Kaldi: Innovations at European Coffee Symposium 2016

In 2016, Budapest hosted the ninth European Coffee Symposium for three days. The symposium is organized by Allegra Strategies, a company that collects statistics on the European coffee industry.

A reunion of old acquaintances, a large European networking event, and it's growing bigger and bigger every year. Large chains like Starbucks, Nero, and Costa stand alongside smaller, individual coffee specialty shops to share knowledge and information, thereby strengthening each other and the coffee industry.

On the third day of the symposium, there was room for several speakers from the world of coffee. Owner and founder Hans Tietema presented on behalf of Kaldi the company's developments within the theme "Innovation in changing times." For example, Kaldi is working on its own e-learning environment for franchisees, there is an extensive online reporting tool for franchisees that is continuously updated with new possibilities, and an update of the current Kaldi app, which will include a new loyalty program, is coming soon.

Prestigious awards are also presented each year during the symposium. Dutchman Willem Huisman of Brita received an award for his years of contribution to the coffee industry, and the Dutch company Bocca narrowly missed out on the prize for best coffee roaster in Europe.

Tietema was proud to represent Kaldi on stage. "It's a respected event in the coffee world, and Kaldi's presence here indicates that we are seen as an important player."

In 2017, the anniversary edition, the 10th European Coffee Symposium, will take place in Warsaw.