This week saw the return of the Caffe Culture Show to London’s
Olympia Centre. The show is now in its 11th year and showing no signs
of slowing down. It remains one of the best places to find out about new
innovations and products, pick up business advice and to catch up with experts
and enthusiasts. For anyone in the café industry,
it is not to be missed!
When you arrive in the exhibition hall there is a palpable
buzz with a maze of stalls, live music and visitors everywhere. After briefly
exploring the main hall, I headed straight for the Masterclass stage where I took
in mini-masterclass lessons on topics as broad as how coffee shop owners can
utilise CCTV to grow their businesses to the importance of water quality in hot
drinks and the secrets behind great chocolate. I left with plenty of food for
thought!
Speaking of food, there were more artisan snack companies on
show than you could shake a stick at! From gourmet popcorn, to cakes and
pastries and even specialist marshmallows, there was something there to whet
even the fussiest of appetites. And plenty of free samples! I can safely say
that should our business ever decide to branch out into supplying sugary treats
alongside coffee, I will know where to go!
There were also more soft drink companies on show than I have
ever seen at a primarily coffee themed show before. It is clear that alongside the
coffee industry, which is in continual revolution, the soft drinks industry has
been carefully crafting ‘grown up’ soft and sparkling drinks that can really
add value in a coffee shop environment. When we consider how much time and
thought goes into getting the coffee and hot drinks menu right in coffee shops,
it is sad to consider how little thought sometimes goes into cold beverages. There
are some very exciting cold drink choices available on the market and a chiller
stocked with attractive cold drink options can attract new customers and add
value to every single sale.
One of the things that sets Caffe Culture show apart from
other exhibitions is the focus that is put on the business and commercial
aspects of the coffee shop industry. In the Business Theatre across the show,
there were seminars covering topics such as social media, financial investment,
franchising and expansion. When so many people open coffee businesses to follow
their dream or their love of coffee, it is important for us all to remember
that we are business people first and foremost.
I learnt a lot during
my time at the show and took away a lot more than free biscuit samples at the
end of the day! I look forwards to sharing more and exploring some of the
questions raised in further blog articles!
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| Vincent Chu, London Coffee Tech |
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| Jennifer Woo- Canton Tea |
