On October 15–16, we opened the doors of our Cafe Imports Europe office to welcome 40 Roasters, coffee professionals, and friends from 11 different countries that made their way to Berlin for a day and a half of coffee, learning, and good company. And after years of talking about it, planning, and dreaming up what this gathering could look like, our first After Hours, All Day finally happened.
The idea behind After Hours, All Day was pretty simple. We wanted to create a space where people could come together, share knowledge, ask questions, and have the kinds of conversations that often happen after the trade shows, meetings, and presentations are over. Just good coffee, interesting people, and an opportunity to learn from each other.
And we’re happy to say it turned out even better than we’d hoped.
We kicked things off Thursday evening with a beautiful introduction from Cafe Imports Europe Director, Simone Konig, welcoming everyone to Berlin and setting the stage for what was to come.
From there, we headed out for a walk through the city on our way to dinner. It was the perfect opportunity to break the ice, reconnect with old friends, meet some new ones, and get the conversations going before the full day ahead.
By the time Friday morning rolled around, everyone was ready to get into it.
Friday started with pastries, coffee, and a full day of learning ahead of us. We divided everyone into two groups and rotated through a schedule of workshops, presentations, and cuppings, making sure there was plenty of opportunity to participate, exchange ideas, and, of course, drink lots of coffee.
Our very own Director of Sensory Ian Fretheim got everyone thinking about sensory evaluation through a session on the Coffee Rose, challenging some conventional approaches to cupping and exploring different ways of understanding and communicating what we taste.
Head of Education, Dylan Siemens led Talking Transparency, a conversation about the challenges and realities of today’s coffee market, from price volatility and FOB to sourcing, and the importance of communication and understanding throughout the supply chain.
We were also joined by Guro Handeland from ROEST, who explored how technology and automation are changing the way we roast coffee, and what those developments mean for the people behind the machines.
And naturally, there was plenty of cupping. Two rounds, lots of coffees on the table, and no shortage of opinions, questions, and conversations. One of the best parts of bringing together roasters from so many different places is getting to see how everyone approaches the same coffees through their own experiences and perspectives.
Between sessions, there was time for lunch, cake, and the spontaneous conversations that tend to be just as valuable as the scheduled ones.
We brought everyone back together toward the end of the day for To the Source, a panel featuring Bob Wenneker of Friedhats, Alica Bánszka of Rebelbean, Nuno Silva of Allpress, and our own Africa Green Buyer, Claudia Bellinzoni.
With different perspectives from across the coffee supply chain, the panel explored the challenges of navigating today’s market, making sourcing decisions, building relationships, and figuring out how to move forward in an industry that’s constantly changing.
It was a fitting way to close out the educational part of the day, bringing together many of the themes we’d been discussing and reminding us why creating space for open, honest conversations matters.
After a full day of drinking coffee, it was finally time to switch beverages.
We wrapped things up with an aperitivo at our Berlin office, complete with wine, tacos, and plenty more conversation. People stuck around, caught up with new friends, and enjoyed a chance to unwind after a packed day.
It was a pretty perfect ending.
After Hours, All Day has been a goal of ours for years. We wanted to create something that went beyond the usual industry gathering, something that brought people together around education, collaboration, and a shared curiosity about coffee.
Seeing roasters from 11 different countries show up, participate, exchange ideas, and spend time together made all those years of planning worthwhile.
A huge thank you to everyone who traveled to Berlin to join us, to our speakers and partners for sharing their knowledge!
We’re incredibly proud of what we created together, and even more excited about what it could become.
Here’s to more coffee, more conversations, and more opportunities to bring this community together.
Until next time!
