As we announced late last year, Producer & Roaster Forum (PRF) is returning in 2022, and will be coming to Colombia.
This year, the two-day forum will be held at the Plaza Mayor in Medellín, Colombia, where we expect it will bring together at least 5,000 attendees. These visitors will be international coffee professionals, including producers, roasters, traders, and more from over 50 countries.
At the forum, attendees will be able to participate in workshops, cuppings, presentations, and a range of other activities. Furthermore, as with past events, PRF Colombia will have a stage where a range of international industry leaders will give speeches and lectures throughout both days. These will cover a range of key issues and areas of interest to the industry.
Across both days, PRF Colombia will welcome a range of industry leaders and other high-level representatives from across the public and private sector. If you think your values align with the event, and you want to help drive green coffee sales in the Colombian coffee sector, speaker applications are open!
Read on to learn more about the event, the responsibilities of being a speaker, and how you can apply.
Learn more about PRF Colombia here.
What is Producer & Roaster Forum?
PRF is a leading annual coffee event that brings together coffee professionals from around the world to empower farmers and drive green coffee sales in a coffee producing country.
It is split into two key parts: the three-day Origin Trip Experience, and the two-day Forum.
Origin Trip Experience
The Origin Trip Experience gives participating international roasters the chance to learn more about Colombian coffee at origin. Those who attend are split into groups, which then stay on local Colombian coffee farms for three days.
As well as visiting the farms and staying with their hosts, roasters will also get to see local wet and dry mills, cup coffee, take part in a series of other relevant farming activities, and join roundtable sessions.
The ultimate goal of this trip is to develop long-lasting sourcing relationships between roasters and farmers.
Forum
The two-day forum event follows immediately after the Origin Trip Experience. It’s here where guest speakers will address the thousands of international guests in attendance.
In addition to these talks, the event will also feature educational workshops, panel discussions, cupping events, presentations by market leaders, and more.
The goal of PRF Colombia is to facilitate green coffee sales for coffee farmers in the country, which is achieved by providing a platform for producers and buyers to network. At the same time, PRF Colombia will have an Exhibition Arena where industry experts will share their knowledge, experiences, and visions for the future of coffee.
This is an excellent opportunity to raise awareness of the issues that matter to you and your organisation, as well as sharing knowledge and educating other attendees.
Who should apply to become a speaker?
If you are a coffee professional in any capacity, you’re eligible to apply. We do, however, request that applicants have at least five years of experience in their respective fields, as well as some degree of experience in public speaking.
Most importantly, what we need from you is the ability to offer something beneficial to attendees. That might be a desire to educate or inspire guests at PRF Colombia, start an important discussion relevant to the entire supply chain, or share a vision that will benefit the wider coffee sector.
Speeches at PRF events are also curated to the needs of the host origin in question, with a view to delivering value for key industry stakeholders (specifically producers). This means that at PRF Colombia, each presentation will provide real value for attendees in the Colombian coffee sector.
As well as individual speeches, we will also host panels (which will feature multiple speakers on the same topic). At previous PRF events, we have also added a lineup of shorter-form “micro lectures” following an unprecedented volume of applications, so this may also be something we consider in the coming weeks.
As this event specifically targets producers and roasters, we encourage both to apply, but actors and stakeholders from all across the sector are welcome. We also encourage speakers from a range of backgrounds, as one of our key aims is ensuring that we provide insight that is both inclusive and comprehensive.
Finally, we want to hear local perspectives on the various issues facing the coffee supply chain at this moment in time. As such, we are specifically encouraging Colombian coffee professionals to apply to speak.
Talks cover a range of topics, which have in the past included:
- Emerging markets & origins
- The economics of coffee
- Coffee consumption trends
- Sustainability, transparency & traceability
- Coffee & the environment
- Gender equity in coffee
Julio Guevara is the Director of PRF. He tells me that PRF Colombia will be a unique opportunity to share expertise in a producing country.
“There’s a huge gap between producing and non-producing countries,” he adds. “PRF aims to bridge it by bringing the conversation to a place where speakers and panelists lead a thought-provoking agenda.”
How can I apply?
If you’re interested in speaking at PRF Colombia, please apply before May 1st. The event is scheduled to take place on 30 June & 1 July, and speakers will need to be confirmed long before that.
To apply, please fill out our speaker application form (in English here and in Spanish here)
If your application is successful, we will notify you within a week of receiving your application. You will then be required to submit a photograph of yourself as well as a short bio.
PRF Colombia is set to be the largest and most innovative edition of the event yet, held in one of the coffee sector’s most prominent producing countries.
The event will be held on 30 June & 1 July at the Plaza Mayor in Medellín, Colombia. If you want to learn more, please visit the PRF website here.
Apply to be a PRF Colombia speaker by filling out this form (English) or in Spanish here.
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