Black Coffee Screening at SCAA Conference on Saturday, May 3, 2008
Join SCAA conference attendees for a special screening of the film series Black Coffee, which traces the unique and volatile history of coffee. The Perfect Cup, the episode being screened, heralds what some coffee experts have called “the romantic age of coffee.” North Americans re-discover what their European counterparts have known all along; coffee is better when it’s quality coffee, and the best place to find it is in the relaxed and friendly atmosphere of the cafe.
A quirky collection of vagabond hippies looking for a quality cup of coffee emerge from the 70’s to create a new café society. Specialty coffee becomes the first global industry to experiment with sustainable practices and a new breed of co-operative farmer is born in Central America. As activists wake up to the fact that a pound of designer coffee in North America represents a full week’s wage to coffee growers in the producing countries, they organize under the banner of “Fair Trade” (defined as coffee grown by small holders in cooperatives who meet the requirements.) A new generation of coffee consumers demands not only the quality coffee but justice and environmental awareness in their morning cup — a complex brew.
And the search continues for the perfect cup.
The movie will be shown on Saturday, May 3 at 8 p.m. at the Oak Street Cinema in Minneapolis. A panel discussion featuring Irene Angelico, the director of Black Coffee, Mark Pendergrast, the author of Uncommon Grounds, TransFair USA President and Chief Executive Officer Paul Rice and several coffee luminaries will immediately follow the film.
A shuttle bus will pick up conference goers at 7:20 p.m. and 7:50 p.m. at the Minneapolis Convention Center, returning at 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Tickets will cost $7. illycaffe, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Coffee & Tea.Ltd., Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, and Vermont Artisan Coffee & Tea are sponsoring the event.