diving deep into the current state of coffee.
Join us September 29th & 30th in St. Louis, as we host the first ever Current Coffee Summit.
Current Coffee Summit is where coffee professionals come together to share ideas, challenge convention, and shape the future of the industry.
What is current?
What's Working NowLearn from industry leaders who are actively building, testing, and refining the next generation of coffee businesses.
What's Coming NextExplore the trends, technologies, and innovations shaping the future of coffee before they become industry standards.
Who's Leading ItConnect with the entrepreneurs, educators, operators, and pioneers driving meaningful change throughout the industry.
What we’re talking about
-
Discover how cafés are rethinking espresso production to increase speed, consistency, and quality without sacrificing the customer experience.
-
Explore the tools and technologies transforming modern coffee operations, from equipment innovation to labor-saving systems.
-
The future of coffee isn't just about better beverages, it's about better systems. Discover how modern drive-thru concepts are increasing revenue, improving efficiency, and proving that quality coffee and high-volume service can coexist.
-
As demand for Matcha and premium tea continues to grow, discover how cafés are elevating their tea programs through quality sourcing, education, and execution.
-
Explore how coffee companies are building memorable brands, creating loyal communities, and standing out in an increasingly competitive market.
-
Discover how thoughtful merchandising, hospitality, and customer experience strategies can increase both sales and loyalty.
the people shaping coffee
Meet the operators, innovators, educators, and entrepreneurs helping define the future of coffee.
RANDY ANDERSONRandy Anderson is a coffee scientist, educator, and inventor dedicated to advancing the understanding of extraction and brewing. As the founder of The Laws of Extraction Lab and creator of ColdPerk, he has become a respected voice in coffee education and innovation.
CHRIS MAYBURYChris Maybury is a coffee educator, systems innovator, and founder of Beta Coffee, known for pioneering modern approaches to batch espresso and café workflow. His practical, data-driven perspective has influenced how coffee professionals think about speed, consistency, and service.
AKI HOWLEYAki Howley is the founder of Arteao, sourcing exceptional Japanese matcha and tea directly from the growers and communities she grew up with in Japan. Guided by generations of tea tradition, her commitment to quality is helping redefine what cafés can expect from their tea programs.
NIKLAS IVARSSONNiklas Ivarsson is President of Bluewater USA and a longtime leader in specialty coffee. With over 20 years of experience in brewing technology, education, and business development, he is helping coffee professionals rethink water as a key ingredient in quality, consistency, equipment performance, and flavor.
MARIE FRANKLINMarie Franklin has spent her career exploring coffee from every angle, from roasting and green importing to sales leadership, education, and product development. As VP of Sales at Numilk, she's now bringing that deep coffee industry expertise to the plant-based milk space, focused on where it's headed and what it means for the future of coffee.
JAVI ALVAREZJavi Alvarez is the Co-Founder of Espresso State of Mind, a nationally recognized coffee community and event platform founded in 2017. Javi has led brand activations, trade show experiences, educational events, and latte art competitions across the United States. Through his work, he has helped build lasting relationships between baristas, cafés, roasters, and leading coffee brands while creating experiences that strengthen and grow the specialty coffee community.
DANIEL KLEHMAfter overcoming a troubled past, he spent four decades building and leading some of the nation's most recognizable restaurant brands, including Applebee's, Logan's Roadhouse, Illegal Pete's, and Cheba Hut. Today, he's the founder of Convict Coffee Company, where he and his sons are redefining coffee culture through second chances, genuine hospitality, and a community-first approach.
KYLE COLEMAN Kyle Coleman is a culinary and foodservice executive with more than two decades of experience developing programs for national retailers, restaurants, and coffee chains. His career includes leadership roles with TurboChef, Sprouts Farmers Market, and Alto-Shaam, spanning culinary operations, product development, sourcing, and kitchen technology. Today, Kyle represents Prática across the Central U.S., helping operators improve speed, consistency, quality, and profitability.
BRANDON SARDIBrandon Sardi is the founder of Poorboy Coffee, a San Francisco coffee company that grew from a $500 pop-up into a brand spanning carts, catering, roasting, wholesale, and partnerships. His lean approach challenges the traditional café model by scaling demand before overhead.
Brandon will share how carts, catering, events, and partnerships can create a scalable coffee business with lower startup costs, less overhead, and a faster path to ROI.
WHY ATTEND?
Coffee is changing faster than ever. Rising costs, shifting consumer habits, labor challenges, and new technologies are forcing operators to rethink how they build and run their businesses.
Current Coffee Summit brings together the people actively solving these challenges every day. Through practical education, honest conversations, and real-world case studies, attendees will gain actionable insights they can immediately apply to improve operations, increase profitability, elevate quality, and create stronger customer experiences.
Whether you're launching your first café, scaling multiple locations, refining a roasting operation, or looking for fresh ideas to stay competitive, Current is designed to help you move your business forward.
