yet to catch up with the refined consumption habits of the sophisticated coffee markets. It is heartening to note that about 35% of the Indian coffee exports in the year 2014-15 were due to value-added products.”
She added, “The 12th Plan Coffee Scheme has a comprehensive avenue through which subsidies can be availed for export of high-value green coffee to far off destinations and value-added coffee as India brand. Technology plays a great role in any sector of the industry, hence we are looking forward in developing the technological aspect providing more quality packaging to the consumers.”
Bhandari stated, “Maharashtra is not a coffee producing state. The primary focus of IICF 2016 is to create a gateway to India’s unsaturated market through this platform for Indian and international stakeholders. Our main aim is at increasing coffee footprint across the country. The theme for this year’s festival is “Celebrating with Coffee.”
“There are more than 2,000 coffee outlets in the country and thus we see a great future to retail coffee in the country. Through the workshops arranged as part of this festival, we are encouraging and training coffee enthusiasts by creating skilled resources in the industry as that is the major need of the hour today!”
Meanwhile, Verma said, “I have been in this industry from the last 30 years and coffee is still evolving as compared to tea. When we talk about coffee it was always considered as a premium product, however, that concept has and is changing slowly. It is due to two reasons - awareness and craving. Today’s youngsters are major consumers of coffee. However coffee market is still in its nascent stage but in the next five years the future of the coffee market is very bright.”
Several eminent speakers, industry specialists and globally renowned experts will be discussing how coffee technology has evolved over the last two years. The festival comprised an international conference-exhibition, skill-building workshops, product launches, coffee quiz, and coffee awards. It will serve as a platform for coffee growers, roasters, retailers, equipment suppliers, researchers and entrepreneurs. Visitors will get to enjoy coffee tastings, hands-on workshops, demonstrations from world-class baristas, and a preview of the latest products.
The festival saw as many as 500 delegates for the conference and skill building workshops. More than 60 companies including Hindustan Unilever, Tata Coffee, Nestle, Leo Coffee, Buhler, Kaapi Machines, M K Associates, Swiss Pack, Bunn-O-Matic, Diedrich, CMA, Probat, Yara India, Rabo Bank, Eltex Marketing Services and Controlmatic exhibited at the event. The Coffee Board will recognise and reward the best roasters, curers, exporters as well as finest coffees at the awards ceremony to be held at the event along with the Barista Championship awards. For the first time, through online popular voting, India’s best cafés will be recognised and rewarded.
The India premiere of the globally-acclaimed film Caffeinated is also scheduled at the event. Vishal Solanki, maker of the documentary, will be a part of the premiere for an interactive talk with the audience. The festival will put in focus startups which are currently thriving on the Indian coffee scene. The highlight of the show will be Café Crawl, wherein coffee aficionados will be taken through some of the best coffee spots in Mumbai.
