From bean to cup, and from vending to professional machine manufacturers: At a time when the keyword in the entire HORECA sector is sustainability, the entire coffee supply chain returns as the protagonist in what promises to be the place to be for the related F&B and professional hospitality sectors. HostMilano and TuttoFood return to fieramilano as a double-bill from 22–26 October. 

The co-location of the two premier events at the Rho Fiera pavilions in Milan later this year will exploit strategic and system synergies of the shows.

TUTTOFOOD, the global and most innovative B2B event in the agro-food ecosystem, and HostMilano, the out-of-home technologies and solutions hub for players operating in the Coffee/Tea and Bar, Coffee Machines, and vending macro-sector, will offer to the parties involved in the entire supply chain the chance to keep up to date with the latest trends and professional machines. 

Coffee sector sustainability is the winner 

A continuous evolution in the formats, specialisation in the products offered and proposed, expansion of the delivery segment and digitalisation. While flexibility and innovation emerge from a recent TradeLab analysis as the top trends in the coffee sector during 2020, in the various coffee supply chains the new keyword is sustainability. Indeed, the trends for the upcoming months, as the desire to socialise returns, include capsules, green and bean-to-cup, in line with an ‘eco-friendly’ approach that concerns everyone. 

Consumers are increasingly ready to consider the origin of the ingredients and the production practices regarding the blends, and often prefer compostable capsules and pods for their needs. Professional machine manufacturers, in pursuit of green technology, have not only focused on high-end sustainable products (offering advanced functionality and energy efficiency), but have also adopted a plastic-free approach, such as in the case of packaging or in the use of eco-friendly filtration and water treatment systems during testing.

Beyond that, there is evidence that the ‘green’ trend has become popular across the entire coffee supply chain, including the vending segment. Due to new eco-friendly attention, the whole industry has moved towards energy saving machines, more sustainable waste management services and an increasing number of recyclable packages, thanks to the possibility of re-using plastic scoops, bottles and cups in vending machines. 

Sic, the International Coffee Salon, is back 

For 40 years, the only event capable of bringing together the entire coffee supply chain under one roof – Sic – returns to the Rho Fiera pavilions. From green to roasted, from big brands to niche brands, from processing machines to espresso and other extraction methods, among new trends and new technologies, the International Coffee Expo will bring to the stage the most comprehensive panorama of the black bean and the worlds revolving around it, at a time when even in this sector the desire for innovation is combined with design and the latest frontiers of customisation.

Furthermore, in addition to the exhibition spaces, to help the sector’s operators learn more about a product affected by such a fast evolution, there will be travelling events including those organised by Aicaf, the Italian Coffee Masters Academy, and ALTOGA, the National Association of Coffee Roasters and Importers and Food Wholesalers. 

Business and Innovation are the winners at Host 

What characteristics must a product have to meet the increasingly sophisticated needs of professionals? And how to combine technology and design in the Ho.Re.Ca. sector? These are the questions that the companies selected to take part in the new edition of the SMART Label Host Innovation Award – the competition organised by Fiera Milano and Host Milano and scheduled from 22 to 26 October 2021 – are striving to answer. The initiative is held in collaboration with the POLI.Design Consortium of the Milan Polytechnic School and under the patronage of ADI - the Italian Industrial Design Association. 

Making Hostmilano even more of a global equipment hub are a series of activities undertaken with the aim of strengthening relations with stakeholders and the supply chains. 

Starting with the monthly Observatories and periodic newsletters that reach tens of thousands of Italian and foreign operators all over the world to a vast array of webinars (organised together with BIT - Borsa Internazionale del Turismo, TUTTOFOOD, SICUREZZA, TRANSPOTEC LOGITEC) featuring some of the most authoritative figures in the Food & Beverage, Hospitality, Transport, Logistics and Cybersecurity sectors.    

Fiera Milano has also streamlined access to credit for exhibiting companies by supporting investment financing. In order to provide tangible support to SMEs and facilitate their participation in these events, agreements have been signed with various credit institutions. 

Without forgetting that, on the credit front, exhibitors can also count on contributions from Sace Simest to participate in trade fairs and exhibitions in Italy.

For more information, visit: www.host.fieramilano.it