SCA Expo is coming up quickly, and InterAmerican Coffee has a full, fun schedule planned! We’re also thrilled that many of our NKG global sister companies will be in attendance with us and ready to offer updates on their respective companies and countries!
As you begin planning your weekend in Houston, we hope you’ll add these events to your schedule:
Best of NKG Cupping
NKG representatives from Ethiopia, Colombia, Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica and Brazil will each share some beautiful coffees and brief updates on the harvest year. Come to cup, ask questions, and learn about NKG’s services across the supply chain.
Friday, April 25, 1:30–3:15; Convention Center Room 381B, Level 3
Panel Discussion: “The Evolving Coffee Industry: Career Paths and Possibilities
As facilitators of NKG PACE, an educational program designed to support underrepresented coffee professionals in advancing their careers, we’re continuously exploring the diverse and fulfilling opportunities available within the coffee industry — beyond the café.
Cafés often serve as entry points into the coffee world, introducing individuals to vibrant, like-minded communities; creatively rewarding skillsets; and a global industry that intersects with key issues including climate change, economics and social justice. But as professionals grow, many wonder: Is it possible to build a sustainable and rewarding career in coffee?
This panel seeks to explore pathways for professional and financial advancement within the industry, featuring insights from entrepreneurs, academics, machine makers, importers, non-profits and other coffee-adjacent professionals. Together, we’ll discuss how to find, consider and broaden opportunities in rewarding coffee careers.
Saturday, April 26, 11:30–12:30; Convention Center Room 350DEF; Level 3
Lecture: “What Does an Importer Do, Anyway?”
Green coffee importing is a little-understood — though critical — piece of the specialty coffee supply chain. Often, importers are dismissed as “middlemen,” a term that minimizes both what importers do and all they can offer. This lecture proposes to explain the full role of green coffee importers, the impact that importers can have across the supply chain, and the services and information that roasters and green buyers can rely on them for and benefit from.
Lecturers will be NKG PACE Education Lead Amanda Armbrust-Asselin and Atlas Coffee Importers Trader and Head of Marketing Chelsey Walker-Watson.
Sunday, April 27, 10:15-11:15; Convention Center Room 360ABC
World Coffee Roasting Championship
As a green coffee sponsor of the WCRC, and of course fans of the competitors, we’ll be paying close attention to this three-stage event, which culminates on Sunday. Best wishes to all involved!
Also on our calendars…
- Our Atlas colleagues will also host a cupping. (Saturday, 10:15–12; Room 381B.)
- Atlas Senior Trading Manager Susan Heller Evenson will participate in a podcast about green buying. (Saturday, 8:30 a.m., True Anomaly Brewery; tickets here.)
- The CCRE will host its second annual “The First Sip” event. Tickets are still available.
