The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) is thrilled to announce its flagship North American Specialty Coffee Expo will take place in Houston, TX at the George R. Brown Convention Center, April 25–27, 2025. This extraordinary gathering will welcome more than 17,000 attendees from 85 countries, showcasing the best in coffee innovation, culture, and sustainability as well as several networking opportunities supporting the commerce side of the trade business. Proudly supported by Title Sponsor Middleby Coffee Solutions Group, Diamond Sponsor Sanremo Coffee Machines and Platinum Sponsor Pacific Barista Series. Coffees from Peru will be featured as the Portrait Country with unique cultural activations, and a pop-up café experience.

“Specialty Coffee Expo is more than an event—it’s where the global coffee industry comes together to tackle today’s challenges and celebrate its future. In 2025, resilience will be key as we navigate the impacts of climate change, rising costs, and evolving consumer demands. Expo 2025 will showcase innovative solutions, from advanced brewing technologies to sustainable products, and foster meaningful connections across the coffee value chain,” said Yannis Apostolopoulos, CEO of the Specialty Coffee Association. “It’s the premier North American event for innovation, collaboration, and business in specialty coffee.”

The expansive Exhibition Hall will feature 600+ exhibiting companies offering the industry’s most innovative and cutting edge coffee products. Coffee professionals representing the entire value chain including roasters, retailers, buyers, producers, wholesalers, equipment manufacturers, baristas and more will have the opportunity to learn about integrating specialty coffee into their existing business plan, and easily make purchasing decisions face to face on the show floor.

The 2025 education program will feature 20+ workshops and 60+ lectures from top industry experts who will focus on core topics including Emerging Sustainability Regulations (e.g., EU Deforestation Legislation); E-commerce Strategies; Consumption Trends and Dynamics; and Technology, Automation, and Innovation. There will also be scientific poster sessions, updates on research from the Coffee Science Foundation including presentations from World Coffee Research, roast color research, insights on the current green coffee training ecosystem and the SCA Coffee Value Assessment.

Throughout the three-day event there will be several Special Events, including:

• World Coffee Roasting Championship, the only world coffee competition in North America in 2025, where attendees can witness dozens of elite roasters from around the world compete for the championship title in a thrilling three-day event.

• Awards: Attendees will be able to discover new products and innovations through the Best New Product Awards, Coffee Design Awards and Sustainability Awards.

• Interactive Experiences: The Roaster Village and Cupping Exchange will be two areas to discover amazing new coffees from boutique roasters and green coffee importers from around the world.

• Networking Opportunities: From happy hours with fellow industry peers to evening receptions, parties and meet-ups, attendees and exhibitors will have several ways to network.

• Retail Buyers Lounge: Network with industry peers and enjoy curated programming designed for retail professionals.

• Green Coffee Connect – Learn about the issues facing the fascinating world of green coffee production from experts in the field and discover new ways to interact with this critical sector.

 “Middleby Coffee Solutions is honored to be the Title Sponsor of the 2025 Specialty Coffee Expo in Houston, a prestigious show that has a reputation for showcasing the latest innovation and emerging trends in the coffee industry. Our brands are committed to delivering the highest quality coffee solutions to our customers with a focus on innovation, performance, and reliability. As the coffee industry continues to evolve, we are proud to support specialty coffee operators with product advancements, outstanding customer service and experienced, readily available support. We understand the importance of personal customer relationships with their cafes, and our goal is to strengthen these ties by supporting operators as they deliver an exceptional experience, every time,” said Tim FitzGerald, Middleby Corporation CEO. 

Attendees from around the world enjoy participating in Specialty Coffee Expo.  These are a few testimonials following the 2024 event.  “I am a coffee producer in Colombia and was very excited to attend the Specialty Coffee Expo.  It was very valuable for me to see the development of the coffee value chain worldwide,” said a first-time attendee. “Our company has been attending the SCA Expo since 2010, which is the main reason we manage to stay updated. There is no better investment than attending the SCA Expo,” an international attendee commented. “SCA Expo weekend is still the premier annual space for professionals from around the globe to come and network with each other. It can’t be skipped,” one attendee added.

Registration for the Specialty Coffee Expo is now open at www.coffeeexpo.org.   Register before March 14, 2025 for early bird discounts.  All SCA members receive a discount on registration. For sponsorship, exhibitor, or registration inquiries, email info@sca.coffee or visit Specialty Coffee Expo.