Schedule of Events

Creative Coffee Week 2026 - Durban

Presented by YOCO

This event would not have been possible without the support of the amazing sponsors that have come forward to support coffee education and growth in South Africa. Each year we have had the opportunity to shift and refocus this platform. The idea is that this is an intimate event, open to all, that should leave attendees feeling inspired to do better in their sector of the coffee industry. This is an opportunity to step outside your business and get new perspective while having the most fun! We are always aiming to create a coffee experience that inspires all the amazing humans in the industry and hopefully encourage a few more to join us. We've been able to make the ticket prices accessible (in 2019, they were R3000 each) thanks to the help of our partners who all value what these events means on the coffee calendar.

***Program and topics are subject to change***

Tuesday 28th July

Focused Workshops at Faema Showroom - Churchill Road, Windermere
11am-1pm: Jack Simpson, Australia  (World Barista Champion 2025) - Tickets here, limited to 15
2pm-4pm: Dara Santana Hernandez, Spain  - The Architecture of the Cup - Tickets here - limited to 12 participants

Evening events:
6pm:  Women in Coffee Event at The Chairman with special guest Dara Hernandez. This will be a gathering of female business owners, baristas, and coffee professionals from all parts of the industry - Buy Tickets here.

6pm:  Fives Football (no football skill required!)  

Wednesday 29th July 

8.30am - 5pm: Conference Day at The Chairman - See directions below

Morning Cuppings
Green Coffee Supply
Zuka Green Coffee
World of Coffee Selection (With thanks to Cedar Coffee)

ACTIVITIES:

  • Explore the range of Mazzer Grinders with Importalia and Jack Simpson, World Barista Champion
  • Pastries with FAEMA
  • More released shortly

PLENARY SESSIONS BEGIN at 10.15am

Welcome with Coffee Magazine and YOCO

INTERVIEW: Success at Scale
Jack Simpson is a World Barista Champion, but he is also part of own of the biggest and most successful roasters in Australia, Axil Coffee Roasters. An opportunity to explore team building and growing a business that retains its core values.

LECTURE: What Does Coffee Farming in the Future Look Like?
With Matt Carter. 
Every great cup of coffee starts with a farmer making a decision. For most smallholder farmers those decisions have always been made by instinct or tradition often shaped by generations of experience. These decisions are being tested every year by a changing climate. This talk will look at how we can empower farmers to make decisions based on data and facts from their farm that translates into quality in our cups.
What we are asking is, is there a better way to farm? We think there is. This talk is aimed at roasters, green buyers, and anyone who fell in love with coffee because of the people who grow it.

PANEL: Hospitality as a Form of Marketing 
Hospitality is the final layer of a marketing strategy that converts attention  into retention. In this session we will discuss the importance of hospitality in a marketing strategy, how a culture of hospitality starts with the leader & is shared from the top down. As well as some practical tips and ideas for any business owner & industry professional.
Facilitator - Chad Whitby - DAWN Design Co. 

LECTURE: The Water Diary - Context, Judgement and Decisions That Shape the Cup
With Dara Santana
Water is one of the topics that generates the most uncertainty and misinformation in the coffee industry today. Between universal recipes and quick-fix solutions, we often lose sight of something essential: the challenge is not to control water, but to understand which decision makes sense in each situation.
This lecture proposes a different way of thinking about water — not as a fixed recipe, but as a working tool that changes depending on the context, the coffee, and the service environment. Through personal experiences, research, and practical examples, we will explore how water influences extraction, flavour, and the overall coffee experience, and how professionals can develop their own criteria for making better decisions.

SCASA Town Hall Meeting
with Board of Director representatives Chris Rootman, Sinjon Wicks and Roan Muntingh.
Join SCASA’s leadership, for an open Townhall bringing together South Africa’s coffee industry stakeholders to shape the future of our sector. In this 30 minute segment, you can hear about SCASA current vision, share your views, ask all the questions you need and be part of electing a new board to guide the organisation over the next two years. Your voice matters. Be part of it.

Lunch is served from 1.30pm. Take a seat in the beautiful Chairman Cafe, enjoy the sunshine and embrace more chats about coffee!

Afternoon Breakaway Sessions:
2.30pm: A South African first - WMF Espresso NEXT & Elevation 10 with Niccolò Rossi (Italy/Dubai). Please register here: 35 slots available (https://wmfinnovationshowcase.rsvpify.com/)
3.15pm: Business Insights with YOCO. Context is so important, we often forget to look up at what is happening outside of our business, get some broader context of the coffee and hospitality industry today
4pm: Technical Session exploring FAEMA technology and innovation with Jack Simpson (Australia) & Aleksa Novicic (Serbia/Dubai)

Afternoon Cuppings 
Water Diary Cupping with Dara Santana
Roasters of Spain & Axil Coffee Roasters selection
Speciality Instant Coffee with Treat Coffee Roasters

5pm - 8pm : Sundown Showdown on the uShaka Pier KuD'Ta  - A fun event to highlight latte art skill. Plus a gorgeous location for a sundowner over beautiful Durban - Register here please, all welcome!

 

Thursday 30th July - Tickets Here
Mini Origin Trip: Bonakude Farm, Phatheni, Richmond KZN Midlands
Leave 7.30am - Transport by mini bus. A fantastic experience visiting a smallholder style coffee farming initiative and Agro-ecology village in Phatheni (village outside Richmond) A chance for professionals to learn, but also to share and teach. Interaction with the Bonakude Youth Group. Lunch from agro-ecological farm. Return to Durban by 5pm. 
All our International Guests are joining us on this day, come be part of something really special.


Wednesday 29th July 2026 - Conference Day!
Doors open at 8.30am
Venue: The Chairman


 

****Program and topics are subject to change****

The program is subject to change. And we will be adding to it constantly as more activities are confirmed, please feel free to get in touch.

Please pop any questions you may have to Mel: mel@magazine.coffee 

 

Why should you come?

These three CCW Events promise to be hardworking networking opportunity for you to rub shoulders with some of the most influential people in coffee, taste some of the best coffees in the world and meet the people connected to the Farmers, Producers and stakeholders behind these coffees. These events will similarly focus on coffee roasting, service and cafe culture and how to maximise your coffee business in the context of global trends and opportunities.  

Business Owners:

  • The majority of delegates attending CCW are business owners, Senior Management, Procurement or  technical coffee professionals. 
  • The quality of the audience is very high, It’s only 120 -150 people per event - and they are directly responsible for making the decisions for their coffee businesses.
  • The utility of the group is very high! This means they are excited and in a very happy place when they are at CCW - which is the perfect time to network, discover best practise, build relationships with suppliers and see what the global trends are in coffee. 

Roasters:

  • The connection between Roasters and Producers is a crucial one. CCW allows you as a roaster to have the critically important and  meaningful discussions around sourcing, pricing, and roasting coffee with the very people connected to the coffee itself. 
  • Network with other coffee roasters, meet suppliers and colleagues. Share best practise and insights around roasting and green coffee.
  • Learn how to service your wholesale customers better, how to maximise operational efficiency, and manage your workflows. 
  • Cup amazing coffees and have fun on our Farm Tour!  

Baristas:

  • Deepen your understanding about where coffee comes from, how it it processed and the journey it takes in getting to you.
  • Meet Roasters and other coffee professionals that will help you unpack the coffee value chain for your customers. 
  • Learn from the World Barista Champion, in Durban! 
  • Get inside insights into competing and why barista competitions are so important to your career. 
  • Get your hands on the latest equipment and innovation  - join a masterclass breakaway session. 
  • Win amazing prizes in our Latte Art factory Throwdown! 

Consumers:

  • If you love coffee, which you do, because you are reading this…then this is your chance to level up your understanding of coffee - where it comes from, the flavour profiles and language used to describe it, the processing methods and what they mean in your cup, the appreciation of the value chain. You will come away from CCW inspired and informed! 
  • Taste some of the best coffees on the planet - ever tried a Colombian Geisha or a Pink Bourbon? Now is your time! 
  • Learn how to “cup coffee” - it’s all in the slurp! 
  • Meet the World Barista Champion, Jack Simpson
  • If you have ever dreamed of owning a coffee shop, this is a MUST.