São Paulo – The first exhibition focused on specialty coffees to be held in Libya brought together 10,000 visitors. Libya Coffee Expo (Coffeex) took place in the first week of October, opening on the International Coffee Day established by the International Coffee Organization (ICO).
The event featured 43 exhibitors, as well as a barista competition (pictured above) and business meetings. “The inaugural event of Coffeex was an expected and timely success,” said Abdulnasser Ibrahim, an expert that managed and consulted for the exhibition.
The consultant said the event received samples of Brazilian coffees and had coffees from Brazil in booths of different brands. “Several companies had Brazilian coffee beans. They are mentioned by most of Libyan exhibitors,” Ibrahim said, also pointing out the presence of brands such as Tunisia’s Café d’or and Italy’s Avero.
The trade show was attended by diplomats from Italy, Malta and Tunisia, as well as executives from Libyan agencies such as Ministry of Economy, Chamber of Commerce, Food and Drug Control Center, and businesspeople, too. “Syria-, Tunisia- and Italy-based businesses made connections and established official distributions. Many established Libyan coffee companies used the platform for advertising and marketing campaigns.”
In addition to companies that sold packages of coffee beans or roasted and ground coffee, the show also attracted brands of equipment for coffeeshops, as well as suppliers of other foodstuffs like teas and milks.
The organizers have scheduled the next edition of the event. In 2022, Libya Coffee Expo is expected to run from October 1-4 in the same venue – Alkuld Palace, Libya Museum, in Tripoli, the capital city of the Arab country.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
