03/11/2014 | 09:44 AM

Coffee & Tea Show serves up what's hot

TORONTO—The annual Canadian Coffee and Tea Show took place at the International Centre in Mississauga, ON, in late September and showcased innovations within the industry.

The two-day event featured manufacturers, vendors and operators alongside several speakers from the industry and the 2014 Canadian Barista Championship.

For the second consecutive year, Benjamin Put of Monogram Coffee in Calgary took home the Barista Championship; the only barista to win consecutive titles other than four-year champion Sammy Piccolo.

Mexico shines

At the centre of the convention, the government-sponsored Mexican pavilion provided attendees with tastes of coffee and tea from the region.

Pablo Sanchez, second secretary of the embassy of Mexico in Canada, said there is a focus on small, artisanal and organic coffee growers.

“We’re the third of the fourth largest coffee provider of Canada and now that people are trying to find different coffees, we have that,” Sanchez told ORN. “Our production is made of small farmers, and we have the largest land dedicated toward organic coffee.”

While some of the current crops are suffering from coffee rust, Sanchez said the Mexican government is pouring money into research to fight the plant disease and find resistant strains.

In Mexico, Sanchez said there is also a deeply-rooted culture of curing ailments with tea, which has sparked an industry of health-related tea sales.

According to Sanchez, Mexico is actively seeking to take advantage of Canadian and Mexican free trade agreements to build economic ties between the countries.

“Canada is very sensitive to organic and fair trade and we have people who want to have the coffee that no one else has, and we can offer that,” he said. “Mexico is a perfect place for that and we are relatively close to Canada.”

Bunn makes a barista

Jeffrey Williams, sales manager for Bunn equipment in Ontario and Atlantic Canada, said that while single-serve cup machines continue to make an impact on the market, espresso machines that produce the entire beverage with a push of a button are keenly sought after in the foodservice industry.

“Our new systems are based on milk management and how we manage 98 per cent of the finished beverage,” Williams said. “It really speaks to the understanding that the restaurant industry is constantly teaching and retraining staff and still requires a consistent product.”

Cold coffee on tap

Station Cold Brew made its debut at the show, giving attendees a sample of cold coffee served on tap.

“Cold brew is exploding,” founder Steve Ballantyne said.

The company offers eight ounce ready-to-drink bottles, a 32-ounce bottle of cold coffee concentrate used for marinades, cocktails and iced coffees and a 30-litre, ready-to-drink keg. Ballantyne said a growler system is also in the works.

Tea at Sea

Fedor Molnar of Tea at Sea showcased his newly formed tea company at the event. The organic loose-leaf tea is sourced from Indonesia, Sri Lanka and China and includes both green and black varieties. 

According to Molnar, he tried several bagged options, but said that the high-quality tea expands too much in water to be contained in an appropriately-sized bag.