Cafe Malaysia 2015 @ Matrade Exhibition & Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur

The cafe scene in Malaysia is booming, lots of folks having a field day trying out all the new cafes serving specialty coffee, and much more. There I was last week for the inaugural trade and consumer event in Malaysia dedicated to the café and teahouse communities.  The three-day event, CAFE Malaysia 2015 at MATRADE Exhibition and Convention Centre was packed with visitors from the time it opened its doors on May 7, 2015 right up to when it closed its doors at 5pm on May 9, 2015.

Cafe Malaysia 2015 @ Matrade Exhibition & Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur

The show which played host to more than 8,000 visitors and 73 exhibitors from 11 countries is one of the largest gatherings of the tea and coffee industries in Southeast Asia. The multi-sensory event was declared open by Guest-of-Honour, Yang Berbahagia Datuk Dr Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria, Secretary General, Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) Malaysia. So successful was the event that more than 70% of the exhibition booths for Café Malaysia 2016, was snapped up by the industry players before the 2015 show closed its doors.

 Guest-of-Honour, Yang Berbahagia Datuk Dr Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria, Secretary General, Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) Malaysia

The inaugural trade and consumer event brought together the café and teashop owners and managers, importers and exporters, distributors and suppliers of machinery, equipment, and raw materials. It served as a dynamic B2B platform for key decision makers to source for their café needs, and explore new collaborations and opportunities in a country where the number of specialty coffee drinkers has grown over the years. Malaysia, especially in Kuala Lumpur, has also seen a significant increase in the number of cafés.

And CAFE Malaysia 2015 is officially launched!

The 3-day exhibition saw numerous networking opportunities for the trade and fun-filled activities for the public on everything coffee and tea. The exclusive workshops, classes and demonstrations of the latest technologies, trends and techniques pertaining to the industry were warmly received and attended by visitors. 

Gelato Making classes in progress

Gelato making classes by Carpigiani Gelato University and Italian trainer, Marco Alfero was of interest to café owners who sought to expand their menus in order to serve a wider range of food in response to greater competition among cafes and where differentiation is becoming a necessity in growth markets. The booth by Arissto, the exhibition’s platinum sponsor, was a popular stop at the show for both trade visitors and members of the public.

Arissto, the exhibition’s platinum sponsor

Café Malaysia also saw the official launch of the Café Owners Alliance. The newly formed alliance attracted close to 100 café owners across East and West Malaysia. One of the key highlights Café Malaysia was the industry dialogue and forum held in conjunction with the launch. The panel discussion which took place on the morning of May 8 was moderated by Kelvin Ngow, Executive Director of Coffex Coffee. 

The Malaysian Brewer’s Cup Championships (MBCC)  on-going

Café Malaysia 2015 witnessed the national launch of the Malaysian Brewer’s Cup Championships (MBCC) and the Malaysian National Latte Art Championships (MNLAC). The top baristas brewed their way to represent Malaysia at the World Brewer’s Cup Championships 2015 and the World National Latte Art Championships.

VIPs at CAFE Malaysia 2015

Visitors to the event were treated to an awe-inspiring segment where the masters brewed the perfect cup of coffee, distinguished a variety of coffee and decorated their latte. The winner of Malaysian Brewer’s Cup Championships (MBCC) was Ms Wai Yee Beng from Café In A Box. The winner of Malaysian National Latte Art Championships (MNLAC) was Mr Eng Boon Hong from Just Want Coffee. Here's looking forward to the next installment of CAFE Malaysia!