MICE - Melbourne's renowned international coffee exhibition
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
LOCATION
Melbourne, Australia
EVENT Venue
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
TREND
MAPPING
Events, Coffee, Beverage, Sustainability
The Melbourne International Coffee Exhibition is an annual three-day International Coffee event. It's a magnet for coffee lovers, and industry professionals alike. Over the three days exhibitors share the latest trends and technologies with the local coffee industry, while the general public can learn, sample and buy.
Each year the event also aligns with a significant barista competition. In 2025, the Milklab Barista Battle National Finals, took centre stage, where 8 baristas from around the world extracted their way to International Champion. Australia’s Richest Barista Competition was also hosted, and that offered prize money up to $25,000.
The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) is located on the banks of the Yarra River and provides an extensive array of exhibition space and rooms that can be adjusted and shaped to meet the need of any event organiser. MCEC’s main exhibition floor capacity is divided into twenty bays. Each bay can be joined to another to make the zone larger. Ten doors are strategically located along the length of the venue that create public access to the events.
In the case of the MICE, the floor plan was dynamic and strategically planned. Day one began with a focus on industry and the barista competitions, and by day three the focus had changed to a general public event. The show began by utilising bays 14 to 20 with gates 8 through to 10. By day three, the show’s footprint was reduced to Bays 17 to 20, with door access through door 9 and 10.
31,726
Attendees
134
Exhibitors
55
Speakers
The exhibitors were diverse and many were key espresso machine manufacturers, keen to show off their latest equipment. For teachers, it's a great opportunity to see the machine in operation, and try a new blend at the same time.
KJ Group, a Brisbane supplier specialising in paper cups and lids shared their extensive product range including ecological variants. Operations manager Emily explained they custom make cups with logos with minimum orders of 10000 cups.
Huskee Original promoted their environmentally friendly re-useable Huskee Cup. This inventive company explained how they used a special biopolymer which was made from waste coffee husks (a biopolymer is an organic substance found in natural sources). The Huskee range is a reusable durable chip and crack resistant design.
Milk lab was one of the main sponsors for MICE25. They promoted their milk brand by offering tastings from their extensive range, including well knowns like: almond, soy, oat and lactose free. But they also had some new taste sensations for the dairy free conscious consumer, including macadamia and coconut.
Non-alcoholic syrups on trend
Well known non-alcoholic brand 'Monin' was a prominent presence at MICE 25. The company displayed an enormous range of syrups and flavours, and I was surprised to discover how vast the range was. They showcased just about every flavour imaginable, from citrus and fruity syrups, to more mellow flavours such as; peanut, chocolate and chai, the latter being more aligned for use with coffee. The staff in the stall provided small samples, and demonstrated the diversity of the range, and how they could be integrated into mixers, coffee and mocktails.
ground and regrounded
Reground, a social enterprise organisation, took centre stage at MICE 2025, to highlight the impacts of coffee and its waste bi-products. Reground has created a circular economy by helping local cafes and businesses recycle their coffee waste products in Melbourne and Sydney.
GROUNDS ON DISPLAY
Throughout MICE 2025, Reground collected the spent grounds from the coffee competitions, and various coffee exhibitors. The large mound sat at the Reground stand for all to see. It gave a sobering reality to the amount of coffee waste that was produced at the show, but it also showed the greater impact the daily grind has in our cities.
expanding FOOTPRINT
Reground collects used coffee grounds, and chaff from cafes and businesses, and redirects them to local projects for composting. This recycling gives waste a new purpose and reduces landfill. Reground also helps to re-divert soft plastics away from landfills, and it encourages the processing of plastics into re-useable materials.
Stephen's Take
Attending the MICE 2025 exhibition was a great way to build teacher currency. I took an opportunity to taste new coffees and experience products that were on trend. Producers happily shared their passion for their product and industry. I found there were new developments in syrups, cup-ware and equipment. But my biggest takeaway was the significant changes in the management of coffee waste. I left this event having learnt something new.
Unit of Competency Mapping
Content in this article relates to the following units of competency
Source and use information on the events industry
Source and use information on the hospitality industry
Prepare and serve espresso coffee
Prepare and serve non-alcoholic beverages
Participate in sustainable work practices
Please note; the purpose of this article is to introduce current hospitality trends. The content broadly applies to the units of competency listed. It is not intended that all content in this article maps directly to all performance evidence and knowledge evidence in the unit of competency.
Teacher Resources
Bring your teacher currency to the classroom! View the following documents and website links!
Melbourne International Coffee Exhibition
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre / MICE 25
Article and all photos original by Stephen Duncan