The months are ticking down until the fourth edition of the Producer & Roaster Forum (PRF), held in Copán, Honduras on the 26th and 27th March 2020. One of the most important coffee forums in a producer country, the event facilitates relationships across the supply chain and prioritises impact for attendees.

The speakers for the two-day event reflect a commitment to meeting producers’ needs through providing practical information on how to maximise their income and tackle their costs of production, as well as raising awareness of topics rarely discussed at origin and driving green bean sales in existing and emerging markets. Experts who rarely travel to origin will be brought to Honduras from across five continents, and the event as a whole is predicted to generate US $10 million for the local economy.

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Martin Mayorga presents on crop diversification at the 2019 PRF in Guatemala. Credit: Fernando Pocasangre

Origin Trip & PRF 2020: The Itinerary

Roasters, producers, traders, baristas, and more will head to the Marina Copán Convention Center for the two-day Producer & Roaster Forum. There will be educational lectures and panels; farming, roasting, and barista workshops; Honduran and international cupping sessions; an expo area; and opportunities for networking and producer and roaster matchmaking.

Prior to the event, Producer Scholarship recipients will receive training and guidance to ensure that they can take advantage of the networking and business opportunities at the event and help them optimise their business in the medium to long term. There will also be events targeted to female producers.

Meanwhile, from the 23rd to 25th of March, a small group of roasters will be participating in the optional three-day Origin Experience add-on. They will be collected from the airport and taken to their host farm, where they will enjoy farm visits, producer meetings, wet and dry mill visits, educational activities related to production and processing, cuppings with farmers, and roundtables. The experience will include accommodation and all food and coffee.

Read more in Producer & Roaster Forum Announces Values & Prioritises Impact

North America: Green Buyer Expectations panel at the 2019 PRF in Guatemala. Credit: Fernando Pocasangre 

The Lectures, Presentations, & Workshops

The lectures and speakers were chosen to represent the global coffee community and meet coffee producers’ needs. Producer & Roaster Forum spoke directly with the Honduran Coffee Institute (IHCAFE), producers, and exporters to gauge which topics would be most useful. An application and nominations process was also opened up to avoid being exclusionary.

Markets for green bean sales are a priority at the event, with lectures and panels on both established buyers such as the US and emerging ones like Russia, China, and the Middle East. Tracey Ging will also speak on The New Players, examining how up-and-coming brands will affect the coffee industry moving forwards.

With topics such as FOB vs Farmgate Price, Analysing The Supply Chain: Transactional Values, Commercial vs Specialty: Understanding Value, Reviewing The Costs of Production: A Cost-Benefit Analysis, and How Forward Crop Purchases Reshaped The Brazilian Market & Impacted Global Prices, there will be a strong focus on understanding the coffee trade and how the industry can take steps towards adding value and improving resilience. This is a complex topic that extends beyond prices through to market access and structural inequality, and deserves a thorough examination.

The aim of the presentations is to give coffee professionals in Central America actionable and useful information that they can apply while networking during the event, as well as in future business negotiations. 

Friday morning will also begin with a series of microlectures in an innovative approach modelled by TedEX and online universities. Designed to suit shorter attention spans and communicate the same amount of information in a more rapid format, microlectures are at the forefront of education.

The forum will also feature participatory workshops for producers and roasters held by Rainforest Alliance and Lutheran World Relief, with topics such as Coffee Sector Challenges. This will encourage active engagement as well as communication and understanding across the supply chain.

Additionally, Jen Apodaca of Mother Tongue Coffee will be delivering a roasting workshop to female coffee producers, while Red Band Barista Academy will lead barista workshops and 2019 World Cup Tasters Champion Daniel Horbat will also be available for a cupping workshop. 

There will be a presentation on Exotic Coffees & Processing Methods, designed to be valuable to producers and buyers alike, as well as talks on the Honduran coffee sector, espresso, and cold brew.

Producer Roaster Forum Itinerary. Downloadable version here. 

Who’s Speaking at Producer & Roaster Forum 2020?

Speakers

Panelists

Microlectures Speakers

Attend Producer & Roaster Forum 2020

Interested in attending PRF? Roasters can purchase tickets for the Producer & Roaster Forum and Origin Trip Experience here. Honduran producers and citizens can purchase theirs here, while producers outside of Honduras can purchase theirs here.

Want to become a sponsor? The deadline is the 1st of February. Find out more in our sponsor kit or email Julio Guevara at julio@perfectdailygrind.com for further information. 

Visit the website and buy your PRF ticket here!

Perfect Daily Grind

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