Organized for the first time this year, Izmir Coffee Fair hosts its participants and visitors, and attracts great attention with its workshops and activities such as different conversations, coffee roasting and brewing. Şerif Başaran and Sam Çeviköz, one of the leading names in the sector, evaluated the fair and the point reached by the coffee industry in Turkey.
Izmir Coffee Fair – Coffee, Coffee Equipment and Consumables Fair, hosted by the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality and organized with the cooperation of İZFAŞ and SNS Fuarcılık in Fuarizmir, besides the commercial volume it creates, the “Brewing and Tasting Stage” and the “Roastery Stage and Application Area” It also hosts events such as different conversations, coffee roasting and brewing. Leading names of the industry take part as speakers in talks and events that attract great attention from visitors. Şerif Başaran, the founder of the Coffee Factory, trainer, consultant to many companies, and one of the first names that come to mind in Turkey when it comes to qualified coffee, talked about coffee and the tricks of roasting coffee at the fair. Başaran evaluated the situation of Turkey in this sector, where coffee culture has a great importance from history to the present.
We can have a say in the world with our brands
Şerif Başaran said, “We have companies in Turkey that can compete with the world in this sector. We have 70 – 80 years old coffee roasting machine manufacturers. When I looked in Australia, Turkish brands were among the most used roasting machines. In addition, Turkish coffee machine manufacturers and espresso machine manufacturers in our country are in very good shape. When we look at the machinery field, we have entered the world's top 20 brands with at least 4-5 brands. On the other hand, we also have very qualified coffee roasting companies. For example, when buying green beans, countries such as Germany and Switzerland charge zero tax on coffee, and when you roast and sell, there is a tax per kilogram. There should be similar regulations in our country. If necessary arrangements are made, our industry will become much more competitive and we may have brands in Turkey selling roasted coffee to the whole world in the future. We can compete with other countries very well in terms of exports, we can come to the fore.”
It is necessary to catch the trend and innovate.
Stating that the revolution in coffee should also be experienced in machine production in our country, Başaran said, “Traditional production methods inherited from the grandfather need to be shaped and changed according to the requirements of the age and technology with innovative innovative approaches. We begin to see generations and brands that bring innovative changes as successful abroad. It is necessary to catch the trend and innovate. Otherwise, we cannot leave the domestic market, our goal should be to expand abroad. Just as there is a third generation in coffee, 3 generations should make this revolution in the manufacturers," he said.
Stating that the interest in coffee in Turkey has increased day by day with the entry of international coffee chain brands into Turkey and the increase in local brands in the last year, Başaran said, “Coffee is now drunk for pleasure as well as for caffeine needs. Socialization trends have turned to coffee-drinking places and cafes with the increase of local and international brands. Cafes; There are places where you can study, sit down and meet with friends and socialize. Instead of going to each other's houses as guests, people came to meet in cafes. It became a meeting point after the house,” he said.
Izmir is very convenient for the fair due to its location
Evaluating the fair, Şerif Başaran reminded that İzmir has hosted coffee trade and coffee roasting machine manufacturers for more than 100 years in the region and said, “Organizations, workshops and competitions at the fair are important to make visitors love coffee. However, the important part that should not be forgotten is the B2B part. Professionals who come here can access all components with their sub-sectors, from machinery to green beans, from consultancy to milk, syrup, pastry and furniture. Coffee fairs have great returns in order to increase the commercial volume. Izmir; It is very advantageous in terms of location, logistics, accommodation, location of the fair and can create a hub. There is a very nice and big fairground. Looking forward, I expect it to be a good fair where competitions are held in much larger volumes," he said.
It was a fair that suits Izmir very well.
Coffee HQ Co-Founder Sam Çeviköz, one of the well-known names in the industry, who participated in the talk on the effects of coffee on our lives at the Demleme and Tadım Sahnesi attracted great attention from the audience. Sam Çeviköz, who lived in Australia and returned to Turkey 11 years ago, said, “We are the ones who bring coffee to the world. When we look at it, the first cafe in the world was opened in Istanbul Galata in Turkey. Until the 1950s, there was coffee consumption before tea in Turkey. In recent years, Turkish coffee has started to grow in the world. Since Turkish coffee is generally economical in our country, it is made with coffee beans from a region of Brazil. However, you can make Turkish coffee not only from a single bean, but also with qualified coffee, it can be made from any bean.
Sam Çeviköz, who gave information to the visitors on many subjects from the selection of the coffee to its roasting, from the brewing methods to the appropriate drinking degrees, also evaluated the fair and said, “It was a fair that befits İzmir. Although it was organized for the first time, it was successful and very interesting. I believe that next year will be much better. Turkey's potential for coffee is very high and it is a sector that is growing and attracting attention. There are better coffee shops in our country than those abroad who have improved themselves a lot in this regard. In this fair, we see those people among us. This is a very good thing for the fair. There was great interest in my interview, they were really knowledgeable and asked many questions. "I want to be here next year," he said.