The Coffee Stage

Coffee is experiencing one of the most relevant moments in its recent history. Popularity, new formats, emerging habits, and a category that is consolidating as a value driver for the HORECA channel. This opening session offers a clear and up-to-date overview of the coffee ecosystem, its value chain, and the strategic role of each stakeholder in the overall success. An essential introduction to understand why coffee is no longer just a beverage, but a real business opportunity.

By AE Café.

The coffee category is evolving at great speed within the OOH channel. New models, hybrid concepts, and proposals are emerging in response to increasingly demanding and better-informed consumers. This session presents the key insights from the Local Heroes Coffee & Bakeries report, focusing on trends, operational complexity, structural challenges, and growth levers. An essential snapshot to understand where today’s opportunities lie and how to capitalize on them from a business perspective.

Real-life cases of operators who have turned coffee into the strategic backbone of their business model. Contemporary, profitable concepts aligned with new customer expectations. This roundtable discussion brings key decisions, practical learnings, and avoidable mistakes to the table, showing how coffee can become a powerful competitive differentiator. Direct inspiration for hoteliers, restaurateurs, and coffee professionals who want this category to move beyond being a mere add-on and become a true driver of success.

Machinery manufacturers share real-world experiences of automation applied to coffee. What works, what doesn’t, and the impact on costs, quality, and daily operations. An honest conversation about investment, return, and smart decisions for businesses seeking efficiency without compromising a high-quality customer experience.

This talk explores the new relationship between a generation of consumers and coffee. We will examine the silent return of the third place, cafés as spaces for connection, pause, and identity, and contrast it with an equally powerful trend: coffee stepping back from the spotlight, becoming an ingredient rather than an experience in itself. From matcha lattes to functional drinks and menus where food takes the lead, younger consumers are redefining what coffee means to them. Together, we will map where these two movements intersect, what they tell us about current consumer behavior, and what they imply for the future of coffee culture in Spain.

Artificial intelligence and data analytics are already transforming coffee management. Consumption forecasting, purchasing optimization, and profitability improvement. This session explores how technology enables more precise and profitable decision-making, anticipates customer needs, and professionalizes the category within the HORECA business.

An inspiring keynote exploring successful models in cafés, restaurants, and hotels from other markets. Countries and cultures with an advanced relationship with coffee serve as a reference to identify trends, formats, and replicable approaches. Fresh ideas to anticipate and evolve your business.

A space led by IED Barcelona where the results of a food design project on Generation Z’s relationship with coffee will be presented.
An analysis of environments, formats, and consumption moments to understand how this new audience is already entering bars and cafés.

Link at https://www.ied.edu/courses/barcelona/master/food-design

A competition that evaluates the technical and creative skills of baristas in the creation of latte art.

To promote coffee culture in Spanish Hospitality Schools and Training Centers.
To encourage the professional development of students and teaching staff in hospitality schools.
To provide the HORECA sector with new professionals who have extensive knowledge of all aspects related to the world of coffee and its service, thereby fostering responsible, sustainable, and respectful consumption within the service industry.