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Bristol Coffee Festival 2025 promises to be best yet
The founder of Bristol Coffee Festival, which returns to Bristol Beacon on September 6 for the biggest celebration of speciality coffee in the South West, says that Bristol is the ideal place to host such a festival.
Joana Vieiralves Wood says that Bristol is a “hub” of speciality coffee.
“And of course, Bristol is well known for its independent spirit; and so many people now want to open a roastery or a cafe,” adds Joana during a recent coffee at KaFei on the Centre, just a stone’s throw from the Beacon.
is needed now More than ever
So what advice would Joana give to someone looking to open a cafe in Bristol?
“When I used to hire for baristas in my old job, so many of them told me that it was their dream to open their own cafe. I think people from Bristol tend to be optimistic. I would say to go where nobody else is.
“The city centre for example is a great location of course but there are so many coffee shops that if you don’t already have a name in the coffee industry, you will likely struggle because to make money in a coffee shop, you need to sell a lot of coffee.
“Coffee is something that everybody drinks so you need to go somewhere where there are people but there aren’t nice coffee shops.”
Joana Vieiralves Wood is the founder of Bristol Coffee Festival – photo: Ciara Hillyer
Joana says that this year’s third annual Bristol Coffee Festival will be a 50-50 split between industry and the general public: “I want to help people understand what is going to influence them, the price of their coffee and its journey to their cup.”
There will be the usual stands as well as debates and discussions, with one possible theme being instant coffee in the speciality coffee industry, with Yate roasters Colonna now making instant sachets.
And this year, there will also be a photo booth and comedians from the Gaffe Comedy Club doing some sketches and “roasting the roasters”.
Bristol Coffee Festival returns for its third annual event in September – photo: Ciara Hillyer
For Joana, among the developments of Bristol Coffee Festival, “one thing that hasn’t changed is I’m still doing the festival that I would like to attend”.
“When I think about the festival, I think a lot about me as a ‘baby barista’. I think a lot about what I would like, how I would like to come to a place and see things, and I always suggest exhibitors to be interactive so it’s more approachable and people don’t feel like intimidated to go to their stand.
“I think about what I was like in my early days in coffee and now that I am a professional, what I would like to watch and be involved in…
“For me, it’s not a business. It’s not about making money. It’s about putting something nice together and it makes me feel happy.”
Connie Sceaphierde and Arrow Jie at Bristol Coffee Festival 2024 – photo: Ciara Hillyer
Main photo: Rob Browne
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