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The Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE) has concluded for another year, with this year’s edition seeing 10,897 visitors walk through the doors of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 12 to 14 May.
“We couldn’t be happier to hit our target attendance number for 2024. This year’s event was vibrant, well attended from representatives of all segments of the global coffee supply chain and held its purpose as a space for industry buyers and sellers to do business. It helped generate exhibitor leads, connect café owners and baristas with suppliers, and added more value than ever before,” says MICE Show Director Lauren Chartres.
Cafe Corner Cafe Education Series at MICE2024. Image: Melbourne International Coffee Expo.
This year’s MICE welcomed a Café Corner education area for visitors to learn about key topics impacting the local industry, including profitability tips, workflow advice, the steps to sustainability, and navigating expansion and menu creation.
The Global Coffee Report Leaders Symposium also welcomed guests to learn from leaders in their field, with topics representing the European Union’s Deforestation Legislation, Business in Asia, and ‘war on waste’ with a closer look at the infrastructure of the Australian recycling and composting packaging sector.
“It was a wonderful two-days of knowledge sharing. Judging by the sold-out event, our industry is still hungry for knowledge, to learn and thrive, and will actively seek opportunities to enhance their own business decisions,” says GCR Symposium Moderator Sarah Baker.
Beyond education, MICE2024 hosted the second instalment of Australia’s Richest Barista competition, which gained international entries among the country’s top baristas who fought in the knockout-style tournament for their share of $40,000 worth of prize money.
Junnie Phyu wins 2024 Australia’s Richest Barista. Image: Melbourne International Coffee Expo.
Junnie Phyu of Junnie Coffee Workshop took place and $25,000 in prize money. Lucky Salvador of Coffee Man Darwin and soon-to-open Perk and Palate placed second and won $10,000, and independent barista Jae Kim came in third and took home $5000.
“It’s an honour to win this year’s Australia’s Richest Barista competition. It’s an amazing event that has allowed me to showcase my skills in different areas within the coffee industry,” says Junnie.
To read how Junnie secured her win, click here: https://www.beanscenemag.com.au/junnie-phyu-wins-2024-australias-richest-barista/
For the first time, MICE attendees were given the chance to vote for their favourite coffee throughout the show, registering their vote via the MICE app or through QR codes on exhibitor stands. Taking home the inaugural top honours this year was Victorian roaster White Owl Coffee.
“It’s a real honour to be a part of the show and rub shoulders with the best in the business. We’re very lucky to be a part of an amazing community of roasters that all came by and shared their time and experience. We’re so grateful to the whole coffee community for coming by our stand and trying our coffee,” says Joe Perry, White Owl Coffee’s Head of Coffee.
This was White Owl Coffee’s first time exhibiting at MICE.
To read which blends got the MICE public’s tick of approval, click here: https://www.beanscenemag.com.au/white-owl-coffee-wins-australias-favourite-coffee-award/
Rounding out MICE’s annual awards was the Product Innovation category, which recognise the best innovations by MICE exhibitors. This year, Scentible Consumable Sensory Kit by Barista Supplies won both the Judge’s Choice and People’s Choice categories.
Joe Perry, White Owl Coffee’s Head of Coffee. Image: Melbourne International Coffee Expo.
“We’re so proud of what we’ve achieved. We’ve worked really hard on this product for the coffee industry, and we believe it’s truly an innovative product that will improve training, as well as the way we buy green beans and look for defects,” says Alec Maroush, Director of Barista Supplies and Co-Founder and Director of Scentible.
“It’s amazing to see that not just the judges but the general public are so accepting of this product as a solution for sensory training,” Alec says.
To discover all Product Innovation award winners, click here: https://www.beanscenemag.com.au/mice-reveals-2024-product-innovation-award-winners/
Scentible Consumable Sensory Kit by Barista Supplies wins 2024 Product Innovation Awards. Image: MICE.
To round out a successful expo, event organisers have confirmed that MICE2025 will take place from 20 to 22 March, 2025.
“We are thrilled to bring MICE back to its original home in the month of March, and that we’ve already received overwhelming exhibitor interest in next year’s event, with more than 40 per cent of stands already sold at the conclusion of this year’s event,” says MICE General Manager Siobhan Rocks.
“We’re excited to see MICE evolve into the expo Australia deserves. We can’t wait to deliver that to exhibitors and visitors, bring it on.”
For more information and to exhibit at MICE2025, visit internationalcoffeeexpo.com/
To read about MICE vision 2025, click here: www.beanscenemag.com.au/mice-reveals-its-2025-vision/
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