Development Stage to Explore Coffee ‘Beyond the Cup’ in Oakland
Royal Coffee’s Development Stage event is returning to Oakland, California, this fall, with the two-day coffee symposium taking on the theme “Frontiers: Coffee Beyond the Cup.”
“This year we’re exploring the support structures that power possibility, from sensory science, accessible healthcare, nonprofit partnerships and the economics and environments that sustain coffee producing communities,”
Taking place Sept. 18-19 at The Crown: Royal Coffee Lab & Tasting Room, the third annual event will feature coffee conversations, tastings and workshops exploring sensory science, smallholder farmer support and consumer-focused research. “This year we’re exploring the support structures that power possibility, from sensory science, accessible healthcare, nonprofit partnerships and the economics and environments that sustain coffee producing communities,” organizers wrote on the event website.
Featured speakers and collaborators include Bolivian coffee professionals Felix Chambi Garcia and Yulissa Chambi; Julien Delarue and Gaëlle Chanlot Delarue of the University of California, Davis; Grounds for Health Executive Director Kyle Engleman; Advanced Cicerone and Redfield Cider co-owner Mike Reis; and Haile Stevens of Fellow Products. The Friday program includes sessions titled “Bolivian Coffee Frontiers,” “Healthcare Frontiers in the Coffeelands,” “Sensory Perception of Coffee Flavor: From Chemistry to Drinking Experience” and “Strengthening Small Farm Competitiveness: Consumer-Centered Strategies for Specialty Crops.”
Saturday is being presented as a more open “Public Day,” with a morning cupping session, a noon Grounds for Health session and an afternoon collaborative tasting. The event name nods to the development stage in coffee roasting, while also serving as a broader platform for growth and experimentation, according to the organizers.
Development Stage launched in 2024 with a program that brought coffee professionals into conversations with people working in fields such as chocolate, wine, food, perfume chemistry and fermentation. Last year’s second edition leaned into future-focused programming, with sessions touching on utopian thinking, ancestral knowledge, coffee ceremonies and experimental pairings.
Tickets are available now, with two-day passes listed at $115 and Friday one-day passes listed at $95. Saturday morning and noon sessions are free to attend, while a Redfield Cider tasting is $25 as a standalone event.
The Crown is Royal Coffee’s lab, tasting room and education venue at 2523 Broadway in Oakland’s Uptown district. Comments?
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- Who: Redfield Cider · Development Stage · Royal Coffee’s Development Stage · Oakland
- Money: $115 · $95. · $25
