International Coffee & Tea Festival organisers to address demand for professional development of baristas and coffee aficionados

March 10, 2015: As UAE customers become more discerning and demanding about the freshness, quality, and flavour of their coffee, cafes and coffee houses in the region are recognising the need to recruit trained staff and improve skills of existing baristas to enhance their overall service and produce a better product. The increasing competition within the café industry is leading to a heightened consumer awareness of quality and coffee drinkers are now being very selective about which café they prefer to patronize. Creativity and quality in the cup now plays a key role in how much money a café makes each day.

The International Coffee & Tea Festival (ICTF) has extended its offerings to engage with the coffee fraternity through advanced workshops and training programs leading up to and during the course of its 7th edition which will be held from November 11 to 13, 2015 at The Meydan Gallery and Convention Center in Dubai.

Training programs at the International Coffee & Tea Festival (ICTF) are certified by the world’s largest trade association for specialty coffee – the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA). SCAA Certified Instructors, who have completed all components of the SCAA’s Instructor Development Program, will administer the workshops and certifications that are designed for beginners, intermediate and advanced professionals. Through the right blend of coffee science and hands-on training, the courses offer a widely accepted formal qualification that will help the participants to progress within the international coffee industry.

Ryan Godinho, UAE’s National Liaison for World Coffee Events and Special Events Coordinator (Training & Championships) with ICTF, said: “As the demand for high-quality coffee made from well-roasted coffee beans rises in the UAE, the time has come to differentiate between a barista from a coffee maker. Intensive training and hands-on experience in roasting, grinding, extracting, and frothing transforms a coffeemaker into a professional barista.”

“ICTF 2015 will continue to address the growing demand for quality and service through a series of training programs in coffee preparation, coffee grading, and coffee roasting. The sessions will ensure that participants get a deeper insight about the art of coffee making that involves buying the right beans, roasting and grinding them to retain freshness, and brewing to perfection. Through our ongoing interaction with the coffee and tea fraternity with initiatives such as Coffee Training & Workshops, the Coffee Championships and the formation of the Barista community, ICTF will continue to contribute to the prolific tea and coffee industry of the UAE and the region,” concluded Godinho.

The International Coffee & Tea Festival is supported by the SCAA and World Coffee Events (WCE). It is the UAE’s only dedicated exhibition that showcases specialty coffee and tea products from around the world and attracts industry professionals from across the GCC, the MENA region, and the Indian sub-continent.