11 January 2020, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 12,000 visitors gathered over three days at the sixth edition of the Café Malaysia series in celebration of the country’s longest-running international coffee show which was officially opened on 9 January 2020 at the Malaysia International Trade & Exhibition Centre (MITEC).
The Café Malaysia series a yearly event which celebrates Malaysia’s dynamic coffee culture and industry, is the country’s largest gathering of industry players, café owners, professional baristas and latte artists. The event showcases the latest supplies and products, an array of coffee beans and tea leaves from around the globe, equipment, machinery, accessories and technology, all under one roof. The comprehensive one-stop platform is also a focal point of business opportunities as industry players get to network with another to explore opportunities in the fast-growing regional and international coffee businesses.
Café Malaysia 2020 attracted coffee and tea trade professionals, congress delegates, baristas, café owners, coffee and tea suppliers, equipment distributors, members of the Malaysia Café Owners Alliance from across East and West Malaysia, and members of the public. The show hosted over 100 brands and companies hailing from more than 20 countries including Malaysia on a gross exhibition area spanning across 6,000sqm.
This year, the show continued to honour and acknowledge Malaysia’s top talents of baristas and latte art virtuosos as it hosted three internationally-sanctioned coffee championships at the national level – the Malaysia Barista Championship (MBC) 2020, the Malaysia Brewers Cup (MBrC) 2020, and the Malaysia Latte Art Championship (MLAC) 2020.
The following were crowned as champions today:
1. Keith Koay Zizheng (One Half Coffee) – Malaysia Barista Championship (MBC) 2020
2. Regine Wai Yee Beng (Page 2 Café)- Malaysia Brewers Cup (MBrC) 2020
3. Nicky Voon Pei Xin (103 Coffee Workshop)- Malaysia Latte Art Championship (MLAC) 2020
Winners from each competition clinched the ultimate honour to represent Malaysia at the international championships which will be held overseas later this year.
The show also hosted visitors who are keen to acquire knowledge on topics pertaining to managing a café and how to brew the best cuppa at the Café Malaysia 2020 Seminar. The knowledge-sharing session featured café and coffee experts who presented insights on various topics such as ‘Maximizing and Capitalizing Your Milk for Customers’, ‘The Importance of Having a Good Sound System’, ‘Origami Coffee Dripper’, ‘Philosophy of Coffee Brewing and Brewing Method by Tetsu Kasuya, World Brewer Champion (2016)’, and ‘Green Coffee Buying: Guideline for Specialty & Micro-lot Selection and Purchasing.’
Cafe Malaysia 2020 was organised by CEMS Conference & Exhibition (M) Sdn Bhd, and hosted by the Malaysia Specialty Coffee Association (MSCA) and the Café Owners Alliance Malaysia. MSCA is a member of the ASEAN Coffee Federation (ACF). The show was also endorsed by the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE).
