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VIENNA, Austria – When the gates of the Marx Halle open in September, visitors will experience three days full of inspiration, innovation, and intense aromas. The Vienna Coffee Festival 2025 celebrates coffee as a global cultural treasure – with a rich program of tastings, talks, music, competitions, and workshops.
“Today, it’s not just about taste,” said organizer Günther Gapp. “It’s about attitude, health, and aesthetic quality.” The festival is therefore a space where craftsmanship, enjoyment, and social awareness meet at the highest level. “We are consciously moving away from classic trade fair aesthetics – toward an experience that reflects quality and beauty, as well as responsibility and vision.”
New design, new content, new responsibility
The exhibition area has been completely redesigned – moving away from wooden pallets and toward sustainable, reusable booth systems. Alongside international roasters from across Europe, key topics for 2025 include fermentation, health, coffee pricing, and education.
“Education is central for us. Workshops, competitions, and lectures are not side events – they are the heart of the festival,” said Gapp. This year, coffee fermentation takes center stage – with deep insights from scientific lectures by Marcel Hackler and fermentation experts like Alex Plut (Bootch), who proudly calls himself a “fermentation nerd.”
Coffee prices under the microscope
A highlight will be the open-stage discussion on coffee prices, moderated by Jörg Wagner. With Colombian commodity trader Pedro Rangel on stage, this talk will illuminate the complex dynamics of today’s market – from interest rates and logistics to climate change.
Specialty coffee and competitive excellence
Oliver Goetz, board member of the Specialty Coffee Association Austria, emphasized the educational mission of the festival and announced two top-level competitions:
“There will be a Barista and a Latte Art Contest, where participants must complete precise tasks in a short time – two disciplines that require precision, creativity, and sensory excellence.”
At the same time, the term “specialty coffee” is evolving. “Instead of rigid point-based systems, the focus is shifting toward sensory attributes, transparency, and overall experience,” explained Goetz. “It’s about character – not just classification.”
Powerful women, powerful voices
Two outstanding women are also making their mark at the 11th Vienna Coffee Festival:
Katharina Brun, host of the press conference and current Austrian Aeropress Champion 2024, shared her personal approach to coffee. For the past eight years, she and her brother Markus have run “GOTA Coffee Shop” in Vienna’s 15th district. In February, GOTA was named the Best Coffee Shop in Europe and the third best worldwide by “100 Best Coffee Shops.”
Brun: “We are incredibly proud of this award. It shows that something is moving in Vienna’s coffee scene. For me, coffee is an expression. Every line, every nuance tells a story about the person preparing it.”
Alongside her, Brewers Cup Champion Eline Ferket shared her experience representing Austria at the World Brewers Cup in Jakarta: “In May, I competed in Jakarta – probably the most incredible experience of my life so far. I placed twelfth – not quite the finals, but it definitely made me want to try again.”
Global trends and social responsibility
Martin Wölfl, managing director of Wildkaffee 2.0 Austria and World Brewers Cup Champion 2024, will also take the stage at the Vienna Coffee Festival to share his insights from a year-long journey across 21 countries. He brings with him new fermentation techniques, green coffee from El Salvador and India, and a social project supporting smallholder farmers:
“We don’t just want to bring coffee – we want to bring perspectives. It’s about sharing knowledge, building awareness, and creating networks that truly have an impact – all the way to the farm level.”
Wölfl also announced a special fermentation coffee, co-developed with origin partners, which will be available for tasting at the festival.
Matcha, Chai, AI – the future of the cup
In addition to coffee, rising trends like Matcha and Chai will be explored – showcasing their cultural significance. For the first time, the role of artificial intelligence in gastronomy will also be examined – a development that could significantly reshape how coffee is prepared and served in the future.
Another highlight: creative mind, graphic designer, and barista Mike Superski will present his children’s book The Story of Coffee at the festival – another festival debut.
Speaking of the future: Vienna’s future as a coffee capital looks promising, precisely because the city is evolving. The traditional Viennese coffeehouse is far from obsolete. On the contrary: it can be a place that not only celebrates the past, but opens up dialogue, encourages curiosity, and invites discovery. A space for those who look beyond the rim of the cup.
At the close of the press conference, the festival’s main sponsor was selected via lottery: “La Cimbali” will receive a sponsorship package worth €20,000.
Festival facts
September 12–14, 2025
Opening hours
- Friday, September 12: 1 pm–6 pm
- Saturday, September 13: 10 am–6 pm
- Sunday, September 14: 10 am–5 pm
- Marx Halle Vienna, Karl-Farkas-Gasse 19, 1030 Vienna
