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These festivals demonstrated

how different coffee communities

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own practices.

Photo / Cup North

for idea exchange. By creating an inclusive “asshole-free”
zone, collaboration becomes the foundation for the
coffee experience. NCF and DCF remind us to leave the
“Sustainability” encompasses various meanings— ego out of coffee and fill our cups instead with intrigue
accessibility, transparency, waste reduction, fair wag- and curiosity. Community will form around curiosity
es, and more—and the NCF and DCF served as platforms and set the path for inclusivity and sustainability.
to highlight how these aspects integrate into the coffee
industry. As a volunteer from the United States at these “Sustainable” Is The New Industry Standard
events, I gained insights into the intentional event
production tailored for the coffee industry. What fos- Disposable cups are a major issue within the cof-
ters inclusivity, transparency, and sustainability with- fee industry—an estimated sixteen billion single-use
in this industry? How can these principles guide coffee cups are used each year, and that doesn’t even include
event planning? These festivals showcased how differ- the lids or sleeves to go with them (Effects of paper
ent coffee communities interpret “sustainability” in coffee cups on environment, GreenMatch 2023). The
their practices and how these insights could be applied Nordic Coffee Festival and Dublin Coffee Festival prove
to broader coffee event settings. that cup waste does not need to be a hallmark of our
industry. Single-use cups were completely absent from
“Don’t Be a n Asshole” these events, which was made possible by community
participation. Event partnerships, like Shareclub in
Found all over the walls and booths at NCF, this Dublin, donated mugs, attendees brought their own
mantra serves as a reminder for attendees to leave their vessels, and volunteers were vital in the constant ro-
egos at home. Festivals are opportunities for industry tation of clean mugs. These combined efforts signifi-
professionals and coffee enthusiasts to share, learn cantly reduce the waste impact of creating coffee
about, and celebrate the coffee craft. There is often a events, with the NCF total waste count to be only 443
perception of specialty coffee as “judgmental”—folks kilograms, or less than 230 grams per person (Report-
often feel quite anxious about sharing their love of fla- ing Sustainability, The Barista League, 2020). For
vored lattes to coffee professionals, from fear of judge- non-metric system users, that is less than one pound
ment for disrupting the “purity” of coffee. But elitist per person! Waste reduction is possible through inten-
coffee events set the stage for competitiveness and ar- tional action, and these events prove we have the col-
rogance, preventing the creation of a free and fluid space lective ability to change our consumption habits.

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