With just nine days to go until we celebrate Central American coffee at PRF El Salvador, we’re ready to share our final lineup of speakers and panelists. These world-renowned coffee experts are thought leaders in their respective fields, and we can’t wait to hear them pour out their knowledge and insights on our stage.
Lecture themes will include the various challenges and opportunities facing Salvadoran coffee producers and the industry as a whole, as well as discussions around trending topics and the future of coffee.
Here’s a breakdown of the finalized lecture and panel discussion program.
Who’s joined the lineup since we last updated it?
The sixth edition of PRF runs from March 16 to 17 in El Salvador, the country where our first PRF was held. A crucial component of the two-day forum is our meticulously curated lineup of lectures and panel discussions, alongside various workshops, exhibitions, and cupping sessions.
Here are all the updates to our lecture program:
Lectures
Circular Economy: Implementing scalable coffee packaging solutions
Speaker: Mark Zhou (MTPak, China)
Curating green coffee: Matching production with consumption
Speaker: Bram De Hoog (Ally Coffee, Netherlands)
The full lineup
Here’s our full PRF El Salvador lecture and panel discussion lineup in all its glory:
Lectures
Creating a pathway for selling ultra-premium coffees
Speaker: José Guzman (Kofra Specialty Coffee Roasters, UK)
Micro to macro: how to scale a specialty roastery
Speaker: Rodrigo Jaeger (Café Señor K, Chile)
What are the purchasing priorities of Chinese roasters?
Speaker: Lewis Harding (Coffee Exchange, China)
Exotic processing: leveraging biochemistry to produce experimental coffees
Speaker: Wilton Benitez (Varietales Finos SAS, Colombia)
Key steps for managing quality control
Speaker: Dulce Barrera (Bella Vista Coffee, Guatemala)
Addressing the north-south divide in the coffee supply chain
Speaker: Sam Corra (Ona Coffee, Australia)
It’s time to change the standards for how we market and sell coffee
Speaker: Martin Mayorga (Mayorga Coffee, USA)
How can El Salvador differentiate itself from other origins and sell more coffee in the UK?
Speaker: Dale Harris (Hasbean, UK)
The evolving coffee market in the US
Speaker: Matt Swenson (Nestlé, USA)
Coffee prices: what happened in 2022 and what can be expected in 2023?
Speaker: Albert Scalla (StoneX, USA)
More than a market trend: why cold brew cup quality matters
Speaker: Julia Leach (Toddy, USA)
A roaster’s guide to entering the Eastern European market
Speaker: Zoran Stanojevic (Kafeterija, Serbia)
How direct relationships lead to improved quality
Speaker: Eduardo Choza (Mayorga Coffee, USA)
How to translate a profile from sample to production roast
Speaker: Ola Brattås (Kaffebrenneriet AS, Norway)
Reviewing the challenges facing roasters who trade directly with producers
Speaker: Mohamad Merhi (Cypher Urban Roasters, UAE)
Entrepreneurship in the coffee sector: bringing young people into the industry
Speaker: Luis Eduardo López (Varietales Finos & Granja Paraíso 92, Colombia)
Panel discussions
Scaling specialty coffee consumption through relationships with fast food chains
Lead panelist: Edgar Cabrera (Thrive Farmers, Guatemala)
Guests: Kenneth Lander (Thrive Farmers, Costa Rica)
Courtney Stewart (Chick-fil-A, USA)*
What is a buyer looking for? How can you add value to both yourself and the buyer?
Lead panelist: Gabriela Flores (Belco, El Salvador)*
Guests: Jordan Montgomery (Fjord Coffee, Germany)
Dario Scilipoti* (Bluebird Coffee Roasters, South Africa)
How can roasters add more value for producers?
Lead panelist: Jeffrey Chean (Groundwork Coffee, USA)
Guests: Adam Kline (Coffee Unified, Inc., USA)
Sarra Corrales* (Finca Los Pinos, Nicaragua)
How can we make specialty coffee less elitist?
Lead panelist: Jonathan Moral (Café de Finca, Spain)
Guests: Ingrid Olivo ( Finca Montagu, El Salvador)*
Rodrigo Giammattei (Café Caté, El Salvador)
Winning the World Barista Championship
Lead panelist: Federico Bolaños (Alquimia Coffee, El Salvador)
Guests: Carlos Pola (Finca San Antonio & Las Brisas, El Salvador)
Alejandro Méndez (2011 WBC Champion, 4 Monkeys Coffee Roasters, El Salvador)
How to connect with the Saudi green buyer
Lead panelist: Osamah Alawwam (Roasting House, Saudi Arabia)
Guests: Yousef Alzayer (Leanitai Coffee, Saudi Arabia)
Miguel Candel (Saudi Coffee, Saudi Arabia)
The role of women in the Salvadoran coffee sector
Lead panelist: María Pacas (Café Pacas, El Salvador)
Guests: María Elena Botto (International Women’s Coffee Association & Women’s Coffee Alliance of El Salvador, El Salvador)
Ana María Schmidt (Finca Montealegre, El Salvador)
Customizing coffee education and training for Central America
Lead panelist: Johanna de Rodríguez (Academia Barista Pro, El Salvador)
Guests: Jonathan Rodríguez (Academia Barista Pro, El Salvador)
Carlos Guerra (Café San Rafael, Honduras)
Víctor Flores (Biscuit Factory, Honduras)*
Are we defining coffee quality incorrectly?
Lead panelist: Tony Dreyfuss (Metropolis Coffee, USA)
Guests: Nicole Battefeld-Montgomery (Rancilio Group DE, Germany)
Jorge Raúl Rivera* (Santa Rosa, El Salvador)
Reviewing Middle Eastern specialty coffee trends
Lead panelist: Mostafa El-Saiid (Al Fayrouz, Egypt)
Guests: Anthony Bedoyan (Golden Goose, UAE)
Bogdan Prunila* (Crown Muscat, Oman)
* New guests added since previous update
Tickets for PRF El Salvador are on sale now. Visit our ticketing page here to secure your place ahead of the two-day forum, which takes place on 16 & 17 March 2023.
Several PRF El Salvador workshops and cupping sessions have also been announced – make sure you register to guarantee your place at these limited-capacity events.
To learn more about PRF El Salvador, visit our news page here, sign up for our newsletter here, or reach out to our team at this email address.