2009 Austrian Coffee Championships

This year for its national championships, the SCAE’s Austrian chapter allied with Citypark, the main shopping mall in Graz to organise a coffee week called Aroma & Crema, reports Alf Kramer.

This implies that the mall is totally covered by all aspects of coffee — and it is: there are a huge number of coffee brands, coffee machines, accessories, curiosities, sampling, promotions, tastings throughout the mall, even in toy and stationery shops. The only place where coffee does not seem to be served is in the elevators and escalators, but the day is still young, so you never know! Everywhere else, where there is an open space in the mall, there is a coffee related activity going on.

The competitions are held in a nice large nice area with a stage with three complete stations, complete with large educational posters for the audience, and good working conditions for the contestants and for the media.

The chapter has also been innovative in getting sponsorships outside the traditional coffee community

. A very innovative event