Roast Summit | Melbourne, Australia
Roast Summit Melbourne Was a Sold Out Success!
On March 18-19, 2025, coffee professionals gathered in Melbourne, Australia, for an unforgettable event sponsored by Loring and hosted by Anne Cooper of Equilibrium Master Roasters. This summit brought together industry leaders for an immersive experience in the art and science of coffee and roasting. Over two days, attendees engaged in insightful discussions, hands-on workshops, and invaluable networking, making it a true celebration of coffee innovation and community.
Program
Day One (March 18) | Educational Sessions
Venue: Better Building Exchange (427 Albert St., Brunswick VIC 3056, Melbourne, Australia)
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Introduction to the event with host Anne Cooper and Roast publisher Connie Blumhardt
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Moderators Anne Cooper and Caleb Holstein lead a discussion on the volatility of the current green coffee market, looking at the reasons behind it and how to manage the increased costs to move forward sustainably as an industry. Panelist include Joe Tynan/Cafe Imports, Daniel Vella/Interamerican-Australia/NKG, Raihaan Esat/International Coffee Traders, Mark Howard/Caravela Coffee, Daniel Vergnano/List+Beisler, Ibby Galea/Sucafina Australia, and Nadia Moreira and Andre Selga/Southland Merchants.
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Coffee break and a chance to mix and mingle with fellow attendees.
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Presented by Erick Armbrust, area sales manager U.S. & Australia for Cropster
Rising costs and increased competition are driving roasters and cafes to operate with greater precision than ever. Every gram of waste affects your profitability and sustainability. This session offers practical insights on how waste reduction can fuel business success, demonstrating how simple process improvements, combined with built-in tracking and reporting, can foster a culture of efficiency—key to protecting and growing margins.
Learning Objectives:Recognize the financial and environmental impact of waste across the supply chain.
Discover process, technical and sustainable solutions that enhance operational efficiency.
Gain practical steps to implement waste-reduction strategies with confidence.
Learn how to build a less wasteful and more profitable coffee culture in your business from industry leaders through real-world case studies.
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Lunch provided onsite and a fun activity — bring a bag of roasted coffee to swap!
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Moderator Ben Bicknell leads a chat-and-taste of Australian coffee with Lucy Stocker/Crater Mountain Coffee and Sergio Londono & Jemal Murat/Murat Coffee. Ben also discusses the recent World Coffee Research study on Australian farms.
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Coffee break and a chance to mix and mingle with fellow attendees.
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Presented by Luiz Saldahnha.
For decades, innovation in coffee has made giant strides, while the system for scoring coffee has remained the same. We knew there had to be a better way. So for years, the SCA has collaborated with the industry, scientists, and researchers to develop the new Coffee Value Assessment (CVA)—a complete “high-resolution” picture of a specific coffee across four assessment types, that takes into account all the attributes that make a coffee special. It’s scientific, specific, sustainable, and specialty.
The new Coffee Value Assessment evaluates coffee across four assessment types, completed separately to avoid bias.
From farm to cup - we know consumers care about the equitable value of whether a coffee is fair trade, produced by women, or regeneratively grown.
So by taking into account these valued attributes, the CVA is evolving the definition of value in specialty coffee.
For cuppers and consumers, producers and educators—and everyone committed to more sustainable supply chains—driven by the SCA's sustainable coffee agenda, which emphasizes equitable value distribution throughout the supply chain, the CVA system aspires to be a powerful tool in evolving our understanding of value in coffee.
Join Luiz Saldanha, a coffee producer himself, as he takes us through the new SCA CVA.
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The group will convene for final remarks as we close out the day.
Day Two (March 19) | Hands-On Activities
Venue: Project 281 Coffee Roasters (281 Albert St. Brunswick VIC 3056, Melbourne, Australia)
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Remarks from host Anne Cooper to start off the day.
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Attendees will be assigned to a rotation in four groups. A detailed schedule will be available onsite.
CVA Cupping Workshop: Practicing Cupping with the New CVA
Roasting Fundamentals: Defining Roasting Standards When Dialing in a Roast Profile
Embracing Less-Than-Perfect With Fit-For-Purpose Coffee Grades
A Guide to Planning, Buying and Managing Your Green Coffee as a Roaster
(See workshop descriptions below)
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Coffee break and a chance to mix and mingle with fellow attendees.
-
Attendees will be assigned to a rotation in four groups. A detailed schedule will be available onsite.
CVA Cupping Workshop: Practicing Cupping with the New CVA
Roasting Fundamentals: Defining Roasting Standards When Dialing in a Roast Profile
Embracing Less-Than-Perfect With Fit-For-Purpose Coffee Grades
A Guide to Planning, Buying and Managing Your Green Coffee as a Roaster
(See workshop descriptions below)
-
Lunch provided onsite and a fun activity — bring a bag of roasted coffee to swap!
-
Attendees will be assigned to a rotation in four groups. A detailed schedule will be available onsite.
CVA Cupping Workshop: Practicing Cupping with the New CVA
Roasting Fundamentals: Defining Roasting Standards When Dialing in a Roast Profile
Embracing Less-Than-Perfect With Fit-For-Purpose Coffee Grades
A Guide to Planning, Buying and Managing Your Green Coffee as a Roaster
(See workshop descriptions below)
-
Coffee break and a chance to mix and mingle with fellow attendees.
-
Attendees will be assigned to a rotation in four groups. A detailed schedule will be available onsite.
CVA Cupping Workshop: Practicing Cupping with the New CVA
Roasting Fundamentals: Defining Roasting Standards When Dialing in a Roast Profile
Embracing Less-Than-Perfect With Fit-For-Purpose Coffee Grades
A Guide to Planning, Buying and Managing Your Green Coffee as a Roaster
(See workshop descriptions below)
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Closing remarks followed by Happy Hour at Project 281.
Day Two Workshop Descriptions
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As the follow up to the lecture on Day 1, Luiz Saldanha will take us through a cupping tasting evaluation where we will cup & score the same bowl of coffee with both the heritage SCA 80 point scoring system vs the new CVA in order to experience & better understand the value of the new CVA.
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With rising coffee prices, the pressure is on to nail a roast profile quickly and efficiently—wasting multiple batches is simply not an option. But without standardized industry guidelines for coffee roasting, how can we ensure consistency and accuracy when dialing in a new coffee?
Join Master Roastress Anne Cooper for a deep dive into the logical, comprehensive process of:
Defining a roasting standard and what it should look like
Identifying key data points to track for consistent results
Efficiently dialing in a roast profile on any roasting system
Putting theory into practice on two different roasting systems
This session aims to drive the industry toward clearer, more universally accepted roasting methodologies—helping roasters achieve precision and repeatability, every time.
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We all know coffee is an organic product and that no matter how meticulous a coffee farmer is, there will be a range of qualities produced by every harvest. Knowing how to identify and communicate different grades of coffee, understanding the causation of each of these and choosing the right lot fit-for-purpose in your business’ products is an invaluable skill in savvy selection.
Join international coffee consultant and Q Grader Instructor, Ben Bicknell for a hands on workshop to:
Refresh with an overview of coffee production & grading techniques
Learn key grading categories - defect and sizing included.
A blind tasting of a variety of comparison lots
A discussion on cup profile & business considerations.
This session aims to help you build a framework for coffee lot selection beyond initial SCA specifications, helping you find the coffees that provide a cost effective, fit-for-purpose outcome for your customers.
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Presented by Caleb Holstein & Joe Tynan
It is now more than ever critical you are across every aspect of your green coffee as a roaster, with the drastic changes we have seen in the coffee market with not just price volatility but also the reduction in spot coffee a mistake in your green coffee procurement or management will be extremely costly.
In this session we will provide you with insights about how you can take control of your green coffee and ensure your roastery is equipped to handle the new dynamics of the green coffee market.
With a focus on what has changed in the market and how you can keep informed as things adapt, along with providing you with resources to be able to implement a holistic purchasing program to align your buying with individual origin harvest periods.
Session Key Areas
The New Normal in the Green Coffee Market
Drivers behind price volatility
Spot Inventory Insights
Planning, Forecasting & Managing Your Green
Aligning your purchasing with harvest, when is best to buy from where
How you can track your green coffee contracts
Holistic Purchasing, How to group your blend and single origin needs from origins.
Budgeting, Costing & Pricing
Setting and tracking green budgets
Aligning your costs and pricing, ensuring your margins are what you need them to be.
Speakers & Panelists
Travel & Venue Information
Visa: International attendees, please be aware that a valid visa is required to enter Australia. It's essential to apply for your visa well in advance of your travel date. For detailed information on visa types and application procedures, visit the Australian Department of Home Affairs website.
Day One (March 18): Better Building Exchange (427 Albert St., Brunswick VIC 3056, Melbourne, Australia)
Parking: Free, all-day parking is available right outside the venue.
Day Two (March 19): Project 281 Coffee Roasters (281 Albert St. Brunswick VIC 3056, Melbourne, Australia)
Parking Options: There is 2-hour parking available on Albert Street. All-day parking is just 50-100m past the railway line (a short 2-minute walk back). Woolworths parking across the road is another option.
Public Transport: If you're taking the train, Brunswick Station (Upfield Line) is a 2-minute walk away. The nearest tram is Tram #19, Stop 22 on the corner of Albert St. and Sydney Rd.
Sponsors
To learn more about sponsorship opportunities for this event, please email us.
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