For the love of coffee

If the aromatic smell of brewing coffee gets your heart racing like a lovesick teen, attend the “Thailand Coffee Fest 2018: Make It Sustainable”, held from March 8-11, at Plenary Hall, Queen Sirikit National Convention Center. Tailor-made for people passionate about coffee, the festival has been brought together by the Specialty Coffee Association of Thailand (Scath) and the Cloud lifestyle website. The event, to take place from 10am-9pm, has brought together over 100 public agencies and private companies to promote the love of coffee. The main target groups at the event will, of course, be new coffee drinkers eager to increase their knowledge about the popular drink, passionate coffee lovers, and entrepreneurs with a keen interest in the coffee business. Also in this mix will be Thai coffee businesses looking to expand. The coffee fest promises a unique experience for visitors, from getting to know the evolution of coffee to why coffee culture has become so popular and widespread in the last couple of decades. You also get to have your inquiries answered by the pros, including farmers, coffee-roasting plant owners, exporters, coffee-shop owners and baristas. A couple of fun features include the sale of food prepared by some of Bangkok’s top restaurants and coffee shops, a celebrity bar where one gets to rub shoulders with and taste drinks made by local and international baristas, and a workshop on reusing waste from coffee production. On Saturday, March 10, there will be an auction of Thailand’s top 10 coffee beans. Broaden your horizons by attending a coffee seminar and exhibitions displaying the process of making coffee from beginning to end. The concept of “Make It Sustainable” will also be highlighted throughout. The objective of the festival is to promote all sectors of the coffee business, particularly consumption and trade, and to promote and encourage farmers to develop better-quality coffee beans that can compete internationally. Scath recognises the importance of growing coffee as a substitute crop for farmers — for, by doing so, it helps to increase their income and quality of life, not to mention reduce deforestation.