The Houstons team supporting Monbana Chocolaterie at Coffee Fest

The weekend of October 13th – 16th brought coffee aficionados from around the country to Portland, Oregon for Coffee Fest Portland. Coffee Fest holds three regional shows across the country each year, with shows held in Nashville, Tennessee and Chicago, Illinois earlier this year.

Our Sales and Marketing Teams have worked the Coffee Fest Shows, as well as the SCAA Global Coffee Expo in Seattle, since June 2015 in support of our international vendor, Monbana Chocolaterie. Coffee Fest Portland was the culmination of Houston’s tradeshow support for the French chocolate and frappe manufacturer, and we went out with a bang!

The entire Outside Sales team was present for opening day of the show, following a two-day sales meeting hosted at the Wilsonville office. The Regional Managers manned the Monbana booth all three days of the show, passing out samples of Supreme, Tresor, and White Tresor sipping chocolates. West coast Regional Managers Matt Clark, Angie Lightening, and Steve Franklin had the chance to touch base with customers who were in attendance. Oregon/Idaho Regional Manager, Matt Clark, was able to refer several interested local attendees to Houston’s customer, Longbottom Coffee & Tea of Hillsboro, Oregon.

Coffee Fest typically caters towards companies involved in the retailing of coffee, tea, and related products, but the show provides Houston’s with an excellent opportunity to connect with vendors and keep tabs on industry trends.

Houston’s had 15 vendors exhibiting at Coffee Fest Portland including: Torani, Monin, Bevolution Group, Two Leaves Tea Company, and David Rio, among many others. The Inside Sales and Purchasing teams attended the show on Saturday, October 15th, giving them the opportunity to try vendor products and make vendor connections, as it’s rare for these teams to have the opportunity to meet some of their vendor contacts face-to-face.

In terms of trends, this year’s shows have proven that tea is making a comeback within the industry, as consumers are looking for natural, healthier options to coffee (and sugar or creamer), especially in the evening. Oatmeal, while it was big in previous years, seems to have taken a backseat to Matcha, with vendors showcasing everything from individual ceremonial Matcha sticks to baked or packaged goods containing the finely ground green tea leaves. Cold brew also continues to gain popularity, especially Nitro cold brew which provides consumers with a smoother flavor experience than traditional cold brew.

As the 2017 show schedule comes to a close, we look forward to the 2018 shows in Baltimore, Denver, and Los Angeles and the trends those shows will present from their various regions.

David Rio

Torani

Monin

Umpqua Oats

Dr. Smoothie

Almond Breeze

Two Leaves and a Bud

Java Jacket

Cappucine

Espresso Supply

The post In Our Own Backyard: Coffee Fest Portland appeared first on Houston's Blog.

Photo courtesy of Coffee Fest

Coffee Fest, bringing retailers, distributors, and manufacturers together for more than twenty years, buzzed the Portland Metro area this past weekend, offering up everything from demonstrations to samples, cuppings to competitions, trends to education. As described on the Coffee Fest website, “If it looks like coffee, smells like coffee, goes well with coffee, or is coffee, you are guaranteed to find it at Coffee Fest.” This proved to be true as we trekked our way through the 90+ booths at the Oregon Convention Center, tasting our way up and down the aisles in a maybe not-so-orderly fashion.

This year’s highlight for Torani was the utterly amazing Sweet Heat Syrup, which they showcased in a Mango Real Fruit Smoothie…delish! Just enough of a bite to know it’s there, not so much that it’s uncomfortable. While it was great in a mango smoothie, I couldn’t help but imagine other flavors I would love to try! Torani has also rolled out three new sweetener syrups—Agave, Honey, and Cane Sugar—for use in coffee, cocktails, sodas, teas, and more.

Stopping by the Monin booth was a treat. This year they highlighted their Soda Collection with such syrups as Old Fashioned Ginger Ale and Old Fashioned Root Beer, Orange Tangerine, and Vanilla Crème. With fantastic new flavors such as these, they still wowed with sweet concoctions such as lavender vanilla, a floral take on a Crème Soda that smelled and looked as heavenly as you might imagine.

Oatmeal is still as hot as it was in the 2013 show. Straw Propeller Gourmet Foods continues to impress with their innovative oatmeal flavors, and this year’s new addition of a children’s line, with smaller but sweeter portions that appeal to the youngsters hitting the coffee shops with their families. And Umpqua Oats has hit yet another homerun with its amazing Vanilla Almond Crunch, sure to be a coffeehouse favorite!

Dr. Smoothie booth at Coffee Fest PDX 2014. Photo Credit: Christina Graiff

If smoothies and frappes are more your thing, then Coffee Fest 2014 in Portland didn’t disappoint. Cappuccine, Dr. Smoothie Brands, Frozen Bean, Jet, and Ghiradelli chocolate Co. were whipping up decadence in their blenders: frozen concoctions of chocolates, fruits, nuts, and even vegetables were tantalizing the tastebuds of show-walkers. Cappuccine received second place honors in the Best New Product Consumables for their Tart Culture Smoothie.

Manish Shah, Maya Tea Co. Photo Credit: Christina Graiff

It seems as though every year has a top-trending product, and this year was no different. 2014 is sure to be the year of the chai tea, with the aromatic blend of Indian spices and herbs filling the air on every aisle of the show. This tea, prepared black, with or without milk, with or without sweetener, is hitting the market with a force. Oregon Chai continues to offer their tried-and-true concentrate or powder, with just the right amount of spice and sweet. And Maya Chai offers their Original and extra-spicy Devi 11:1 concentrates—just blend with milk and enjoy hot or cold. Stay tuned, too, for Raga, Maya Chai’s unsweetened version of their amazing blend,available in 2015.

Coffee beans, espresso machines, water filtration systems, blenders, teas, chocolates, cup sleeves and other accessories, and even Espresso Supply’s third place winner in the Best New Product Non-Consumable category—Bonavita 1.7L Gooseneck Variable Temperature Kettle, sure to become a favorite in shops across the nation. You name it, and Coffee Fest 2014 had it. A conglomerate of vendors and coffeehouse owners alike mingled the aisles, networking with and learning from one another, swapping ideas and comparing trends, and in general sharing a love of coffee. I will definitely attend next year’s Coffee Fest (again at the Convention Center)…will I see you there in 2015?

The post Coffee, Tea, and Trends: Coffee Fest Portland 2014 appeared first on Houston's Blog.