Each spring, SCA hosts a large expo in Seattle, Washington to aid in industry education and prosperity. This Specialty Coffee Expo (commonly referred to as the SCA Expo) allows industry manufacturers and producers to showcase their products and give coffee operators, distributors, and enthusiasts alike the chance to peruse the newest and greatest offerings. Over the years, the show as grown “expo-nentially,” selling out exhibition space that now fills three halls of the Seattle Convention Center.

The overall focus of this year’s show was diversity, featuring coffees grown/produced in countries around the world, with Asia and South America as some of the most prevalent. Countries such as China and Brazil were particularly popular with booths that were made to impress.

While Houston’s does not exhibit at the expo, we do attend each year. The show provides us with the opportunity to meet with vendors and customers, and to get an idea of what to expect from the future of the coffee industry. Many of our manufacturer/vendor partners exhibit at the show including Torani, Monin, Dr. Smoothie, David Rio, Urnex, Kerry Foodservice, and Two Leaves and a Bud, as well as newer Houston’s vendors like Pacific Foods, Califia Farms, and ITO EN.

Monitoring current and upcoming trends in the coffee industry is crucial, and SCA Expo is always a perfect opportunity to assess the crowd. With the busy summer season in mind, many exhibitors at SCA Expo 2018 opted to offer taste tests of cold beverages from iced coffee and frappes, to non-coffee beverages like lemonade and flavored sparkling water. The absence of previously popular oatmeal products was painfully obvious this year, but made way for other healthier trends that ranged from convenient grab-and-go products, to handcrafted, premium products. Turmeric offerings seem to be surging with David Rio’s latte powder leading the pack. All natural, sugar-free, and/or low-calorie beverage options also seem to be on the rise, as are dairy/milk alternatives. While nut milks have been popular in years’ past, it appears oat milk will be giving the ever-popular almond milk a run for its money in 2018.

Contributing to the theme of diversity, Torani showcased its new Asian fruit-inspired Longan Syrup, among other products, by serving up Butterfly Lemonade that combined the syrup with Lemonade Real Fruit Smoothie mix. The vibrant purple color and sweet Longan flavor paired with the tart lemonade for a perfect summer offering.

Monin served its new Brown Butter Toffee Syrup in frappe, but most notable was the flavored sparkling water. Monin’s new, all-natural Concentrated Flavors line provides sugar-free, low calorie flavor to any drink, but the Strawberry Basil and Watermelon Jalapeno Sparkling Water offered expo attendees a light, yet flavorful beverage.

Celebrity Latte Artist, Melannie Aquino showed off her skills in booth #2100, drawing pictures with foam and chocolate on the tops of various lattes prepared with David Rio chai products. After attendees were wowed by the latte art, many were also impressed with the authentic turmeric flavor in David Rio’s Turmeric Lattes, Turmeric macaroons, and turmeric cupcakes provided by a local bakery and made using David Rio’s powdered product. The philanthropic organization also used the show as an opportunity to introduce Nalin, the white tiger and newest adoptee under the company’s endangered species initiative.

While many exhibitors utilize SCA Expo to introduce new product, Dr. Smoothie (a Bevolution Group brand) took this year’s show as an opportunity to reintroduce itself entirely, launching a rebrand of the 1997 logo. The new logo has opted away from retro and moved towards simplistic, yet refined. All of the brand’s packaging will have a consistent, clean look, featuring photos of fresh fruit and color-coded frappe categories. Watch for a soft rollout of the new branding sometime this summer.

Each year, SCA Expo exhibitors are given the opportunity to enter their products in a new product showcase, with the chance to win “Best New Product” bragging rights for the year. Our friends at Pacific Foods took home top honors in the Specialty Beverage Flavor Additive Category by winning Best New Product for their new Barista Series Oat, a plant-based dairy alternative that will be released this summer. Crowds gathered around the Pacific booth while attendees (including our own Rebecca Phillips and Amanda Hackathorn) tried their hands at latte art in the exhibitor’s Latte Art Throwdown. The winner of the competition got a chance to pour the latte art featured on the Pacific Foods’ new product packaging, also due out later this year. Sadly, neither Rebecca nor Amanda won the honor, but they certainly gave it their all!

As Houston’s shifts its focus towards the rapidly growing coffee segment, these vendor relationships and industry/product insights are key to our continued growth and success. With many coffee-based vendor partnerships, Houston’s controls a unique niche as a redistributor to the specialty coffee industry, providing access to hundreds of ancillary products sold and used by roasters and baristas across the country. It’s no secret that coffee’s popularity and progress will continue to grow, making events such as this more and more valuable. That’s why we can’t wait until next April when SCA Expo 2019 tackles Boston, Massachusetts! Will we see you there?

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Seattle, WA is the home of this momentous occasion, bringing together like-caffeinated minds to show-off and discover the cutting edge of coffee products through various lectures, labs, and certificate programs. If any aspect of the coffee world is your business (or even your passion), this event was made for you.

Each year, Houston’s is proud to attend the Specialty Coffee Expo, but it makes us even prouder to see familiar faces sharing their extraordinary product. Here are just a few of our vendors who you can expect to find at Coffee Expo 2018.

Califia Farms® – Booth #429

Some may recall the Spanish myth that gave California its name: griffins, an army of warrior women, and a queen named Califia. With that formidable namesake, Califia Farms® pays homage to its Californian origins while remaining focused on the future of flavor with all-natural creamers, coffees, and juices that will love your body as much as you’ll love drinking them.

David Rio^TM – Booth #2100

While drinking an incredible chai, why not also fund a company with a strong commitment to animal welfare? When you sip David Rio^TM, that’s precisely what you’re doing! The animals featured in signature drinks like “Elephant Vanilla^TM” and “Tiger Spice Chai®” are of particular note for David Rio^TM and it regularly donates to the International Fund for Animal Welfare toward these species’ protection. Of course, over the last 20 years, the company has also proven its commitment to creating fantastic flavors.

DaVinci Gourmet® – Booth #941

Only the highest quality ingredients are poured into DaVinci Gourmet® bottles of syrup and flavoring giving each and every one of your beverages satisfying, exciting, and unforgettable taste. Whether you’re drinking coffee, lemonade, soda, or even creating a new dessert recipe, there’s always room for a little DaVinci Gourmet®.

Dr. Smoothie® – Booth #2300

Every sip of Dr. Smoothie® promises the fresh taste of 100% natural fruit juice. Because Dr. Smoothie® doesn’t use artificial colors, preservatives, or flavors, their beverages retain a superior zest while also containing various vitamins and minerals to pack your day with energy and well-being.

ITO EN INC. – Booth #2350

In 2001, this company recognized the U.S.’s potential interest in green tea products and ran with it. A year later and ITO EN’s natural, unsweetened bottled tea launched, establishing the company as one dedicated to the core principles of Natural, Safe, Healthy, Well-Designed, and Delicious products.

Monin® – Booth #2113

The French have always boasted a sophisticated flavor palate, and as a company out of Bourges, Monin® has proven that it’s for good reason. But that doesn’t mean Monin® is only sharing its taste with France. Three generations since the company began and it’s now one of the most renowned syrup producers in the world.

Pacific Foods^TM – Booth #400

Founded in 1987, this company has made it a mission to provide incredible tasting, healthy, natural foods while never forgetting the people and planet that make it possible. With its simple and additive-free recipes, Pacific Foods^TM aims to preserve the nutrition and flavor in each ingredient it uses.

Torani® – Booth #1213

The dream that began in 1925 with handwritten Italian soda syrup recipes from Lucca, soon became known as the world’s first recorded syrup to be used in a flavored latte. 90 years ago, this family-owned business established itself as an authority on flavor, today making itself one of the most recognizable names in the coffee industry.

two leaves and a bud – Booth #S1

The Two Leaves and a Bud story began with one man’s passion for tea, and since 2004 has grown to become an international innovation. If you’ve drunk tea, you’ve probably encountered pyramid-shaped tea infusers, also known as “sachets.” Two Leaves and a Bud is credited with popularizing these bags in North America, bringing a revolutionarily efficient method of soaking tea leaves for fuller flavor. And with the quality of tea this company sources, you better believe you want to enjoy every drop.

Urnex® – Booth #914

To provide the best coffee equipment available, you need to have a deep understanding of the industry. Originally the Royal Urn Bag Company, Urnex® has been busy developing and manufacturing its own proprietary formulas since 1936, branching into every corner of the coffee market and constantly evolving to fulfill the motto the company established over 80 years ago: “No More Bitter Coffee.”

Credit: All of the above company descriptions were paraphrased from the vendor’s website linked to the vendor name. Logos courtesy of our vendors.

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