The Viet Nam International Cafe Show 2018 will take place in HCM City next month, attracting more than 200 booths from 100 exhibitors and brands from 12 countries.

The third annual show will take place from May 3-5 at the Sai Gon Exhibition and Convention Centre in District 7.

The event is one of the largest coffee shows of the year with the presence of major coffee brands such as Trung Nguyen and King Coffee, as well as famous coffee machines and accessories brands. Exhibitors will also display desserts, raw materials and ingredients.

There will be a space devoted to new products and services in the Vietnamese food and beverage industry.

In addition, a coffee training station will offer visitors a chance to experience cupping and brewing under the guidance of professionals.

A class for cafe owners, consultants and R&D staff to learn about recipes from experts will also be held, while baristas will serve free cups of coffee to visitors.

The final round of the Viet Nam National Barista Championship, which will take place from May 3-5, will determine the winner representing Viet Nam at the World Barista Championship to be held in June in Amsterdam.

The Viet Nam Signature Battle, a competition to promote innovative beverage and spirit recipes, will also return during the show.

The winner will receive a prize of US$5,000 and have an opportunity to join professional training courses and compete at the World Signature Battle 2018 in Seoul.

With rapid development of the beverage market, especially coffee, the show has attracted attention from enterprises, farmers, manufacturers, distributors and related services.

Last year, the show had 150 booths from 10 countries and more than 18,000 visitors and buyers.

Launched in 2002 in Seoul, the Cafe Show has steadily grown and established a foothold in the South Korea and Asian coffee market.

This year, around 580 exhibitors from 40 countries and 151,000 visitors from 76 countries and boasts the biggest scale among specialised coffee events in Asia.

Total coffee consumption in Viet Nam between 1990 and 2016 rose 20 times from 6,789 tonnes to 138,000 tonnes, according to Statista, an online statistics, market research and business intelligence portal.

During the 2012-2016 period, Viet Nam ranked fourth among the world’s fastest growing coffee retail markets, according to Statista. — VNS