Preface of the International Coffee Convention 2023 (ICC2023) ^†

1. Conference Overview

The International Coffee Convention 2023 (ICC2023) is a unique three-day event in Mannheim, Germany, from September 30 to October 3, that will bring together academics, practitioners and coffee industry experts from around the world to discuss the challenges and solutions facing the coffee industry. The conference will feature keynotes from invited experts, presentations and discussions on a variety of topics. Key topics will include sustainability and coffee by-products, biodiversity in coffee production as a response to climate change with a special focus on Coffea liberica, coffee and health, the new ways to drink coffee, new technologies for tomorrow’s coffee world, challenges and opportunities in the coffee industry, traceability and authentication. The conference will conclude with the presentation of the Kaldi Award to an individual or organization that has made a significant contribution to the coffee industry. The meeting is chaired by the following scientific committee:

• Dr. Dirk W. Lachenmeier (CVUA Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany).
• Dr. Steffen Schwarz (Coffee Consulate, Mannheim, Germany).
• Prof. Dr. Carmen Ablan Lagman (De La Salle University, Philippines).
• Prof. Dr. María Dolores del Castillo (Spanish National Research Council, Spain).
• Prof. Dr. Adriana Farah (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil).
• Dr. Massimiliano Fabian (International Coffee Organization).
• Prof. Dr. Philipp Weller (Mannheim University, Germany).

2. Scientific Program

The program of ICC2023 starts with a general introduction (Steffen Schwarz, Coffee Consulate) and an introduction by the Scientific Committee, followed by introductory speeches, including one on “The Novel food regulation: A Major Obstacle to Sustainability in the Coffee Industry” (Dirk W. Lachenmeier).

The scientific program of ICC2023 is comprised of the following 10 thematic sessions including 14 keynotes and 16 lectures.

• Session 1: Achieving Sustainability through Coffee By-Products—(Moderation: Steffen Schwarz).

Keynote 1—Coffee By-Products for Sustainable Health Promotion (Adriana Farah).

Lecture 1—Coffee By-Products: Economic Opportunities for Sustainability and Innovation in the Coffee Industry (Mariano Peluso).

Lecture 2—Economic Potential of using Coffee Cherries and Waste to Produce Biogas and Activated Carbon (Herbert Kowa).

• Session 2: Coffee Cherry—Waste to Profit Conversion—(Moderation: Adriana Farah).

Keynote 2—How to Increase Farmers’ Incomes Using Coffee Cherries (Jörg Rieke-Zapp).

Keynote 3—Coffee Fruit Cascara: A New Sustainable Way to Drink Coffee (Amaia Iriondo-DeHond).

Lecture 3—Introduction into the Flavor World of Cascara (Ennio Cantergiani).

• Session 3: Coffea liberica, the Hidden Champion of Climate Resilience—(Moderation: Dirk W. Lachenmeier).

Keynote 4—Variability in Philippine Coffea liberica provides Insights into Development amidst a Changing Climate (Carmen Ablan Lagman).

Lecture 4—New Sensory Lexicon for Liberica Coffee: Insights into the Sensory Attributes of the Different Origins, Processing Methods, Elevation, and Roasting (Rave Sun Kwok).

Lecture 5—Liberica Coffee Development and Refinement Project in Sarawak Malaysia (Kenny Wee Ting Lee).

Lecture 6—The Aromatic Fingerprint of Fermented Coffea liberica (Catherine Kiefer)

• Session 4: Innovating Business and Technology for the Future of Coffee—(Moderation: Steffen Schwarz).

Keynote 5—Design Thinking Applied in the Coffee Industry: With Common Sense to Unexpected Outcomes (Kirstin Kohler).

Lecture 7—Innovation through Digitalization in Coffee Roasting (Christian Müller).

Lecture 8—Grinding Uncertainty: Business Model Innovation as a Strategy for Coffee Sector SMEs (Yves Zimmermann).

• Session 5: Practical Implications for the Use of By-Products—(Moderation: Maria Dolores del Castillo).

Keynote 6—Sensorial and Aroma Profiles of Coffee By-Products—Coffee Leaves and Coffee Flowers (Marina Rigling).

Lecture 9—Regulatory Aspects and Correct Labeling of Coffee By-Products on the EU Food Market (Ann-Kathrin Kull).

Lecture 10—Utilizing the Antioxidant Properties of Coffee By-Products to Stabilize Bioplastics (Mirko Rennert).

• Session 6: Biodiversity in Coffee as a Response to Climate Change—(Moderation: Adriana Farah).

Keynote 7—Refreshing the Agronomic R&D approach towards Coffee Farmers‘ profitability (Christophe Montagnon).

Keynote 8—”The International Conservation Collection of Coffee Varieties” at Wilhelma, Stuttgart, Germany. A First Step Towards Preserving the Diversity of Coffee Cultivars (Björn Schäfer).

• Session 7: Coffee and Health—(Moderation: Dirk W. Lachenmeier).

Keynote 9—Food Security Opportunities from Plant to Coffee Cup (María Dolores del Castillo).

Lecture 11—Instant Cascara: A Potential Sustainable Promoter of Gastrointestinal Health (Vanesa Sánchez-Martín).

Lecture 12—Colonic Fermentation of Coffee Melanoidins and Resulting Cardioprotective Metabolites (Fernanda Machado).

Lecture 13—The Potentials of Green Coffee Proteins as New Functional Food Components (Harshadrai Rawel).

• Session 8: Changes in Coffee Consumption—New Ways of Drinking Coffee—(Moderation: Steffen Schwarz).

Keynote 10—Navigating the Coffee Business Landscape: Challenges and Adaptation Strategies in a Changing World (Mariano Peluso).

Keynote 11—The New Importance of Coffee and Food Solutions at Workplaces (Aris Kaschefi).

• Session 9: Challenges and Future Issues—(Moderation: Carmen Ablan Lagman).

Keynote 12—2023 Coffee Challenges (Massimiliano Fabian).

Keynote 13—Volatilomics, Foodomics and Fermentomics at Trace Levels: Role of Modern Untargeted Benchtop Analytical Strategies in Improving Coffee Research (Philipp Weller).

Lecture 14—Isotopic Fingerprinting: A Promising Tool for Coffee Authenticity Checks (Johannes Wintel).

• Session 10: Coffee, Traceability and Authentication—(Moderation Philipp Weller).

Keynote 14—Identification of Coffee Species, Varieties, Origins, and Processing and Preparation methods—A Status Report (Dirk W. Lachenmeier).

Lecture 15—”Highvalue. Coffee Project” and the Growing Importance of Coffee Traceability (Massimiliano Fabian).

Lecture 16—Application of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometry to Coffee Authentication (Jan Teipel).

The proceedings published by MDPI in Proceedings presents all abstracts, including extended abstract and proceeding papers presented at the conference and peer-reviewed by the scientific committee (https://www.mdpi.com/2504-3900/89/1). The high-quality papers are all open access. A selection of extended versions of the proceedings papers will be published in a Special Issue of Foods (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/foods/special_issues/368DHJBA9O).