Over 25,000 professionals and coffee aficionados from Greece and abroad, had the unique experience of visiting the 1st Athens Coffee Festival during the three days between the 13th and 15th of May! Technopolis-Athens, in Gazi, was flooded during all three days by visitors of all ages—both from Athens and the rest of the country—who displayed an unprecedented interest in the presentations, seminars, tastings and live concerts included in the rich program of special events. The festival was held under the auspices of SCAE Hellas—the organization dedicated to the promotion of speciality coffee—and was sponsored by BARISTA’S Gold. The overwhelming response of sector professionals and buyers alike, as well as the conclusions obtained by the 75 exhibitors from their contact with visitors, demonstrate the huge success of the Athens Coffee Festival. It is a new institution on coffee and its surrounding culture, with a reputation that has already—from its maiden iteration—surpassed the Greek borders! Technopolis was packed with people! The Athens Coffee Festival was proven to be a very significant commercial meeting for sector businesses. It was an important forum for exchanging ideas for sector professionals, and a great celebration for coffee lovers. Thanks to its unique architecture, its modern, industrial style and historical significance, Technopolis was the ideal setting for hosting the festival and receiving thousands of visitors from Greece, Cyprus and twenty more countries. Making the most of all available spaces, but always with respect for the monument’s history, the organizing company, FORUM SA, gave exhibitors the opportunity to present their products and services in the most comprehensive and efficient way possible, to a wide audience of professionals and consumers. Both the exhibitors, as well as the visitors of the Athens Coffee Festival were impressed by the high level of the organization, as well as the richness of special events, which exceeded 45 hours in duration! The Chatroom, where the presentations were hosted, and the Lab, where the seminars took place, were packed with professionals and consumers during all hours. They attended the presentations from leading baristas, roasters, journalists and other personalities from Greece and abroad. Important personalities at the festival Speakers at the Athens Coffee Festival included the coffee manufacturers Joseph Brodsky and Graciano Cruz, SCAE’s training director, Annemarie Tiemes, the deputy executive director of SCAE, Giannis Apostolopoulos, baristas Alexandru Niculae, Kostas Komninakis and Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, who won first place in this year’s global Roasting, Ibrik and Coffee championships respectively, specialized journalists Sarah Allen (Barista Magazine), Michal Molcan (Standart Magazine) and Henry Wilson (Perfect Daily Grind), older world champions Stefanos Domatiotis, Giorgos Koustoumpardis, Tasos Delichristos and Stavros Lambrinidis, the winners of the PanHellenic coffee championships Thanasis Nikolis, Nikos Belis and Michalis Karagiannis, and others. Source: comunicaffe.com/athens-coffee-festival-is-now-an-institution/