Condesa Co.Lab at MICE 2023

Melbourne International Coffee Expo, known fondly as MICE, stands as Southern Hemisphere’s biggest dedicated coffee expo, fostering connections and ideas within the coffee industry. Condesa is proud to have representation at MICE every year since its inception. This year was no different! Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2023, the whole Condesa team was able to attend and participate in this renowned event, generously supported by ECOM. Condesa’s been attending since its inception and each year we’re blown away by the connections we make and the importance of visiting the coffee capital of the world!

In the post-COVID era, the significance of MICE has become even more pronounced, Melbourne was the city with the strictest lockdowns in the world at one point, so to have good attendance at MICE… is good. It is a vital community gathering where coffee enthusiasts, experts and businesses can reunite. In fact, the week surrounding the 3-day event has been branded as Melbourne Coffee Week where there are many featured events and competitions as well as the expo.

With support from ECOM, Condesa hosts a nice dinner with our esteemed clients as a way of thanking them for their regular business and partnerships formed. Having the whole Australian team in Melbourne was instrumental in strengthening our relationships with clients and partners. While digital communication is convenient, face-to-face interactions provide invaluable insights into industry trends and allows us to engage directly with our customers and the broader coffee community. Seeing how cafes promote coffees, processes and celebrate their relationships with origin helps us understand what type of coffees we need to be providing access too. Thus keeping our fingers on the pulse and creating a deeper understanding on how we can connect roasters to origin. Not only this, it allowed us to attend various events, talks and alternative competitions as well as introduce our broader ECOM family network and expand our reach in general.

Traditionally Condesa has chosen not to exhibit a stand at MICE because many of our clients are exhibitors, so by not being locked to a stand it allows us to freely explore the expo, connect and network with the roasting community. As a special highlight, we collaborated with a client of ours to create special coffee gifts with a Finca Santuario Purple Honey Sidra Colombia by none other than Camilo Merizalde. These trendy tins are now a bit of a collector’s item. 

During this eventful week, our very own Frederick Kjaerulff-Schmidt competed at the Australian Comandante Championship hosted by Proud Mary which was another great opportunity for Condesa to get our name and face out there in the public space. Emilie Coulombe had the privilege of speaking at the ACTA dinner, being at the IWCA Australia stand as the IWCAA board member, as well as participating in a panel discussion on Specialty Brazilian Coffee held at Five Senses. This followed her immersive trip to Brazil showcasing Condesa’s and ECOM’s deep involvement in the coffee world. Collectively we also hosted staff members from Dormans, Descamex and Carmo Coffee.

MICE 2023 was a success, ensuring we continue to maintain our position at the forefront of the coffee world.

Article written by: Eli Murray and Emilie Coulombe