The conference bringing together the global specialty-coffee supply chain will take place in Huila September 20-24.
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Photos courtesy of Sustainable Harvest Coffee Importers
Let’s Talk Coffee, the international event that for 15 years has brought together the international coffee community in coffee-producing countries, will hold its 2018 event September 20-24 in Huila, Colombia.
Organized by Sustainable Harvest Coffee Importers, Let’s Talk Coffee unites a broad range of stakeholders from the coffee value chain, from roasters, researchers, and farmers to baristas, impact investors, and government leaders.
The 2018 event will feature a range of industry experts delivering engaging talks and leading action-oriented discussions on industry issues, including climate-smart agriculture; communicating impact to consumers; market trends and the state of the industry; machine learning, blockchain, and artificial intelligence in coffee; and how collaboration and eliminating risk can strengthen the coffee supply chain. Attendees will also have ample opportunity for networking and cupping top-quality coffees from Colombia and throughout the world.
This is Let’s Talk Coffee’s third iteration in Colombia, following events in the Armenia region in 2008 and the Antioquia region in 2012. The 2018 event will take place in Huila, an emerging leader in coffee quality and volume that accounts for over 15 percent of Colombia’s coffee production. “It’s been amazing to watch the Huila region emerge as a rich source of high-impact, exceptional coffees,” says Liam Brody, president of Sustainable Harvest. “We’re honored to take Let’s Talk Coffee back to Colombia. … With the event in Huila, we’ll witness firsthand the new beginnings brought about by the recent Peace Accords, and learn about coffee’s unique power to create common cause and a brighter future for all.”
Sustainable Harvest has partnered with the Government of Huila to bring global attendees to the region. “Eighty-three thousand families proudly farm high-quality coffee in the department of Huila, Colombia,” says Huila Governor Carlos Julio González Villa. “We are excited to bring Let’s Talk Coffee’s global event and members of the coffee industry interested in developing direct relationships around quality and impact to Huila, one of Colombia’s finest coffee-producing regions.”
Let’s Talk Coffee is known in the industry for being part-conference, part-origin trip. In addition to the event’s program and conference festivities, attendees will be able to take field trips to some of Huila’s top family-run coffee farms, made possible by the Government of Huila and Sustainable Harvest supply partner Coocentral. Beyond coffee, attendees can also visit well-known attractions in the area, including the San Agustín Archaeological Park, which houses hundreds of rare pre-Colombian sculptures and monuments, and the sprawling Tatacoa Desert.
Luis Mauricio Rivera, general manager of the 4,000-member Coocentral cooperative, invites attendees to “discover Huila in southern Colombia, where coffees are produced in the stunning Andes by smallholders devoted to producing the highest-quality beans in the world.”
Those interested in attending should plan to arrive in Huila on September 19. More information is available at Let’s Talk Coffee’s website, and additional details—including featured speakers and housing information—will be announced in the coming months.
