Coffee Leaders Take the Stage at CoLab in Prague

From May 21 “23, some of the industry’s most respected leaders will present on the current state of coffee at CoLab in Prague

The Barista Guild of Europe (BGE) is booming! After a successful first camp event in the fall of 2014, the BGE has put together CoLab, a seminar series to take place in Prague, Czech Republic, May 21 “23. No surprise that Nuova Simonelli is playing a big role in making this event happen: As the Gold Sponsor, the espresso machine company that is known for supporting baristas around the globe with its sponsorship of the World Barista Championship and countless other activities, Nuova Simonelli will also be the Espresso Bar Sponsor for CoLab: Prague.

CoLab combines a full day of compelling educational content with two half days on either side filled with activities to allow attendees to discover the host city’s coffee community and culture. The first of this series will be held in collaboration with both Coffee Embassy, BGE’s local host partner, and Tamper Tantrum, who will be bringing a series of inspiring guest speakers to a stage at the National Technical Library for the core of the event on May 22.

Tamper Tantrum is a forum for sharing ideas and brainstorming with coffee industry leaders.
Tamper Tantrum is a forum for sharing ideas and brainstorming with coffee industry leaders.

œFor international baristas, CoLab: Prague is a great opportunity to discover a fast-growing specialty-coffee community that is already becoming a hub in central Europe,  says  BGE coordinator, Isa Verschraegen. œFor local coffee professionals, it is their opportunity par excellence to showcase their skills, coffees, and city whilst developing personal and professional connections across Europe. For both, it is an exciting chance to start a dialogue with each other as well as some of the greatest voices of our coffee community, to exchange ideas and to get inspired. 

œNuova Simonelli are proud to be supporting BGE in their efforts to develop professionalism and community within Europe for baristas,  says Luca Pompei, Nuova Simonelli’s sales manager. œPrograms like CoLab match the values we hold and the strategy we take in the development of our own products, technology and business, and we see our growth tied to nurturing the growth in specialty coffee that benefits us all. We’re excited to be a part of this movement and progression both in this region of Europe and the wider world. 

2009 World Barista Champion Gwilym Davies is a loyal supporter of Nuova Simonelli, and will no doubt be at Co: Lab in Prague (he lives there half time) pulling shots on the Aurelia machines.
2009 World Barista Champion Gwilym Davies is a loyal supporter of Nuova Simonelli, and will no doubt be at Co: Lab in Prague (he lives there half time) pulling shots on the Aurelia machines.

As Espresso Bar Sponsor, Nuova Simonelli will help us enjoy tasty coffee by bringing two espresso machines to CoLab: Prague: the VA388 Black Eagle, the first specialty coffee machine combining both ˜T3′ and ˜Gravitech’ technologies in one machine, and its iconic Aurelia II.

Tamper-Tantrum

œBoth BGE and Tamper Tantrum share an admirable and ambitious goal of creating meaningful dialogue within our industry,  says Jenn Rugolo, managing director of Tamper Tantrum. œBGE tackles this initiative through Dialogue, a monthly piece of long-form writing that digs deep into industry-specific topics, and by creating a compendium of freely available education; Tamper Tantrum, through recorded conversations and live talks from luminary speakers. By working together on the first-ever CoLab, both are building a forum for learning and debate that will only add to our thriving, connected community. 

Speakers at CoLab include:

Chahan Yeretzian, Applied University of Zurich (Zurich)
Adam Neubauer, EMA Espresso Bar (Prague)
Erna Tosberg, roestbar (Münster)
Tibor Várady, Espresso Embassy (Budapest)
Nora Smahelová, Chapter One (Berlin)
Stefanos Domatiotis, TAF Coffee (Athens)

Nora of Chapter One in Berlin is one of the featured CoLab speakers.
Nora of Chapter One in Berlin is one of the featured CoLab speakers.
Stefanos of Greece is another eagerly anticipated speaker.
Stefanos of Greece is another eagerly anticipated speaker.

Each speaker will give a 20-minute presentation, which will be followed by a 20-minute Q&A with the audience. Speakers will also take part in panel discussions, led by Tamper Tantrum co-host Steve Leighton (HasBean) and guest co-host, Kalle Freese (Freese Coffee Co.), a member of the BGE working group and key driver in its educational content plans.

Tickets to the full event from May 21-23 are €85.00 and are available from BGE’s website.

About baristamagazine 2181 Articles
Barista Magazine is the leading trade magazine in the world for the professional coffee community.