Bogota stages international coffee expo

The National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia on Tuesday launched Expoespeciales 2011, the region's most important coffee fair attended by more than 100 exhibitors.

Over 10,000 people from home and abroad are expected to visit the expo, during which Bogota will be nominated as the "World Capital of Coffee," chief of the federation Lius Genaro Munoz told Xinhua.

"It's a unique opportunity because all the key players in the coffee production chain will meet here. It is also a great opportunity to promote the city of Bogota to the world as the 'World Capital of Coffee'," he said.

The chief said the fair reinforces his organization's strategy to position Colombia as the origin of coffee of the highest quality, which is already yielding positive results in countries like China.

"In Asia, we are making our greatest efforts to expand the market," he said.

Munoz added that the expo shows that despite the difficult situation caused by the last harsh winter season, Colombia is still working hard to optimize its coffee products.

The main show of the expo, Munoz went on to say, is the World Barista Championship to be held for the first time in a coffee-producing country, where 56 national barista champions will come to compete after competing in their national champions.

Cindy Chang, director of the WBC, the preeminent international coffee competition, told Xinhua that one of the reasons for choosing Colombia to host WBC 2011 was because it offers a valuable opportunity for participants to visit the country's coffee zone.

Chang added that the expo in Colombia underscores the importance of the barista profession, which requires special knowledge in the preparation of coffee drinks, especially in the process of roasting and grinding coffee.

"Coming to a coffee producing country means we can talk about the real importance and values of coffee, and we are highlighting the barista profession in the industry," she said.

Colombia, the world's largest producer of mild Arabica coffee, produces about 12 million bags of coffee a year, about 90 percent of which are exported. Its main customers include the United States, Japan, Belgium, Canada and Germany.

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