Coffee Professionals Talk Shop This Week

"Coffee Fest" may sound like a chance to sample the latest latte blends and shop for a new home espresso maker.

But the three-day event that begins Friday at the Washington Convention Center is strictly business -- a trade show whose sponsor says it will attract more than 3,000 cafe owners and restaurateurs who serve and sell coffee.

"We get like 80 percent of the coffee shops in America attending one or more of our shows annually," said David Heilbrunn of Lifestyle Events Inc. of Bellevue, Wash., which makes its money from staging three Coffee Fest shows around the country each year. In July, it's planning its first international Coffee Fest in Beijing, where coffee consumption is rapidly growing in a tea-steeped culture.

This weekend's Coffee Fest includes 75 classes and seminars, such as "Hands-On Barista Training," a "Roasting Workshop" and "Eliminating Employee Theft." Heilbrunn, show manager for the Washington event, said the exhibition hall will display the products of vendors of beans, roasters and "everything on both sides of the counter, probably including the counter." Advance registration for attendees is only $20, he said, so most of the show's revenue comes from companies renting exhibition space.

Heilbrunn said coffee behemoth Starbucks Corp. usually sends a few representatives to the sessions to check out what's happening, but most of the attendees are independent coffee shops and small chains that compete against the industry leader. In a reference to the image on the ubiquitous Starbucks logo, Heilbrunn said the Coffee Fest program often includes a seminar titled "Wrestling the Mermaid."

-- Larry Liebert